his age, of perfect memory and understanding. He was religious, sober,
and temperate, and of so hospitable a nature, that no family in the
county maintained that ancient custom of keeping, as it were, open house
the whole year in the same manner, or gave more noble or free
entertainment to the county on all occasions, so that his house was
never free. There were sometimes twenty persons more than his family,
and some that stayed there all the summer, to his no small expense; by
this he gained the universal love of the county. He was born at Wotton,
went from the free school at Guildford to Trinity College, Oxford,
thence to the Middle Temple, as gentlemen of the best quality did, but
without intention to study the law as a profession. He married the
daughter of Colwall, of a worthy and ancient family in Leicestershire,
by whom he had one son; she dying in 1643, left George her son an
infant, who being educated liberally, after traveling abroad, returned
and married one Mrs. Gore, by whom he had several children, but only
three daughters survived. He was a young man of good understanding, but,
over-indulging his ease and pleasure, grew so very corpulent, contrary
to the constitution of the rest of his father's relations, that he died.
My brother afterward married a noble and honorable lady, relict of Sir
John Cotton, she being an Offley, a worthy and ancient Staffordshire
family, by whom he had several children of both sexes. This lady died,
leaving only two daughters and a son. The younger daughter died before
marriage; the other afterward married Sir Cyril Wych, a noble and
learned gentleman (son of Sir ---- Wych), who had been Ambassador at
Constantinople, and was afterward made one of the Lords Justices of
Ireland. Before this marriage, her only brother married the daughter of
---- Eversfield, of Sussex, of an honorable family, but left a widow
without any child living; he died about 1691, and his wife not many
years after, and my brother resettled the whole estate on me. His
sister, Wych, had a portion of £6,000, to which was added £300 more; the
three other daughters, with what I added, had about £5,000 each. My
brother died on the 5th of October, in a good old age and great
reputation, making his beloved daughter, Lady Wych, sole executrix,
leaving me only his library and some pictures of my father, mother, etc.
She buried him with extraordinary solemnity, rather as a nobleman than
as a private gentleman. There were, as I computed, above 2,000 persons
at the funeral, all the gentlemen of the county doing him the last
honors. I returned to London, till my lady should dispose of herself and
family.
21st October, 1699. After an unusual warm and pleasant season, we were
surprised with a very sharp frost. I presented my "_Acetaria_,"
dedicated to my Lord Chancellor, who returned me thanks in an
extraordinarily civil letter.
15th November, 1699. There happened this week so thick a mist and fog,
that people lost their way in the streets, it being so intense that no
light of candles, or torches, yielded any (or but very little)
direction. I was in it, and in danger. Robberies were committed between
the very lights which were fixed between London and Kensington on both
sides, and while coaches and travelers were passing. It began about four
in the afternoon, and was quite gone by eight, without any wind to
disperse it. At the Thames, they beat drums to direct the watermen to
make the shore.
19th November, 1699. At our chapel in the evening there was a sermon
preached by young Mr. Horneck, chaplain to Lord Guilford, whose lady's
funeral had been celebrated magnificently the Thursday before. A
panegyric was now pronounced, describing the extraordinary piety and
excellently employed life of this amiable young lady. She died in
childbed a few days before, to the excessive sorrow of her husband, who
ordered the preacher to declare that it was on her exemplary life,
exhortations and persuasion, that he totally changed the course of his
life, which was before in great danger of being perverted; following the
mode of this dissolute age. Her devotion, early piety, charity,
fastings, economy, disposition of her time in reading, praying,
recollections in her own handwriting of what she heard and read, and her
conversation were most exemplary.
24th November, 1699. I signed Dr. Blackwell's election to be the next
year's Boyles Lecturer.
Such horrible robberies and murders were committed, as had not been
known in this nation; atheism, profaneness, blasphemy, among all sorts,
portended some judgment if not amended; on which a society was set on
foot, who obliged themselves to endeavor the reforming of it, in London
and other places, and began to punish offenders and put the laws in more
strict execution; which God Almighty prosper! A gentle, calm, dry,
temperate weather all this season of the year, but now came sharp, hard
frost, and mist, but calm.
3d December, 1699. Calm, bright, and warm as in the middle of April. So
continued on 21st of January. A great earthquake in Portugal.
