d adoring the distinguishing mercy of God to me and mine, who
in the midst of all this ruine was like Lot, in my little Zoar, safe
and sound.'

The plague and the fire were held to be the visitation of God's anger,
and Evelyn evidently thought the heavy punishment richly merited. 'Oct.
10th. This day was order'd a generall fast thro' the Nation, to humble
us on ye late dreadfull conflagration, added to the plague and warr, the
most dismall judgments that could be inflicted, but whiche indeed we
highly deserv'd for our prodigious ingratitude, burning lusts, dissolute
Court, profane and abominable lives, under such dispensations of God's
continu'd favour in restoring Church, Prince, and People from our late
intestine calamities, of which we were altogether unmindfull, even to
astonishment.'

Like Wren and Hooke, Evelyn submitted a scheme for the rebuilding of
London upon an improved plan, but the new city was formed mainly upon
the old lines.

Meanwhile the Dutch fleet was lying off the mouth of the Thames. Though
England then happily produced all the food she required, yet the city
became 'exceedingly distress'd for want of fuell' because of the traffic
up and down the estuary being interrupted. Hence Evelyn was appointed
one of a Committee to search the environs of London and find if any peat
or turf were fit for use. Experiments were made with _houllies_ or
briquettes of charcoal dust and loam in the Dutch manner, and Evelyn
shewed to many proof of his 'new fuell, which was very glowing and
without smoke or ill smell'. But the process never caught on, and was
abandoned as giving no promise of commercial success.

Evelyn's account against the Treasury now amounted to above L34,000, and
he continued to urge for payment of it, or for the settlement of unpaid
portions of it, as late as 1702, about three years before his death.
Whether this straitened his means or not, he was at any rate eager to
make money by speculation. So in 1667 he joined Sir John Kiviet, a Dutch
Orangeman who had come over to England for protection and had been
knighted by King Charles, in a scheme for making bricks on a large
scale. Perhaps as a sort of advertisement of this commercial enterprise
he subscribed 50,000 bricks towards building a college for the Royal
Society. It was a big scheme, including the embankment of the river from
the Tower to the Temple, and if successful it would have brought much
gain to the partners.

Evelyn says nothi