Evelyn's diary gives a full and vivid account of life and manners in England in the seventeenth century. Written by a cultivated man of property and means, it takes us from his childhood right up to a few weeks before his death, a period of exceptional change. Evelyn lived through the Civil War, the Common-wealth, the Restoration, the reigns of Charles II and James II, the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the reigns of William III and Mary II, and the first part of the reign of Anne. He saw his country move from being one of the lesser, and least influential, states in Europe into a nation on the brink of becoming a major world power. He witnessed and participated in the growth of a reasoned and critical approach to science which paved the way for the coming of the Industrial Revolution in the century after his death. In his own time John Evelyn had a considerable personal reputation, both as a friend and associate of royalty and the famous, and also a learned man. He was the author of a number of books on many different subjects, and translated into English others in Latin or French. He was a founding member of the Royal Society and his friends included Samuel Pepys, Robert Boyle and Christopher Wren. He was also a celebrated gardener and authority on trees. In short he was one of a vitally important and influential group of men at the centre of seventeenth century English society and learning.