Anno —— I made my will[Z] and settled my estate on trustees, intending to have seen the antiquities of Rome and Italy for ... <years>, and then to have returned and maried, but—
Diis aliter visum est superis,
my mother, to my inexpressible griefe and ruine, hindred this[164] designe, which was[165] my ruine.
[166]My estate (was of) value 100 li. fere + Brecon.
Then debts and lawe-suites, opus et usus, borrowing of money and perpetuall riding. To my prayse, <I had> wonderfull credit in the countrey for money. Anno ... sold manor of Bushelton in Herefordshire to Dr. T<homas> Willis. Anno ... sold the manor of Stratford in the same county to Herbert <Croft> lord bishop of Hereford.
Then anno 1664, June 11, went into France. Oct. ... returned. Then Joan Sumner.
[167]Memorandum. J. Aubrey in the yeare 1666, wayting then upon Joane Sumner to her brother at Seen in Wilts, there made a discovery of a chalybiate waters and those more impregnated than any waters yet heard of in England. I sent some bottles to the Royal Society in June 1667, which were tryed with galles before a great assembly there. It turnes so black that you may write legibly with it, and did there, after so long a carriage, turne as deepe as a deepe claret. The physitians were wonderfully surprized at it, and spake to me to recommend it to the doctors of the Bath (from whence it is but about 10 miles) for that in some cases 'tis best to begin with such waters and end with the Bath, and in some vice versâ. I wrote severall times, but to no purpose, for at last I found that, though they were satisfied of the excellency of the waters and what the London doctors sayd was true, they did not care to have company goe from the Bath. So I inserted it last yeare in Mr. Lilly's almanac, and towards the later end of summer there came so much company that the village could not containe them, and they are now preparing for building of houses against the next summer. Jo<hn> Sumner sayth (whose well is the best) that it will be worth to him 200 li. per annum. Dr. <Nehemiah> Grew in his History of the Repository of the Royal Society mentions this discovery, as also of the iron oare there not taken notice of before——'tis in part iii, cap. 2, pag. 331.
[168]Then lawe-suite with her[169]. Then sold Easton-Peirse[AA], and the farme at Broad Chalke. Lost 500 li. (Fr. H.) + 200 li. + goods + timber. Absconded as a banishd man.
Then