_Foreword to Acetaria_
John Evelyn, famous for his "Diary," was a friend and contemporary of
Samuel Pepys. Both were conscientious public servants who had held minor
offices in the government. But, while Pepys' diary is sparkling and
redolent of the free manners of the Restoration, Evelyn's is the record
of a sober, scholarly man. His mind turned to gardens, to sculpture and
architecture, rather than to the gaieties of contemporary social life.
Pepys was an urban figure and Evelyn was "county." He represents the
combination of public servant and country gentleman which has been the
supreme achievement of English culture.
Horace Walpole said of him in his Catalogue of Engravers, "I must
observe that his life, which was extended to eighty-six years, was a
course of inquiry, study, curiosity, instruction and benevolence."
Courtiers, artists, and scientists were his friends. Grinling Gibbons
was brought to the King's notice by Evelyn, and Henry Howard, Duke of
Norfolk, was persuaded by him to present the Arundel Marbles to the
University of Oxford. In London he engaged in divers charitable and
civic affairs and was commissioner for improving the streets and
buildings in London.
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