John Evelyn's Diary 1667

09 Jan 1667. To the Royal Society, which since the sad conflagration were invited by Mr. Howard to sit at Arundel House in the Strand, who at my instigation likewise bestowed on the Society that noble library which his grandfather especially, and his ancestors had collected. This gentleman had so little inclination to books, that it was the preservation of them from embezzlement.

24 Jan 1667. Visited my Lord Clarendon, and presented my son, John (12), to him, now preparing to go to Oxford, of which his Lordship was Chancellor. This evening I heard rare Italian voices, two eunuchs and one woman, in his Majesty's (36) green chamber, next his cabinet.

29 Jan 1667. To London, in order to my son's (12) Oxford journey, who, being very early entered both in Latin and Greek, and prompt to learn beyond most of his age, I was persuaded to trust him under the tutorage of Mr. Bohun, Fellow of New College, who had been his preceptor in my house some years before; but, at Oxford, under the inspection of Dr. Bathurst (47), President of Trinity College, where I placed him, not as yet thirteen years old. He was newly out of long coats.

15 Feb 1667. My little book, in answer to Sir George Mackenzie on Solitude, was now published, entitled "Public Employment, and an active Life with its Appanages, preferred to Solitude"..

18 Feb 1667. I was present at a magnificent ball, or masque, in the theatre at the Court, where their Majesties [Note. Charles II King England Scotland and Ireland 1630-1685 (36) and Catherine of Braganza Queen Consort England 1638-1705 (28)] and all the great lords and ladies danced, infinitely gallant, the men in their richly embroidered, most becoming vests.

19 Feb 1667. I saw a comedy acted at Court. In the afternoon, I witnessed a wrestling match for £1,000 in St. James's Park, before his Majesty (36), a vast assemblage of lords and other spectators, between the western and northern men, Mr. Secretary Morice (64) and Lord Gerard being the judges. The western men won. Many great sums were betted.

06 Mar 1667. I proposed to my Lord Chancellor (58), Monsieur Kiviet's (40) undertaking to wharf the whole river of Thames, or quay, from the Temple to the Tower, as far as the fire destroyed, with brick, without piles, both lasting and ornamental.—Great frosts, snow and winds, prodigious at the vernal equinox; indeed it had been a year of prodigies in this nation, plague, war, fire, rain, tempest and comet.

14 Mar 1667. Saw "The Virgin Queen", a play written by Mr. Dryden (35).

22 Mar 1667. Dined at Mr. Secretary Morice's (64), who showed me his library, which was a well chosen collection. This afternoon, I had audience of his Majesty (36), concerning the proposal I had made of building the quay.

26 Mar 1667. Sir John Kiviet (40) dined with me. We went to search for brick-earth, in order to a great undertaking.

04 Apr 1667. The cold so intense, that there was hardly a leaf on a tree.

18 Apr 1667. I went to make court to the Duke (74) and Duchess (44) of Newcastle, at their house in Clerkenwell, being newly come out of the north. They received me with great kindness, and I was much pleased with the extraordinary fanciful habit, garb, and discourse of the Duchess (44).

22 Apr 1667. Saw the sumptuous supper in the banqueting-house at Whitehall, on the eve of St. George's day, where were all the companions of the Order of the Garter.

25 Apr 1667. Visited again the Duke of Newcastle (74), with whom I had been acquainted long before in France, where the Duchess (44) had obligation to my wife's (32) mother (57) for her marriage there; she was sister to Lord Lucas (60), and maid of honor then to the Queen-Mother (57); married in our chapel at Paris. My wife (32) being with me, the Duke (74) and Duchess (44) both would needs bring her to the very Court.

26 Apr 1667. My Lord Chancellor (58) showed me all his newly finished and furnished palace and library; then, we went to take the air in Hyde-Park.

27 Apr 1667. I had a great deal of discourse with his Majesty (36) at dinner. In the afternoon, I went again with my wife (32) to the Duchess of Newcastle (44), who received her in a kind of transport, suitable to her extravagant humor and dress, which was very singular.

08 May 1667. Made up accounts with our Receiver, which amounted to £33,936 1s. 4d. Dined at Lord Cornbury's (5), with Don Francisco de Melos (70), Portugal Ambassador, and kindred to the Queen (28): Of the party were Mr. Henry Jermyn (62) and Sir Henry Capel (29). Afterward I went to Arundel House, to salute Mr. Howard's sons, newly returned out of France.

