Volume II Part 1 (1/2)

The Diary of John Evelyn

by John Evelyn

VOL II

THE DIARY OF JOHN EVELYN

2d January, 1665

This day was published by me that part of ”The Mystery of Jesuitish without inary Heresy, with four letters and other pieces

4th January, 1665 I went in a coach, it being excessive sharp frost and snoard Dover and other parts of Kent, to settle physicians, chirurgeons, agents, marshals, and other officers in all the sea ports, to take care of such as should be set on shore, wounded, sick, or prisoners, in pursuance of our co from the North Foreland, in Kent, to Portsland were allotted to the other Co I came to Rochester, where I delivered the Privy Council's letter to the Mayor to receive orders from me

5th January, 1665 I arrived at Canterbury, and went to the cathedral, exceedingly well repaired since his Majesty's return

6th January, 1665 To Dover, where Colonel Stroode, Lieutenant of the Castle, having received the letter I brought hie in it, and I was splendidly treated, assisting me from place to place Here I settled my first Deputy The Mayor and officers of the Customs were very civil to me

9th January, 1665 To Deal--10th To Sandwich, a pretty town, about two miles from the sea The Mayor and officers of the Custoent to serve ht to Canterbury

11th January, 1665 To Rochester, when I took order to settle officers at Chatham

12th January, 1665 To Gravesend, and returned home A cold, busy, but not unpleasant journey

[Sidenote: LONDON]

25th January, 1665 This night being at Whitehall, his Majesty caave”The Mysteries of Jesuitism,” which he said he had carried two days in his pocket, read it, and encouraged me; at which I did not a little wonder: I suppose Sir Robert Murray had given it to him

27th January, 1665 Dined at the Lord Chancellor's, who caused me after dinner to sit two or three hours alone with him in his bedchamber

2d February, 1665 I saw a Masque perfor his Majesty, it being Candlemas day

8th February, Ash Wednesday, 1665 I visited our prisoners at Chelsea College, and to examine how the marshal and sutlers behaved These were prisoners taken in the war; they only complained that their bread was too fine I dined at Sir Henry Herbert's, Master of the Revels

9th February, 1665 Dined at my Lord Treasurer's, the Earl of Southa a noble square or piazza,[1] a little town; his own house stands too low, soarden to the north, but good air

I had much discourse with his Lordshi+p, whom I found to be a person of extraordinary parts, but a _valetudinarian_--I went to St James's Park, where I saw various animals, and examined the throat of the _Onocrotylus_, or pelican, a fowl between a stork and a swan; a ht fro to see hoould toss up and turn a flat fish, plaice, or flounder, to get it right into his gullet at its lower beak, which, being filreat fish Here was also a ser than a uin of Ahed; I never saw so unsatiable a devourer, yet the body did not appear to swell the bigger The solan geese here are also great devourers, and are said soon to exhaust all the fish in a pond Here was a curious sort of poultry not s so short as their crops seemed to touch the earth; a milk-white raven; a stork, which was a rarity at this season, seeing he was loose, and could fly loftily; two Balearian cranes, one of which having had one of his legs broken and cut off above the knee, had a wooden or boxen leg and thigh, with a joint so accurately made that the creature could walk and use it as well as if it had been natural; it was made by a soldier The park was at this time stored with numerous flocks of several sorts of ordinary and extraordinary wild fowl, breeding about the Decoy, which for being near so great a city, and aular and diverting thing There were also deer of several countries, white; spotted like leopards; antelopes, an elk, red deer, roebucks, stags, Guinea goats, Arabian sheep, etc There ithy-pots, or nests, for the wild fowl to lay their eggs in, a little above the surface of the water

[Footnote 1: The Italians mean simply a square by their _piazzas_]