eighty-six years of age, stark blind, deaf, and memory lost, after having been a person of admirable parts and learning. This is a serious alarm to me. God grant that I may profit by it! He built a very handsome chapel to the college, and his own tomb. He gave a legacy of money, and the third part of his library, to his nephew, Dr. Bohun,' who went hence to his funeral.

7th September. This day was celebrated the thanksgiving for the late great victory,2 with the utmost pomp and splendour by the Queen, Court, great Officers, Lord Mayor, Sheriffs, Companies, etc. The streets were scaffolded from Temple Bar, where the Lord Mayor presented her Majesty with the sword, which she returned. Every Company was ranged under its banners, the City Militia without the rails, which were all hung with cloth suitable to the colour of the banner. The Lord Mayor, Sheriffs, and Aldermen, were in their scarlet robes, with caparisoned horses; the Knight Marshal on horseback; the Foot-Guards; the Queen in a rich coach with eight horses, none with her but the Duchess of Marlborough in a very plain garment, the Queen full of jewels. Music and trumpets at every City Company. The great officers of the Crown, Nobility, and Bishops, all in coaches with six horses, besides innumerable servants, went to St. Paul's, where the Dean preached. After this, the Queen went back in the same order to St. James's. The City Companies feasted all the Nobility and Bishops, and illuminated at night. Music for the church and anthems composed by the best masters. The day before was wet and stormy, but this was one of the most serene and calm days that had been all the year.

1 [He was Rector of Wotton (see ante, p. 355).] 2 Over the French and Bavarians, at Blenheim, August 2, 1704.

October. The year has been very plentiful.

31st. Being my birthday and the 84th year of my life, after particular reflections on my concerns and passages of the year, I set some considerable time of this day apart, to recollect and examine my state and condition, giving God thanks, and acknowledging His infinite mercies to me and mine, begging His blessing, and imploring His protection for the year following.

December. Lord Clarendon presented me with the three volumes of his father's History of the Rebellion.1

My Lord of Canterbury wrote to me for suffrage for Mr. Clarke's continuance this year in the Boyle Lecture, which I willingly gave for his excellent performance of this year.

1704-5: 4th January. I dined at Lambeth with the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr. King,3 a sharp ready man in politics, as well as very learned.

9th February. I went to wait on my Lord Treasurer, where was the victorious Duke of Marlborough, who came to me and took me by the hand with extraordinary familiarity and civility, as formerly he was used to do, without any alteration of his good-nature. He had a most rich George in a sardonyx set with diamonds of very great value; for the rest, very plain. I had not seen him for some years, and believed he might have forgotten me.

21st. Remarkable fine weather. Agues and small-pox much in every place.

11th March. An exceeding dry season.-Great loss by fire, burning the outhouses and famous

1 [A mistake. He received them in December, 1702 (Letter to Pepys, 20th January, 1703).]

2

[Dr. Samuel Clarke's Boyle Lectures were "On the Being and Attributes of God."]

8 [William King, 1650-1729; Archbishop of Dublin, 1703-29.]

VOL. III

2 B

stable of the Earl of Nottingham, at Burley [Rutlandshire],' full of rich goods and furniture, by the carelessness of a servant. A little before, the same happened at Lord Pembroke's, at Wilton. The old Countess of Northumberland, Dowager of Algernon Percy, Admiral of the Fleet to King Charles I., died in the 83rd year of her age. She was sister to the Earl of Suffolk, and left a great estate, her jointure to descend to the Duke of Somerset.2

May. The Bailiff of Westminster hanged himself. He had an ill report.

On the death of the Emperor, there was no mourning worn at Court, because there was none at the Imperial Court on the death of King William.

18th. I went to see Sir John Chardin,3 at Turnham-Green, the gardens being very fine, and exceeding well planted with fruit.

20th. Most extravagant expense to debauch and corrupt votes for Parliament members. I sent my grandson with his party of my freeholders to vote for Mr. Harvey, of Combe.*

June. The season very dry and hot.-I went to see Dr. Dickinson' the famous chemist. We had long conversation about the philosopher's elixir, which he believed attainable, and had seen projection himself by one who went under the name of Mundanus, who sometimes came among the adepts, but was unknown as to his country, or

1 [Burley-on-the-Hill (see ante, vol. ii. p. 88).]

This Duke had married Elizabeth Percy (see ante, p. 74), only daughter and heir to Josceline Percy, the eleventh and last Earl of Northumberland. 3 See ante, p. 51.

4 Sir Richard Onslow and Sir William Scawen were the other candidates, and succeeded. Harvey was a violent Tory.

5 Edmund Dickinson, M.D., 1624-1707, of Merton College, Oxford. [He was King's physician, 1685-88, in which latter year he retired from practice.] He published several things.

abode; of this the Doctor has written a treatise in Latin, full of very astonishing relations. He is a very learned person, formerly a Fellow of St. John's College, Oxford,' in which he practised physic, but has now altogether given it over, and lives retired, being very old and infirm, yet continuing chemistry.

I went to Greenwich Hospital, where they now began to take in wounded and worn-out seamen, who are exceeding well provided for. The buildings now going on are very magnificent.

2

October. Mr. Cowper made Lord Keeper. Observing how uncertain great officers are of continuing long in their places, he would not accept it, unless £2000 a-year were given him in reversion when he was put out, in consideration of his loss of practice. His predecessors, how little time soever they had the seal, usually got £100,000 and made themselves Barons.-A new Secretary of State.-Lord Abington, Lieutenant of the Tower, displaced, and General Churchill, brother to the Duke of Marlborough, put in. An indication of great unsteadiness somewhere, but thus the crafty Whig party (as called) begin to change the face of the Court, in opposition to the High Churchmen, which was another distinction of a party from the Low Churchmen. The Parliament chose one Mr. Smith, Speaker. There had

1 He was a Fellow of Merton. Evelyn must have mistaken Dr. Dickinson as to his not knowing who Theodore Mundanus was, for in 1686 the Doctor printed a letter to him with his answer from Paris; and in the latter, Mundanus says he made two projections in his presence. (Biog. Brit., 1793, v. 176, art. Dickinson.)

2 William Cowper, d. 1723, created a Baron in 1706, and Lord Chancellor, afterwards (1718) Viscount Fordwich and first Earl Cowper, by George the First.

3 Charles Spencer, third Earl of Sunderland (see ante, p. 238). 4 John Smith, 1655-1723, Member for Andover. [He was elected Speaker for three years.]

372

DIARY OF JOHN EVELYN

1706

never been so great an assembly of members on the first day of sitting, being more than 450. The votes both of the old, as well as the new, fell to those called Low Churchmen, contrary to all expectation.

31st October. I am this day arrived to the 85th year of my age. Lord teach me so to number my days to come, that I may apply them to wisdom!

1705-6: 1st January. Making up my accounts for the past year, paid bills, wages, and new-year's gifts, according to custom. Though much indisposed and in so advanced a stage, I went to our chapel [in London] to give God public thanks, beseeching Almighty God to assist me and my family the ensuing year, if He should yet continue my pilgrimage here, and bring me at last to a better life with Him in His heavenly kingdom. Divers of our friends and relations dined with us this day.

27th. My indisposition increasing, I was exceeding ill this whole week.

[3rd February. Notes of the sermons at the chapel in the morning and afternoon, written with his own hand, conclude this Diary.]

* Mr. Evelyn died on the 27th of this month.