[Sidenote: LONDON]
The Parliament reverses the prodigious donations of the Irish
forfeitures, which were intended to be set apart for discharging the
vast national debt. They called some great persons in the highest
offices in question for setting the Great Seal to the pardon of an
arch-pirate,[89] who had turned pirate again, and brought prizes into
the West Indies, suspected to be connived at on sharing the prey; but
the prevailing part in the House called Courtiers, out-voted the
complaints, not by being more in number, but by the country party being
negligent in attendance.
[Footnote 89: Captain Kidd; he was hanged about two years afterward
with some of his accomplices. This was one of the charges brought by
the Commons against Lord Somers.]
14th January, 1699-1700. Dr. Lancaster, Vicar of St. Martin's, dismissed
Mr. Stringfellow, who had been made the first preacher at our chapel by
the Bishop of Lincoln [Dr. Tenison, now Archbishop], while he held St.
Martin's by dispensation, and put in one Mr. Sandys, much against the
inclination of those who frequented the chapel. The Scotch book about
Darien was burned by the hangman by vote of Parliament.[90]
[Footnote 90: The volume alluded to was "An Enquiry into the Causes
of the Miscarriage of the Scots Colony at Darien: Or an Answer to a
Libel," entitled "A Defense of the Scots abdicating Darien." See
Votes of the House of Commons, 15th January, 1699-1700.]
21st January, 1700. Died the Duke of Beaufort, a person of great honor,
prudence, and estate.
25th January, 1700. I went to Wotton, the first time after my brother's
funeral, to furnish the house with necessaries, Lady Wych and my nephew
Glanville, the executors having sold and disposed of what goods were
there of my brother's. The weather was now altering into sharp and hard
frost.
[Sidenote: LONDON]
One Stephens, who preached before the House of Commons on King Charles's
Martyrdom, told them that the observation of that day was not intended
out of any detestation of his murder, but to be a lesson to other Kings
and Rulers, how they ought to behave themselves toward their subjects,
lest they should come to the same end. This was so resented that, though
it was usual to desire these anniversary sermons to be printed, they
refused thanks to him, and ordered that in future no one should preach
before them, who was not either a Dean or a Doctor of Divinity.
4th February, 1700. The Parliament voted against the Scots settling in
Darien as being prejudicial to our trade with Spain. They also voted
that the exorbitant number of attorneys be lessened (now indeed
swarming, and evidently causing lawsuits and disturbance, eating out the
estates of the people, provoking them to go to law).
18th February, 1700. Mild and calm season, with gentle frost, and little
mizzling rain. The Vicar of St. Martin's frequently preached at Trinity
chapel in the afternoon.
8th March, 1700. The season was like April for warmth and
mildness.--11th. On Wednesday, was a sermon at our chapel, to be
continued during Lent.
13th March, 1700. I was at the funeral of my Lady Temple, who was buried
at Islington, brought from Addiscombe, near Croydon. She left my
son-in-law Draper (her nephew) the mansion house of Addiscombe, very
nobly and completely furnished, with the estate about it, with plate and
jewels, to the value in all of about £20,000. She was a very prudent
lady, gave many great legacies, with £500 to the poor of Islington,
where her husband, Sir Purbeck Temple, was buried, both dying without
issue.
24th March, 1700. The season warm, gentle, and exceedingly pleasant.
Divers persons of quality entered into the Society for Reformation[91]
of Manners; and some lectures were set up, particularly in the city of
London. The most eminent of the clergy preached at Bow Church, after
reading a declaration set forth by the King to suppress the growing
wickedness; this began already to take some effect as to common
swearing, and oaths in the mouths of people of all ranks.
[Footnote 91: _Ante_, p. 349.]
25th March, 1700. Dr. Burnet preached to-day before the Lord Mayor and a
very great congregation, on Proverbs xxvii. 5, 6, "Open rebuke is better
than secret love; the wounds of a friend are better than the kisses of
an enemy." He made a very pathetic discourse concerning the necessity
and advantage of friendly correction.
April, 1700. The Duke of Norfolk now succeeded in obtaining a divorce
from his wife by the Parliament for adultery with Sir John Germaine, a
Dutch gamester, of mean extraction, who had got much by gaming; the Duke
had leave to marry again, so that if he should have children, the
Dukedom will go from the late Lord Thomas's children, Papists indeed,
but very hopeful and virtuous gentlemen, as was their father. The now
Duke their uncle is a Protestant.
