The Diary Of John Evelyn Vol-2

JOHN EVELYN

Nothing" was so delightful to her as to go into my
Study, where she would willingly have spent whole days,
for as I said she had read abundance of history, and all
the best poets, even Terence, Plautus, Homer, Virgil,
Horace, Ovid; all the best romancers and modern poems;
she could compose happily and put in pretty symbols, as
in the ^Mundus Muliebris,J> wherein is an enumeration of
the immense variety of the modes and ornaments belong-
ing to the sex. But all these are vain trifles to the
virtues which adorned her soul; she was sincerely reli-
gious, most dutiful to her parents, whom she loved with
an affection tempered with great esteem, so as we were
easy and free, and never were so well pleased as when
she was with us, nor needed we other conversation; she
was kind to her sisters, and was still improving them by
her constant course of piety. Oh, dear, sweet, and desir-
able child, how .shall I part with all this goodness and
virtue without the bitterness of sorrow and reluctancy of
a tender parent! Thy affection, duty and love to me
was that of a friend as well as a child. Nor less dear to
thy mother, whose example and tender care of thee was
unparalleled, nor was thy return to her less conspicuous.
Oh! how she mourns thy loss! how desolate hast thou
left us! To the grave shall we both carry thy memory!
God alone (in whose bosom thou art at rest and happy!)
give us to resign thee and all our contentments (for thou
indeed wert all in this world) to his blessed pleasure!
Let him be glorified by our submission, and give us grace
to bless him for the graces he implanted in thee, thy
virtuous life, pious and holy death, which is indeed the
only comfort of our souls, hastening through the infinite
love and mercy of the Lord Jesus to be shortly with thee,
dear child, and with thee and those blessed saints like
thee, glorify the Redeemer of the world to all eternity!
Amen.

It was in the ipth year of her age that this sickness
happened to her. An accident contributed to this disease;
she had an apprehension of it in particular, which struck
her but two days before she came home, by an impru-
dent gentlewoman whom she went with Lady Falkland
to visit, who, after they had been a good while in the
house, told them she has a servant sick of the smallpox
(who indeed died the next day): this my poor childwere sick, so as she was exceedingly beloved ofe of James II.,»