best built and adorn'd of any in Italy. They greately affect the Spanish gravity in their habite; delight in good horses; the streetes are full of gallants on horseback, in coaches and sedans, from hence brought first into England by Sir Sanders Duncomb. The women are generally well-featur'd, but excessively libidinous. The countrypeople so jovial and addicted to musick, that the very husbandmen almost universaly play on the guitarr, singing and composing songs in prayse of their sweetehearts, and wil commonly goe to the field with their fiddle; they are merry, witty, and genial, all which I much attribute to the excellent quality of the ayre. They have a deadly hatred to the French, so that some of our company were flouted at for wearing red cloakes, as the mode then was.' 6. Feb. We went by coach to take the ayre and see the diversions or rather maddnesse of the Carnival; the courtisans ( (who swarme in this Citty to the number, as we are told, of 30,000, registred and paying a tax to the State) flinging eggs of sweete water into our coach as we passed by the houses and windows. Indeed the towne is so pestered with these cattell, that there needes no small mortification to preserve from their enchantment, whilst they display all their naturall and artificiall beauty, play, sing, feigne compliment, and by a thousand studied devices seeke to inveigle foolish young men.' This city he now determined to make the non ultra of his travels, and accordingly returned to Rome; since,' he adds, from the report of divers experienc'd and curious persons I 'had been assur'd there was little more to be seene in the rest of the civil world, after Italy, France, Flanders, and the Low Country, but plaine and prodigious barbarism.' Before he finally quitted the once and yet glorious City,' he had the distinguishing privilege of doing homage to the then tenant of the Seat of the Beast. 4. May, 1645. Having seen the'entrie of ye Ambassr of Lucca, I went to the Vatican, where, by favour of our Cardinal Protector, Fran. Barberini, I was admitted into the Consistorie, heard the Ambass make his oration in Latine to the Pope, sitting on an elevated state or throne, and changing two pontifical miters; after which I was presented to kisse his toe, that is, 'his embroder'd slipper, two Cardinals holding up his vest and surplice, and then being sufficiently bless'd with his thumb and two fingers for that day, I return'd home to dinner.' 6 On quitting Rome, our Traveller visited Lucca, where, in the church of St. Fredian, lies the corpse of an English king whom none of our historians have given any account of; a St. Richard, who died here in his pilgrimage towards Rome!' Mr. Evelyn gives us the Latin epitaph on his tomb; which tomb, a Note by the Editor states, still exists, though who this Richard king of England was, it has puzzled antiquaries to determine. Hic rex Richardus requiescit, sceptifer, almus: Suffragium quorum nobis det regna Polorum.' No date is given: we presume none was discoverable. Passing through Florence, Bologna, and Ferrara, Mr. Evelyn hastened to Venice, being anxious to arrive there before Ascension day, to witness the ceremony of throwing a gold ring and cup into the Adriatic. By favour of the French ambassador, he bad admittance to a much more remarkable raree-show, · the Reliquary, called Tresoro di San Marco, which few even of 'travellers are admitted to see.' And no wonder such precaution was observed, when, among other invaluable treasures, there were such items as the following: Divers heads of saints inchas'd in gold; a small ampulla or glasse with our Saviour's blood; a greate morcell of the real crosse; one of the nailes; a thorn; a fragment of ye column to which our Lord was bound when scourged; the standard or ensigne of Constantine; a piece of St. Luke's arme; a rib of St. Stephen; a finger of Mary Magdalene; numerous other things which I could not remember; but a priest, first vesting himself in his sacerdotals with the stole about his neck, shew'd us the Gospel of St. Mark (their tutelar patron) written by his own hand, and whose body they shew buried in the Church, brought hither from Alexandria many years ago.' Whilst Mr. Evelyn was at Venice, a ship bound for the Holy Land presented a tempting opportunity for visiting the consecrated territory whence all these anatomical relics were professedly imported; but after Mr. E. had bespoken his passage, and laid in his stores for the voyage, the vessel was pressed into the service of the State, to carry provisions to Candia, which altogether frustrated his design, to his great mortification. He now resolved to