The Parliament nominated fourteen persons to go into Ireland as
commissioners to dispose of the forfeited estates there, toward payment
of the debts incurred by the late war, but which the King had in great
measure given to some of his favorites of both sexes, Dutch and others
of little merit, and very unseasonably. That this might be done without
suspicion of interest in the Parliament, it was ordered that no member
of either House should be in the commission. The great contest between
the Lords and Commons concerning the Lords' power of amendments and
rejecting bills tacked to the money bill, carried for the Commons.
However, this tacking of bills is a novel practice, suffered by King
Charles II., who, being continually in want of money, let anything pass
rather than not have wherewith to feed his extravagance. This was
carried but by one voice in the Lords, all the Bishops following the
Court, save one; so that near sixty bills passed, to the great triumph
of the Commons and Country party, but high regret of the Court, and
those to whom the King had given large estates in Ireland. Pity it is,
that things should be brought to this extremity, the government of this
nation being so equally poised between King and subject; but we are
satisfied with nothing; and, while there is no perfection on this side
heaven, methinks both might be contented without straining things too
far. Among the rest, there passed a law as to Papists' estates, that if
one turned not Protestant before eighteen years of age, it should pass
to his next Protestant heir. This indeed seemed a hard law, but not only
the usage of the French King to his Protestant subjects, but the
indiscreet insolence of the Papists here, going in triumphant and public
processions with their Bishops, with banners and trumpets in divers
places (as is said) in the northern counties, has brought it on their
party.
24th April, 1700. This week there was a great change of State officers.
The Duke of Shrewsbury resigned his Lord Chamberlainship to the Earl of
Jersey, the Duke's indisposition requiring his retreat. Mr. Vernon,
Secretary of State, was put out. The Seal was taken from the Lord
Chancellor Somers, though he had been acquitted by a great majority of
votes for what was charged against him in the House of Commons. This
being in term time, put some stop to business, many eminent lawyers
refusing to accept the office, considering the uncertainty of things in
this fluctuating conjuncture. It is certain that this Chancellor was a
most excellent lawyer, very learned in all polite literature, a superior
pen, master of a handsome style, and of easy conversation; but he is
said to make too much haste to be rich, as his predecessor, and most in
place in this age did, to a more prodigious excess than was ever known.
But the Commons had now so mortified the Court party, and property and
liberty were so much invaded in all the neighboring kingdoms, that their
jealousy made them cautious, and every day strengthened the law which
protected the people from tyranny.
A most glorious spring, with hope of abundance of fruit of all kinds,
and a propitious year.
10th May, 1700. The great trial between Sir Walter Clarges and Mr.
Sherwin concerning the legitimacy of the late Duke of Albemarle, on
which depended an estate of £1,500 a year; the verdict was given for Sir
Walter, 19th. Serjeant Wright at last accepted the Great Seal.
[Sidenote: WOTTON]
24th May, 1700. I went from Dover street to Wotton, for the rest of the
summer, and removed thither the rest of my goods from Sayes Court.
2d June, 1700. A sweet season, with a mixture of refreshing showers.
9th-16th June, 1700. In the afternoon, our clergyman had a catechism,
which was continued for some time.
July, 1700. I was visited with illness, but it pleased God that I
recovered, for which praise be ascribed to him by me, and that he has
again so graciously advertised me of my duty to prepare for my latter
end, which at my great age, cannot be far off.
The Duke of Gloucester, son of the Princess Anne of Denmark, died of the
smallpox.
13th July, 1700. I went to Harden, which was originally a barren warren
bought by Sir Robert Clayton, who built there a pretty house, and made
such alteration by planting not only an infinite store of the best
fruit; but so changed the natural situation of the hill, valleys, and
solitary mountains about it, that it rather represented some foreign
country, which would produce spontaneously pines, firs, cypress, yew,
holly, and juniper; they were come to their perfect growth, with walks,
mazes, etc., among them, and were preserved with the utmost care, so
that I who had seen it some years before in its naked and barren
condition, was in admiration of it. The land was bought of Sir John
Evelyn, of Godstone, and was thus improved for pleasure and retirement
by the vast charge and industry of this opulent citizen. He and his lady
received us with great civility. The tombs in the church at Croydon of
Archbishops Grindal, Whitgift, and other Archbishops, are fine and
venerable; but none comparable to that of the late Archbishop Sheldon,
which, being all of white marble, and of a stately ordinance and
carvings, far surpassed the rest, and I judge could not cost less than
£700 or £800.
