My will and humble desire is that these minutes, which I have hastily and scriblingly here sett downe, be delivered carefully to my deare and honoured friend Mr. Anthony à Wood, antiquary, of Oxford.—
Ita obnixe obtestor,
Jo. Aubrey.
Ascenscione Domini,
correptus lipothymiâ, circiter 3 P.M.
1680.'
(B)—MS. Aubr. 6, fol. 12:—
'To my worthy friend Mr. ANTHONIE à WOOD,
Antiquarie of Oxford.
Sir!
I have, according to your desire, putt in writing these minutes of lives tumultuarily, as they occurr'd to my thoughts or as occasionally I had information of them. They may easily be reduced into order at your leisure by numbring them with red figures, according to time and place, &c. 'Tis a taske that I never thought to have undertaken till you imposed it upon me, sayeing that I was fitt for it by reason of my generall acquaintance, having now not only lived above halfe a centurie of yeares in the world, but have also been much tumbled up and downe in it which hath made me much[17] knowne; besides the moderne advantage of coffee-howses in this great citie, before which men knew not how to be acquainted, but with their owne relations, or societies. I might add that I come of a longaevous race, by which meanes I have imped some feathers of the wings of time, for severall generations; which does reach high. When I first began, I did not thinke I could have drawne it out to so long a thread.
I here lay-downe to you (out of the conjunct friendship[18] between us) the trueth, and, as neer as I can and that religiously as a poenitent to his confessor, nothing but the trueth: the naked and plaine trueth, which is here exposed so bare that the very pudenda are not covered[19], and affords many passages that would raise a blush in a young virgin's[20] cheeke. So that after your perusall, I must desire you to make a castration (as Raderus[21] to Martial) and to sowe-on some figge-leaves—i.e., to be my Index expurgatorius.
What uncertainty doe we find in printed histories? they either treading too neer on the heeles of trueth that they dare not speake plaine, or els for want of intelligence (things being antiquated) become too obscure and darke! I doe not here repeat any thing already published (to the best of my remembrance) and I fancy my selfe all along discourseing with you; alledgeing those of my relations and acquaintance (as either you knew or have heerd of) ad faciendam fidem: so that you make me to renew my acquaintance with my old and deceased friends, and to rejuvenescere (as it were) which is the pleasure of old men. 'Tis pitty that such minutes had not been taken 100 yeares since or more: for want wherof many worthy men's names and notions[22] are swallowd-up in oblivion; as much of these also would [have[23] been], had it not been through your instigation: and perhaps this is one of the usefullest pieces[24] that I have scribbeld.
I remember one sayeing of generall Lambert's, that "the best of men are but men at the best": of this, you will meet with divers examples in this rude and hastie collection. Now these arcana are not fitt to lett flie abroad, till about 30 yeares hence; for the author and the persons (like medlars) ought to be first rotten. But in whose hands must they be deposited in the mean time? advise me, who am,
Sir,
Your very affectionate friend
to serve you,
John Aubrey.
London,
June 15,
1680.'
MS. Aubr. 7: a folio volume of twenty-one leaves (several pages blank), of which two[25] only belong to the original MS.