IN the midst of all this calamity and confusion there was, I know not how, an alarm begun that the French and Dutch with whom we were now in hostility, were not only landed but even entering the city.* There was, in truth, some days before, great suspicion of these two nations joining; and now, that they had been the occasion of firing the town.* This report did so terrify, that on a sudden there was such an uproar and tumult that they ran from their goods, and taking what weapons they could come at, they could not be stopped from falling on some of those nations when they casually met, without sense or reason. The clamour and peril grew so excessive that it made the whole Court amazed, and they did with infinite pains and great difficulty reduce and appease the people, sending troops of soldiers and guards to cause them to retire into the fields again, where they were watched all this night.* I left them pretty quiet, and came home sufficiently weary and broken.
Still, the plague continuing in our parish, I could not without danger adventure to our church.
Abridged
* The Second Anglo-Dutch War (1665-1667), over freedom to trade, especially with Britain’s North American and Caribbean colonies. The French waded into it in January 1666. The fire was a key factor in compelling London to make terms at Breda in 1667.
* Evelyn himself was worried that the fire might mean that some prisoners of war held in the City might escape and do real damage. On the Thursday, he says, “I represented to his Majesty the case of the French prisoners at war in my custody, and besought him that there might be still the same care of watching at all places contiguous to unseized houses.” In his capacity as one of four Commissioners ‘for taking Care of Sick and Wounded Seamen and for the Care and Treatment of Prisoners of War’, Sir John was also very concerned about “the Hospital of St Bartholomew, near Smithfield, where I had many wounded and sick men”, and was an early advocate of using explosives to stop the flames leaping from house to house — a plan agonisingly delayed because the nice properties owned by city aldermen would have been the first to go.
* Modern estimates put the homeless at about 80,000 from some 13,500 properties. Official deaths were extremely low, fewer than ten; but Sir John speaks of “the stench that came from some poor creatures’ bodies, beds, and other combustible goods”, which (if ‘creatures’ is not simply a word for pets and animals reared for food) might imply that, as later historians have surmised, there were many more bodies burnt beyond recognition.
Précis
As the flames abated, rumours flew of a Franco-Dutch invasion, triggering panic and a spate of attacks on foreigners. Once Evelyn was sure the army had the situation in hand, he went home minded to visit his parish church, only to remember that the plague of the previous year was not yet over and he must still be wary. (59 / 60 words)
As the flames abated, rumours flew of a Franco-Dutch invasion, triggering panic and a spate of attacks on foreigners. Once Evelyn was sure the army had the situation in hand, he went home minded to visit his parish church, only to remember that the plague of the previous year was not yet over and he must still be wary.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, because, despite, or, otherwise, unless, whereas, whether.
About the Author
Sir John Evelyn (1620-1706) fought for Charles I in the Civil War, but left England in 1646 to tour France and Italy, studying art, anatomy and antiquities; he married Mary Browne, daughter of Sir Richard Browne, the English ambassador in Paris, in 1647. Evelyn returned home in time in 1651. Following the Restoration in 1660, he held a number of minor but socially very useful offices (for example, he established veterans’ hospitals and presented a study of pollution) in the court of King Charles II. Evelyn assisted in the establishment of the Royal Society, which elected him a Fellow in 1661, and his London home, Sayes Court, was made available to the Government, playing host among others to Tsar Peter the Great of Russia; the gardens were a matter of special pride, and Evelyn gained a reputation as an expert on trees. He wrote on a wide variety of subjects, and his diary, detailing his life and many contemporary events from 1641 onwards, is an invaluable historical record.
Archive
Word Games
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Exchange. Out. We.
2 Have. How. Mistake.
3 Plague. Quite. There.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Statements, Questions and Commands Find in Think and Speak
Use each word below in a sentence. Try to include at least one statement, one question and one command among your sentences. Note that some verbs make awkward or meaningless words of command, e.g. need, happen.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Guard. 2 Ask. 3 Alarm. 4 Burn. 5 Leave. 6 Court. 7 Make. 8 Exchange. 9 Shoe.
Variations: 1. use a minimum of seven words for each sentence 2. include negatives, e.g. isn’t, don’t, never 3. use the words ‘must’ to make commands 4. compose a short dialogue containing all three kinds of sentence: one statement, one question and one command
Prepositions Find in Think and Speak
Each of the words below may be followed by one or more prepositions. Compose your own sentences to show which they might be. Some prepositions are given underneath.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1. Readiness. 2. Enter. 3. Careful. 4. Perish. 5. Careless.
Selected Prepositions
About. Against. Among. At. By. For. From. In. Into. Of. On. Out. Over. Through. To. Towards. Upon. With.
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
mg (5+1)
image. magi. mega. mug. omega.
mag.
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