supped every day and night with this lady, the entire week previous to the arrival of his "wife." Poor Mr. Pepys laments how disconsolate she was after the king's departure for Portsmouth to meet the Queen, and how much it troubled him and his wife to see her look so dejectedly, and so slighted by people already. The King met his "wife" at Portsmouth, was married by the Bishop of London, and arrived with their suites at Hampton Court on the 30th May. Both Evelyn and Pepys who had good opportunities of knowing, speak of the plain features, olive complexions and tasteless dresses of the new Queen and her Portuguese maids of honour; and the Guarda damas, or Mother of the maids, an office then of eminence in the chaste Courts of France, Spain, Portugal and England.

HAMPTON COURT at this time, was a noble, uniform and capacious pile, with incomparable furniture and tapestry hangings designed by Raffaelle; also many rare pictures, particularly the Cæsarian triumphs by Andrea Mantegna, and other fine productions of the best masters. The Queen's bed was an embroidery of silver on crimson velvet, and cost £8000, being a present from the States of Holland to the King on his restoration. The history of this royal nuptial couch is curious and characteristic, having been formerly given by the same parties to Charles's sister, the Princess of Orange, and being purchased of her again was now presented to the King. The great looking-glass and toilette of massive gold, were presents from the Queen

* EVELYN'S Diary, June 9, 1662.

A. D. 1662]

HAMPTON COURT IN 1662.

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mother of Portugal, and many fine Indian cabinets, such as had not then been seen in England, were also brought over by the Queen. The royal couple passed a short time in this pleasant retreat, and then returned to the King's more congenial palaces of Whitehall and St. James's. The King behaved so well at Hampton Court, and appeared so well pleased with his "wife," that it made Mr. Pepys fear it would* "put Madam Castlemaine's nose out of joint."

THE court pursued its gaieties at Hampton, the Parliament passed the Act for uniformity of Public Worship, which produced great discontent among the Presbyterians, the people in general began already to be discontented; some from considering themselves not used according to promise, and others from not being rewarded by the King according to their expectations.

THE Commissioners of Paving, etc. this year paved, for the first time, the road from St. James'st Palace north, now St. James's Street, which was then a quagmire, and also the Haymarket about Piccadilly, and issued printed instructions for the better cleansing the streets. The Philosophic Society still proceeded with even steps, and its charter having passed the great seal on the 15th July 1662, it was read by Mr. Oldenburg the secretary, at a meeting convened for that purpose on Wednesday, August 13, 1662. No other business was transacted at this initiatory meeting of the Royal * PEPYS's Diary, May 31, 1662.

+ EVELYN'S Diary, July 31, 1662.

Society, owing to the great length of the document by which it was incorporated, except that Dr. Wren and Dr. Pope were desired to continue their observations of Jupiter's satellites.

THE Society was now incorporated under the title of THE PRESIDENT, COUNCIL AND FELLOWS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, for the improvement of natural knowledge by experiment*, and at its first meeting resolved, "that the President, Lord Brouncker, attended by the Council, and as many of the Fellows as could be obtained, should wait upon the King, after his coming from Hampton Court to London, to give him humble thanks for his grace and favour; and that, in the mean time, the President should acquaint His Majesty with their intention: and that afterwards the Lord Chancellor (Hyde) be thanked likewise, as also Sir Robert Moray, for his concern and care in promoting the constitution of the Society into a Corporation."

On the 29th August, the Court having returned to Whitehall, the President, Council and Fellows waited upon the King for the purpose before-mentioned. Lord Brouncker made a long and appropriate speech, to which His Majesty most graciously replied, and the President and Members paid the customary respects to the King. On the following day they waited on the Lord Chancellor, to whom the President made a suit

*For copies of the charter, names of the past members, etc., see my quarto life of Wren, Sprat's History of the Royal Society, Birch's ditto, etc.

A. D. 1662] PRINCE RUPERT'S RHINE-WINE.

155

able oration, to which the noble and learned Lord made a suitable reply*.

DURING these ceremonials, Dr. Wren was occupied in examining Lord Sandwich's important documents of notes and observations, collected and made by that distinguished naval commander, during his late voyage to Portugal, the Straits and other parts of the Mediterranean sea, to compare them with others of a similar nature and to report his opinion upon them. The opinions of Wren upon almost every subject were esteemed so highly by his coadjutors, that they were continually pressing him upon great and momentary subjects. He did not confine his speculations to his study, but had a furnace frequently at work in the laboratory to test and verify his conjectures by experiments. In this manner he led the way in fumigating the rooms wherein persons sick, or labouring under contagious disorders or other close or offensive apartments, could be rendered wholesome, and communicated to the Society the mode of operation and the apparatus for cooling the atmosphere of such places by percolation and the action of benign chemical ingredients. This useful invention he left for execution in the able hands of his friend and colleague Robert Boyle.

THE King and Prince Rupert, often attended Wren's chemical experiments, and the latter, as a special mark of his regard, enrolled the young philosopher in the list of those distinguished friends, to

*For these speeches and replies, the inquiring reader is referred to the authorities mentioned in the preceding note.

whom he annually sent presents of his choicest wine from his estates on the Rhine. This honour is properly recorded by his original biographer in Parentalia.

EVELYN'S "discourse concerning Forest trees," written in consequence of questions from the Commissioners of the Royal Navy was read by him on the 15th October of this year, to a full meeting of the Royal Society; and is memorable for the good it has done to the Nation, as well that it is the first book published by the Society after its incorporation.

THE art of delineating pictures in light and shade on plates of copper, called mezzotinto engraving, was invented or rather, discovered by Wren*, which Prince Rupert improved and communicated to Evelyn, a practised artist and a good etcher. Evelyn still further improved the mode and subsequently published it in his History of Chalcography. The earliest recorded specimens of this art, are the head of a Moor by Wren, and the headsman of St. John the Baptist, by Prince Rupert, who engraved R. P. f. (Rupertus Princeps, fecit), surmounted by an electoral coronet on the sword.

ALTHOUGH Dr. Wren had been at this time Assistant Surveyor-General, for more than two years, he had received no public employment in Architecture. In 1663, however, he was offered the appointment of Engineer at Tangier, to design and superintend the construction of the mole, harbour and fortifications of the citadel of that city, which had been given as a part

* Parentalia.