ionally adding her charming,
ill-spelt postscripts to her husband's letters; the religious daughter
who goes to daily prayers after the Restoration, which brought Browne
the honour of knighthood; and, above all, two Toms, son and grandson of
Sir Thomas, the latter being the son of Dr. Edward Browne, [142] now
become distinguished as a physician in London (he attended John, Earl
of Rochester, in his last illness at Woodstock) and his childish
existence as he lives away from his proper home in London, in the old
house at Norwich, two hundred years ago, we see like a thing of to-day.

At first the two brothers, Edward and Thomas (the elder) are together
in everything. Then Edward goes abroad for his studies, and Thomas,
quite early, into the navy, where he certainly develops into a
wonderfully gallant figure; passing away, however, from the
correspondence, it is uncertain how, before he was of full age. From
the first he is understood to be a lad of parts. "If you practise to
write, you will have a good pen and style:" and a delightful, boyish
journal of his remains, describing a tour the two brothers made in
September 1662 among the Derbyshire hills. "I received your two last
letters," he writes to his father from aboard the Marie Rose, "and give
you many thanks for the discourse you sent me out of Vossius: De motu
marium et ventorum. It seemed very hard to me at first; but I have now
beaten it, and I wish I had the book." His father is pleased to think
that he is "like to proceed not only a good navigator, but a good
scholar": and he finds the much exacting, old classical prescription
for the character of the brave man fulfilled in him. On 16th July 1666
the young man writes--still from the Marie Rose--

[143] If it were possible to get an opportunity to send as often as I
am desirous to write, you should hear more often from me, being now so
near the grand action, from which I would by no means be absent. I
extremely long for that thundering day: wherein I hope you shall hear
we have behaved ourselves like men, and to the honour of our country.
I thank you for your directions for my ears against the noise of the
guns, but I have found that I could endure it; nor is it so intolerable
as most conceive; especially when men are earnest, and intent upon
their business, unto whom muskets sound but like pop-guns. It is
impossible to express unto another how a smart sea-fight elevates the
spirits of a man, and makes h