He has spent most of his time in London, especially in winter; but oftentimes in the summer he enjoyes his muse at Beconsfield, which is incomparable aire, and where are delicious walks in the woods. Now I speake of woods, I remember he told us there, that he cutt downe and grubbed-up a beech wood of his, at Beconsfield in Bucks, and without soweing, but naturally, there grew up[1154] a wood all of birch.
A.D. ... he was admitted a fellow of the Royall Societie.
He haz but a tender weake body, but was alwayes very temperate. ... (quaere Samuel Butler) made him damnable drunke at Somerset-house, where, at the water-stayres, he fell downe, and had a cruell fall. 'Twas pitty to use such a sweet swan so inhumanely[1155].
[1156]He hath a great memory, and remembers a history, etc. etc. best when read to him: he uses to make his daughters read to him. Yet, notwithstanding his great witt and mastership in rhetorique, etc. he will oftentimes be guilty of mispelling in English. He writes a lamentably <bad> hand, as bad <as> the scratching of a hen.
I have heard him say that he so much admired Mr. Thomas Hobbes' booke _De Cive_, when it came forth, that he was very desirous to have it donne into English, and Mr. Hobbes was most willing it should be done by Mr. Waller's hand, for that he was so great a master of our English language. Mr. Waller freely promised him to doe it, but first he would desire Mr. Hobbes to make an essaye; he (T. H.) did the first booke, and did it so extremely well, that Mr. Waller would not meddle with it[1157], for that nobody els could doe it so well. Had he thought he could have better performed it, he would have himselfe been the translator.
Memorandum: his Speech against Ship-money which is in his booke of Poems: his Panegyrique to Oliver the Protector I have: and also to King Charles II.
He sayes that he was bred under severall ill, dull, ignorant schoolmasters, till he went to Mr. Dobson, at ... Wickham, who was a good schoolmaster, and had been an Eaton scholar.
Memorandum:--later end of Aug. 1680, he wrote verses, called 'Divine Love,' at the instance and request of the lady viscountesse Ranulagh.
He missed[1158] the Provostship of Eaton Colledge, <Feb.> 1680 <i.e. 0/1>; <Zachary Cradock> haz it.