Volume II Part 11 (1/2)
Here, I cannot but make some reflections on things past. It was not above a day or two that going to Whitehall to take leave of his Lords.h.i.+p, who had his lodgings in the Privy-Garden, shaking me by the hand he bid me good-by, and said he thought he would see me no more, and I saw, to my thinking, something boding in his countenance: ”No,” says he, ”they will not have me live. Had I lost a fleet (meaning on his return from Bergen when he took the East India prize) I should have fared better; but, be as it pleases G.o.d--I must do something, I know not what, to save my reputation.” Something to this effect, he had hinted to me; thus I took my leave. I well remember that the Duke of Albemarle, and my now Lord Clifford, had, I know not why, no great opinion of his courage, because, in former conflicts, being an able and experienced seaman (which neither of them were), he always brought off his Majesty's s.h.i.+ps without loss, though not without as many marks of true courage as the stoutest of them; and I am a witness that, in the late war, his own s.h.i.+p was pierced like a colander. But the business was, he was utterly against this war from the beginning, and abhorred the attacking of the Smyrna fleet; he did not favor the heady expedition of Clifford at Bergen, nor was he so furious and confident as was the Duke of Albemarle, who believed he could vanquish the Hollanders with one squadron. My Lord Sandwich was prudent as well as valiant, and always governed his affairs with success and little loss; he was for deliberation and reason, they for action and slaughter without either; and for this, whispered as if my Lord Sandwich was not so gallant, because he was not so rash, and knew how fatal it was to lose a fleet, such as was that under his conduct, and for which these very persons would have censured him on the other side. This it was, I am confident, grieved him, and made him enter like a lion, and fight like one too, in the midst of the hottest service, where the stoutest of the rest seeing him engaged, and so many s.h.i.+ps upon him, dared not, or would not, come to his succor, as some of them, whom I know, might have done. Thus, this gallant person perished, to gratify the pride and envy of some I named.
Deplorable was the loss of one of the best accomplished persons, not only of this nation, but of any other. He was learned in sea affairs, in politics, in mathematics, and in music: he had been on divers emba.s.sies, was of a sweet and obliging temper, sober, chaste, very ingenious, a true n.o.bleman, an ornament to the Court and his Prince; nor has he left any behind him who approach his many virtues.
He had, I confess, served the tyrant Cromwell, when a young man, but it was without malice, as a soldier of fortune; and he readily submitted, and that with joy, bringing an entire fleet with him from the Sound, at the first tidings of his Majesty's restoration. I verily believe him as faithful a subject as any that were not his friends. I am yet heartily grieved at this mighty loss, nor do I call it to my thoughts without emotion.
[Sidenote: ROCHESTER]
2d June, 1672. Trinity Sunday, I pa.s.sed at Rochester; and, on the 5th, there was buried in the Cathedral Monsieur Rabiniere, Rear Admiral of the French squadron, a gallant person, who died of the wounds he received in the fight. This ceremony lay on me, which I performed with all the decency I could, inviting the Mayor and Aldermen to come in their formalities. Sir Jonas Atkins was there with his guards; and the Dean and Prebendaries: one of his countrymen p.r.o.nouncing a funeral oration at the brink of his grave, which I caused to be dug in the choir. This is more at large described in the ”Gazette” of that day; Colonel Reymes, my colleague in commission, a.s.sisting, who was so kind as to accompany me from London, though it was not his district; for indeed the stress of both these wars lay more on me by far than on any of my brethren, who had little to do in theirs. I went to see Upnore Castle, which I found pretty well defended, but of no great moment.
Next day I sailed to the fleet, now riding at the buoy of the ”Nore,”
where I met his Majesty, the Duke, Lord Arlington, and all the great men, in the ”Charles,” lying miserably shattered; but the miss of Lord Sandwich redoubled the loss to me, and showed the folly of hazarding so brave a fleet, and losing so many good men, for no provocation but that the Hollanders exceeded us in industry, and in all things but envy.
