John Evelyn's Diary 1695

13th January 1695. The Thames was frozen over. The deaths by smallpox increased to five hundred more than in the preceding week. The King [aged 44] and Princess Anne [aged 29] reconciled, and she was invited to keep her Court at Whitehall, having hitherto lived privately at Berkeley House [Map]; she was desired to take into her family divers servants of the late Queen; to maintain them the King has assigned her £5,000 a quarter.

20th January 1695. The frost and continual snow have now lasted five weeks.

1st February 1695. Lord Spencer [aged 19] married the Duke of Newcastle's daughter [aged 21], and our neighbour, Mr. Hussey, married a daughter of my cousin, George Evelyn, of Nutfield [aged 53].

3rd February 1695. The long frost intermitted, but not gone.

17th February 1695. Called to London by Lord Godolphin [aged 49], one of the Lords of the Treasury, offering me the treasurership of the hospital [Map] designed to be built at Greenwich for worn-out seamen.

24th February 1695. I saw the Queen lie in state.

27th February 1695. The Marquis of Normanby [aged 46] told me King Charles had a design to buy all King Street, and build it nobly, it being the street leading to Westminster. This might have been done for the expense of the Queen's funeral, which was £50,000, against her desire.

10th March 1695. I dined at the Earl of Sunderland's [aged 53] with Lord Spencer [aged 19]. My Lord showed me his library, now again improved by many books bought at the sale of Sir Charles Scarborough, an eminent physician, which was the very best collection, especially of mathematical books, that was I believe in Europe, once designed for the King's Library at St. James's; but the Queen dying, who was the great patroness of that design, it was let fall, and the books were miserably dissipated.

10th March 1695. The new edition of Camden's "Britannia" was now published (by Bishop Gibson [aged 26]), with great additions; those to Surrey were mine, so that I had one presented to me. Dr. Gale [aged 60] showed me a MS. of some parts of the New Testament in vulgar Latin, that had belonged to a monastery in the North of Scotland, which he esteemed to be about eight hundred years old; there were some considerable various readings observable, as in John i., and genealogy of St. Luke.

24th March 1695. Easter Day. Mr. Duncomb, parson of this parish, preached, which he hardly comes to above once a year though but seven or eight miles off; a florid discourse, read out of his notes. The Holy Sacrament followed, which he administered with very little reverence, leaving out many prayers and exhortations; nor was there any oblation. This ought to be reformed, but my good brother [aged 77] did not well consider when he gave away this living and the next [Abinger].

26th March 1695. The latter end of the month sharp and severely cold, with much snow and hard frost; no appearance of spring.

31st March 1695. Mr. Lucas preached in the afternoon at Wotton.

7th April 1695. Lord Halifax [deceased] died suddenly at London, the day his daughter [aged 18] was married to the Earl of Nottingham's [aged 61] son [aged 22] at Burleigh. Lord H. was a very rich man, very witty, and in his younger days somewhat positive.

14th April 1695. After a most severe, cold, and snowy winter, without almost any shower for many months, the wind continuing N. and E. and not a leaf appearing; the weather and wind now changed, some showers fell, and there was a remission of cold.

21st April 1695. The spring begins to appear, yet the trees hardly leafed. Sir T. Cooke discovers what prodigious bribes have been given by some of the East India Company out of the stock, which makes a great clamor. Never were so many private bills passed for unsettling estates, showing the wonderful prodigality and decay of families.

5th May 1695. I came to Deptford, Kent [Map] from Wotton, Surrey [Map], in order to the first meeting of the Commissioners for endowing an hospital [Map] for seamen at Greenwich; it was at the Guildhall [Map], London. Present, the Archbishop of Canterbury [aged 58], Lord Keeper, Lord Privy Seal, Lord Godolphin [aged 49], Duke of Shrewsbury [aged 34], Duke of Leeds [aged 63], Earls of Dorset [aged 52] and Monmouth [aged 37], Commissioners of the Admiralty and Navy, Sir Robert Clayton, Sir Christopher Wren [aged 71], and several more. The Commission was read by Mr. Lowndes, Secretary to the Lords of the Treasury, Surveyor-General.

17th May 1695. Second meeting of the Commissioners, and a committee appointed to go to Greenwich [Map] to survey the place, I being one of them.

21st May 1695. We went to survey Greenwich, Sir Robert Clayton, Sir Christopher Wren, Mr. Travers, the King's Surveyor, Captain Sanders, and myself.

24th May 1695. We made report of the state of Greenwich house, and how the standing part might be made serviceable at present for £6,000, and what ground would be requisite for the whole design. My Lord Keeper ordered me to prepare a book for subscriptions, and a preamble to it.

31st May 1695. Met again. Mr. Vanbrugh was made secretary to the commission, by my nomination of him to the Lords, which was all done that day.

7th June 1695. The commissioners met at Guildhall, when there were scruples and contests of the Lord Mayor, who would not meet, not being named as one of the quorum, so that a new commission was required, though the Lord Keeper and the rest thought it too nice a punctilio.

