The Colloquies of Erasmus Part 4

_Forms of well Wis.h.i.+ng_.

And to wish well is a Sort of Salutation.

_To a Woman with Child_.

G.o.d send you a good Delivery, and that you may make your Husband Father of a fine Child. May the Virgin Mother make you a happy Mother. I wish that this swell'd Belly may a.s.swage happily. Heaven grant that this Burthen you carry, whatsoever it is, may have as easy an out-coming as it had an in-going. G.o.d give you a good Time.

_To Guests_.

Happy be this Feast. Much good may it do all the Company. I wish all Happiness to you all. G.o.d give you a happy Banquet.

_To one that sneezes._

May it be lucky and happy to you. G.o.d keep you. May it be for your Health. G.o.d bless it to you.

_To one that is about to begin any Business._

May it prove happy and prosperous for the Publick Good. May that you are going about be an universal Good. G.o.d prosper what you are about. G.o.d bless your Labours. G.o.d bless your Endeavours. I pray that by G.o.d's a.s.sistance you may happily finish what you have begun. May Christ in Heaven prosper what is under your Hand. May what you have begun end happily. May what you are set about end happily. You are about a good Work, I wish you a good End of it, and that propitious Heaven may favour your pious Undertakings. Christ give Prosperity to your Enterprise. May what you have undertaken prosper. I heartily beg of Almighty G.o.d that this Design may be as successful as it is honourable. May the Affair so happily begun, more happily end. I wish you a good Journey to _Italy_, and a better Return. I wish you a happy Voyage, and a more happy Return.

I pray G.o.d that, this Journey being happily perform'd, we may in a short Time have the Opportunity of congratulating you upon your happy Return.

May it be your good Fortune to make a good Voyage thither and back again. May your Journey be pleasant, but your Return more pleasant. I wish this Journey may succeed according to your Heart's Desire. I wish this Journey may be as pleasant to you, as the want of your good Company in the mean Time will be troublesome to us. May you set Sail with promising Presages. I wish this Journey may succeed according to both our Wishes. I wish this Bargain may be for the Good and Advantage of us both. I wish this may be a happy Match to us all. The blessed Jesus G.o.d keep thee. Kind Heaven return you safe. G.o.d keep thee who art one Half of my Life. I wish you a safe Return. I wish that this New-Year may begin happily, go on more happily, and end most happily to you, and that you may have many of them, and every Year happier than other.

_Ans._ And I again wish you many happy Ages, that you mayn't wish well to me _gratis_.

_Sal._ I wish you a glorious Day to Day. May this Sun-rising be a happy one to you.

_Ans._ I wish you the same. May this be a happy and a prosperous Morning to both of us.

_Sal._ Father, I wish you a good Night. I wish you good Repose to Night.

May you sleep sweetly. G.o.d give you good Rest. May you sleep without dreaming. G.o.d send you may either sleep sweetly or dream pleasantly. A good Night to you.

_Ans._ Since you always love to be on the getting Hand, I wish you a thousand Happinesses to one you wish to me.

_Farewell at parting._

Fare ye all well. Farewell. Take care of your Health. Take a great Care of your Health. I bid you good by, Time calls me away, fare ye well. I wish you as well as may be. Farewell mightily, or if you had rather have it so, l.u.s.tily. Fare you well as you are worthy. Fare you as well as you deserve. Farewell for these two Days. If you send me away, farewell till to-morrow. Would you have any Thing with me? Have you any Thing else to say to me?

_Ans._ Nothing but to wish you well.

_Sal._ Take Care to preserve your Health. Take Care of your Health. Look well to your Health. See that at the next Meeting we see you merry and hearty. I charge you make much of your self. See that you have a sound Mind in a healthful Body. Take Care you be universally well both in Body and Mind.

_Ans._ I'll promise you I will do my Endeavour. Fare you well also; and I again wish you prosperous Health.

_Of saluting by another._

Remember my hearty Love to _Frobenius_. Be sure to remember my Love to little _Erasmus_. Remember me to _Gertrude's_ Mother with all imaginable Respect; tell them I wish 'em all well. Remember me to my old Companions. Remember me to my Friends. Give my Love to my Wife. Remember me to your Brother in your Letter. Remember my Love to my Kinsman. Have you any Service to command by me to your Friends?

_Ans._ Tell them I wish them all heartily well.

_Sal._ Have you any Recommendations to send by me to your Friends?

_Ans._ Much Health to them all, but especially to my Father.

_Sal._ Are there any Persons to whom you would command me any Service?

_Ans._ To all that ask how I do. The Health you have brought from my Friends to me, carry back again with much Interest. Carry my hearty Service to all them that have sent their Service to me. Pray do so much as be my Representative in saluting my Friends. I would have written to my Son in Law, but you will serve me instead of a Letter to him.

_Sal._ Soho, soho, whither are you going so fast?

_Ans._ Strait to _Louvain_.

_Sal._ Stay a little, I have something to send by you.

_Ans._ But it is inconvenient for a Footman to carry a Fardel? What is it?

_Sal._ That you recommend me to _Goclenius, Rutgerus, John Campensis_, and all the Society of Trilinguists.

_Ans._ If you put nothing into my Snapsack but Healths, I shall carry them with Ease.

_Sal._ And that you may not do that for nothing, I pray that Health may be your Companion both going and coming back.

_How we ought to congratulate one that is return'd from a Journey._

We are glad you are come well Home. It is a Pleasure that you are come Home safe. It is a Pleasure to us that you are come well Home. We congratulate your happy Return. We give G.o.d Thanks that you are come safe Home to us. The more uneasy we were at the Want of you, the more glad we are to see you again. We congratulate you and ourselves too that you are come Home to us alive and well. Your Return is the more pleasant by how much it was less expected.

_Ans._ I am glad too that as I am well myself I find you so. I am very glad to find you in good Health. I should not have thought myself well come Home if I had not found you well; but now I think myself safe, in that I see you safe and in good Health.

_A Form of asking Questions at the first meeting._

The ARGUMENT.

_This Colloquy teaches Forms of enquiring at the first meeting. Whence come you? What News bring you? How do you do? &c._

_GEORGE, LIVINUS._

_George._ Out of what Hen-Coop or Cave came you?

_Liv._ Why do you ask me such a Question?

_Ge._ Because you have been so poorly fed; you are so thin a Body may see thro' you, and as dry as a Kecks. Whence came you from?