20th September, 1700. I went to Beddington, the ancient seat of the
Carews, in my remembrance a noble old structure, capacious, and in form
of the buildings of the age of Henry VIII. and Queen Elizabeth, and
proper for the old English hospitality, but now decaying with the house
itself, heretofore adorned with ample gardens, and the first orange
trees[92] that had been seen in England, planted in the open ground, and
secured in winter only by a tabernacle of boards and stoves removable in
summer, that, standing 120 years, large and goodly trees, and laden with
fruit, were now in decay, as well as the grotto, fountains, cabinets,
and other curiosities in the house and abroad, it being now fallen to a
child under age, and only kept by a servant or two from utter
dilapidation. The estate and park about it also in decay.
[Footnote 92: Oranges were eaten in this kingdom much earlier than
the time of King James I.]
23d September, 1700. I went to visit Mr. Pepys at Clapham, where he has
a very noble and wonderfully well-furnished house, especially with
Indian and Chinese curiosities. The offices and gardens well
accommodated for pleasure and retirement.
31st October, 1700. My birthday now completed the 80th year of my age. I
with my soul render thanks to God, who, of his infinite mercy, not only
brought me out of many troubles, but this year restored me to health,
after an ague and other infirmities of so great an age; my sight,
hearing, and other senses and faculties tolerable, which I implore him
to continue, with the pardon of my sins past, and grace to acknowledge
by my improvement of his goodness the ensuing year, if it be his
pleasure to protract my life, that I may be the better prepared for my
last day, through the infinite merits of my blessed Savior, the Lord
Jesus, Amen!
5th November, 1700. Came the news of my dear grandson (the only male of
my family now remaining) being fallen ill of the smallpox at Oxford,
which after the dire effects of it in my family exceedingly afflicted
me; but so it pleased my most merciful God that being let blood at his
first complaint, and by the extraordinary care of Dr. Mander (Head of
the college and now Vice Chancellor), who caused him to be brought and
lodged in his own bed and bedchamber, with the advice of his physician
and care of his tutor, there were all fair hopes of his recovery, to our
infinite comfort. We had a letter every day either from the Vice
Chancellor himself, or his tutor.
17th November, 1700. Assurance of his recovery by a letter from himself.
[Sidenote: LONDON]
There was a change of great officers at Court. Lord Godolphin returned
to his former station of first Commissioner of the Treasury; Sir Charles
Hedges, Secretary of State.
30th November, 1700. At the Royal Society, Lord Somers, the late
Chancellor, was continued President.
8th December, 1700. Great alterations of officers at Court, and
elsewhere,--Lord Chief Justice Treby died; he was a learned man in his
profession, of which we have now few, never fewer; the Chancery
requiring so little skill in deep law-learning, if the practicer can
talk eloquently in that Court; so that probably few care to study the
law to any purpose. Lord Marlborough Master of the Ordnance, in place of
Lord Romney made Groom of the Stole. The Earl of Rochester goes Lord
Lieutenant to Ireland.
January, 1700-01. I finished the sale of North Stoake in Sussex to
Robert Michell, Esq., appointed by my brother to be sold for payment of
portions to my nieces, and other incumbrances on the estate.
4th January, 1701. An exceeding deep snow, and melted away as suddenly.
19th January, 1701. Severe frost, and such a tempest as threw down many
chimneys, and did great spoil at sea, and blew down above twenty trees
of mine at Wotton.
9th February, 1701. The old Speaker laid aside, and Mr. Harley, an able
gentleman, chosen. Our countryman, Sir Richard Onslow, had a party for
him.
27th February, 1701. By an order of the House of Commons, I laid before
the Speaker the state of what had been received and paid toward the
building of Greenwich Hospital.
Mr. Wye, Rector of Wotton, died, a very worthy good man. I gave it to
Dr. Bohun, a learned person and excellent preacher, who had been my
son's tutor, and lived long in my family.
18th March, 1701. I let Sayes Court to Lord Carmarthen, son to the Duke
of Leeds. 28th. I went to the funeral of my sister Draper, who was
buried at Edmonton in great state. Dr. Davenant displeased the clergy
now met in Convocation by a passage in his book, p. 40.
