Baiæ: So that, my Lord, I am in no distress at all to solve this phenomenon, at least to my own satisfaction. But when all is said, though all proceed from natural causes, vet doubt I not their being inflicted and directed by the Supreme Cause of causes, as judgments upon a sinful world; and for signs of great calamities, if they work no reformation if they do, of chastisements. Upon these accounts I look on them as portentous and of evil presage, aud to show us that there is no stability under heaven, where we can be safe and happy, but in Him alone who laid the foundations of the earth, the rock of ages that shall never be removed, when heaven and earth shall pass away.

:

son's

As to our late earthquake here, I do not find it has left any considerable marks; but at Mons 'tis said it has made some demolitions. I happened to be at my brother's, at Wotton, in Surrey, when the shaking was, and at dinner with much company; yet none of us at table sensible of any motion. But the maid who was then making my bed, and another servant in a garret above her, felt it plainly, and so did my wife's laundry-maid here at Deptford: and, generally, wherever they were above in the upper floors, they felt the trembling most sensibly, for a reason I need not explain to your Lordship. In London, and particularly in Dover Street (where my house is), they were greatly affrighted. But the stories that go about in this neighbourhood, by many who are lately returned from Jamaica, are many, and very tragical. I doubt not at the next meeting of Gresham College (which will now shortly be after their usual recess during summer), we shall have ample and authentic histories and discourses on this subject from several places of their correspondents. I cannot, in the meantime, omit acquainting of your Lordship with one very remarkable, which we have received here from credible hands: that during this astonishing and terrible paroxysm, multitudes of people, running distractedly out of their tottering houses, and seeing so many swallowed up and perishing, divers of them espying the minister of the town at some distance ran and compassed him all about, desiring him to pray for them, as immediately he did, all falling on their knees, when, all the ground about them suddenly sinking, the spot only upon which they were at prayer

remained a firm and steady island, all the rest of the contiguous ground turning into a lake, other places into gulphs, which drowned and buried all that stood upon them, and which were very many. And now, my Lord, 'tis time to implore your pardon for this tedious paper, together with your blessing.

From John Evelyn to his Brother.

DEAR BROTHER,

Dover Street, 5th Jan.*

The occasion of my writing at present, is from a visit made me this evening from Sir Richard Onslow. After the common civilities were passed between us, he informed me that his coming to me at this time, was to desire I would acquaint you with the late Chief Baron Montague's intention of disposing of Baynard's, and his offering it to him as lying so conveniently to his estate in that part of Surrey. But that he should be very tender in dealing for it, if it should in any sort be to the prejudice of one, for whom he had so great a respect, and which he would endeavour to preserve to our family. I told him, that I was sure you would own this expression as a signal instance of his great civility, as became you. As for Baynard's, I presumed he could not but know the injury had been done you by my sisters, in taking that estate so unhandsomely from you, without any colour of justice or cause given. Sir Richard, however, pressed me to write to you about it, and that you please to let him know your convenience, and whether with your good liking, he might be encouraged to proceed with Mr. Montague; for that he had promised to return him a positive answer within ten days. I assured him I would write to you by the very first opportunity, and that I did not question but you would speedily command me to wait on him with your answer, and, in all events, acknowledge this great mark of his friendship and neighbourly respect. What safe title Mr. Montague could make to what he

* The date of this letter is uncertain; but it seems most likely to belong to 1692, when Evelyn was residing in Dover Street.

came so surreptitiously by, I would not undertake to determine; but I believe you would not wish so good and worthy a friend as Sir Richard Onslow to deal for an estate which, being detained fraudulently, might possibly create him any trouble or misunderstanding between so good and ancient neighbours: and whatever reply you think fit to make, let it, I pray, be so written, that I may show Sir Richard the whole letter; or rather (which I suppose he will receive as a greater respect) write to himself, and I will wait on him with it. I wrote to you the last week in answer to a former of yours at large. I pray God give you ease of your infirmity, and believe me to be, my dear brother, &c. &c.

