Malcolm Letts - Francis Mortoft: his Book, Being his Travels through France and Italy 1658-1659

Edited by
MALCOLM LETTS

BEING HIS TRAVELS THROUGH

FRANCE AND ITALY

16581659.

EDITED BY

MALCOLM LETTS
AUTHOR OF BRUGES AND ITS PAST.

LONDON:
PRINTED FOM THE HAKLUYT SOCIETY.

MCMXXV.

I N preparing this manuscript for the press I have had many helpers to whom my special thanks are due. Sir Richard Temple first suggested that I should undertake the work, and most kindly supported the project when it came before the Council of the Society. Miss A. J. Mayes transcribed the diary, drew the maps, and has assisted me in many ways. Miss L. M. Anstey readily undertook the preparation of the index. Canon H. Maynard Smith, who in his work on Evelyns Diary is covering much the same ground and period, has lent me books, and kindly took the Florence portion with him to Italy and checked it on the spot. To Dr. Thomas Ashby, until recently Director of the British School at Rome, a special debt is due. He dealt with a long list of queries and helped me to clear up many points which remained obscure. My friend Mr. S. James Brown read the proofs, and my wife gladly assumed far more than her share of the labour involved in editing a work of this kind.

The method of transcribing the manuscript is the same as that adopted in the case of Mundys travelsthat is, the authors spelling and capitals have been preserved, but his contractions have been written out in full. The punctuation is mine.

MALCOLM LETTS.

LAW SOCIETYS HALL,
CHANCERY LANE, LONDON.
November, 1925.

THE Journey from Calais to Paris,

Rome to Loreto,

THE ROMAN FORUM IN 1650, BY LIVINUS CRUYL

MAP SHOWING MORTOFTS ROUTS IN FRANCE 16581659

MAP SHOWING MORTOFTS ROUTE IN NORTHERN ITALY, 16581659

T he journal of Francis Mortofts travels through France and Italy in the years 16581659 is preserved among the Sloane manuscripts at the British Museum.1 Nothing definite has been discovered about Mortoft, although it seems likely that he was the young man, son of Valentine Mortoft, of London, Gentleman, of whom some details are given later, and only three of his companions are mentioned by nameMr. Stanley, Mr. Hare, and later a Monsieur Pillat. The journal itself is an honest, straightforward narrative of a typical Grand Tour, with not a few touches of shrewdness and humour which raise it above the average traveldiary of the period. The detailed description of Rome, where Mortoft and his companions spent three months, would alone justify the printing of the journal, but apart from this, the travellers crossed a part of France not much visited by foreigners in the 17th century, and had many experiences which throw new and interesting light on the conditions of travel in Europe at that time.

As mentioned above, Francis Mortoft has not been clearly identified, but the Visitation of London 16331634, gives the pedigree of one, Valentine Mortoft, who was alive in London in 1633.1 He was married twice, first to Elliner, daughter of Roger Glover of Beaucott, in the County of Bucks, Esquire, and secondly to Margaret, daughter of Sir Hugh Hamersley, Knight. He had several children by each wife, but only four were living at the time of the Visitation, and Francis was apparently not then born. Valentine Mortoft died in 1641, and his will, dated in that year, was proved at London on 24 September. He mentions his wife, Margaret, and his sons, William and Francis, each of whom take a legacy of 500 on attaining the age of 21 years.2 If this Francis is our traveller, he was born after 1633, but before 1641. Taking his age to be 5 at the date of his fathers death (which is, of course, pure guess-work), he would be of full age in 1657, and might well be spending his 500 legacy abroad in 16581659. I can carry the identification no further, but it is an interesting possibility. That Mortoft was a young man at the time of his travels may be assumed. His enthusiasms were obviously prompted by youth, as were also the lines A Farewell to Ye World written at the end of the journal. This effusion is a depressing piece, and I was at first tempted to believe that the writer must have perished untimely, far from his family and friends, but as the next page contains further lines commencing:

it seems clear that the writer was suffering from nothing more than a bad attack of love melancholy.

Accompanied by Mr. George Stanley and one or two others, Mortoft set out on his travels from Calais in September, 1658. The diary gives no account of the journey to Calais, but commences with the statement that the travellers left the town on 1 September, and departed for Boulogne, where they arrived just at the close of the offensive operations undertaken by France and England against Spain, as a result of which the Spaniards had been driven out of the district. Montreuil was reached nexta very strong Towne (p. 1). Thence the travellers proceeded to Abbeville, where was an excellent trade in pistols, and to Dieppe, renowned for its hardy and adventurous sailors, and for much dainty work in bone and ivory. At Rouen, which abounded in pears and apples, the travellers remarked the bridge of boats, so cunningly contrived that it rose and fell with the tide, and the great bell in Notre Dame, now unfortunately no more, and on 9 September they reached Paris. Here a stay of ten days was made, but the diary is very brief. Louis XIV had not yet tried his hand at completing the Louvre, but Mortoft describes it as one of the statelyest in France (p. 5), and the Kings lodgings were as Rich as any mortal man can be ambitious off (p. 5). Queen Henrietta Maria was inhabiting the Palais Royal, with a train of attendants who ill repaid the French hospitality by carrying off whatever gold and valuables they could find, and damaging a large number of works of art. Notre Dame is dismissed in a few words, but the Pont Neuf is described in detail, with its statue of Henri IV and its Chteau dEau, both of which have now disappeared. It is clear that, at Paris, Mortoft had not yet got into his stride.