11 May 1667. To London; dined with the Duke of Newcastle (74), and sat discoursing with her Grace (44) in her bedchamber after dinner, till my Lord Marquis of Dorchester (61), with other company came in, when I went away.

30 May 1667. To London, to wait on the Duchess of Newcastle (44) (who was a mighty pretender to learning, poetry, and philosophy, and had in both published divers books) to the Royal Society, whither she came in great pomp, and being received by our Lord President at the door of our meeting-room, the mace, etc., carried before him, had several experiments shown to her. I conducted her Grace (44) to her coach, and returned home.

01 Jun 1667. I went to Greenwich, where his Majesty (37) was trying divers grenadoes shot out of cannon at the Castlehill, from the house in the park; they broke not till they hit the mark, the forged ones broke not at all, but the cast ones very well. The inventor was a German there present. At the same time, a ring was shown to the King (37), pretended to be a projection of mercury, and malleable, and said by the gentlemen to be fixed by the juice of a plant.

28 Jun 1667. I went to Chatham, and thence to view not only what mischief the Dutch had done; but how triumphantly their whole fleet lay within the very mouth of the Thames, all from the North Foreland, Margate, even to the buoy of the Nore — a dreadful spectacle as ever Englishmen saw, and a dishonor never to be wiped off! Those who advised his Majesty (37) to prepare no fleet this spring deserved—I know what—but—.

Here in the river off Chatham, just before the town, lay the carcase of the "London" (now the third time burnt), the "Royal Oak", "James", etc., yet smoking; and now, when the mischief was done, we were making trifling forts on the brink of the river. Here were yet forces, both of horse and foot, with General Middleton (59) continually expecting the motions of the enemy's fleet. I had much discourse with him, who was an experienced commander, I told him I wondered the King (37) did not fortify Sheerness and the Ferry; both abandoned.

02 Jul 1667. Called upon my Lord Arlington (49), as from his Majesty (37), about the new fuel. The occasion why I was mentioned, was from what I said in my Sylva three years before, about a sort of fuel for a need, which obstructed a patent of Lord Carlingford (64), who had been seeking for it himself; he was endeavoring to bring me into the project, and proffered me a share. I met my Lord; and, on the 9th, by an order of Council, went to my Lord Mayor, to be assisting. In the meantime they had made an experiment of my receipt of houllies, which I mention in my book to be made at Maestricht, with a mixture of charcoal dust and loam, and which was tried with success at Gresham College (then being the exchange for the meeting of the merchants since the fire) for everybody to see. This done, I went to the Treasury for £12,000 for the sick and wounded yet on my hands.

Next day, we met again about the fuel at Sir J. Armourer's in the Mews.

08 Jul 1667. My Lord Brereton (36) and others dined at my house, where I showed them proof of my new fuel, which was very glowing, and without smoke or ill smell.

10 Jul 1667. I went to see Sir Samuel Morland's (42) inventions and machines, arithmetical wheels, quench-fires, and new harp.

17 Jul 1667. The Master of the Mint and his lady, Mr. Williamson, Sir Nicholas Armourer (47), Sir Edward Bowyer, Sir Anthony Auger, and other friends dined with me.

07 Sep 1667. Came Sir John Kiviet (40), to article with me about his brickwork.

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

19 Sep 1667. To London, with Mr. Henry Howard (39), 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 illustrious grandfather (82), the magnificent Earl of Arundel, my noble 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 (39) to his villa at Albury, where I designed for him the plot of his canal and garden, with a crypt through the hill.

24 Sep 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 (37), our founder.

08 Oct 1667. Came to dine with me Dr. Bathurst (47), 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 gratitude to Mr. Howard (39).

11 Oct 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.

17 Oct 1667. Came Dr. Barlow (59), Provost of Queen's College and Protobibliothecus of the Bodleian library, to take order about the transportation of the marbles.

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

31 Oct 1667. My birthday—blessed be God 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.

09 Dec 1667. To visit the late Lord Chancellor. 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.

Note. There is some confusion over the dating of this entry since Lord Clarendon is supposed to have left London on 28 Nov 1667. Possible case of Evelyn writing his diary retrospectively.

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

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