INTRODUCTION xlv 



In 1673 Browne became Master of the Trinity House, and 

 Evelyn was sworn in as a younger Brother, having in the 

 previous autumn been chosen Secretary to the Royal Society : 

 and two months later his son John, now 18 years of age, 

 was also made a younger brother of Trinity House. 

 Evelyn's life seems now to have glided on very quietly. 

 Much of his time was taken up with the colonial and 

 commerial work controlled by the Council of Plantations 

 and Trade, though he still found leisure for literary 

 work, scientific recreation, and other affairs. His mind 

 apparently about this time became greatly attracted towards 

 religious subjects, and it seems more than probable that this 

 may (in part, at any rate) have been due to a very strong 

 though purely platonic attachment he now formed to Miss 

 Blagg, one of the Queen's Maids of Honour, who married 

 Mr. Sydney, afterwards Lord Godolphin, in 1675 and died 

 in childbed in 1678 at the early age of twenty five. His 

 Life of Mrs Godolphin, never published till 1847, was 

 * design 'd to consecrate her worthy life to posterity. ' In 

 February 1680 his son John, now 23 years of age and 

 imitating his father's literary beginning as a translator, was 

 married to Martha Spencer, step-daughter of Sir John 

 Stonehouse. That Evelyn was now fairly well offis evident 

 from the terms of the jointure and marriage contracts then 

 made. * The lady was to bring 5,000 in consideration of 

 a settlement of 500 a yeare present maintainence, which 

 was likewise to be her jointure, and 500 a yeare after myne 

 and my Wife's decease. But with God's blessing it will be 

 at the least 1000 a yeare more in a few yeares. * Always 

 of business habits, Evelyn particularly records how, in the 

 following month, he went * To London, to receive 3,000 

 of my daughter-in-law's portion, which was paid in gold. ' 



The deeply religious caste of thought above alluded to as 

 now becoming very noticeable in Evelyn shewed itself 

 strongly in the autumn of 1680. c I went to London to be 

 private, my birthday being ye next day, and I now arriv'd 

 at my sixtieth year, on which I began a more solemn survey 

 of my whole life, in order to the making and confirming my 

 peace with God, by an accurate scrutime of all my actions 

 past, as far as I was able to call them to mind. How difficult 



