Mestrezat, Faucheur, Drelincourt, Daille, and Gaches; but the deaths of the two first in April and May of that year had occasioned vacancies, and it was to fill up one of these vacancies that Morus had been invited from Amsterdam.

Oldenburg, as we understand, had heard this piece of news, when passing through Paris on his way to Saumur, probably in June.

He had heard it, seemingly, on board the Charenton boat--i.e.
as we guess, on board the boat plying on the Marne between Paris and Charenton.

Hence the punning phraseology of Milton's reply.

He would rather that such a piece of news had been heard by anybody on board _Charon's/_ boat than by Oldenburg on board the _Charenton_ wherry.