perceive whither you look about you or noe and penetrate into what occurres, or whither the world passes like a pleasant dream, or the amusement of fine scenes in a play without considering the plot. If you have in ten weeks spent half your bill of exchange besides your gold, I confesse your money will not hold out, either abroad for yourself or for us at home to supply you, especially if you goe for Italy, which voyage forward and backward will take up more than twenty weekes: thinke well of it, and let me hear more from you, for though I would advise you, I will not discontent you. Mr. Strong hath profered credit by the same merchant he uses for his son, and I will thinke of it, but before I change, you must make up your account with your merchant, and send it to me. My hearty service to young Mr. Strong and tell him I am obliged to him for your sake. I blesse God for your health, and pray for the continuance of it through all adventures till it pleases him to restore you to your Sister and friends who wish the same as doth 'Your most affectionate Father, 'CHR. WREN. 'P.S. Poor Billy continues in his indisposition, and I fear is lost to me and the world, to my great discomfort and your future sorrow.' What answer the younger Christopher sent does not appear; but his father did not 'discontent' him; the young man did make the journey to Italy, then such a formidable undertaking, and was ever after reckoned a very accomplished and travelled gentleman. 'Young Mr. Strong' must have been the son of Sir Christopher's faithful master-mason, Edward Strong, one of a great family of builders and stone-cutters; I suppose the 'poor Billy' of the postscript to have been the writer's youngest son, then nearly nineteen, who however recovered and outlived his father by about fifteen years. The Royal Society had sustained a severe loss by Charles II.'s death, and if King James took little interest in their discussions, William III. was utterly indifferent. Still it had won a certain position of its own, and was able to keep its steady course. Wren remained one of the members who attended most regularly and contributed to discussions on a variety of subjects, though not perhaps on the 'jessamine-scented gloves,' which figure so often in Pepys' diary, the secret of whose perfumery Wren once undertook to find out. He was again chosen Grand Master of the Freemasons, and continued in that office until 1702. [_ORDER AGAINST SWEARING._] His friend and fellow-member in the Royal Society, Robert Boyle, had written a book called 'A Free Discourse against Swearing,' which was published after his death. Wren followed this up by an order which he had affixed in many parts of S. Paul's, while the building went on:--