Letter 0611

[fol. 4] Sr Black Notley Aprill 13. 1700. Upon reading Your Letter of the 6th instant I could not but be moved with indignation against those vile Rogues, who when they failed in their attempt of breaking open Your house were so malicious as to set it on fire. I congratulate with you your deliverance from so great a danger, & hum- bly thank God on your behalf. The scurrilous Pamphlet entitled the Transactioneer I did al- ways believe to be no better then you represent it. And for Dr Plukenet I look upon him as an ill natured man, & liable to mistakes how ever confident & slef-conceited he may be, that I say nothing of his unskilfulnesse & want of exactnesse in ye Latine & Greek tongues. His arrogance & overweening opinion of himself & his performances appears by that hemistichium prefixt to his Phytography, Nil nifi pramia desunt. I doo not urge the sending me your Magellane-straits plants I am in no hast for them, but can well wait your leisure I did not expect so great & rich an Addiction to my Supplemt of History as You tell me Dr Sherard intends generously to con- tribute in wch respect it is well my undertakers were so dila- tory in beginning upon it. It will be greatly for ye advantage of the Work, if ever it come to be published. I should be very glad to see Dr Sherard, & to have some conference with him though loath I am He should put himself to ye trouble & expence of such a journey for my sake. Please to give my service to him, & tell him so much. Your intended Present of Sugar doth so far exceed my merit or expectation, that I may justly be ashamed to accept it. We are so far obliged already for largesses of this & other kinds, that we want ability to make you any amends. All We can doe is to retain a gracefull memory of your kindnesse, & to owne the obli- gation. My Wife & Daughters return their very humble servi- ces & thanks to you Dr Tourneforts Institutions may be of use to me as to the Me- thodus Plantaru[m] emendata, wch I have ready for the Presse both for the correcting of some mistakes wch possibly I may have committed, & the enlarging of it by now observations I have done whem I have told you that I am Sr Your very much obliged friend & humble servant John Ray