For the same purpose that now takes
American students to England, or Japanese students to America, the
English striplings once journeyed to France, comparing governments and
manners, watching everything, noting everything, and coming home to
benefit their country by new ideas.
I hope, also, that a review of these forgotten volumes may lend an added
pleasure to the reading of books greater than themselves in Elizabethan
literature. One cannot fully appreciate the satire of Amorphus's claim
to be "so sublimated and refined by travel," and to have "drunk in the
spirit of beauty in some eight score and eighteen princes' courts where
I have resided,"[1] unless one has read of the benefits of travel as
expounded by the current Instructions for Travellers; nor the dialogues
between Sir Politick-Would-be and Peregrine in Volpone, or the Fox.
Shakespeare, too, in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, has taken bodily the
arguments of the Elizabethan orations in praise of travel:
"Some to the warres, to try their fortune there;
Some, to discover Islands farre away;
Some, to the studious Universities;
For any, or for all these exercises,
He said, thou Proteus, your sonne was meet;
And did request me, to importune you
To let him spend his time no more at home;
Which would be great impeachment to his age,
In having knowne no travaile in his youth.
(Antonio) Nor need'st thou much importune me to that
Whereon, this month I have been hamering,
I have considered well, his losse of time,
And how he cannot be a perfect man,
Not being tryed, and tutored in the world;
Experience is by industry atchiev'd,
And perfected by the swift course of time."
(Act I. Sc. iii.)
* * * * *
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
THE BEGINNINGS OF TRAVEL FOR CULTURE
Pilgrimages at the close of the Middle Ages - New objects for travel in
the fifteenth century - Humanism - Diplomatic ambition - Linguistic
acquirement.
CHAPTER II
THE HIGH PURPOSE OF THE ELIZABETHAN TRAVELLER
Development of the individual - Benefit to the Commonwealth - First books
addressed to travellers.
CHAPTER III
SOME CYNICAL ASPERSIONS UPON THE BENEFITS OF TRAVEL
The Italianate Englishman.
CHAPTER IV
PERILS FOR PROTESTANT TRAVELLERS
The Inquisition - The Jesuits - Penalties of recusancy.
CHAPTER V
THE INFLUENCE OF THE FRENCH ACADEMIES
France the arbiter of manners in the seventeenth century - Riding the
great horse - Attempts to establish academies in England - Why travellers
neglected Spain.
CHAPTER VI
THE GRAND TOUR
Origin of the term - Governors for young travellers - Expenses of travel.
CHAPTER VII
THE DECADENCE OF THE GRAND TOUR
The decline of the courtier - Foundation of chairs of Modern History and
Modern Languages at Oxford and Cambridge - Englishmen become
self-sufficient - Books of travel become common - Advent of the Romantic
traveller who travels for scenery.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
FOOTNOTES
* * * * *
CHAPTER I
THE BEGINNINGS OF TRAVEL FOR CULTURE
Of the many social impulses that were influenced by the Renaissance, by
that "new lernynge which runnythe all the world over now-a-days," the
love of travel received a notable modification. This very old instinct
to go far, far away had in the Middle Ages found sanction, dignity and
justification in the performance of pilgrimages. It is open to doubt
whether the number of the truly pious would ever have filled so many
ships to Port Jaffa had not their ranks been swelled by the restless,
the adventurous, the wanderers of all classes.
Towards the sixteenth century, when curiosity about things human was an
ever stronger undercurrent in England, pilgrimages were particularly
popular. In 1434, Henry VI. granted licences to 2433 pilgrims to the
shrine of St James of Compostella alone.[2] The numbers were so large
that the control of their transportation became a coveted business
enterprise. "Pilgrims at this time were really an article of
exportation," says Sir Henry Ellis, in commenting on a letter of the
Earl of Oxford to Henry VI., asking for a licence for a ship of which he
was owner, to carry pilgrims. "Ships were every year loaded from
different ports with cargoes of these deluded wanderers, who carried
with them large sums of money to defray the expenses of their
journey."[3]
Among the earliest books printed in England was Informacon for
Pylgrymes unto the Holy Londe, by Wynkin de Worde, one which ran to
three editions,[4] an almost exact copy of William Wey's "prevysyoun"
(provision) for a journey eastwards.[5] The tone and content of this
Informacon differ very little from the later Directions for Travellers
which are the subject of our study. The advice given shows that the
ordinary pilgrim thought, not of the ascetic advantages of the voyage,
or of simply arriving in safety at his holy destination, but of making
the trip in the highest possible degree of personal comfort and
pleasure. He is advised to take with him two barrels of wine ("For yf ye
wolde geve xx dukates for a barrel ye shall none have after that ye
passe moche Venyse"); to buy orange-ginger, almonds, rice, figs, cloves,
maces and loaf sugar also, to eke out the fare the ship will provide.
And this although he is to make the patron swear, before the pilgrim
sets foot in the galley, that he will serve "hote meete twice at two
meals a day." He whom we are wont to think of as a poor wanderer, with
no possessions but his grey cloak and his staff, is warned not to embark
for the Holy Land without carrying with him "a lytell cawdron, a fryenge
panne, dysshes, platers, cuppes of glasse ... a fether bed, a matrasse,
a pylawe, two payre sheets and a quylte" ... a cage for half a dozen of
hens or chickens to have with you in the ship, and finally, half a
bushel of "myle sede" to feed the chickens.