April, 1701. A Dutch boy of about eight or nine years old was carried
about by his parents to show, who had about the iris of one eye the
letters of _Deus meus_, and of the other _Elohim_, in the Hebrew
character. How this was done by artifice none could imagine; his parents
affirming that he was so born. It did not prejudice his sight, and he
seemed to be a lively playing boy. Everybody went to see him; physicians
and philosophers examined it with great accuracy; some considered it as
artificial, others as almost supernatural.
4th April, 1701. The Duke of Norfolk died of an apoplexy, and Mr. Thomas
Howard of complicated disease since his being cut for the stone; he was
one of the Tellers of the Exchequer. Mr. How made a Baron.
May, 1701. Some Kentish men, delivering a petition to the House of
Commons, were imprisoned.[93]
[Footnote 93: Justinian Champneys, Thomas Culpepper, William
Culpepper, William Hamilton, and David Polhill, gentlemen of
considerable property and family in the county. There is a very good
print of them in five ovals on one plate, engraved by R. White, in
1701. They desired the Parliament to mind the public more, and their
private heats less. They were confined till the prorogation, and
were much visited. Burnet gives an account of them.]
A great dearth, no considerable rain having fallen for some months.
17th May, 1701. Very plentiful showers, the wind coming west and south.
The Bishops and Convocation at difference concerning the right of
calling the assembly and dissolving. Atterbury and Dr. Wake writing one
against the other.
[Sidenote: LONDON]
20th June, 1701. The Commons demanded a conference with the Lords on the
trial of Lord Somers, which the Lords refused, and proceeding on the
trial, the Commons would not attend, and he was acquitted.
22d June, 1701. I went to congratulate the arrival of that worthy and
excellent person my Lord Galway, newly come out of Ireland, where he had
behaved himself so honestly, and to the exceeding satisfaction of the
people: but he was removed thence for being a Frenchman, though they had
not a more worthy, valiant, discreet, and trusty person in the two
kingdoms, on whom they could have relied for his conduct and fitness. He
was one who had deeply suffered, as well as the Marquis, his father, for
being Protestants.
July, 1701. My Lord Treasurer made my grandson one of the Commissioners
of the prizes, salary £500 per annum.
8th July, 1701. My grandson went to Sir Simon Harcourt, the
Solicitor-General, to Windsor, to wait on my Lord Treasurer. There had
been for some time a proposal of marrying my grandson to a daughter of
Mrs. Boscawen, sister of my Lord Treasurer, which was now far advanced.
14th July, 1701. I subscribed toward rebuilding Oakwood Chapel, now,
after 200 years, almost fallen down.
August, 1701. The weather changed from heat not much less than in Italy
or Spain for some few days, to wet, dripping, and cold, with
intermissions of fair.
2d September, 1701. I went to Kensington, and saw the house,
plantations, and gardens, the work of Mr. Wise, who was there to receive
me.
The death of King James, happening on the 15th of this month, N. S.,
after two or three days' indisposition, put an end to that unhappy
Prince's troubles, after a short and unprosperous reign, indiscreetly
attempting to bring in Popery, and make himself absolute, in imitation
of the French, hurried on by the impatience of the Jesuits; which the
nation would not endure.
Died the Earl of Bath, whose contest with Lord Montague about the Duke
of Albemarle's estate, claiming under a will supposed to have been
forged, is said to have been worth £10,000 to the lawyers. His eldest
son shot himself a few days after his father's death; for what cause is
not clear. He was a most hopeful young man, and had behaved so bravely
against the Turks at the siege of Vienna, that the Emperor made him a
Count of the Empire. It was falsely reported that Sir Edward Seymour was
dead, a great man; he had often been Speaker, Treasurer of the Navy, and
in many other lucrative offices. He was of a hasty spirit, not at all
sincere, but head of the party at any time prevailing in Parliament.
29th September, 1701. I kept my first courts in Surrey, which took up
the whole week. My steward was Mr. Hervey, a Counsellor, Justice of
Peace, and Member of Parliament, and my neighbor. I gave him six
guineas, which was a guinea a day, and to Mr. Martin, his clerk, three
guineas.
31st October, 1701. I was this day 81 complete, in tolerable health,
considering my great age.
December, 1701. Great contentions about elections. I gave my vote and
interest to Sir R. Onslow and Mr. Weston.
27th December, 1701. My grandson quitted Oxford.
[Sidenote: LONDON]