John Evelyn the Younger facts for kids

John Evelyn the younger (1655–1699) was an English translator. He was known for turning books from other languages into English. He was the son of the famous writer John Evelyn.

A Young Life

John Evelyn the younger was born on January 19, 1655. He was the third son of John Evelyn, but he was the oldest one who lived past childhood. When he was five years old, his father introduced him to the Queen Mother, Henrietta Maria, who was very kind to him.

For a few years, he grew up with Mr. Howard's children at Arundel House. Later, in 1665, a tutor named Edmund Bohun began teaching him. In 1667, John went to Trinity College, Oxford University, to continue his studies.

He left Oxford in March 1669. In 1672, he joined the Middle Temple, which was a place where people studied to become lawyers. In 1673, his father took him to meet Peter Gunning, the Bishop of Chichester, who gave him advice. That same year, he became a younger member of Trinity House, an important organization for sailors and maritime safety. In 1675, he traveled to France as part of Lord Berkeley's group, returning home in May 1676.

In 1687, John worked for the government's treasury department in Devon. His job was to find out about hidden lands that should have been taxed. A year later, he met William, Prince of Orange, who would soon become King William III of England. John volunteered to help William's army secure the city of Oxford.

In 1690, he bought a high-ranking job as the chief clerk of the treasury, but he only held the position for about a year. From 1692 to 1696, he worked as a commissioner for collecting taxes in Ireland. He came back home very sick and sadly passed away in Berkeley Street, London, on March 24, 1699. He died before his own father did.

His Writings and Translations

John Evelyn the younger was a talented translator. This means he took books written in one language and changed them into English so more people could read them.

Here are some of the works he translated:

• 'Of Gardens. Four books.' This book was originally written in Latin by Renatus Rapinus. John translated it into English in 1673.
• 'The History of the Grand Visiers.' This book was translated from French in 1677.
• Plutarch's 'Life of Alexander the Great.' He translated this for a collection called 'Plutarch's Lives by Several Hands,' which was published between 1683 and 1686.

When he was just fifteen years old, John also wrote some Greek poems that were included in the third edition of his father's famous book, Sylva (1678). This book was all about trees and forests. Part of his translation of René Rapin's Hortorum Liber was also reprinted in that book. Some of John's other poems can be found in collections by John Dryden and John Nichols.

His Family

In 1679, John Evelyn married Martha Spenser. She was the daughter of a merchant who traded with Turkey. Martha passed away in 1726.

John and Martha had two sons and three daughters. However, only one son, also named John, and one daughter, Elizabeth, lived past childhood. Elizabeth later married Simon Harcourt.

Their son, John, was born on March 1, 1682. He married Anne Boscawen in 1750. This John was made a baronet in 1713, which is a special title of honor. He built a library at the family home, Wotton House. He was also a member of the Royal Society, a group for important scientists, and worked as a commissioner of customs. He died on July 18, 1763.