INRTODUCTION liii 



During the course of his long and distinguised life he 

 had seen many stirring events, had taken part in many 

 important affairs, had achieved much, and had suffered 

 much. He had outlived four reigns, two of which were 

 terminated by a natural death, one by public execution, and 

 one by abdication. He had served many public and other 

 distinguished offices with zeal, ability, integrity, and success. 

 He had given to English literature some of the classic works 

 that are among the treasures of our literature of the Restor- 

 ation period. He had outlived all of his six sons, most of 

 whom had died in childhood, as well as his eldest and 

 favourite daughter. Of all his nine children, the sole sur- 

 vivors were his daughter Elizabeth, who was soon after- 

 wards married to a son of Sir John Tippet, and Susanna, 

 wife of William Draper, afterwards of Adscomb near 

 Croydon. After nearly 60 years of pure domestic wedded 

 life, in marked contrast to the prevailing dissoluteness of the 

 time, Evelyn was survived for nearly three years by his 

 widow, who died in 1709, aged 74 years, cherishing to the 

 last her love and affection for him to whom her destiny had 

 been committed whilst she was still a mere child. c His care 

 of my education ', she wrote in her last Will and Testament, 

 ' was such as might become a father, a lover, a friend, and a 

 husband; for instruction, tenderness, affection and fidelity to 

 the last moment of his life; which obligation I mention with 

 a gratitude to his memory ever dear to me; and I must not 

 omit to own the sense I have of my parents' care and good- 

 ness in placing me in such worthy hands.' Surely no husband 

 ever had a nobler epitaph. 



In an age of fierce political and ecclesiastical conflict, 

 Evelyn, often, no doubt, strongly tempted to partisanship, 

 managed to steer his course with prudence and great worldly 

 judgment. But for that, his industry and business talent 

 would probably have brought him more prominently into 

 office under Charles II. In a corrupt and profligate age, 

 however, his character stands out as that of one unsullied 

 by excesses, impurities, or vices. And it is not the least of 

 his merits that, in an age of bigotry and narrow-mindedness, 

 he was not intolerant towards those whose religious views 

 happened to differ from his own. 



