John Evelyn's library
Sir: John Evelyn's Library was the product of a gunpowder fortune. His father, uncle and grandfather manufactured that product from before the Armada to about the time of the Civil War. In 1635 they held the sole rights.
After the Renaissance and in the Columbian era, gun-powder was important. Professor Cipolla believes it lifted Europe out of the Middle Ages into a position of dominance. Histories of all kinds refer to the influence it had on industrial skills. With mathematics, gunpowder might claim a principal share in the birth of capitalism, providing, not unlike nuclear weapons today, an alignment of political, administrative and commercial interest which transformed the competence of this country: In conservation, priorities are as important as anywhere else. But Evelyn's Library is not just a relic of an empire most people loathe or the bric-h-brac of past folly. It may hold the key to the practical genius of a nation which, in a modest way, in spirit and sophistication is a world leader.
A. B. T. Davey 23 Rheidol Terrace, London Ni
Previous page