At Sheerness, I gave his Majesty and his Royal Highness an account of my charge, and returned to Queenborough; next day dined at Major Dorel's, Governor of Sheerness; thence, to Rochester; and the following day, home.
12th June, 1672. To London to his Majesty, to solicit for money for the sick and wounded, which he promised me.
19th June, 1672. To London again, to solicit the same.
21st June, 1672. At a Council of Plantations. Most of this week busied with the sick and wounded.
3d July, 1672. To Lord Sandwich's funeral, which was by water to Westminster, in solemn pomp.
31st July, 1672. I entertained the Maids of Honor (among whom there was one I infinitely esteemed for her many and extraordinary virtues[31]) at a comedy this afternoon, and so went home.
[Footnote 31: Mrs. Blagg whom Evelyn never tires of instancing and characterizing as a rare example of piety and virtue, in so rare a wit, beauty, and perfection, in a licentious court, and depraved age. She was afterward married to Mr. G.o.dolphin, and her life, written by Evelyn, has been edited and published by the Bishop of Oxford.]
1st August, 1672. I was at the betrothal of Lord Arlington's only daughter (a sweet child if ever there was any[32]) to the Duke of Grafton, the King's natural son by the d.u.c.h.ess of Cleveland; the Archbishop of Canterbury officiating, the King and the grandees being present. I had a favor given me by my Lady; but took no great joy at the thing for many reasons.
[Footnote 32: She was then only fifteen years old.]
18th August, 1672. Sir James Hayes, Secretary to Prince Rupert, dined with me; after dinner I was sent to Gravesend to dispose of no fewer than 800 sick men. That night I got to the fleet at the buoy of the ”Nore,” where I spoke with the King and the Duke; and, after dinner next day, returned to Gravesend.
1st September, 1672. I spent this week in soliciting for moneys, and in reading to my Lord Clifford my papers relating to the first Holland war.
Now, our Council of Plantations met at Lord Shaftesbury's (Chancellor of the Exchequer) to read and reform the draft of our new Patent, joining the Council of Trade to our political capacities. After this, I returned home, in order to another excursion to the seaside, to get as many as possible of the men who were recovered on board the fleet.
8th September, 1672. I lay at Gravesend, thence to Rochester, returning on the 11th.
15th September, 1672. Dr. Duport, Greek Professor of Cambridge, preached before the King, on 1 Timothy vi. 6. No great preacher, but a very worthy and learned man.
25th September, 1672. I dined at Lord John Berkeley's, newly arrived out of Ireland, where he had been Deputy; it was in his new house, or rather palace; for I am a.s.sured it stood him in near 30,000. It was very well built, and has many n.o.ble rooms, but they are not very convenient, consisting but of one _Corps de Logis_; they are all rooms of state, without closets. The staircase is of cedar, the furniture is princely: the kitchen and stables are ill placed, and the corridor worse, having no report to the wings they join to. For the rest, the fore-court is n.o.ble, so are the stables; and, above all, the gardens, which are incomparable by reason of the inequality of the ground, and a pretty piscina. The holly hedges on the terrace I advised the planting of. The porticos are in imitation of a house described by Palladio; but it happens to be the worst in his book, though my good friend, Mr. Hugh May, his Lords.h.i.+p's architect, effected it.
[Sidenote: LONDON]
26th September, 1672. I carried with me to dinner my Lord H. Howard (now to be made Earl of Norwich and Earl Marshal of England) to Sir Robert Clayton's, now Sheriff of London, at his new house, where we had a great feast; it is built indeed for a great magistrate, at excessive cost. The cedar dining room is painted with the history of the Giants' War, incomparably done by Mr. Streeter, but the figures are too near the eye.
6th October, 1672. Dr. Thistlethwaite preached at Whitehall on Rev. v.
2,--a young, but good preacher. I received the blessed Communion, Dr.
Blandford, Bishop of Worcester, and Dean of the Chapel, officiating.