John Evelyn’s diary, 1684

The weather continuing intolerably severe, streets of booths were set up on the Thames; the air was so very cold and thick, as of many years there had not been the…

I dined at Sir Stephen Fox's: after dinner came a fellow who ate live charcoal, glowingly ignited, quenching them in his mouth, and then champing and swallowing…

The river quite frozen.

I went across the Thames on the ice, now become so thick as to bear not only streets of booths, in which they roasted meat, and had divers shops of wares, quite…

I visited Sir Robert Reading, where after supper we had music, but not comparable to that which Mrs. Bridgeman made us on the guitar with such extraordinary skill…

The Thames was filled with people and tents selling all sorts of wares as in the city.

The frost continues more and more severe, the Thames before London was still planted with booths in formal streets, all sorts of trades and shops furnished, and…

I went to Sayes Court to see how the frost had dealt with my garden, where I found many of the greens and rare plants utterly destroyed. The oranges and myrtles…

It began to thaw, but froze again. My coach crossed from Lambeth, to the Horse-ferry at Milbank, Westminster. The booths were almost all taken down; but there was…

I dined with my Lord Keeper, , and walking alone with him some time in his gallery, we had discourse of music. He told me he had been brought up to it from a child,…

I went this evening to visit that great and knowing virtuoso, Monsieur Justell. The weather was set in to an absolute thaw and rain; but the Thames still frozen.

After eight weeks missing the foreign posts, there came abundance of intelligence from abroad.

The Earl of Danby, late Lord-Treasurer, together with the Roman Catholic Lords impeached of high treason in the Popish Plot, had now their habeas corpus, and came…

News of the Prince of Orange having accused the Deputies of Amsterdam of crimen læsæ Majestatis, and being pensioners to France. Dr. Tenison communicated to me his…

I went to Sir John Chardin, who desired my assistance for the engraving the plates, the translation, and printing his History of that wonderful Persian Monument…

Came to visit me Dr. Turner, our new Bishop of Rochester.

I dined at Lady Tuke's, where I heard Dr. Walgrave (physician to the Duke and Duchess) play excellently on the lute.

Dr. Meggot, Dean of Winchester, preached an incomparable sermon (the King being now gone to Newmarket), on Heb. xii. 15, showing and pathetically pressing the care…

At Whitehall preached Mr. Henry Godolphin, a prebend of St. Paul's, and brother to my dear friend Sydney, on Isaiah 1v. 7. I dined at the Lord Keeper's, and brought…

There was so great a concourse of people with their children to be touched for the Evil, that six or seven were crushed to death by pressing at the chirurgeon's…

Easter day. The Bishop of Rochester preached before the King; after which his Majesty, accompanied with three of his natural sons, the Dukes of Northumberland,…

I returned home with my family to my house at Sayes Court, after five months' residence in London; hardly the least appearance of any spring.

A letter of mine to the Royal Society concerning the terrible effects of the past winter being read, they desired it might be printed in the next part of their…

I went to visit my brother in Surrey. Called by the way at Ashted, where Sir Robert Howard (Auditor of the Exchequer) entertained me very civilly at his newly-built…

Visited Mr. Higham, who was ill, and died three days after. His grandfather and father (who christened me), with himself, had now been rectors of this parish 101…

I returned to London, where I found the Commissioners of the Admiralty abolished, and the office of Admiral restored to the Duke, as to the disposing and ordering…

I received £600 of Sir Charles Bickerstaff for the fee farm of Pilton, in Devon.

Lord Dartmouth was chosen Master of the Trinity Company, newly returned with the fleet from blowing up and demolishing Tangier. In the sermon preached on this…

My cousin, Verney, to whom a very great fortune was fallen, came to take leave of us, going into the country; a very worthy and virtuous young gentleman.

I went to advise and give directions about the building of two streets in Berkeley Garden, reserving the house and as much of the garden as the breadth of the…

Last Friday, Sir Thomas Armstrong was executed at Tyburn for treason, without trial, having been outlawed and apprehended in Holland, on the conspiracy of the Duke…

I went to the Observatory at Greenwich, where Mr. Flamsted took his observations of the eclipse of the sun, now almost three parts obscured. There had been an…

Some small sprinkling of rain; the leaves dropping from the trees as in autumn.

I dined at Lord Falkland's, Treasurer of the Navy, where after dinner we had rare music, there being among others, Signor Pietro Reggio, and Signor John Baptist,…

I returned home, where I found my Lord Chief Justice , the Countess of Clarendon, and Lady Catherine Fitzgerald, who dined with me.

We had now rain after such a drought as no man in England had known.

Excessively hot. We had not had above one or two considerable showers, and those storms, these eight or nine months. Many trees died for the want of refreshment.

Mr. Sidney Godolphin was made Baron Godolphin.

The King being returned from Winchester, there was a numerous Court at Whitehall. At this time the Earl of Rochester was removed from the Treasury to the…

I went with Sir William Godolphin to see the rhinoceros, or unicorn, being the first that I suppose was ever brought into England. She belonged to some East India…

I dined at Sir Stephen Fox's with the Duke of Northumberland. He seemed to be a young gentleman of good capacity, well bred, civil and modest: newly come from…

Dr. Goodman preached before the King on James ii. 12, concerning the law of liberty: an excellent discourse and in good method. He is author of "The Prodigal Son,"…

I visited the Lord Chamberlain, where dined the black Baron and Monsieur Flamerin, who had so long been banished from France for a duel.

I carried Lord Clarendon through the city amid all the squibs and bacchanalia of the Lord Mayor's show, to the Royal Society, where he was proposed a member; and…

A sudden change from temperate warm weather to an excessive cold rain, frost, snow, and storm, such as had seldom been known. This winter weather began as early and…

Dr. Turner, now translated from Rochester to Ely upon the death of Dr. Peter Gunning, preached before the King at Whitehall on Romans iii. 8, a very excellent…

Being the Queen's birthday, there were fireworks on the Thames before Whitehall, with pageants of castles, forts, and other devices of girandolas, serpents, the…

In the morning, Dr. Fiennes, son of the Lord Say and Seale, preached before the King on Joshua xxi. 11.

I carried Mr. Justell and Mr. Slingsby (Master of the Mint), to see Mr. Sheldon's collection of medals. The series of Popes was rare, and so were several among the…

I went to see the new church at St. James's, elegantly built; the altar was especially adorned, the white marble inclosure curiously and richly carved, the flowers…

Early in the morning I went into St. James's Park to see three Turkish, or Asian horses, newly brought over, and now first shown to his Majesty. There were four,…

I went with Lord Cornwallis to see the young gallants do their exercise. Mr. Faubert having newly railed in a manage, and fitted it for the academy. There were the…

A villainous murder was perpetrated by Mr. St. John, eldest son to Sir Walter St. John, a worthy gentleman, on a knight of quality, in a tavern. The offender was…