INTRODUCTION xxi 



Although his Diary does not contain any details on such 

 matters as Pepys would have been free to record in his 

 cipher, John Evelyn was probably rather a gay and pleasure- 

 loving youth about this time. A suspicion of this seems 

 j ustified by the fact that he * was elected one of the Comp- 

 trolers of the Middle Temple-revellers, as the fashion of ye 

 young Students and Gentlemen was, the Christmas being 

 kept this year (1641) with great solemnity ; but being 

 desirous to passe it in the Country, 1 got leave to resign 

 my staffe of office, and went with my brother Richard to 

 Wotton. ' From January till March he was back in London 

 1 studying a little, but dancing and fooling more. ' 



III 



Evelyn's Early Manhood, Continental Travels ana Studies, 

 Voluntary Exile, and Return to England 1647. 



It was hardly possible that anyone situated as Evelyn was 

 could hold aloof from the party strife when civil war broke 

 out during the course of this year. And, of course, he was 

 on the Royalist side. But he did not serve long with the 

 troops. Here is his own record of that military service, 

 f Oct. 3rd. To Chichester, and hence the next day to see 

 the siege of Portsmouth ; for now was that bloody differ- 

 ence betweene the King and Parliament broken out, which 

 ended in the fatal tragedy so many years after. It was on 

 the day of its being render'd to Sir William Waller, which 

 gave me an opportunity of taking my leave of Colonel 

 Goring the Governor, now embarqueing for France. This 

 day was fought that signal Battaile at Edgehill. Thence I 

 went to Southampton and Winchester, where I visited the 

 Castle, Schole, Church, and King Arthur's Round Table, but 

 especially the Church, and its Saxon Kings' Monuments, 

 which I esteemed a worthy antiquity. I2th. November, 

 was the Battle of Braineford surprisingly fought, and to the 

 greate consternation of the Citty had his Majesty (as twas 

 believed he would) pursu'd his advantage. I came in with 

 my horse and armes just at the retreate, but was not per- 



