Volume 1

Diary and correspondence of John Evelyn, F.R.S. : to which is subjoined the private correspondence between King Charles I and Sir Edward Nicholas, and between Sir Edward Hyde, afterwards Earl of Clarendon and Sir Richard Browne / edited from the original mss. at Wotton by William Bray.

  • Evelyn, John, 1620-1706.
Date:
1881
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Diary and correspondence of John Evelyn, F.R.S. : to which is subjoined the private correspondence between King Charles I and Sir Edward Nicholas, and between Sir Edward Hyde, afterwards Earl of Clarendon and Sir Richard Browne / edited from the original mss. at Wotton by William Bray. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    Turkish and Arabic character, so exquisitely written, as no printed letter comes near it: also, a roll of magical charms, divers talismans, and some medals. Then, I led my wife into the Convocation-House, finely wainscoted; the Divinity School, and Gothic carved roof; the Physic, or Anatomy School, adorned with some rarities of natural things ; but nothing extraordinary save the skin of a jackal, a rarely-coloured jackatoo, or prodigious large parrot, two humming birds, not much bigger than our humble-bee, which indeed I had not seen before, that I remember. 12th. July. We went to St. John’s, saw the library and the two skeletons, which are finely cleansed and put together; observable is here also the store of mathematical instru- ments, chiefly given by the late Archbishop Laud, who built here a handsome quadrangle. Thence, we went to New College, where the chapel was in its ancient garb, notwithstanding the scrupulosity of the times. Thence, to Christ’s Church, in whose library was showed us an Office of Henry VIII., the writing, miniatures, and gilding whereof is equal, if not surpassing, any curiosity I had seen of that kind ; it was given by their founder, Cardinal Wolsey. The glass windows of the cathedral (famous in my time) I found much abused. The ample hall and column, that spreads its capital to sustain the roof as one goes up the stairs, is very remarkable. Next, we walked to Magdalen College, where we saw the library and chapel, which was likewise in pontifical order, the altar only I think turned tablewise, and there was still the double organ, which abominations (as now esteemed) were almost universally demolished ; Mr. Gibbon, that famous musician, giving us a taste of his skill and talents on that instrument. Hence, to the Physic Garden, where the sensitive plant was showed us for a great wonder. There grew canes, olive- trees, rhubarb, but no extraordinary curiosities, besides very good fruit, which, when the ladies had tasted, we returned in our coach to our lodgings. 13th. We all dined at that most obliging and universally- curious Dr. Wilkins’s, at Wadham College. He was the first who showed me the transparent apiaries, which he had built Y n X 4J