THE LIFE 



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Mr. JOHN EVELYN. 



John EVELYIC', the Author of this most excellent and laborious 

 work, was born at Wotton in Surrey, the seat of his father Richard 

 Evelyn, Esq. upon the 31st of October, 1620. He was descended from 

 a very ancient and honourable family, which flourished originally in 

 Shropshire ; and Was first settled at Wotton, in the reign of Queen 

 Elizabethk He was instructed in grammar and classical learning at the 

 free-school at Lewes in Sussex, from whence, in the year 1637, he was 

 removed, and entered as a Gentleman-Commoner at Baliol College in 

 Oxford. He remained there about three years, prosecuting his acade- 

 mical studies with great diligence ; and then removed to the INIiddle- 

 Temple in London, in order to add a competent knowledge of the laws 

 of his country to his philological and philosophical act[uisitions. Upon 

 the breaking out of the Civil War, he repaired to Oxford ; where he 

 obtained leave from King Charles I. under his own hand, to travel 

 into foreign countries for the completion of his education. In the spring 

 of 1644 he left England, in order to make the tour of Europe ; which 

 he performed Very successfully, making it his business to inquire carefully 

 into the state of the sciences, and the improvements made in all useful 

 arts, wherever he came. He spent some time at Rome, and happened 

 to be there at the time of Laud's death> which gave him an opportunity 

 of vindicating, in some measure, the memory of that honest, but rash 

 and zealous man. " I was at Rome,'* says Mr. Evelyn, " in the com- 

 " pany of divers of the English fathers, when the news of the Arch- 

 " bishop's sufferings, and a copy of his sermon made upon the scaffold, 

 " came thither. They read the sermon, and commented upon it, with 



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