An itinerary of Fraunce and Italy in the years 1647 and 1648 : by Isaac Basire

Abstract

"This introduction [to Basire’s work] may conveniently be divided into four sections.

The first outlines the reasons for Isaac Basire's seeking exile in the summer of 1646 and sets his career in its historical perspective. The second section treats Basire as a traveller and relates his experience to that of other seventeenth century travellers. The third consists of a discussion of the "Itinerary" itself, and the final section describes the travels in the East for which he became well known.

It has been said regarding Basire's travels in France and Italy, "There remains no description of the first part of his journey, which followed the usual route from Paris, by Toulon, the Riviera, then Florence and finally Rome".¹

Indeed, scant attention has been paid to MS. Hunter 134. Kitchin was completely unaware of its existence. Another scholar, W.N. Darnell, dismissed the notebook on the grounds that it contained,

"No personal events of any importance".²

Darnell's edition of the letters is selective, unnecessarily sketchy and devoid of any reference to the numbers of the actual manuscripts. A general over-reliance on Darnell's book has led to the perpetuation of several mistakes and has contributed to an ignorance of Basire's personal papers. The aim of this edition of Manuscript Hunter 134 is to provide accurate source material for the study of Isaac Basire, of English Royalists in exile during the Civil Wars and also of the seventeenth century travel diary.

(¹. Seven Sages of Durham by G.W. Kitchin. London, 1911. p. 150. ². The Correspondence of Isaac Basire, with a Memoir of his Life, by W.N. Darnell. London, 1831. p. 25)" -- page i