He had charge of the sick and wounded of the Dutch
War and also, with the fineness of character typical of his kind, he
remained at his post through the Great Plague. Evelyn was also active in
organizing the Royal Society and became its first secretary.
In the country he spent his time studying, writing and in developing
his own and his brother's estates. He translated several French books,
one of them by Nicolas de Bonnefons was entitled "The French Gardener;
instructions how to cultivate all sorts of fruit-trees." Evelyn
undoubtedly knew another book of de Bonnefons called "_Les Delices de
la Campagne_." Delights of the country, according to de Bonnefons,
consisted largely in delights of the palate, and perhaps it was this
book which suggested to Evelyn to write a cookery-garden book such
as Acetaria. He also translated Jean de la Quintinie's "The Compleat
Gardener." His "Sylva, or a discourse of Forest Trees" was written as
a protest against the destruction of trees in England being carried
on by the glass factories and iron furnaces, and the book succeeded
in inducing landowners to plant millions of trees.
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