5th July 1695. At Guildhall; account of subscriptions, about £7,000 or £8,000.

6th July 1695. I dined at Lambeth [Map], making my first visit to the Archbishop [aged 58], where there was much company, and great cheer. After prayers in the evening, my Lord made me stay to show me his house, furniture, and garden, which were all very fine, and far beyond the usual Archbishops, not as affected by this, but being bought ready furnished by his predecessor. We discoursed of several public matters, particularly of the Princess of Denmark [aged 30], who made so little figure.

11th July 1695. Met at Guildhall; not a full committee, so nothing done.

14th July 1695. No sermon at church; but, after prayers, the names of all the parishioners were read, in order to gathering the tax of 4s. for marriages, burials, etc. A very imprudent tax, especially this reading the names, so that most went out of the church.

19th July 1695. I dined at Sir Purbeck Temple's [aged 71], near Croydon; his lady is aunt to my son-in-law, Draper; the house exactly furnished. Went thence with my son and daughter to Wotton. At Wotton, Mr. Duncomb, parson of Albury, preached excellently.

28th July 1695. A very wet season.

11th August 1695. The weather now so cold, that greater frosts were not always seen in the midst of winter; this succeeded much wet, and set harvest extremely back.

25th September 1695. Mr. Offley preached at Abinger; too much controversy on a point of no consequence, for the country people here. This was the first time I had heard him preach. Bombarding of Cádiz; a cruel and brutish way of making war, first began by the French. The season wet, great storms, unseasonable harvest weather. My good and worthy friend, Captain Gifford [aged 46], who that he might get some competence to live decently, adventured all he had in a voyage of two years to the East Indies, was, with another great ship, taken by some French men-of-war, almost within sight of England, to the loss of near £70,000, to my great sorrow, and pity of his wife, he being also a valiant and industrious man. The losses of this sort to the nation have been immense, and all through negligence, and little care to secure the same near our own coasts; of infinitely more concern to the public than spending their time in bombarding and ruining two or three paltry towns, without any benefit, or weakening our enemies, who, though they began, ought not to be imitated in an action totally averse to humanity, or Christianity.

29th September 1695. Very cold weather. Sir Purbeck Temple, uncle to my son Draper, died suddenly. A great funeral at Addiscombe. His lady being own aunt to my son Draper, he hopes for a good fortune, there being no heir. There had been a new meeting of the commissioners about Greenwich Hospital [Map], on the new commission, where the Lord Mayor, etc. appeared, but I was prevented by indisposition from attending. The weather very sharp, winter approaching apace. The King [aged 44] went a progress into the north, to show himself to the people against the elections, and was everywhere complimented, except at Oxford, Oxfordshire [Map], where it was not as he expected, so that he hardly stopped an hour there, and having seen the theater, did not receive the banquet proposed. I dined with Dr. Gale [aged 60] at St. Paul's school, who showed me many curious passages out of some ancient Platonists' MSS. concerning the Trinity, which this great and learned person would publish, with many other rare things, if he was encouraged, and eased of the burden of teaching.

25th October 1695. The Archbishop [aged 59] and myself went to Hammersmith, Middlesex [Map], to visit Sir Samuel Morland [aged 70], who was entirely blind; a very mortifying sight. He showed us his invention of writing, which was very ingenious; also his wooden calendar, which instructed him all by feeling; and other pretty and useful inventions of mills, pumps, etc., and the pump he had erected that serves water to his garden, and to passengers, with an inscription, and brings from a filthy part of the Thames near it a most perfect and pure water. He had newly buried £200 worth of music books six feet under ground, being, as he said, love songs and vanity. He plays himself psalms and religious hymns on the theorbo. Very mild weather the whole of October.

10th November 1695. Mr. Stanhope, Vicar of Lewisham, preached at Whitehall. He is one of the most accomplished preachers I ever heard, for matter, eloquence, action, voice, and I am told, of excellent conversation.

13th November 1695. Famous fireworks and very chargeable, the King [aged 45] being returned from his progress. He stayed seven or eight days at Lord Sunderland's [aged 54] at Althorpe [Map], where he was mightily entertained. These fireworks were shown before Lord Romney [aged 54], Master of the Ordnance, in St. James's great square, where the King stood.

17th November 1695. I spoke to the Archbishop of Canterbury [aged 59] to interest himself for restoring a room belonging to St. James's library, where the books want place.

21st November 1695. I went to see Mr. Churchill's collection of rarities.

23rd November 1695. To Lambeth, to get Mr. Williams continued in Boyle's lectures another year. Among others who dined there was Dr. Covel, the great Oriental traveler.

1st December 1695. I dined at Lord Sunderland's [aged 54], now the great favorite and underhand politician, but not adventuring on any character, being obnoxious to the people for having twice changed his religion.

23rd December 1695. The Parliament wondrously intent on ways to reform the coin; setting out a Proclamation prohibiting the currency of half-crowns, etc., which made much confusion among the people.

25th December 1695. Hitherto mild, dark, misty, weather. Now snow and frost.