SIR, I cannot but think myself obliged, in gratitude, to give you an account how well your late invented stoves for a green-house succeeds (by the experience I have had of it), which has certainly more perfection than ever yet art was before master of. I have perused your directions in laying my pipes (made of crucible earth), not too near the fire-grate, which is nigh upon or better than sixteen inches above, and by making a trench the whole length of my house under the paving (for the air to issue out and blow the fire), of a convenient breadth and depth (that is eighteen inches both ways, covered with an arch of brick), leaving a hole open under the fire-grate almost as wide, and at the other end of the trench having a square iron plate answerable to that of my paving, to take off and put on, with a round hole at each corner of about three inches diameter, with a lid to slide open and shut upon every one of them (as you may have seen upon some porridgepot covers), so that by opening any one of these holes, or all of them more or less, or by taking off the whole plates, I can release such a quantity of air out of the house to blow the fire, so as to increase or diminish the blast; and as you were pleased by letter to inform me concerning

distributing the air at its admission more equally through the house, I have inserted my pipes into a channel all along the wall at the end of the house; with these several overtures you mentioned, all which, sir, I assure you prove most admirably well, and by this free and generous communication of yours, you must have highly obliged all the lovers of the recreation, as well as,

Sir, your most faithful servant,

D. CULLUM.

From Robert Berkeley to John Evelyn.

Spetchley, 20th April, 1693.

I HAD before this made my acknowledgments to Mr. Evelyn for the favour of his acceptable present, but I was willing to read some part of the book, which you have done the honour to translate* and let be published under your name, for which you are so far from needing an apology, that both Monsieur Quintinye himself, and the rest of our gardeners of this age, must take their original from you, and all the ingenious that study universal gardening will confess it. Monsieur Quintinye is very curious in his tract of fruit-trees, which le Sieur Le Gendre, curé d'Hernonville, has been before in his Manière de cultiver les Arbres Fruitiers, and Monsieur Morin, in his Traité pour la Taille des Arbres. I find likewise much of his observation in Monsieur Laurent's Abrégé pour les Arbres nains, dedicated to Monsieur Quintinye; and in the Jardinier Royal, with the Nouvelle Instruction pour connoître les bons Fruits selon le mois de l'année, by Monsieur Claude St. Etienne. Monsieur Quintinye is very curious likewise in his Légumes, and in his distinction of fruits, and seems to exceed the former in his particular direction in the ordering of them. But he is most to be admired in his method of pruning, or rather, his anatomy of fruit-trees, which is one of the most difficult parts of gardening, and has not before attained to that perfection. I give you many thanks for the vines,

*Treatise on Orange Trees.

which were very well put up, and came safe hither. I am highly indebted to these and your former favours, particularly the great honour you have done me in your Kalendarium Hortense. Your disposition to oblige all the world, must occasion a continuance of your favours to one who is most unworthy of them. I can only beg of you freely to dispose of me, having a just right of prescription in whatever I may render you any service; being with due regard to our patron, and with sincere affection, Sir, your most humble servant, R. BERKELEY.

P.S. These herein-mentioned, with the Remarques nécessaires pour la Culture des Fleurs, by Monsieur P. Morin, and the Théâtre de Jardinage, with the Jardine Potager, by Aristote, I have bound together in six tomes, with the French Gardener, which might be yet of some use in their version, by reason there are remarks in gardening not yet in English. Is the Jardinier du Pays-Bas translated into English? These, with submission, I refer to you, who have so much obliged the public with your former translations, and much more with your own works, many of them already extant, and the rest we must hope for from your manuscripts not yet known but to your retirements.

From John Evelyn to Mrs. M. Tuke.

DEAR COUSIN,

Knowing how much you are in the confidence of my daughters, and have opportunities of seeing a gentleman who sometimes made his court at Somersethouse, for whom I really have great respect, and would not he should think it has at any time been lessened by some misunderstanding I hear of: that, therefore, I may take off all mistakes and prejudices, by a free éclaircissement of particulars, I will first begin with Sir Lawrence Staughton. Long after Mr. B. had, as I believed, given over all intentions of making any further application here, my brother Glanvill proposed Sir L. S. to us, and when I came (at the beginning of summer last)