spend some months at Padua in the study of physic and anatomy, and was regularly matriculated at the university. Here he obtained those rare tables of veines, 'nerves,' &c. which he afterwards presented to the Royal Society, being the first of that kind that had been seen in England, and for aught I know, in the world.' He passed nine months at Padua and Venice, and then set off for Milan, through Vicenza and Verona, in company with Mr. Waller, the cele'brated poet, now newly gotten out of England, after the Par'liament had extremely worried him for attempting to put in 'execution the commission of array, and for which the rest of 'his colleagues were hanged by the Rebels.' Mr. Evelyn was particularly struck with the situation of Verona. This Citty deserved all those elogies Scaliger has honoured it with, for in my opinion the situation is the most delightful I ever saw; it is so sweetly mixed with rising ground and vallies, so elegantly planted with trees on which Bacchus scems riding as it were in triumph every autumn, for the vines reach from tree to tree; here of all places I have seene in Italy would I fix a residence. Well has that learn'd man given it the name of ye very eye of the world; Ocelle mundi, Sidus Itali cæli, Flos urbium, flos corniculumq' amænum, Quot sunt, eruntve, quot fuere, Verona. The next morning we travell'd over the downes where Marius fought, and fancied ourselves about Winchester and the country towards Dorsetshire.' The passage of the Alps was at that period a far more adventurous undertaking than it is now, when it has become the high road of gentlemen tourists; and our Author has no better epithets for the country than melancholy and troublesome.' At Geneva, he fell sick of the small-pox, having caught it by lying in a bed which his hostess's daughter, just newly recovered from that fell disease, had been so accommodating as to give up to him. His night's rest was dearly purchased at the expense of a five weeks' confinement to his chamber. Here he had several interviews with Diodati, the learned Author of the Italian version of the Bible. The Signor expressed to Mr. Evelyn in the course of conversation, his warm approbation of our Church government by Bishops;' and assured him, that the French Protestants would make no scruple to submit to it and all its pomp, had they a king of the reformed religion as we had.' If this was their feeling, and all that they wanted was, a king to take the head-ship of their church, we do not wonder that no scruple should have existed in their minds with respect to Episcopacy on the ground of the pomp with which it is encumbered. A Presbyterian form of church government is ill adapted to combine with the system of royal patronage; and King James was so far perfectly right, when he said, 'No bishop, no king:' in ecclesiastical matters, they go together. And for our own part, if the Church is to be governed by the civil power, we should prefer a king at its head, to a presbytery. On this point, we are not Calvinists. In Oct. 1646, we find Mr. Evelyn at Paris, where he contracted that friendship with the family of Sir Richard Browne, King Charles's resident at the court of France, which was sealed by his marriage to one of Sir Richard's daughters in the following June. In September, 1647, he came to England to settle his affairs, leaving his young wife, then only twelve years of age, under the care of her mother; but in 1649, he returned to France, which he did not finally quit till the year 1652. During the short interval which he passed in his native country, he by some means contrived to get privately into the council of the Rebel Army at Whitehall,' where, he says, he heard horrid villanies.' A few weeks after this, he heard the rebel Peters incite the rebel powers met in the Painted Chamber, to destroy his Majesty, and saw that arch-traytor Bradshaw who not long after condemned him.' The execution of the King is thus chronicled : 1649. The villanie of the Rebells proceeding now so far as to trie, condemne, and murder our excellent King on the 30th of this month, struck me with such horror that I kept the day of his martyrdom a fast, and would not be present at that execrable wickednesse; receiv. ing the sad account of it from my brother George and Mr. Owen, who came to visite me this afternoone, and recounted all the circumstances.' Of the state of things during the Protectorate, we meet with only a few scattered notices of no great importance they consist, for the most part, of expressions of indignant feeling at the severities to which the clergy were exposed, and at the abolition of fasts and festivals, with memoranda of the different preachers he heard. 