The Diary of John Evelyn Volume I Part 34

11th October, 1660. The regicides who sat on the life of our late King, were brought to trial in the Old Bailey, before a commission of oyer and terminer.

14th October, 1660. Axtall, Carew, Clement, Hacker, Hewson, and Peters, were executed.

17th October, 1660. Scot, Scroop, Cook, and Jones, suffered for reward of their iniquities at Charing Cross, in sight of the place where they put to death their natural prince, and in the presence of the King his son, whom they also sought to kill. I saw not their execution, but met their quarters, mangled, and cut, and reeking, as they were brought from the gallows in baskets on the hurdle. Oh, the miraculous providence of G.o.d!

28th October, 1660. His Majesty went to meet the Queen-Mother.

[Sidenote: LONDON]

29th October, 1660. Going to London, my Lord Mayor's show stopped me in Cheapside; one of the pageants represented a great wood, with the royal oak, and history of his Majesty's miraculous escape at Boscobel.

31st October, 1660. Arrived now to my fortieth year, I rendered to Almighty G.o.d my due and hearty thanks.

1st November, 1660. I went with some of my relations to Court, to show them his Majesty's cabinet and closet of rarities; the rare miniatures of Peter Oliver, after Raphael, t.i.tian, and other masters, which I infinitely esteem; also, that large piece of the d.u.c.h.ess of Lennox, done in enamel, by Pet.i.tot, and a vast number of agates, onyxes, and intaglios, especially a medallion of Caesar, as broad as my hand; likewise, rare cabinets of pietra-commessa, a landscape of needlework, formerly presented by the Dutch to King Charles I. Here I saw a vast book of maps, in a volume near four yards large; a curious ship model; and, among the clocks, one that showed the rising and setting of the sun in the zodiac; the sun represented by a face and rays of gold, upon an azure sky, observing the diurnal and annual motion, rising and setting behind a landscape of hills,--the work of our famous Fromantil,--and several other rarities.

3d October, 1660. Arrived the Queen-Mother in England, whence she had been banished for almost twenty years; together with her ill.u.s.trious daughter, the Princess Henrietta, divers princes and n.o.blemen, accompanying them.

15th October, 1660. I kissed the Queen-Mother's hand.

20th October, 1660. I dined at the Clerk Comptroller's of the Green Cloth, being the first day of the re-establishment of the Court diet, and settling of his Majesty's household.

23d October, 1660. Being this day in the bedchamber of the Princess Henrietta, where were many great beauties and n.o.blemen, I saluted divers of my old friends and acquaintances abroad; his Majesty carrying my wife to salute the Queen and Princess, and then led her into his closet, and with his own hands showed her divers curiosities.

25th October, 1660. Dr. Rainbow preached before the King, on Luke ii. 14, of the glory to be given G.o.d for all his mercies, especially for restoring the Church and government; now the service was performed with music, voices, etc., as formerly.

27th November, 1660. Came down the Clerk Comptroller [of the Green Cloth]

by the Lord Steward's appointment, to survey the land at Sayes Court, on which I had pretense, and to make his report.

6th December, 1660. I waited on my brother and sister Evelyn to Court.

Now were presented to his Majesty those two rare pieces of drollery, or rather a Dutch Kitchen, painted by Dowe, so finely as hardly to be distinguished from enamel. I was also shown divers rich jewels and crystal vases; the rare head of Jo. Bellino, t.i.tian's master; Christ in the Garden, by Hannibal Caracci; two incomparable heads, by Holbein; the Queen-Mother in a miniature, almost as big as the life; an exquisite piece of carving; two unicorn's horns, etc. This in the closet.

13th December, 1660. I presented my son, John, to the Queen-Mother, who kissed him, talked with and made extraordinary much of him.

14th December, 1660. I visited my Lady Chancellor, the Marchioness of Ormond, and Countess of Guildford, all of whom we had known abroad in exile.

18th December, 1660. I carried Mr. Spellman, a most ingenious gentleman, grandchild to the learned Sir Henry, to my Lord Mordaunt, to whom I had recommended him as secretary.

21st December, 1660. This day died the Princess of Orange, of the smallpox, which entirely altered the face and gallantry of the whole Court.

22d December, 1660. The marriage of the Chancellor's daughter being now newly owned, I went to see her, she being Sir Richard Browne's intimate acquaintance when she waited on the Princess of Orange; she was now at her father's, at Worcester House, in the Strand. We all kissed her hand, as did also my Lord Chamberlain (Manchester) and Countess of Northumberland. This was a strange change--can it succeed well?--I spent the evening at St. James's, whither the Princess Henrietta was retired during the fatal sickness of her sister, the Princess of Orange, now come over to salute the King her brother. The Princess gave my wife an extraordinary compliment and gracious acceptance, for the "Character"[64]

she had presented her the day before, and which was afterward printed.

[Footnote 64: "A Character of England," reprinted in Evelyn's "Miscellaneous Writings," pp. 141-67.]

