n accomplished Roman Catholic lady proposing
questions of the deepest moment, and the learned but pious and humble
Professor Petavel answering them with the Bible in his hand, while a
roomful of attentive hearers were, we trust, reaping deep instruction.
Argyri joined them on the 27th at Neufchatel,[7] and they left that city
the same day for Geneva.

Here they tarried nearly a fortnight, were received with much affection by
their old friends, and had a few religious meetings. Martha Yeardley
says:--

We met with several very interesting persons at Geneva, and had three
religious opportunities with them; at the last meeting the number was much
increased, but the place is not like Neufchatel. The different societies
make bonds for themselves and for one another, so that love and harmony do
not sufficiently prevail amongst them.

Our stay in this place, writes John Yeardley, has been a time of distress
of mind and perplexity of thought, arising probably from the great weight
and importance of the journey before us, and the anxiety of providing a
conveyance through a strange and dark country. After much difficulty, we
have concluded a written contract with an Italian _voiturier_ to take
us to Ancona. May our Divine Keeper, in his infinite mercy, grant us
protection and safety, even in the hands of ungodly men!

The journey to Ancona took them seventeen days; they crossed the Alps by
the Simplon, and traversed Italy through Milan and Bologna. Martha
Yeardley touches upon a few points of the journey in a letter to Elizabeth
Dudley.

Ancona, 11 mo. 4.

We had much to do before we could meet with a suitable conveyance, and at
length trusted ourselves with our Italian coachman, who could not speak
French. For a certain sum he was to give us three places in his coach, and
provide us with food and lodging by the way. The other passenger inside
was an Englishman, who spoke very little French and no Italian, and
another Englishman outside was in the same situation. We could not but
feel ourselves a very helpless company when arriving at the inns, which
were quite of an inferior class, and little or no French spoken. We did
pretty well, however, till we got to Milan, where we rested some days; and
our Englishmen were exchanged for an Italian priest who spoke no French,
and a Swiss who was a little useful to us as far as Bologna; after this
place we travelled five days alone. The inns on this side of Milan are
much worse