Note 39 — THE DIARY OF JOHN EVELYN. (continued 3)

Ezrael Tonge was bred in University College, Oxford, and being puritanically inclined, quitted the University; but in 1648 returned, and was made a Fellow. He had the living of Pluckley, in Kent, which he resigned in consequence of quarrels with his parishioners and Quakers. In 1657, he was made fellow of the newly-erected College at Durham, and that being dissolved in 1660, he taught school at Islington. He then went with Colonel Edward Harley to Dunkirk, and subsequently took a small living in Herefordshire (Lentwardine); but quitted it for St. Mary Stayning, in London, which, after the fire in 1666, was united to St. Michael, Wood Street. These he held till his death, in 1680. He was a great opponent of the Roman Catholics. Wood mentions several publications of his, among which are, "The Jesuits Unmasked," 1678; "Jesuitical Aphorisms," 1678; and "The Jesuits' Morals," 1680 (1670); the two latter translated from the French. (Wood's "Athenæ, Oxon." vol. ii. p. 502.) Evelyn speaks of the last of these translations as having been executed by his desire: and it figures in a notable passage of Oates's testimony. Oates said, for example, "that Thomas Whitbread, a priest, on 13th of June, 16 . . did tell the rector of St. Omer's that a Minister of the Church of England had scandalously put out the 'Jesuits' Morals' in English, and had endeavored to render them odious, and had asked the Rector whether he thought Oates might know him? and the Rector called, the deponent, who heard these words as he stood at the chamber door, and when he went into the chamber of the Provincial, he asked him 'If he knew the author of the "Jesuits' Morals?"' deponent answered, 'His person, but not his name.' Whitbread then demanded, whether he would undertake to poison, or assassinate the author; which deponent undertook, having £50 reward promised him, and appointed to return to England."