Volume II Part 43 (1/2)

3d September, 1699 There was in this week an eclipse of the sun, at which ers I reo that o out of their houses A strange earthquake at New Batavia, in the East Indies

4th October, 1699 My worthy brother died at Wotton, in the 83d year of his age, of perfect ious, sober, and temperate, and of so hospitable a nature, that no fa, as it were, open house the whole year in the saave more noble or free entertainment to the county on all occasions, so that his house was never free There were sometimes twenty persons more than his family, and some that stayed there all the suained the universal love of the county He was born at Wotton, went froe, Oxford, thence to the Middle Teentlemen of the best quality did, but without intention to study the law as a profession He hter of Colwall, of a worthy and ancient fa in 1643, left George her son an infant, who being educated liberally, after traveling abroad, returned and married one Mrs Gore, by whohters survived He was a younghis ease and pleasure, grew so very corpulent, contrary to the constitution of the rest of his father's relations, that he died

My brother afterward married a noble and honorable lady, relict of Sir John Cotton, she being an Offley, a worthy and ancient Staffordshi+re family, by whom he had several children of both sexes This lady died, leaving only two daughters and a son The younger daughter died before e; the other afterward entleman (son of Sir ---- Wych), who had been Ambassador at Constantinople, and was afterward e, her only brother hter of ---- Eversfield, of Sussex, of an honorable fa; he died about 1691, and his wife not many years after, and my brother resettled the whole estate on me His sister, Wych, had a portion of 6,000, to which was added 300 hters, hat I added, had about 5,000 each My brother died on the 5th of October, in a good old age and great reputation, hter, Lady Wych, sole executrix, leaving me only his library and some pictures of my father, mother, etc

She buried him with extraordinary soleentleman There were, as I coentle him the last honors I returned to London, till my lady should dispose of herself and family

21st October, 1699 After an unusual warm and pleasant season, ere surprised with a very sharp frost I presented my ”_Acetaria_,”

dedicated to my Lord Chancellor, who returned me thanks in an extraordinarily civil letter

15th Nove, that people lost their way in the streets, it being so intense that no light of candles, or torches, yielded any (or but very little) direction I was in it, and in danger Robberies were cohts which were fixed between London and Kensington on both sides, and while coaches and travelers were passing It began about four in the afternoon, and was quite gone by eight, without any wind to disperse it At the Thames, they beat drums to direct the watermen to make the shore

19th Nove there was a ser Mr Horneck, chaplain to Lord Guilford, whose lady's funeral had been celebrated yric was now pronounced, describing the extraordinary piety and excellently e lady She died in childbed a few days before, to the excessive sorrow of her husband, who ordered the preacher to declare that it was on her exemplary life, exhortations and persuasion, that he totally changed the course of his life, which was before in great danger of being perverted; following the e Her devotion, early piety, charity, fastings, econo, recollections in her own handwriting of what she heard and read, and her conversation were ned Dr Blackwell's election to be the next year's Boyles Lecturer

Such horrible robberies and murders were committed, as had not been known in this nation; atheis all sorts, portended soment if not aed the of it, in London and other places, and began to punish offenders and put the laws in entle, calm, dry, temperate weather all this season of the year, but now came sharp, hard frost, and ht, and warm as in the reat earthquake in Portugal

[Sidenote: LONDON]

The Parliaious donations of the Irish forfeitures, which were intended to be set apart for discharging the vast national debt They called sohest offices in question for setting the Great Seal to the pardon of an arch-pirate,[89] who had turned pirate again, and brought prizes into the West Indies, suspected to be connived at on sharing the prey; but the prevailing part in the House called Courtiers, out-voted the co ent in attendance

[Footnote 89: Captain Kidd; he was hanged about two years afterith soht by the Coainst Lord Somers]

14th January, 1699-1700 Dr Lancaster, Vicar of St Martin's, disfelloho had been made the first preacher at our chapel by the Bishop of Lincoln [Dr Tenison, now Archbishop], while he held St

Martin's by dispensation, and put in one Mr Sandys, ainst the inclination of those who frequented the chapel The Scotch book about Darien was burned by the hangman by vote of Parliament[90]

[Footnote 90: The volume alluded to was ”An Enquiry into the Causes of the Miscarriage of the Scots Colony at Darien: Or an Answer to a Libel,” entitled ”A Defense of the Scots abdicating Darien” See Votes of the House of Commons, 15th January, 1699-1700]

21st January, 1700 Died the Duke of Beaufort, a person of great honor, prudence, and estate

25th January, 1700 I went to Wotton, the first time after my brother's funeral, to furnish the house with necessaries, Lady Wych andsold and disposed of what goods were there ofinto sharp and hard frost

[Sidenote: LONDON]

One Stephens, who preached before the House of Co Charles's Martyrdom, told them that the observation of that day was not intended out of any detestation of his s and Rulers, how they ought to behave themselves toward their subjects, lest they should coh it was usual to desire these anniversary sermons to be printed, they refused thanks to him, and ordered that in future no one should preach before them, as not either a Dean or a Doctor of Divinity

4th February, 1700 The Parlia prejudicial to our trade with Spain They also voted that the exorbitant nu, and evidently causing lawsuits and disturbance, eating out the estates of the people, provoking theo to law)

18th February, 1700 Mild and cal rain The Vicar of St Martin's frequently preached at Trinity chapel in the afternoon

8th March, 1700 The season was like April for warmth and mildness--11th On Wednesday, was a ser Lent

13th March, 1700 I was at the funeral of ht from Addisob, near Croydon She left my son-in-law Draper (her nephew) the mansion house of Addisob, very nobly and completely furnished, with the estate about it, with plate and jewels, to the value in all of about 20,000 She was a very prudent lady, gave ton, where her husband, Sir Purbeck Te without issue

24th March, 1700 The season warly pleasant