The Diary Of John Evelyn Vol-2

DIARY OF LONDON

among Mils, as, being not above sixteen miles from Lon-
don, seems almost incredible, the ways up to it are so
winding and intricate. The gardens are large, and well-
walled, and the husbandry part made very convenient
and perfectly understood. The barns, the stacks of corn,
the stalls for cattle, pigeon house, etc., of most laudable
example. Innumerable are the plantations of trees,
especially walnuts. The orangery and gardens are very
curious. In the house are large and noble rooms. He
and his lady (who is very curious in distillery) enter-
tained me three or four days very freely. I earnestly
suggested to him the repairing of an old desolate dilap-
idated church, standing on the hill " above the house,
which I left him in good disposition to do, and endow
it better; there not being above four or fiv.e houses in
the parish, besides that of this prodigious rich Scrivener.
This place is exceedingly sharp in the winter, by reason
of the serpentining of the hills: and it wants running
water; but the solitude much pleased me. All the
ground is so full of wild thyme, marjoram, and other
sweet plants, that it cannot be overstocked with bees;
I think he had near forty hives of that industrious in-
sect

i4th October, 1677. I went to church at Godstone,
and to see old Sir John Evelyn's DORMITORY, joining- to
the church, paved with marble, where he and his Lady
lie on a very stately monument at length; he in armor
of white marble. The inscription is only an account
of his particular branch of the family, on black marble.

i5th October, 1677, Returned to London"; in the even-
ing, I saw the Prince of Orange, and supped with Lord
Ossory.

23d October, 1677. Saw again the Prince of Orange;
Ms marriage with the Lady Mary, eldest daughter to
the Duke of York, by Mrs. Hyde, the late Duchess, was
now declared.

nth November, 1677. I was all this week composing
matters between old Mrs. Howard and Sir Gabriel Syl-
vius, upon his long and earnest addresses to Mrs. Anne,
her second daughter, maid of honor to the Queen My
friend, Mrs. Godolphin (who exceedingly loved the young
lady) was most industrious in it, out of pity to the lan-
guishing knight; so asjiough there were great differencesextraordinary expense. It is in such a solitudearson of Ar-