becoming acquainted with many eminent foreigners who were distinguished for their attainments in the several branches of literature and science.

After having taken up his abode for the winter in Paris, he speaks of the early part of that season as the only time that in his whole life he spent most idly, tempted from his more profitable recesses; but I soon," he says, "recovered my better resolutions and fell to my study, learning the High Dutch and Spanish tongues; and now and then refreshing my dancing and such exercises as I had long omitted." He also attended a course of chemistry," and learned to play upon the lute, "though to small perfection."

During this residence in Paris, he became intimate with the family of Sir Richard Browne, the British ambassador at the court of France, to whose only daughter he paid his addresses, and was married on the 27th of June, 1647. This lady was then of very tender years, and Mr. Evelyn subsequently took great pains in directing her studies and forming her character. Even in her old age, the kindness which had been evinced by him at this period, was gratefully remembered: "His care of my education," she says, 66 was such as might become a father, a lover, a friend, and husband, for instruction, tenderness, affection, and fidelity, -to the last moment of his life; which obligation I mention with a gratitude to his memory ever dear to me; and I must not omit to own the sense I have of my parents' care and goodness, in placing me in such worthy hands." Nor was all this attention ill bestowed. Her disposition was congenial with his own, and she had an enlightened mind. According to the account of Dr. Bohun, a friend of the family and his frequent correspondent, she proved to be "the best daughter and wife, the most tender mother, and desirable neighbour and friend, in all parts of her life. ... Though she had many advantages of birth, and beauty, and wit, yet you may perceive in her writings [letters], an humble indifference to all worldly enjoyments, great charity and compassion to those that

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had disobliged her, and no memory of past occurrences, unless it were a grateful acknowledgment of some friendly office; a vein of good-nature, and resignation, and selfdenial, runs through them all. There is nothing so despised in many of these letters, as the fruitless and empty vanities of the town; and they seem to pity the misfortunes of those who are condemned, by their greater quality or stations, to squander away their precious time in unprofitable diversions, or bestow it in courtly visits and conversations. Where there happens to be any mention of children or friends, there is such an air of sincerity and benevolence for the one, and religious concern for the happiness of the other, as if she had no other design to live in the world than to perform her own duty, and promote the welfare of her relations and acquaintance.. She was the delight of all the conversations where she appeared; she was loved and admired, but never envied by any..... This happiness was gained and preserved by one wise qualification; for though no person living had a closer insight into the humours or characters of persons, or could distinguish their merits more nicely, yet she never made any despising or censorious reflections; her great discernment and wit were never abused to sully the reputation of others, nor affected any applause that might be gained by satirical jests. Though she was extremely valued, and her conversation highly prized and sought for by them of the highest condition, yet she ever treated those of the lowest with great condescension and humanity. . Scarce a harsh expression, much less any evil surmise or suspicion, could be admitted [into her letters], where every line was devoted to charity and goodness. . That there is a great steadiness and equality in her thoughts, and that her sense and expressions have a mutual dependence on each other may be inferred from hence,—you shall never perceive one perplexed sentence or blot, or recalling a word, in more than twenty letters." Yet was

...

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she most attentive to the care of her family and household. "We are willing to acknowledge," she writes in a

letter, "that all time borrowed from family duties is misspent ; the care of children's education, observing a husband's commands, assisting the sick, relieving the poor, and being serviceable to our friends, are of sufficient weight to employ the most improved capacities amongst us; if sometimes it happens by accident that one of a thousand aspires a little higher, her fate commonly exposes her to wonder, but adds little to esteem."

These extracts unfold the character and virtues of the lady who now became the wife of Mr. Evelyn, and whose love and society he enjoyed for upwards of fifty-eight years, after which he left her a widow.

