Stewart Books, John Evelyn's Diary 1692

01 Jan 1692. This last week died that pious, admirable Christian, excellent philosopher, and my worthy friend, Mr. Boyle, aged about 65,-a great loss to all that knew him, and to the public.

06 Jan 1692. At the funeral of Mr. Boyle, at St. Martin's [Map], Dr. Burnet (age 48), Bishop of Salisbury, preached on Eccles. II 26. He concluded with an eulogy due to the deceased, who made God and religion the scope of all his excellent talents in the knowledge of nature, and who had arrived to so high a degree in it, accompanied with such zeal and extraordinary piety, which he showed in the whole course of his life, particularly in his exemplary charity on all occasions,-that he gave £1,000 yearly to the distressed refugees of France and Ireland; was at the charge of translating the Scriptures into the Irish and Indian tongues, and was now promoting a Turkish translation, as he had formerly done of Grotius "on the Truth of the Christian Religion" into Arabic, which he caused to be dispersed in the eastern countries; that he had settled a fund for preachers who should preach expressly against Atheists, Libertines, Socinians, and Jews; that he had in his will given £8,000 to charitable uses; but that his private charities were extraordinary. He dilated on his learning in Hebrew and Greek, his reading of the fathers, and solid knowledge in theology, once deliberating about taking Holy Orders, and that at the time of restoration of King Charles II, when he might have made a great figure in the nation as to secular honor and titles, his fear of not being able to discharge so weighty a duty as the first, made him decline that, and his humility the other. He spoke of his civility to strangers, the great good which he did by his experience in medicine and chemistry, and to what noble ends he applied himself to his darling studies; the works, both pious and useful, which he published; the exact life he led, and the happy end he made. Something was touched of his sister, the Lady Ranelagh, who died but a few days before him. And truly all this was but his due, without any grain of flattery.

06 Jan 1692. This week a most execrable murder was committed on Dr. Clench, father of that extraordinary learned child whom I have before noticed. Under pretense of carrying him in a coach to see a patient, they strangled him in it; and, sending away the coachman under some pretense, they left his dead body in the coach, and escaped in the dusk of the evening.

12 Jan 1692. My granddaughter was christened by Dr. Tenison (age 55), now Bishop of Lincoln, in Trinity Church (assumed to be a reference to the new church described on 18 Jul 1691), being the first that was christened there. She was named Jane.

24 Jan 1692. A frosty and dry season continued; many persons die of apoplexy, more than usual. Lord Marlborough (age 41), Lieutenant-General of the King's army in England, gentleman of the bedchamber, etc., dismissed from all his charges, military and other, for his excessive taking of bribes, covetousness, and extortion on all occasions from his inferior officers. Note, this was the Lord who was entirely advanced by King James (age 58), and was the first who betrayed and forsook his master. He was son of Sir Winston Churchill of the Greencloth.

07 Feb 1692. An extraordinary snow fell in most parts.

13 Feb 1692. Mr. Boyle having made me one of the trustees for his charitable bequests, I went to a meeting of the Bishop of Lincoln (age 55), Sir Rob.... wood, and serjeant, Rotheram, to settle that clause in the will which related to charitable uses, and especially the appointing and electing a minister to preach one sermon the first Sunday in the month, during the four summer months, expressly against Atheists, Deists, Libertines, Jews, etc., without descending to any other controversy whatever, for which £50 per annum is to be paid quarterly to the preacher; and, at the end of three years, to proceed to a new election of some other able divine, or to continue the same, as the trustees should judge convenient. We made choice of one Mr. Bentley, chaplain to the Bishop of Worcester (Dr. Stillingfleet) (age 56). The first sermon was appointed for the first Sunday in March, at St. Martin's [Map]; the second Sunday in April, at Bow Church [Map], and so alternately.

20 Mar 1692. My son was made one of the Commissioners of the Revenue and Treasury of Ireland, to which employment he had a mind, far from my wishes. I visited the Earl of Peterborough (age 70), who showed me the picture of the Prince of Wales (age 3), newly brought out of France, seeming in my opinion very much to resemble the Queen (age 33) his mother, and of a most vivacious countenance.

01 Apr 1692. No spring yet appearing. The Queen Dowager (age 53) went out of England toward Portugal, as pretended, against the advice of all her friends.

04 Apr 1692. Mr. Bentley preached Mr. Boyle's lecture at St. Mary-le-Bow [Map]. So excellent a discourse against the Epicurean system is not to be recapitulated in a few words. He came to me to ask whether I thought it should be printed, or that there was anything in it which I desired to be altered. I took this as a civility, and earnestly desired it should be printed, as one of the most learned and convincing discourses I had ever heard.

06 Apr 1692. A fast. King James (age 58) sends a letter written and directed by his own hand to several of the Privy Council, and one to his daughter (age 29), the Queen Regent, informing them of the Queen (age 33) being ready to be brought to bed, and summoning them to be at the birth by the middle of May, promising as from the French King (age 53), permission to come and return in safety.

24 Apr 1692. Much apprehension of a French invasion, and of an universal rising. Our fleet begins to join with the Dutch. Unkindness between the Queen (age 29) and her sister (age 27). Very cold and unseasonable weather, scarce a leaf on the trees.

