The Diary Of John Evelyn Vol-2

DIARY OF LONDON

Earl of Sunderland, and my old acquaintance in France,
entertained us at his apartment in Christ Church with
exceeding generosity.

ioth July, 1675. The Vice Chancellor Dr Batliurst
(who had formerly taken particular caie of my son),
President of Trinity College, invited me to dinner, and
did me great honor all the time of my stay. The
next day, he invited me and all my company, though
strangers to him. to a very noble feast. I was at all the
academic exercises.—Sunday, at St. Mary's, preached a
Fellow of .Brasen-nose, not a little magnifying the dignity
of Churchmen,

nth July, 1675. We heard the speeches, and saw the
ceremony of creating doctors in Divinity, Law and
Physic. I had, early in the morning, heard Dr. Mortson,
Botanic Professor, read on divers plants in the Physic
Garden; and saw that rare collection of natural curiosities
of Dr. Plot's, of Magdalen Hall, author of <( The Natural
History of Oxfordshire/ all of them collected in that
shire, and indeed extraordinary, that in one county there
should he found such variety of plants, shells, stones,
minerals, marcasites, fowls, insects, models of works,
crystals, agates, and marbles. He was now intending to
visit Staffordshire, and, as he had of Oxfordshire, to give
us the natural, topical, political, and mechanical history.
Pity it is that more of this industrious man's genius
were not employed so to describe every county of Eng-
land; it would be one of the most useful and illustrious
works that was ever produced in any age or nation.

I visited also the Bodleian Library and my old friend,
the learned Obadiah Walker, head of University College,
which he had now almost rebuilt, or repaired. We then
proceeded to Northampton, where we arrived the next
day.

In this journey, went part of the way Mr. James Gra-
ham (since Privy Purse to the Duke), a young gentleman
exceedingly in love with Mrs. Dorothy Howard, one of the
maids of honor in our company. I could not but pity
them both, the mother not much favoring it This lady
was not only a great beauty, but a most virtuous and
excellent creature, and worthy to have been .wife to the
best of men. My advice was required, and I spoke to
the advantage of the young gentleman, more out of pitynt stool on which he had stood; but