Volume II Part 17 (2/2)
The Bishop's opinion was that he might take it, though he wished it had been otherwise worded in the text.
15th January, 1678-79. I went with my Lady Sunderland to Chelsa, and dined with the Countess of Bristol [her mother] in the great house, formerly the Duke of Buckingham's, a s.p.a.cious and excellent place for the extent of ground and situation in a good air. The house is large but ill-contrived, though my Lord of Bristol, who purchased it after he sold Wimbledon to my Lord Treasurer, expended much money on it. There were divers pictures of t.i.tian and Vand.y.k.e, and some of Ba.s.sano, very excellent, especially an Adonis and Venus, a Duke of Venice, a butcher in his shambles selling meat to a Swiss; and of Vand.y.k.e, my Lord of Bristol's picture, with the Earl of Bedford's at length, in the same table. There was in the garden a rare collection of orange trees, of which she was pleased to bestow some upon me.
16th January, 1679. I supped this night with Mr. Secretary at one Mr.
Houblon's, a French merchant, who had his house furnished _en Prince_, and gave us a splendid entertainment.
25th January, 1679. The Long Parliament, which had sat ever since the Restoration, was dissolved by persuasion of the Lord Treasurer, though divers of them were believed to be his pensioner. At this, all the politicians were at a stand, they being very eager in pursuit of the late plot of the Papists.
30th January, 1679. Dr. Cudworth preached before the King at Whitehall, on 2 Timothy iii. 5, reckoning up the perils of the last times, in which, among other wickedness, treasons should be one of the greatest, applying it to the occasion, as committed under a form of reformation and G.o.dliness; concluding that the prophecy did intend more particularly the present age, as one of the last times; the sins there enumerated, more abundantly reigning than ever.
[Sidenote: LONDON]
2d February, 1679. Dr. Durell, Dean of Windsor, preached to the household at Whitehall, on 1 Cor. xvi. 22; he read the whole sermon out of his notes, which I had never before seen a Frenchman do, he being of Jersey, and bred at Paris.
4th February, 1679. Dr. Pierce, Dean of Salisbury, preached on 1 John, iv. 1, ”Try the Spirits, there being so many delusory ones gone forth of late into the world”; he inveighed against the pernicious doctrines of Mr. Hobbes.
My brother Evelyn, was now chosen Knight for the County of Surrey, carrying it against my Lord Longford and Sir Adam Brown, of Bechworth Castle. The country coming in to give him their suffrages were so many, that I believe they ate and drank him out near 2,000, by a most abominable custom.
1st April, 1679. My friend, Mr. G.o.dolphin, was now made one of the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, and of the Privy Council.
4th April, 1679. The Bishop of Gloucester preached in a manner very like Bishop Andrews, full of divisions, and scholastical, and that with much quickness. The Holy Communion followed.
20th April, 1679. EASTER DAY. Our vicar preached exceedingly well on 1 Cor. v. 7. The Holy Communion followed, at which I and my daughter, Mary (now about fourteen years old), received for the first time. The Lord Jesus continue his grace unto her, and improve this blessed beginning!
24th April, 1679. The Duke of York, voted against by the Commons for his recusancy, went over to Flanders; which made much discourse.
4th June, 1679. I dined with Mr. Pepys in the Tower, he having been committed by the House of Commons for misdemeanors in the Admiralty when he was secretary; I believe he was unjustly charged. Here I saluted my Lords Stafford and Petre, who were committed for the Popish plot.
7th June, 1679. I saw the magnificent cavalcade and entry of the Portugal Amba.s.sador.
17th June, 1679. I was G.o.dfather to a son of Sir Christopher Wren, surveyor of his Majesty's buildings, that most excellent and learned person, with Sir William Fermor, and my Lady Viscountess Newport, wife of the Treasurer of the Household.
Thence to Chelsea, to Sir Stephen Fox, and my lady, in order to the purchase of the Countess of Bristol's house there, which she desired me to procure a chapman for.
19th June, 1679. I dined at Sir Robert Clayton's with Sir Robert Viner, the great banker.
22d June, 1679. There were now divers Jesuits executed about the plot, and a rebellion in Scotland of the fanatics, so that there was a sad prospect of public affairs.
25th June, 1679. The new Commissioners of the Admiralty came to visit me, viz, Sir Henry Capell, brother to the Earl of Ess.e.x, Mr. Finch, eldest son to the Lord Chancellor, Sir Humphry Winch, Sir Thomas Meeres, Mr. Hales, with some of the Commissioners of the Navy. I went with them to London.
1st July, 1679. I dined at Sir William G.o.dolphin's, and with that learned gentleman went to take the air in Hyde Park, where was a glorious _cortege_.
3d July, 1679. Sending a piece of venison to Mr. Pepys, still a prisoner, I went and dined with him.
6th July, 1679. Now were there papers, speeches, and libels, publicly cried in the streets against the Dukes of York and Lauderdale, etc., obnoxious to the Parliament, with too much and indeed too shameful a liberty; but the people and Parliament had gotten head by reason of the vices of the great ones.
[Sidenote: LONDON]
There was now brought up to London a child, son of one Mr. Wotton, formerly amanuensis to Dr. Andrews, Bishop of Winton, who both read and perfectly understood Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Arabic, Syriac, and most of the modern languages; disputed in divinity, law, and all the sciences; was skillful in history, both ecclesiastical and profane; in politics; in a word, so universally and solidly learned at eleven years of age, that he was looked on as a miracle. Dr. Lloyd, one of the most deeply learned divines of this nation in all sorts of literature, with Dr.
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