There be many John Heydons, one John Heydon the divine and priest of Jesus Christ, this is a Philosopher and Lawyer, stiled a Servant of God and Secretary of Nature, and to this the Princes and Peers not only of England, but of Spain, Italy, France and Germany send dayly to him, and upon every occasion he sheweth strong parts and a vigorous brain; his wishes and aimes, and what he pointeth at, speaketh him owner of a noble and generous heart; this gentleman's excellent books are admired by the world of lettered men, as the prodigy of these latter times (indeed his works before mentioned, if I am able to judge anything) are full of the profoundest learning I ever met withall: and I believe, who hath well-read and digested them will perswade himself, there is no truth too abstruse, nor hitherto conceived out of our reach, and if any should question my judgement, they may read the commendations of both the Universities, Oxford and Cambridge, besides the learned Thomas White and Thomas Revell, Esq., both famous in Rome and other parts beyond sea, that have highly honoured this gentleman in their books; yet he hath suffered many misfortunes, his fathered was sequestered, imprisoned, and lost two thousand pounds by Cromwell. This Oliver imprisoned this son also two year and half, or thereabout, in Lambeth House, for he and his father's family were always for the King, and endeavoured to the utmost his restoration; and indeed the tyrant was cruel to him, but John Thurloe, his Secretary, was kind to him and pittied his curious youth. And the messenger kept him (at his request) at his own house, and gave him leave to go abroad, but yet being zealous and active for the King, he was again taken and clapt up in Lambeth House; in these misfortunes it cost him a £1,000 and upwards; after this some envious villains forged actions of debt against him, and put him in prison. It seems at the beginning of these misfortunes, a certain harlot would have him to marry her, but denying her suit, for he had never spoken to her in his life good or evil until then; she devised now with her confederates abundance of mischief against him. And many courted him to marry, but he denyed. Now there was left (amongt a few old Almanacks and scraps of other men's wit) collected and bequeathed unto the world by Nic. Culpe (as his own admired experience) old Alice Culpeper, his widow. She hearing this gentleman (that he was heir to a great estate after the death of his father, and after the death of his uncle, £1,000 a year, but whether this uncle be of the father's or the mother's side I know not, but the estate is sure his at their death), courts him by letters of love, to no purpose; the next saint in order was she that calls herself the German Princess. But he flies high and scorns such fowl great beasts, the first of these two blessed birds in her life time caused one Heath to arrest him, and another laid actions against him that he never knew nor heard of. In this perplexity was he imprisoned two years, for they did desire nothing but to get money, or destroy him, for fear if ever he got his liberty he might then punish them. He being of a noble nature forgave them all their malice and devices against him, and scorns to revenge himself such upon pittiful things. God indeed hath done him the justice, for this Heath consumes to worse than nothing, and indeed, if I can judge or predict anything his baudy-houses will be pawned, and he will dye a miserable diseased beggar. His mistress, when he was very young and a clerke, desired him to lay with her, but he like Joseph refusing, she hated him all her life. God preserved him from their malice, although one of these three lewd women swore this gentleman practised the art of Magic; she told Oliver Cromwell she saw familiar spirits come and go to him in the shape of Conies, and her maid swore she had often seen them in his chambers when he was abroad, and sometimes walking upon the housetop in moonshine nights, and sometimes to vanish away into a wall or Aire, but when asked she could not tell what manner of man he was. So these stories were not credited, and for all these and many more afflictions and false accusations, I never saw him angry, nor did he even arrest or imprison any man or woman in all his life.