xlviii INTRODUCTION 



vices of the late monarch. * He would doubtless have been 

 an excellent Prince had he been less addicted to women, 

 who made him uneasy, and allways in want to supply their 

 immeasurable profusion, to ye detriment of many indigent 



persons who had signaly serv'd both him and his father 



He was ever kind to me, and very gracious upon all 

 occasions, and therefore I cannot, without ingratitude, but 

 deplore his loss, which for many respects, as well as duty, I 

 do with all my soul. ' 



VI 



Evelyn's Declining Tears (1685-1706). 



With the accession of James II., Evelyn was again to feel 

 the sunny warmth of royal favour in the form of an official 

 appointment. But previous to this he had to suffer a heavy 

 loss by the death from small-pox of his eldest daughter 

 Mary, in the I9th year of her age, who had been born at 

 Wotton in the same room as her father had first seen the 

 light. 



In September 1685 Evelyn was informed that on Lord 

 Clarendon, Lord Privy Seal, going to assume the Lord 

 Lieutenancy of Ireland the King had nominated him as one 

 of the Commissioners to execute the office of Privy Seal 

 during such appointment ; and early in December he was 

 1 put into the new Commission of Sewers. ' It was nearly 

 Christmas before he kissed hands on receiving the patent for 

 executing this office and entered on its duties along with the 

 two other Commissioners. They performed these till the 

 loth March 1687, when the King relieved them with compli- 

 ments on their * faithfull and loyal service, with many 

 gracious expressions to this effect ', and bestowed the seal 

 on Lord Arundel of Wardour, a zealous Roman Catholic. 



In the early days of James IPs reign the patronage which 

 seemed to be coming in Evelyn's direction appears to have, 

 not unnaturally perhaps, somewhat coloured his opinion as 

 to the new monarch's capacity and disposition. After a 

 journey undertaken with Pepys to Windsor, Winchester, 