An absence from England during four years, made it necessary for Mr. Evelyn to think of returning to settle his affairs; and a few months after his marriage, he crossed the Channel, having left his wife "under the care of an excellent lady and prudent mother." On the 12th of October, 1647, he "got safe to Dover; for which," he says, "I heartily put up my thanks to God, who had conducted me safe to my own country, and been merciful to me through so many aberrations." The state in which he found the country was such as occasioned to him great pain; the army and the parliament were at variance; and the king, as he expresses it, was "in the power of those execrable villains who not long after murdered him.” A few days after his arrival, he attended the king at Hamptoncourt, and gave him an account of several things which he had in charge, doubtless from Sir Richard Browne.

He was warmly attached to the cause of monarchy, but he conducted himself with prudence and discretion as to political matters. In two cases, however, he now ran a risk of incurring the displeasure of the ruling powers; the one was by keeping up a political correspondence with Sir Richard Browne; the other, by publishing a translation of a little work entitled Liberty and Servitude*,

*It is remarkable that this is the first ascertained production of one who began to journalize and note occurrences in his eleventh year. He was now twenty-nine. On the title-page of a

"for the preface of which," he says, "I was severely threatened." About a week after the appearance of this publication, the king was beheaded, and of that event he takes the following notice in his Diary :-"The villany of the rebels proceeding now so far as to try, condemn, and murder our excellent king, on the 30th of this month [January, 1649], struck me with such horror, that I kept the day of his martyrdom a fast, and would not be present at that execrable wickedness, receiving the sad account of it from my brother George and Mr. Owen, who came to visit me this afternoon, and recounted all the circumstances."

Having been detained in England for more than a year and a half, Mr. Evelyn returned to Paris in the summer of 1649, and there he was received with favour by king Charles the second, and appears to have enjoyed the acquaintance and esteem of all the most eminent royalists who had taken refuge in that city. In the following summer, he was again called home by private business, which however only detained him a very few days. On his return, he narrowly escaped much inconvenience at Canterbury, owing to the want of a proper passport. He had determined never to take the oaths to Cromwell's government, and without doing so, he could not now obtain one of those necessary documents; but on this occasion he presented an old passport, by which means he was suffered to proceed on his journey. "At Dover," he says, 'money to the searchers and officers, was as authentic as the hand and seal of Bradshaw himself, where I had not so much as my trunk opened."

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Towards the close of the year 1651, he resolved to remove his family to England; preparatory to which, on the last day of the year, being Sunday, he received the holy communion, at the same time returning thanks, as

copy of this pamphlet which had belonged to Mr. Evelyn himself, the following note was found in his own handwriting, in pencil, accompanied with his signature,-"I was like to be call'd in question by the Rebells for this booke, being published a few days before his Master's decollation."

his manner was, to Almighty God, for the gracious protection which he had experienced during the past year. In February, he crossed from Calais to Dover, and on the 9th of March, we find the following memorandum:- "I went to Deptford, where I made preparation for my settlement, no more intending to go out of England, but endeavour a settled life, either in this or some other place, there being now so little appearance of any change for the better, all being entirely in the rebels' hands, and this particular habitation [Sayes Court,] and the estate contiguous to it, (belonging to my father-in-law, actually in his majesty's service,) very much suffering for want of some friend to rescue it out of the power of the usurpers: so that to preserve our interest, and take some care of my other concerns, by the advice and endeavours of my friends I was advised to reside in it, and compound with the soldiers. This I was besides authorized by his majesty to do, and encouraged by a promise that what was in lease from the crown, if ever it pleased God to restore him, he would secure to us in fee-farm. I had also addresses and cyphers to correspond with his majesty and ministers abroad; upon all which inducements I was persuaded to settle henceforth in England, having now run about the world, most part out of my own country, near ten years. I therefore now likewise meditated sending over for my wife, whom as yet I had left at Paris."

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Having ordered a coach to be built for the use of his wife, and having obtained from his schoolfellow, colonel Morley, one of the council of state, a letter to the magistrates and searchers at Rye, to assist his wife at her landing, and show her all civility," he went down to that place, where he welcomed her to her native land, to his no small joy." She was accompanied by lady Browne, her mother.

The Dutch fleet was about that time hovering off the coast, and in order to escape it, the little vessel had been three days at sea, so that Mrs. Evelyn required rest after her voyage. When she was sufficiently recovered from