Evelyn Diary 1658 re-FRAME

1658

January
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27 After six fitts of a Quartan Ague it pleased God to visite my deare child Dick with fitts so extreame, especiale one of his sides, that after the rigor was over & he in his hot fitt, he fell into so greate & intollerable a sweate, that being surpriz'd with the aboundance of vapours ascending to his head, he fell into such fatal Symptoms, as all the help at hand was not able to recover his spirits, so as after a long & painefull Conflict, falling to sleep as we thought, & coverd too warme, (though in the midst of a severe frosty season) and by a greate fire in the roome; he plainely expired, to our unexpressable griefe & affliction.
We sent for Physitians to Lond, whilst there was yet life in him; but the river was frozen up, & the Coach brake by the way ere it got a mile from the house; so as all artificial help failing, & his natural strength exhausted, we lost the prettiest, and dearest Child, that ever parents had, being but 5 years <5 months> & 3 days old in years but even at that tender age, aprodigie for Witt, & understanding; for beauty of body a very Angel, & for endowments of mind, of incredible & rare hopes.
30 On the Saturday following, I sufferd the Physitians to have him opened: Dr. Needham & Dr. Welles, who were come three days before, & a little time ere he expired, but was past all help, & in my opinion he was suffocated by the woman & maide that tended him, & covered him too hott with blankets as he lay in a Cradle, neere an excessive hot fire in a close roome; for my Wife & I being then below & not long come from him, being come up, & I lifting up the blanket, which had quite cove<re>d the Cradle, taking first notice of his wonderfull fresh colour, & hardly hearing him breath or heave, soone perceived that he was neere overcome with heate & sweate, & so doubtlesse it was, & the Child so farr gon, as we could not make him to heare, or once open his eyes, though life was apparently in him: we gave him something to make him sneeze but ineffectivly:
Being open'd they they found a membranous substance growing to the cavous part of the liver, somewhat neere the edge of it for the compasse of 3 Inches, which ought not to be; for the Liver is fixed onely by three strong ligaments, all far distant from that part; on which they confidently affirm'd, the Child was (as tis vulgarly cald) liver-growne, & thence that sicknesse & so frequent complaint of his side: & indeede both Liver & Splen were exceedingly large &c:
After this I caused the body to be Cofin'd in Lead & reposited him that night, about 8 a clock in the Church of Deptford, accompanied with divers of my relations & neighbours, among whom I distributed rings with this ___ Dominus abstulit: intending (God willing) to have him transported with my owne body, to be interrd at our Dormitorie in Wotton chur<c>h in my deare native County Surry, & to lay my bones & mingle my dust with my Fathers 1 If God be so gracious to me; & make me as fit for him, as this blessed child was: Here ends the joy of my life, & for which I go even mourning to the grave: The L. Jesus sanctifie this & all others my Afflictions: Amen:


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February
15 The afflicting hand of God being still upon us, it pleased him also to take away from us this morning my other youngest sonn George now 7 weeks languishing at Nurse, breeding Teeth, & ending in a Dropsie: Gods holy will be don: he was buried in Deptford church the 17th following:____
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March
... This had ben the severest Winter, that man alive had knowne in England: The Crowes feet were frozen to their prey: Ilands of Ice inclosed both fish & foule frozen, & some persons in their boates:
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April
21 Being greately afflicted with the Hemerhoids <bleeding> very much, by reason of the purges which I tooke, stoping this day on a suddain taking cold, I was so ill, that I was not far from death, & so continued to the 23. when being let bloude in the foote, it pleas'd God to restore me after some time; Blessed <be> God.