05 May 1692. Reports of an invasion were very hot, and alarmed the city, Court, and people; nothing but securing suspected persons, sending forces to the seaside, and hastening out the fleet. Continued discourse of the French invasion, and of ours in France. The eastern wind so constantly blowing, gave our fleet time to unite, which had been so tardy in preparation, that, had not God thus wonderfully favored, the enemy would in all probability have fallen upon us. Many daily secured, and proclamations out for more conspirators.

08 May 1692. My kinsman, Sir Edward Evelyn (deceased), of Long Ditton, died suddenly.

12 May 1692. A fast.

13 May 1692. I dined at my cousin Cheny's, son to my Lord Cheny, who married my cousin Pierpoint.

29 May 1692. Though this day was set apart expressly for celebrating the memorable birth, return, and restoration of the late King Charles II, there was no notice taken of it, nor any part of the office annexed to the Common Prayer Book made use of, which I think was ill done, in regard his restoration not only redeemed us from anarchy and confusion, but restored the Church of England as it were miraculously.

09 Jun 1692. I went to Windsor to carry my grandson (age 10) to Eton School [Map], where I met my Lady Stonehouse and other of my daughter-in-law's relations, who came on purpose to see her before her journey into Ireland. We went to see the castle [Map], which we found furnished and very neatly kept, as formerly, only that the arms in the guard chamber and keep were removed and carried away. An exceeding great storm of wind and rain, in some places stripping the trees of their fruit and leaves as if it had been winter; and an extraordinary wet season, with great floods.

23 Jul 1692. I went with my wife (age 57), son (age 37), and daughter (age 23), to Eton [Map], to see my grandson (age 10), and thence to my Lord Godolphin's (age 47), at Cranburn, where we lay, and were most honorably entertained. The next day to St. George's Chapel [Map], and returned to London late in the evening.

25 Jul 1692. To Mr. Hewer's (age 50) at Clapham, where he has an excellent, useful, and capacious house on the Common, built by Sir Den. Gauden, and by him sold to Mr. Hewer, who got a very considerable estate in the Navy, in which, from being Mr. Pepys's (age 59) clerk, he came to be one of the principal officers, but was put out of all employment on the Revolution, as were all the best officers, on suspicion of being no friends to the change; such were put in their places, as were most shamefully ignorant and unfit. Mr. Hewer lives very handsomely and friendly to everybody. Our fleet was now sailing on their long pretense of a descent on the French coast; but, after having sailed one hundred leagues, returned, the admiral and officers disagreeing as to the place where they were to land, and the time of year being so far spent,-to the great dishonor of those at the helm, who concerted their matters so indiscreetly, or, as some thought, designedly.

25 Jul 1692. This whole summer was exceedingly wet and rainy, the like had not been known since the year 1648; while in Ireland they had not known so great a drought.

26 Jul 1692. I went to visit the Bishop of Lincoln (age 55), when, among other things, he told me that one Dr. Chaplin, of University College in Oxford, was the person who wrote the "Whole Duty of Man"; that he used to read it to his pupil, and communicated it to Dr. Sterne, afterward Archbishop of York, but would never suffer any of his pupils to have a copy of it.

09 Aug 1692. A fast. Came the sad news of the hurricane and earthquake, which has destroyed almost the whole Island of Jamaica, many thousands having perished.

11 Aug 1692. My son, his wife, and little daughter, went for Ireland, there to reside as one of the Commissioners of the Revenue.

14 Aug 1692. Still an exceedingly wet season.

15 Sep 1692. There happened an earthquake, which, though not so great as to do any harm in England, was universal in all these parts of Europe. It shook the house at Wotton, but was not perceived by any save a servant or two, who were making my bed, and another in a garret. I and the rest being at dinner below in the parlor, were not sensible of it. The dreadful one in Jamaica this summer was profanely and ludicrously represented in a puppet play, or some such lewd pastime, in the fair of Southwark [Map], which caused the Queen (age 30) to put down that idle and vicious mock show.

01 Oct 1692. This season was so exceedingly cold, by reason of a long and tempestuous northeast wind, that this usually pleasant month was very uncomfortable. No fruit ripened kindly. Harbord (age 52) dies at Belgrade; Lord Paget sent Ambassador in his room.

06 Nov 1692. There was a vestry called about repairing or new building of the church [at Deptford], which I thought unseasonable in regard of heavy taxes, and other improper circumstances, which I there declared.

10 Nov 1692. A solemn Thanksgiving for our victory at sea, safe return of the King (age 42), etc.

20 Nov 1692. Dr. Lancaster, the new Vicar of St. Martin's [Map], preached.

20 Nov 1692. A signal robbery in Hertfordshire of the tax money bringing out of the north toward London. They were set upon by several desperate persons, who dismounted and stopped all travelers on the road, and guarding them in a field, when the exploit was done, and the treasure taken, they killed all the horses of those whom they stayed, to hinder pursuit, being sixteen horses. They then dismissed those that they had dismounted.

14 Dec 1692. With much reluctance we gratified Sir J. Rotherham, one of Mr. Boyle's trustees, by admitting the Bishop of Bath and Wells to be lecturer for the next year, instead of Mr. Bentley, who had so worthily acquitted himself. We intended to take him in again the next year.