'That thou forsak'st thy sleepe, thy diet,
And which is more then that, our quiet.'
This last word Mr. Hobs told me was the occasion of their writing.
Here he layd an ingeniose designe to carry a considerable number of artificers (chiefly weavers) from hence to Virginia; and by Mary the queen-mother's meanes, he got favour from the king of France to goe into the prisons and pick and choose. So when the poor dammed wretches understood what the designe was, the<y> cryed uno ore—'Tout tisseran!' i.e. We are all weavers! Will. <took> 36, as I remember, if not[776]more, and shipped them; and[777] as he was in his voyage towards Virginia, he and his tisseran were all taken by the shippes then belonging to the Parliament of England. The slaves I suppose they sold, but Sir William was brought prisoner to England. Whither he was first a prisoner at Caresbroke-castle in the Isle of Wight, or at the Tower of London, I have forgott: he was a prisoner at both. His Gondibert, 4to, was finished at Caresbroke-castle. He expected no mercy from the Parliament, and had no hopes of escaping <with> his life. It pleased God that the two aldermen of Yorke aforesayd hearing that he was taken and brought to London to be tryed for his life, which they understood was in extreme danger, they were touch<ed> with so much generosity and goodnes, as, upon their owne accounts and meer motion, to try what they could to save Sir William's life who had been so civill to them and a meanes to save theirs, to come to London: and acquainting the Parliament with it, upon their petition, etc., Sir William's life was saved[LIII.].
[LIII.] 'Twas Harry Martyn that saved Sir William Davenant's life in the Howse.—When they were talking of sacrificing one, then said Henry that 'in sacrifices they always offered pure and without blemish: now yee talke of making a sacrifice of an old rotten rascall.' Vide H. Martyn's Life, where by this very jest, then[778] forgot, the lord Falkland saved H. Martyn's Life.
Being freed from imprisonment, (because playes, scil. Tragedies and Comoedies, were in those Presbyterian times scandalous) he contrives to set-up an Opera stylo recitativo, wherein serjeant Maynard and severall citizens were engagers. It began at Rutland-house, in Charter-house-yard; next, (scil. anno ...) at the Cock-pitt in Drury-lane, where were acted very well stylo recitativo, Sir Francis Drake's ..., and the Siege of Rhodes (1st and 2d part). It did affect the eie and eare extremely. This first brought scenes in fashion in England; before, at playes, was only a hanging.
Anno Domini 1660 was the happy restauration of his majestie Charles II. Then was Sir Wm. made ...; and the Tennis court in Little Lincolnes-Inne fielde was turn'd into a play-house for the duke of Yorke's players, where Sir William had lodgeings, and where he dyed, April the <7th> 166<8>[LIV.].
[LIV.] It is now a Tennis court again, upon the building of the duke's house in Dorset garden.
I was at his funerall. He had a coffin of walnutt-tree; Sir[779] John Denham sayd 'twas the finest coffin that ever he sawe.[780]His body was carried in a herse from the play-house to Westminster-Abbey, where, at the great west dore, he was recieved by the sing<ing> men and choristers, who sang the service of the church ('I am the Resurrection, &c.') to his[LV.] grave, which is in the south crosse aisle, on which, on a paving stone of marble, is writt, in imitation of that on Ben Johnson, 'O rare Sir Will. Davenant.'
[LV.] Which is neer to the monument of Dr. Isaac Barrow.—Memorandum:—my honoured friend Sir Robert Moray lies by him; but sans inscription.
His first lady was Dr. ...'s daughter, physitian, ... by whom he had a very beautifull and ingeniose son that dyed above 20 yeares since. His 2d lady was the daughter of ... by whom he had severall children: I sawe some very young ones at the funerall. His eldest is Charles Davenant, LL.Dr., who inherits his father's beauty and phancy[781]. He practises at Doctors Commons. He writt a play called Circe, which haz taken very well.