1653. 30 Jan. At our own parish church a stranger preach'd. There was now and then an honest orthodox man got into the pulpit, and though the present incumbent was somewhat of the Independent, yet he ordinarily preach'd sound doctrine, and was a peaceable man, which was an extraordinary felicity in this age.' 1654. 8 Feb. Ash Wednesday. In contradiction to all costome and decency, the Usurper Cromwell feasted at the Lord Maior's, riding in triumph thro' the Citty.' 3 Dec. Advent Sunday. There being no office at the church, but extemporie prayers after ye Presbyterian way, for now all formes were prohibited, and most of the preachers were usurpers, I seldome went to church upon solemn feasts, but either went to London, where some of the orthodox sequestred Divines did privately use ye Common Prayer, administer sacraments, &c. or else I procured one to officiate in my house; wherefore, on the 10th, Dr. Rich. Owen, the sequester'd minister of Eltham, preach'd to my family in my library, and gave us ye holy communion?' 1655. Jan. 28. A stranger preached from 3 Collossians, 2. inciting our affections to the obtaining heavenly things. I understood afterwards that this man had been both chaplaine and lieutennent to Admiral Pen, using both swords, whether ordained or not I cannot say; into such times were we fallen!' 18 Mar. Went to London on purpose to heare that excellent preacher Dr. Jeremy Taylor on 14 Matt. 17. shewing what were the conditions of obtaining eternal life; also concerning abatements for unavoidable infirmities, how cast on the accompts of y Crosse. On the 31st I made a visit to Dr. Jerr. Taylor to conferr with him about some spiritual matters, using him thenceforward as my ghostly father. I beseech God Almighty to make me ever mindful of, and thankful for, his heavenly assistances.' 15 April. I went to London with my family to celebrate ye feast of Easter. Dr. Wild preach'd at St. Gregorie's; the Ruling Powers conniving at ye use of the Liturgy, &c. in this church alone." 27 Nov. This day came forth the Protector's Edict or Proclamation, prohibiting all ministers of the Church of England from preaching or teaching any scholes, in which he imitated the Apostate Julian; with ye decimation of all ye royal parties revenues throughout England." 14 Dec. Now were the Jews admitted.' 25. There was no more notice taken of Christmas day in churches. I went to London where Dr. Wild preach'd the funeral sermon of Preaching, this being the last day, after which Cromwell's proclamation was to take place, that none of the Church of England should dare either to preach or administer Sacraments, teache schoole &c. on paine of imprisonment or exile. So this was ye mournfullest day that in my life I had seene, or ye Church of England herself since the Reformation; to the greate rejoicing of both Papist and Presbyter. So pathetic was his discourse that it drew many teares from the auditory. Myself, wife, and some of our family received ye communion; God make me thankfull, who hath hitherto provided for us the food of our soules as well as bodies! The Lord Jesus pity our distress'd Church, and bring back the captivity of Sion!' 1656. 3 Aug. I went to London to receive the B. Sacrament, the first time the Church of England was reduced to a chamber and conventicle, so sharp was the persecution. The parish churches were fill'd with sectaries of all sorts, blasphemous and ignorant mechanics usurping the pulpets every where. Dr. Wild preach'd in a private house in Fleete Streete, where we had a greate meeting of zealous Christians, who were generaly much more devout and religious than in our greatest prosperity.' 2 Nov. There was now nothing practical preached or that pressed reformation of life, but high and speculative points and straines that few understood, which left people very ignorant and of no steady principles, the source of all our sects and divisions, for there was much envy and uncharity in the world; God of his mercy amend it! Now indeed that I went at all to church whilst these usurpers possess'd the pulpets, was that I might not be suspected for a Papist, and that tho' the minister was Presbyterianly affected, he yet was as I understood duly ordain'd, and preach'd sound doctrine after their way, and besides was an humble, harmlesse, and peaceable man.' On Sunday afternoone I frequently stay'd at home to catechise and instruct my familie, those exercises universally ceasing in the parish churches, so as people had no principles, and grew very ignorant of even the common points of Christianity; all devotion being |