May
15 I went to Lond: to divert myselfe from my sadnesse, lay at my Bro:
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June
2. An extraordinary storme of haile & raine, cold season as winter, wind northerly neere 6 moneths.
3 A large Whale taken, twixt my Land butting on the Thames & Greenewich, which drew an infinite Concourse to see it, by water, horse, coach, on foote from Lond, & all parts: It appeared first below Greenewich at low-water, for at high water, it would have destroyed all the boates: but lying now in shallow water, incompassed with boates, after a long Conflict it was killed with the harping yrons, & struck in the head, out of which spouted blood & water, by two tunnells like Smoake from a chimney: & after an horrid grone it ran quite on shore & died: The length was 58 foote: 16 in height, black-skin'd like Coach-leather, very small eyes, greate taile, small finns & but 2: a piked snout, & a mouth so wide & divers men might have stood upright in it: No teeth at all, but sucked the slime onely as thro a grate made of that bone which we call Whale bone: The throate <yet> so narrow, as would not have admitted the least of fishes: The extreames of the Cetaceous bones hang downewards, from the Upper <jaw>, & was hairy towards the Ends, & bottom withinside: all of it prodigious, but in nothing more wonderfull then that an Animal of so greate a bulk should be nourished onely by slime, thro' those grates: a) The bones making the grate. b) The Tongue, c. the finn: d the Eye: e) one of the bones making the grate (a) f the Tunnells through which, shutting the mouth, the water is forced upward, at least 30 foote, like a black thick mist. &c:

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August
The 10th to Sir Ambros Brown at Betchworth Castle in that tempestious Wind, which threw-downe my greatest trees at Says Court, & did so much mischiefe all England over: It continued all night, till 3 afternoone next day, & was S. West, destroying all our winter fruit...
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September
3 Died that archrebell Oliver Cromwell, cal'd Protector.
5 ... I fell sick of a sore throate & feavor, which made me keepe my bed 4 or 5 dayes: on the 9 let bloud, & my Bro: Richard came to visite me.
16 I tooke a Vomite of <mercury of life>. And this day was published my Translation of St. Chrysostomes Education of Children, which I dedicated to both my Brothers, to comfort them upon the losse of their Children:
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October
18 I was summoned to Lond. by the Commissioners for new buildings ...
19 To the Commissioners of Sewers, but because there was an Oath to be taken of fidelity to the Government as now constituted without a King: I got to be excus'd & returned home:
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November
1 I went to dine with the Fefees 2 of the poores stock:
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22 To Lond, to visite my Bro: & the next day saw the superb Funerall of the Protectors:
[22] He was carried from Somerset-house in a velvet bed of state drawn by six horses houss'd with the same: The Pall held-up by his new Lords: Oliver lying in Effigie in royal robes, & Crown'd with a Crown, scepter, & Mund, like a King: The Pendants, & Guidons were carried by the Officers of the Army, The Imperial banners, Atchivements &c by the Heraulds in their Coates, a rich caparizon'd Horse all embroidred over with gold: a Knight of honour arm'd Cap a pè & after all his Guards, Souldiers & innumerable Mourners: In this equipage they proceeded to Westminster met <pollhV> fantasiaV1 &c: but it was the joyfullest funeral that ever I saw, for there was none but Cried, but dogs, which the souldiers hooted away with a barbarous noise; drinking, & taking Tabacco in the streetes as they went:...


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December - January 1659
3 I was summoned againe to appeare before the Commissioners about new foundations erected within such a distance of Lond: ...
6 I returnd: Now was publishd my French Gardiner 3 the first & best of that kind that introduced the use of the Olitorie Garden to any purpose: ...
23 I went with my Wife to keepe Christmas at my Co: Geo: Tukes at Cressing Temple in Essex, lay that night at Brentwood:
25 Here was no publique Service, but what we privately us'd:
31 I blessed God for his Mercys the yeare past, & 1. Jan: beged the Continuance of them: Thus for 3 Sundayes, by reason of the incumbents death, here was neither praying nor preaching: Tho there was a Chapell in the house: where we had good cheere & well come, so as on the 10th I returned home, having ben robbed during my absence of divers things of value, some plate, 20 pounds in mony &c: I also lost a Coach-horse in the journey: lay at Ingulstone & got to Says Court on the 11th:

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J:E Sallis
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