pass as an idle speculation: it is just as useless to regret the want of these materials, as it is to conjecture whether they ever existed, or what has become of them. We have them not; and must, therefore, proceed to do our best without them.
It appears, that when Browne left the university, he took up his first residence somewhere (but we are not informed where) in Oxfordshire, and practiced physick probably for about two years, from the end of 1629 or beginning of 1630. He then commenced, his travels, by visiting Ireland with his father-in-law, Sir Thomas Dutton. Mr. Le Neve, in his pedigree of the Browne family, has (erroneously) called this gentleman Sir Ralph Dutton. The epithet bestowed on him by Mrs. Lyttleton[B 1] does not agree with the account with which Dr. Birch has given[B 2] of a Sir Thomas Dutton, whom he elsewhere affirms to be the individual here spoken of; "the same Sir Thomas Dutton who killed Sir Hatton Cheke in a duel."[B 3] In allusion to which, very possibly, it was, that Browne composed the following lines, preserved in MS. Sloan. 1869:—
- ↑ "A worthy person."—See her account of her father, in Preface to the Life.
- ↑ In his Life of Prince Henry, 8vo. Lond. 1760, p. 199, 200; where he gives a letter from Sir Edward Cecil, commander of "the English forces employed in the war about the succession to the deceased Duke of Cleves, written on the 29th of July, 1610, from the camp before Juliers, to Prince Henry, relating to the progress of the siege; in which letter is the following passage:—'I am only unhappy in one thing, that the mutinous and unworthy carriage of Sir Thomas Dutton, whom your highness was pleased to favour beyond his merit, hath from time to time disturbed the course of the service; having even, at his first arrival here, braved me at the head of the troops, daring to tell me, to my face, that it seemed his majesty had given me a commission to abuse men, when there was nothing in question but the doing of the duty of a captain, which he ought not to dispute amongst us, seeing it was the first time that even he or his company came into the field amongst us: and ever since, in all meetings, he hath disputed my commission and authority so far, and with so much scorn, that, though hitherto, in respect to your highness, I have contained myself; yet seeing that now again, in a public assembly, he hath contemptibly spoken of my commission, and, upon base advantage, hurt Sir Hatton Cheke, his colonel, who took upon him the defence of it, I most humbly beseech your highness will be rather pleased to allow of that which justice here shall allot him; presuming that your highness's princely judgment will find it expedient that I be discharged of such a bad member, which, in the heat of his majesty's service, dare contest with me, and be content, upon any terms, to murder his commander.'" Dr. Birch adds, in a note, that Sir Hatton Cheke was, soon after the surrender of Juliers, killed in a duel, on Calais sands, by Sir Thomas Dutton. The Biographia Brittanica says, "that he enjoyed an honourable post in the government of Ireland:" what this post was he does not say, nor can I.
- ↑ In a copy of Christian Morals, presented by Dr. Johnson to Birch, is this memorandum, in the hand-writing of the latter.
