In 1613 Bishop Jeremy Taylor was born.
John Evelyn's Diary. 15th April 1654. I went to London to hear the famous Jeremy Taylor [aged 41] (since Bishop of Down and Connor) at St. Gregory's (near St. Paul's) on Matt. vi, 48, concerning evangelical perfection.
John Evelyn's Diary. 18th March 1655. Went to London, on purpose to hear that excellent preacher, Dr. Jeremy Taylor [aged 42], on Matt. xiv. 17, showing what were the conditions of obtaining eternal life; also, concerning abatements for unavoidable infirmities, how cast on the accounts of the cross. On the 31st, I made a visit to Dr. Jeremy Taylor, to confer with him about some spiritual matters, using him thenceforward as my ghostly father. I beseech God Almighty to make me ever mindful of, and thankful for, his heavenly assistances!
John Evelyn's Diary. 28th August 1655. Came that renowned mathematician, Mr. Oughtred [aged 81], to see me, I sending my coach to bring him to Wotton, Surrey [Map], being now very aged. Among other discourse, he told me he thought water to be the philosopher's first matter, and that he was well persuaded of the possibility of their elixir; he believed the sun to be a material fire, the moon a continent, as appears by the late selenographers; he had strong apprehensions of some extraordinary event to happen the following year, from the calculation of coincidence with the diluvian period; and added that it might possibly be to convert the Jews by our Savior's visible appearance, or to judge the world; and therefore, his word was, "Parate in occursum"; he said original sin was not met with in the Greek Fathers, yet he believed the thing; this was from some discourse on Dr. Taylor's [aged 42] late book, which I had lent him.
John Evelyn's Diary. 12th April 1656. Mr. Berkeley [aged 7] and Mr. Robert Boyle [aged 29] (that excellent person and great virtuoso), Dr. Taylor [aged 43], and Dr. Wilkins [aged 42], dined with me at Sayes Court [Map], when I presented Dr. Wilkins with my rare burning-glass. In the afternoon, we all went to Colonel Blount's [aged 52], to see his newly-invented plows.
John Evelyn's Diary. 6th May 1656. I brought Monsieur le Franc, a young French Sorbonnist, a proselyte, to converse with Dr. Taylor [aged 43]; they fell to dispute on original sin, in Latin, upon a book newly published by the Doctor, who was much satisfied with the young man. Thence, to see Mr. Dugdale [aged 16], our learned antiquary and herald. Returning, I was shown the three vast volumes of Father Kircher's, "Obeliscus Pamphilius" and "Ægyptiacus"; in the second volume I found the hieroglyphic I first communicated and sent to him at Rome by the hands of Mr. Henshaw [aged 38], whom he mentions; I designed it from the stone itself brought me to Venice from Cairo by Captain Powell.
John Evelyn's Diary. 7th May 1656. I visited Dr. Taylor [aged 43], and prevailed on him to propose Monsieur le Franc to the Bishop that he might have Orders, I having sometime before brought him to a full consent to the Church of England, her doctrine and discipline, in which he had till of late made some difficulty; so he was this day ordained both deacon and priest by the Bishop of Meath. I paid the fees to his lordship, who was very poor and in great want; to that necessity were our clergy reduced! In the afternoon I met Alderman Robinson, to treat with Mr. Papillion about the marriage of my cousin, George Tuke, with Mrs. Fontaine.
John Evelyn's Diary. 25th March 1657. Dr. Taylor [aged 44] showed me his MS. of "Cases of Conscience", or "Ductor Dubitantium", now fitted for the press.
John Evelyn's Diary. 7th June 1657. My fourth son was born, christened George (after my grandfather); Dr. Jeremy Taylor [aged 44] officiated in the drawing-room.
John Evelyn's Diary. 16th July 1657. On Dr. Jeremy Taylor's [aged 44] recommendation, I went to Eltham, Greenwich, to help one Moody, a young man, to that living, by my interest with the patron.
John Evelyn's Diary. 25th February 1658. Came Dr. Jeremy Taylor [aged 45], and my brothers, with other friends, to visit and condole with us.
John Evelyn's Diary. 7th March 1658. To London, to hear Dr. Taylor [aged 45] in a private house on Luke xiii. 23, 24. After the sermon, followed the blessed Communion, of which I participated. In the afternoon, Dr. Gunning [aged 44], at Exeter House [Map], expounding part of the Creed.
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke
Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 27th January 1661 Bishop Jeremy Taylor [aged 48] was consecrated Bishop of Down and Connor.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 28th November 1665. Up before day, and Cocke [aged 48] and I took a hackney coach appointed with four horses to take us up, and so carried us over London Bridge [Map]. But there, thinking of some business, I did 'light at the foot of the bridge, and by helpe of a candle at a stall, where some payers were at work, I wrote a letter to Mr. Hater, and never knew so great an instance of the usefulness of carrying pen and ink and wax about one: so we, the way being very bad, to Nonsuch [Map], and thence to Sir Robert Longs [aged 65] house; a fine place, and dinner time ere we got thither; but we had breakfasted a little at Mr. Gawden's, he being out of towne though, and there borrowed Dr. Taylor's [aged 52] sermons, and is a most excellent booke and worth my buying, where had a very good dinner, and curiously dressed, and here a couple of ladies, kinswomen of his, not handsome though, but rich, that knew me by report of The. Turner [aged 13], and mighty merry we were.
On 13th August 1667 Bishop Jeremy Taylor [aged 54] died at Lisburn, Antrim. He was buried in Dromore Cathedral.
John Evelyn's Diary. 26th February 1680. To the Royal Society, where I met an [his future son-in-law] Irish Bishop [aged 53] with his Lady, who was daughter to my worthy and pious friend, Dr. Jeremy Taylor, late Bishop of Down and Connor; they came to see the Repository. She seemed to be a knowing woman, beyond the ordinary talent of her sex.
[his daughter] Mary Taylor was born to Bishop Jeremy Taylor. She married before 16th November 1693 Archbishop Francis Marsh.
[his daughter] Joanna Taylor Lady Wray was born to Bishop Jeremy Taylor. She married (1) Edward Harrison of Morely in Antrim and had issue (2) 30th November 1721 Cecil Wray 11th Baronet, son of Drury Wray 9th Baronet and Anne Casey.