NAVIGATION

AND

Commerce,

THEIR

ORIGINAL

AND

PROGRESS.

Containing

A fuccinct Account of Traffick in General; its Benefits and Improvements: Of Discoveries, Wars and Conflicts at Sea, from the Original of Navigation to this Day; with special Regard to the ENGLISH Nation; Their several Voyages and Expeditions, to the Beginning of our late Differences with HOLLAND; In which His Majefties Title to the DOMINION of the SEA is Afferted, against the Novel, and later Pretenders.

By J. EVELYN Esq; S.R.S.

Cicero ad Attic. L. 10. Ep.7.

Qui MARE tenet, eum neceffe eft RERUM Potiri.

LONDON,

Printed by T.R. for Benj. Tooke, at the Sign of the Ship in St. Pauls Churchyard, 1674.

FACSIMILE OF THE TITLE-PAGE OF

“NAVIGATION AND

COMMERCE," 1674

works were thrown up to show the King a representation of the City of Maestricht, newly taken by the French.1 Bastions, bulwarks, ramparts, palisadoes, graffs, horn-works, counterscarps, etc., were constructed. It was attacked by the Duke of Monmouth (newly come from the real siege) and the Duke of York, with a little army, to show their skill in tactics. On Saturday night, they made their approaches, opened trenches, raised batteries, took the counterscarp and ravelin, after a stout defence; great guns fired on both sides, grenadoes shot, mines sprung, parties sent out, attempts of raising the siege, prisoners taken, parleys; and, in short, all the circumstances of a formal siege, to appearance, and, what is most strange, all without disorder, or ill accident, to the great satisfaction of a thousand spectators. Being night, it made a formidable show. The siege being over, I went with Mr. Pepys back to London, where we arrived about three in the morning.

15th September. To Council, about fetching away the English left at Surinam, etc., since our reconciliation with Holland.

21st. I went to see the great loss that Lord Arlington had sustained by fire at Goring House,' this night consumed to the ground, with exceeding loss of hangings, plate, rare pictures, and cabinets; hardly anything was saved of the best and most princely furniture that any subject had in England. My lord and lady were both absent at the Bath.

3

6th October. The Lord Chief Baron Turner, and Serjeant Wild, Recorder of London,* came to visit me.

2 [See ante, p. 357.]

1 [In 1673.] 3 Sir Edward Turner, d. 1675, Speaker of the House of Commons, subsequently Solicitor - General, and Lord Chief Baron.

4 Sir William Wilde, 1611-79, was King's Serjeant, 1661; Judge of Common Pleas, 1668; and King's Bench, 1673.

20th October. At Lord Berkeley's, I discoursed with Sir Thomas Modyford, late Governor of Jamaica, and with Colonel Morgan,' who undertook that gallant exploit from Nombre de Dios to Panama, on the Continent of America; he told me 10,000 men would easily conquer all the Spanish Indies, they were so secure. They took great booty, and much greater had been taken, had they not been betrayed and so discovered before their approach, by which the Spaniards had time to carry their vast treasure on board ships that put off to sea in sight of our men, who had no boats to follow. They set fire to Panama, and ravaged the country sixty miles about. The Spaniards were so supine and unexercised, that they were afraid to fire a great gun.

31st. My birthday, 54th year of my life. Blessed be God! It was also preparation-day for the Holy Sacrament, in which I participated the next day, imploring God's protection for the year following, and confirming my resolutions of a more holy life, even upon the Holy Book. The Lord assist and be gracious unto me! Amen.

2

15th November. The anniversary of my baptism: I first heard that famous and excellent preacher, Dr. Burnet (author of the History of the Reformation) on Colossians iii. 10, with such flow of eloquence and fulness of matter, as showed him to be a person of extraordinary parts.

Being her Majesty's birthday, the Court was exceeding splendid in clothes and jewels, to the height of excess.

17th. To Council, on the business of Surinam, where the Dutch had detained some English in prison, ever since the first war, 1665.3

1 [See ante, p. 327.]

2 [Dr. Gilbert Burnet, 1643-1715, afterwards (1689) Bishop of Salisbury. He had been dismissed by the King from his Chaplaincy.] [See ante, p. 371.]

8

19th November. I heard that stupendous violin, Signor Nicholao (with other rare musicians), whom I never heard mortal man exceed on that instrument. He had a stroke so sweet, and made it speak like the voice of a man, and, when he pleased, like a concert of several instruments. He did wonders upon a note, and was an excellent composer. Here was also that rare lutanist, Dr. Wallgrave; but nothing approached the violin in Nicholao's hand. He played such ravishing things as

astonished us all.

1

2nd December. At Mr. Slingsby's, Master of the Mint, my worthy friend, a great lover of music. Heard Signor Francesco on the harpsichord, esteemed one of the most excellent masters in Europe on that instrument; then, then, came Nicholao with his violin, and struck all mute, but Mrs. Knight, who sung incomparably, and doubtless has the greatest reach of any English woman; she had been lately roaming in Italy, and was much improved in that quality.

2

3

15th. Saw a comedy at night, at Court, acted by the ladies only, amongst them Lady Mary and Ann, his Royal Highness's two daughters, and my dear friend, Mrs. Blagge, who, having the principal

1 [See post, under 28th February, 1684.]

2 [See ante, p. 138.]

3 This was the Masque of Calisto; or, the Chaste Nymph, by John Crowne, d. 1703. The performers in the piece were, the two daughters of the Duke of York, Lady Henrietta Wentworth (afterwards mistress to the Duke of Monmouth), Countess of Sussex, Lady Mary Mordaunt, Mrs. Blagge, who had been Maid of Honour to the Queen, and Mrs. Jennings, then Maid of Honour to the Duchess of York, and afterwards the celebrated Duchess of Marlborough. The Duke of Monmouth, Lord Dunblane, Lord Daincourt, were among the dancers; and Mrs. Davis, Mrs. Knight, Mrs. Butler, and other celebrated comedians of the day, also acted and sung in the performance. The Masque was printed in 4to in 1675.

4 At this time Margaret Blagge had withdrawn from Court, and was living at Berkeley House with her friend Lady Berkeley,