28th September. I was showed a collection of books and prints made for the Duke of York.

1st October. The Dean of Peterborough' preached on Job xiii. verse 15, encouraging our trust in God on all events and extremities, and for establishing and comforting some ladies of great quality, who were then to be discharged from our Queen-Mother's service, unless they would go over to the Romish Mass.

The Dean, dining this day at our house, told me the occasion of publishing those Offices, which among the puritans were wont to be called Cosin's cozening Devotions, by way of derision. At the first coming of the Queen into England, she and her French ladies were often upbraiding our religion, that had neither appointed nor set forth any hours of prayer, or breviaries, by which ladies and courtiers, who have much spare time, might edify and be in devotion, as they had. Our Protestant ladies, scandalised it seems at this, moved the matter to the King; whereupon his Majesty presently called Bishop White to him, and asked his thoughts of it, and whether there might not be found some forms of prayer proper on such occasions, collected out of some already approved forms, that so the court-ladies and others (who spend much time in trifling) might at least appear as devout, and be so too, as the new-come-over French ladies, who took occasion to reproach our want of zeal and religion. On which, the Bishop told his Majesty that it might be done easily, and was very 1 [See ante, p. 25.].

A

2 The Collection of Private Devotions, 1627, was compiled, as hereafter explained, by request of Charles I. It was Prynne who, in his "brief survey" of the book, gave them the above nickname. Dr. Cosin is frequently mentioned both in the Diary and Letters of Evelyn, and had a very good library, for the purchase of which Evelyn was at one time in treaty (see post, under 15th April, 1652).]

necessary; whereupon the King commanded him to employ some person of the clergy to compile such a Work, and presently the Bishop naming Dr. Cosin, the King enjoined him to charge the Doctor in his name to set about it immediately. This the Dean told me he did; and three months after, bringing the book to the King, he commanded the Bishop of London to read it over, and make his report; this was so well liked, that (contrary to former custom of doing it by a chaplain) he would needs give it an imprimatur under his own hand. Upon this, there were at first only 200 copies printed; nor, said he, was there anything in the whole book of my own composure, nor did I set any name as author to it, but those necessary prefaces, etc., out of the Fathers, touching the times and seasons of prayer; all the rest being entirely translated and collected out of an Office published by authority of Queen Elizabeth, anno 1560, and our own Liturgy. This I rather mention to justify that industrious and pious Dean, who had exceedingly suffered by it, as if he had done it of his own head to introduce Popery, from which no man was more averse, and one who in this time of temptation and apostasy held and confirmed many to our Church.1

29th October. Came news and letters to the Queen and Sir Richard Browne (who was the first that had intelligence of it) of his Majesty's miraculous escape after the fight at Worcester; which exceedingly rejoiced us.

1 The Clergy who attended the English Court in France at this time, and are mentioned to have officiated in Sir Richard Browne's Chapel, were: The Bishop of Galloway (p. 25); Dr. George Morley (p. 19); Dr. Cosin, Dean of Peterborough, afterwards Bishop of Durham (p. 25); Dr. Stewart (p. 38); Dr. Earle (p. 2); Dr. Clare (see above); Dr. Wolley, no great preacher (p. 48); Mr. Crowder; Dr. William Lloyd, Bishop of Llandaff; Mr. Hamilton; Dr. Duncan (p. 32).

7th November. I visited Sir Kenelm Digby,' with whom I had much discourse on chemical matters. I showed him a particular way of extracting oil of sulphur, and he gave me a certain powder with which he affirmed that he had fixed

(mercury) before the late King. He advised me to try and digest a little better, and gave me a water which he said was only rain-water of the autumnal equinox, exceedingly rectified, very volatile; it had a taste of a strong vitriolic, and smelt like aqua-fortis. He intended it for

a dissolvent of calx of gold; but the truth is, Sir Kenelm was an arrant mountebank.2 Came news of the gallant Earl of Derby's execution by the rebels.3

14th. Dr. Clare preached on Genesis xxviii. verses 20, 21, 22, upon Jacob's vow, which he

1

1 [See ante, vol. i. p. 46. He (Digby), says his biographer, was at this date, "nominally, if not actually, Chancellor to Queen Henrietta Maria."]

2 [He seems, at any rate, to have been as much "given to romance as his kinsman, Sir Lewis Dyve: witness the following from Lady Anne Fanshawe's Memoirs, 1829, pp. 72-73:-" When we came to Calais, we met the Earl of Strafford and Sir Kenelm Digby, with some others of our countrymen. We were all feasted at the Governor's of the castle, and much excellent discourse passed; but, as was reason, most share was Sir Kenelm Digby's, who had enlarged somewhat more in extraordinary stories than might be averred, and all of them passed with great applause and wonder of the French then at table; but the concluding one was, that barnacles, a bird in Jersey, was first a shell-fish to appearance, and from that, sticking upon old wood, became in time a bird. After some consideration, they unanimously burst out into laughter, believing it altogether false; and, to say the truth, it was the only thing true he had discoursed with them; that was his infirmity, though otherwise a person of most excellent parts, and a very fine-bred gentleman." (Unfortunately, the barnacle story also is a "vulgar error.").]

3 [James Stanley, seventh Earl of Derby, 1607-51, was taken prisoner after the battle of Worcester, and beheaded at Bolton, 15th October, dying, says Whitelocke, "with stoutness and Christian-like temper."]