Volume I Part 27 (1/2)

11th July, 1654 Was the Latin ser taken up at All Souls, where we had enious scholars After dinner, I visited that miracle of a youth, Mr Christopher Wren, nephew to the Bishop of Ely Then Mr Barlow (since Bishop of Lincoln), bibliothecarius of the Bodleian Library, my most learned friend He showed us the rarities of that most famous place,the MSS an old English Bible, wherein the Eunuch : ”and Philip and the Gelding went down into the water,” etc The original Acts of the Council of Basil 900 years since, with the _bulla_, or leaden affix, which has a silken cord passing through every parchment; a MS of Venerable Bede of 800 years antiquity; the old Ritual _secundu the nicer curiosities, the ”Proverbs of Solomon,”

written in French by a lady, every chapter of a several character, or hand, the lyphical table, or carta, folded up like a map, I suppose it painted on asses' hide, extremely rare; but, what is most illustrious, there were no less than 1,000 MSS

in nineteen languages, especially Oriental, furnishi+ng that new part of the library built by Archbishop Laud, froby and the Earl of Pembroke In the closet of the tower, they show some Indian weapons, urns, lamps, etc, but the rarest is the whole Alcoran, written on one large sheet of calico, made up in a priest's vesture, or cope, after the Turkish and Arabic character, so exquisitely written, as no printed letter coical charms, divers talismans, and some medals

Then, I led my wife into the Convocation House, finely wainscoted; the Divinity School, and Gothic carved roof; the Physic, or Anatos; but nothing extraordinary save the skin of a jackal, a rarely-colored jackatoo, or prodigious large parrot, two huer than our bumblebee, which indeed I had not seen before, that I remember

12th July, 1654 We went to St John's, saw the library and the two skeletons, which are finely cleansed and put together; observable is here also the store of iven by the late Archbishop Laud, who built here a handsoe, where the chapel was in its ancient garb, notwithstanding the scrupulosity of the times Thence, to Christ's Church, in whose library was shown us an Office of Henry VIII, the writing, , any curiosity I had seen of that kind; it was given by their founder, Cardinal Wolsey The glass s of the cathedral (famous in my time) I found much abused The ample hall and coluoes up the stairs, is very ree, wherethe library and chapel, which was likewise in pontifical order, the altar only I think turned tablewise, and there was still the double organ, which abominations (as now esteemed) were almost universally de us a taste of his skill and talents on that instrument

Hence, to the Physic Garden, where the sensitive plant was shown us for a great wonder There grew canes, olive trees, rhubarb, but no extraordinary curiosities, besides very good fruit, which, when the ladies had tasted, we returned in our coach to our lodgings

13th July, 1654 We all dined at thatand universally-curious Dr Wilkins's, at Wadhae He was the first who showed me the transparent apiaries, which he had built like castles and palaces, and so ordered the the bees These were adorned with a variety of dials, little statues, vanes, etc; and, he was so abundantly civil, finding me pleased with them, to present me with one of the hives which he had earden at Sayes Court, where it continued many years, and which his Majesty came on purpose to see and contemplate with much satisfaction He had also contrived a hollow statue, which gave a voice and uttered words by a long, concealed pipe that went to its ood distance He had, above in his lodgings and gallery, variety of shadows, dials, perspectives, and ical curiosities, a iser, a thernet, conic, and other sections, a balance on a de scholar Mr Christopher Wren, who presented me with a piece of white marble, which he had stained with a lively red, very deep, as beautiful as if it had been natural

[Footnote 49: Such were the speaking figures long ago exhibited in Spring Gardens, and in Leicester Fields]

Thus satisfied with the civilities of Oxford, we left it, dining at Farringdon, a tohich had been newly fired during the wars; and, passing near the seat of Sir Walter Pye, we came to Cadenham

16th July, 1654 We went to another uncle and relative of my wife's, Sir John Glanville, a famous lawyer, formerly Speaker of the House of Commons; his seat is at Broad Hinton, where he now lived but in the gate-house, his very fair dwelling house having been burnt by his own hands, to prevent the rebels arrison of it Here, my cousin William Glanville's eldest son showed , and rare contrivances was a masterpiece, yet made by a country blacksmith But, we have seen watches made by another with asof; and, notmore frequent than all sorts of ironwork ht and polished than in any part of Europe, so as a door lock of a tolerable price was esteen princes

Went back to Cadenham, and, on the 19th, to Sir Edward Baynton's at Spie Park, a place capable of being ht has built a long single house of t stories on the precipice of an incoreen in the park

The house is like a long barn, and has not aon the prospect side

After dinner, they went to bowls, and, in the ly drunk, that in returning hoers This, it seeentlemen's servants be so treated; but the custoht still less a Christian

[Sidenote: SALISBURY]

20th July, 1654 We proceeded to Salisbury; the cathedral I take to be the most complete piece of Gothic work in Europe, taken in all its uniformity The pillars, reputed to be cast, are of stone manifestly cut out of the quarry; most observable are those in the chapter house There are some remarkable monuments, particularly the ancient Bishops, founders of the Church, Knights Templars, the Marquis of Hertford's, the cloisters of the palace and garden, and the great mural dial

In the afternoon ent to Wilton, a fine house of the Earl of Pe rooilded and painted with story, by De Crete; also so landscapes, by Pierce; sonificent chimney-pieces, after the best Frenchstairs of stone, and divers rare pictures The garden, heretofore esteee handsoht be h cleansed and raised; for all is effected by a ant But, after all, that which renders the seat delightful is, its being so near the downs and noble plains about the country contiguous to it The stables are well ordered and yield a graceful front, by reason of the walks of lime trees, with the court and fountain of the stables adorned with the Caesars' heads

We returned this evening by the plain, and fourteen-mile race, where out ofcourse of a hare for near two ola_, or stand, built to view the sports; and so we came to Salisbury, and saw the most considerable parts of the city The market place, with most of the streets, are watered by a quick current and pure streaently kept, ith a sreeable, and this s are despicable, and the streets dirty

22d July, 1654 We departed and dined at a farna, situated in a valley under the plain, ht by spear in the night, when they coht set in the stern of a boat

After dinner, continuing our return, we passed over the goodly plain, or rather sea of carpet, which I think for evenness, extent, verdure, and innuhtful prospects in nature, and reminded me of the pleasant lives of shepherds we read of in roe, indeed a stupendousat a distance like a castle; how so ether, some erect, others transverse on the tops of the a cloister or heathen and ly hard, that allexposure To number them exactly is very difficult, they lie in such variety of postures and confusion, though they see brought thither, there being no navigable river near, is by some admired; but for the stone, there seems to be the saround About the same hills, are divers mounts raised, conceived to be ancient intrenchhts We noent by Devizes, a reasonable large town, and ca of a sorel deer, and had excellent chase for four or five hours, but the venison little worth

29th July, 1654 I went to Langford to see my Cousin Stephens I also saw Dryfield, the house heretofore of Sir John Pretyrandfather to my wife, and sold by her uncle; both the seat and house very honorable and well built, much after theleave of Cadenha and nobly entertained, ent a compass into Leicestershi+re, where dwelt another relation of my wife's; for I indeed made these excursions to show her the most considerable parts of her native country, who, froether in France, as well as for my own curiosity and information

[Sidenote: GLOUCESTER]