The Diary of John Evelyn Volume II Part 5

7th September, 1667. Came Sir John Kiviet, to article with me about his brickwork.

13th September, 1667. Between the hours of twelve and one, was born my second daughter, who was afterward christened Elizabeth.

[Sidenote: LONDON]

19th September, 1667. To London, with Mr. Henry Howard, of Norfolk, of whom I obtained the gift of his Arundelian marbles, those celebrated and famous inscriptions, Greek and Latin, gathered with so much cost and industry from Greece, by his ill.u.s.trious grandfather, the magnificent Earl of Arundel, my n.o.ble friend while he lived. When I saw these precious monuments miserably neglected, and scattered up and down about the garden, and other parts of Arundel House, and how exceedingly the corrosive air of London impaired them, I procured him to bestow them on the University of Oxford. This he was pleased to grant me; and now gave me the key of the gallery, with leave to mark all those stones, urns, altars, etc., and whatever I found had inscriptions on them, that were not statues. This I did; and getting them removed and piled together, with those which were incrusted in the garden walls, I sent immediately letters to the Vice-Chancellor of what I had procured, and that if they esteemed it a service to the University (of which I had been a member), they should take order for their transportation.

This done 21st, I accompanied Mr. Howard to his villa at Albury, where I designed for him the plot of his ca.n.a.l and garden, with a crypt through the hill.

24th September, 1667. Returned to London, where I had orders to deliver the possession of Chelsea College (used as my prison during the war with Holland for such as were sent from the fleet to London) to our Society, as a gift of his Majesty, our founder.

8th October, 1667. Came to dine with me Dr. Bathurst, Dean of Wells, President of Trinity College, sent by the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford, in the name both of him and the whole University, to thank me for procuring the inscriptions, and to receive my directions what was to be done to show their grat.i.tude to Mr. Howard.

11th October, 1667. I went to see Lord Clarendon, late Lord Chancellor and greatest officer in England, in continual apprehension what the Parliament would determine concerning him.

17th October, 1667. Came Dr. Barlow, Provost of Queen's College and Protobibliothecus of the Bodleian library, to take order about the transportation of the marbles.

25th October, 1667. There were delivered to me two letters from the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford, with the Decree of the Convocation, attested by the Public Notary, ordering four Doctors of Divinity and Law to acknowledge the obligation the University had to me for procuring the _Marmora Arundeliana_, which was solemnly done by Dr. Barlow, Dr.

Jenkins, Judge of the Admiralty, Dr. Lloyd, and Obadiah Walker, of University College, who having made a large compliment from the University, delivered me the decree fairly written;

_Gesta venerabili domo Convocationis Universitatis Oxon.; . . 17.

1667. Quo die retulit ad Senatum Academic.u.m Dominus Vicecancellarius, quantum Universitas deberet singulari benevolentiae Johannis Evelini Armigeri, qui pro ea pietate qua Almam Matrem prosequitur non solum Suasu et Consilio apud inclytum Heroem Henric.u.m Howard, Ducis Norfolciae haeredem, intercessit, et Universitati pretiosissimum eruditae antiquitatis thesaurum Marmora Arundeliana largiretur; sed egregium insuper in ijs colligendis a.s.servandisq; navavit operam: Quapropter unanimi suffragio Venerabilis Doms decretum est, at eidem publicae gratiae per delegatos ad Honoratissimum Dominum Henric.u.m Howard propediem mittendos solemniter reddantur.

Concordant superscripta c.u.m originali collatione facta per me Ben.

Cooper,

Notarium Public.u.m et Registarium Universitat Oxon._

"SIR:

"We intend also a n.o.ble inscription, in which also honorable mention shall be made of yourself; but Mr. Vice-Chancellor commands me to tell you that that was not sufficient for your merits; but, that if your occasions would permit you to come down at the Act (when we intend a dedication of our new Theater), some other testimony should be given both of your own worth and affection to this your old mother; for we are all very sensible that this great addition of learning and reputation to the University is due as well to your industrious care for the University, and interest with my Lord Howard, as to his great n.o.bleness and generosity of spirit.

"I am, Sir, your most humble servant,

"OBADIAH WALKER, Univ. Coll."

The Vice-Chancellor's letter to the same effect was too vainglorious to insert, with divers copies of verses that were also sent me. Their mentioning me in the inscription I totally declined, when I directed the t.i.tles of Mr. Howard, now made Lord, upon his Amba.s.sage to Morocco.

These four doctors, having made me this compliment, desired me to carry and introduce them to Mr. Howard, at Arundel House; which I did, Dr.

Barlow (Provost of Queen's) after a short speech, delivering a larger letter of the University's thanks, which was written in Latin, expressing the great sense they had of the honor done them. After this compliment handsomely performed and as n.o.bly received, Mr. Howard accompanied the doctors to their coach. That evening I supped with them.

26th October, 1667. My late Lord Chancellor was accused by Mr. Seymour in the House of Commons; and, in the evening, I returned home.

31st October, 1667. My birthday--blessed be G.o.d for all his mercies! I made the Royal Society a present of the Table of Veins, Arteries, and Nerves, which great curiosity I had caused to be made in Italy, out of the natural human bodies, by a learned physician, and the help of Veslingius (professor at Padua), from whence I brought them in 1646. For this I received the public thanks of the Society; and they are hanging up in their repository with an inscription.