25th December, 1660. Preached at the Abbey, Dr. Earle, Clerk of his Majesty's Closet, and my dear friend, now Dean of Westminster, on Luke ii. 13, 14, condoling the breach made in the public joy by the lamented death of the Princess.

30th December, 1660. I dined at Court with Mr. Crane, Clerk of the Green Cloth.

31st December, 1660. I gave G.o.d thanks for his many signal mercies to myself, church, and nation, this wonderful year.

2d January, 1661. The Queen-Mother, with the Princess Henrietta, began her journey to Portsmouth, in order to her return into France.

5th January, 1661. I visited my Lord Chancellor Clarendon, with whom I had been well acquainted abroad.

6th January, 1661. Dr. Allestree preached at the Abbey, after which four Bishops were consecrated, Hereford, Norwich, ...

This night was suppressed a b.l.o.o.d.y insurrection of some FIFTH-MONARCHY ENTHUSIASTS. Some of them were examined at the Council the next day; but could say nothing to extenuate their madness and unwarrantable zeal.

I was now chosen (and nominated by his Majesty for one of the Council), by suffrage of the rest of the members, a Fellow of the Philosophic Society now meeting at Gresham College, where was an a.s.sembly of divers learned gentlemen. This being the first meeting since the King's return; but it had been begun some years before at Oxford, and was continued with interruption here in London during the Rebellion.

There was another rising of the fanatics, in which some were slain.

16th January, 1661. I went to the Philosophic Club, where was examined the Torricellian experiment. I presented my Circle of Mechanical Trades, and had recommended to me the publishing what I had written of Chalcography.

25th January, 1661. After divers years since I had seen any play, I went to see acted "The Scornful Lady," at a new theater in Lincoln's-Inn Fields.

30th January, 1661. Was the first solemn fast and day of humiliation to deplore the sins which had so long provoked G.o.d against this afflicted church and people, ordered by Parliament to be annually celebrated to expiate the guilt of the execrable murder of the late King.

This day (Oh, the stupendous and inscrutable judgments of G.o.d!) were the carca.s.ses of those arch-rebels, Cromwell, Bradshawe (the judge who condemned his Majesty), and Ireton (son-in-law to the Usurper), dragged out of their superb tombs in Westminster among the Kings, to Tyburn, and hanged on the gallows there from nine in the morning till six at night, and then buried under that fatal and ignominious monument in a deep pit; thousands of people who had seen them in all their pride being spectators. Look back at October 22, 1658,[65] and be astonished! and fear G.o.d and honor the King; but meddle not with them who are given to change!

[Footnote 65: The entry in the "Diary" describing the Protector's funeral.]

6th February, 1661. To London, to our Society, where I gave notice of the visit of the Danish Amba.s.sador-Extraordinary, and was ordered to return him their acceptance of that honor, and to invite him the next meeting day.

10th February, 1661. Dr. Baldero preached at Ely-house, on Matthew vi.

33, of seeking early the kingdom of G.o.d; after sermon, the Bishop (Dr.

Wren) gave us the blessing, very pontifically.

13th February, 1661. I conducted the Danish Amba.s.sador to our meeting at Gresham College, where were shown him various experiments in vacuo, and other curiosities.

21st February, 1661. Prince Rupert first showed me how to grave in _mezzo tinto_.

26th February, 1661. I went to Lord Mordaunt's, at Parson's Green.

27th February, 1661. Ash Wednesday. Preached before the King the Bishop of London (Dr. Sheldon) on Matthew xviii. 25, concerning charity and forgiveness.

8th March, 1661. I went to my Lord Chancellor's, and delivered to him the state of my concernment at Sayes Court.

9th March, 1661. I went with that excellent person and philosopher, Sir Robert Murray, to visit Mr. Boyle at Chelsea, and saw divers effects of the eolipile for weighing air.

13th March, 1661. I went to Lambeth, with Sir R. Browne's pretense to the Wardenship of Merton College, Oxford, to which, as having been about forty years before a student of that house, he was elected by the votes of every Fellow except one; but the statutes of the house being so that, unless every Fellow agree, the election devolves to the Visitor, who is the Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr. Juxon), his Grace gave his nomination to Sir T. Clayton, resident there, and the Physic Professor: for which I was not at all displeased, because, though Sir Richard missed it by much ingrat.i.tude and wrong of the Archbishop (Clayton being no Fellow), yet it would have hindered Sir Richard from attending at Court to settle his greater concerns, and so have prejudiced me, though he was much inclined to have pa.s.sed his time in a collegiate life, very unfit for him at that time, for many reasons. So I took leave of his Grace, who was formerly Lord Treasurer in the reign of Charles I.

This afternoon, Prince Rupert showed me, with his own hands, the new way of graving, called _mezzo tinto_, which afterward, by his permission, I published in my "History of Chalcography"; this set so many artists on work, that they soon arrived to the perfection it is since come to, emulating the tenderest miniatures.

Our Society now gave in my relation of the Peak of Teneriffe, in the Great Canaries, to be added to more queries concerning divers natural things reported of that island.

I returned home with my Cousin, Tuke, now going for France, as sent by his Majesty to condole the death of that great Minister and politician, Count Mazarine.