9th December, 1667. To visit the late Lord Chancellor.[13] I found him in his garden at his new-built palace, sitting in his gout wheel-chair, and seeing the gates setting up toward the north and the fields. He looked and spake very disconsolately. After some while deploring his condition to me, I took my leave. Next morning, I heard he was gone; though I am persuaded that, had he gone sooner, though but to Cornbury, and there lain quiet, it would have satisfied the Parliament. That which exasperated them was his presuming to stay and contest the accusation as long as it was possible: and they were on the point of sending him to the Tower.

[Footnote 13: This entry of the 9th December, 1667, is a mistake.

Evelyn could not have visited the "late Lord Chancellor" on that day. Lord Clarendon fled on Sat.u.r.day, the 29th of November, 1667, and his letter resigning the Chancellors.h.i.+p of the University of Oxford is dated from Calais on the 7th of December. That Evelyn's book is not, in every respect, strictly a diary, is shown by this and several similar pa.s.sages already adverted to in the remarks prefixed to the present edition. If the entry of the 18th of August, 1683, is correct, the date of Evelyn's last visit to Lord Clarendon was the 28th of November, 1667.]

10th December, 1667. I went to the funeral of Mrs. Heath, wife of my worthy friend and schoolfellow.

[Sidenote: LONDON]

21st December, 1667. I saw one Carr pilloried at Charing-cross for a libel, which was burnt before him by the hangman.

8th January, 1667-68. I saw deep and prodigious gaming at the Groom-Porter's, vast heaps of gold squandered away in a vain and profuse manner. This I looked on as a horrid vice, and unsuitable in a Christian Court.

9th January, 1668. Went to see the revels at the Middle Temple, which is also an old riotous custom, and has relation neither to virtue nor policy.

10th January, 1668. To visit Mr. Povey, where were divers great Lords to see his well-contrived cellar, and other elegancies.

24th January, 1668. We went to stake out ground for building a college for the Royal Society at Arundel-House, but did not finish it, which we shall repent of.

4th February, 1668. I saw the tragedy of "Horace" (written by the VIRTUOUS Mrs. Philips) acted before their Majesties. Between each act a masque and antique dance. The excessive gallantry of the ladies was infinite, those especially on that ... Castlemaine, esteemed at 40,000 and more, far outs.h.i.+ning the Queen.

15th February, 1668. I saw the audience of the Swedish Amba.s.sador Count Donna, in great state in the banqueting house.

3d March, 1668. Was launched at Deptford, that goodly vessel, "The Charles." I was near his Majesty. She is longer than the "Sovereign,"

and carries 110 bra.s.s cannon; she was built by old s.h.i.+sh, a plain, honest carpenter, master-builder of this dock, but one who can give very little account of his art by discourse, and is hardly capable of reading, yet of great ability in his calling. The family have been s.h.i.+p carpenters in this yard above 300 years.

12th March, 1668. Went to visit Sir John Cotton, who had me into his library, full of good MSS., Greek and Latin, but most famous for those of the Saxon and English antiquities, collected by his grandfather.

2d April, 1668. To the Royal Society, where I subscribed 50,000 bricks, toward building a college. Among other libertine libels, there was one now printed and thrown about, a bold pet.i.tion of the poor w----s to Lady Castlemaine.[14]

[Footnote 14: Evelyn has been supposed himself to have written this piece.]

[Sidenote: LONDON]

9th April, 1668. To London, about finis.h.i.+ng my grand account of the sick and wounded, and prisoners at war, amounting to above 34,000.

I heard Sir R. Howard impeach Sir William Penn, in the House of Lords, for breaking bulk, and taking away rich goods out of the East India prizes, formerly taken by Lord Sandwich.

28th April, 1668. To London, about the purchase of Ravensbourne Mills, and land around it, in Upper Deptford, of one Mr. Becher.

30th April, 1668. We sealed the deeds in Sir Edward Thurland's chambers in the Inner Temple. I pray G.o.d bless it to me, it being a dear pennyworth; but the pa.s.sion Sir R. Browne had for it, and that it was contiguous to our other grounds, engaged me!

13th May, 1668. Invited by that expert commander, Captain c.o.x, master of the lately built "Charles II.," now the best vessel of the fleet, designed for the Duke of York, I went to Erith, where we had a great dinner.

16th May, 1668. Sir Richard Edgecombe, of Mount Edgecombe, by Plymouth, my relation, came to visit me; a very virtuous and worthy gentleman.

19th June, 1668. To a new play with several of my relations, "The Evening Lover," a foolish plot, and very profane; it afflicted me to see how the stage was degenerated and polluted by the licentious times.

2d July, 1668. Sir Samuel Tuke, Bart., and the lady he had married this day, came and bedded at night at my house, many friends accompanying the bride.

23d July, 1668. At the Royal Society, were presented divers _glossa petras_, and other natural curiosities, found in digging to build the fort at Sheerness. They were just the same as they bring from Malta, pretending them to be viper's teeth, whereas, in truth, they are of a shark, as we found by comparing them with one in our repository.

3d August, 1668. Mr. Bramstone (son to Judge B.), my old fellow-traveler, now reader at the Middle Temple, invited me to his feast, which was so very extravagant and great as the like had not been seen at any time. There were the Duke of Ormond, Privy Seal, Bedford, Belasis, Halifax, and a world more of Earls and Lords.