AUGUST 1, Tuesday

 

4 Prayed, Acts xxii. I6! Conf[erence]; 8 tea, letters; 11.30 on business; 1 dinner, conversed, prayer; 2 letter, tea; 4 coach; 9.30 supper, sleep.

 

Wednesday 2

 

4.30 Read [-]; 8.15 [-] Green, tea, prayer, letters; 12 at home, on business, together; 1 N[orth] Green, dinner, letters; 5 tea, conversed, prayer, prayed; 6.30 letters; 8 supper, prayer; 9.30.

 

Thursday 3

 

4.15 Prayed, accounts; 8 tea, conversed, prayer, writ Journal; 11 at home, on business; 12 walk, visited, 1.15 dinner, conversed, prayer; 3.30 read letters, Mag.; 4.30 prayed, tea, conversed, prayer; 6 on business; 6.30 Heb. vi. 2! within to many, supper; 9.30.

 

Friday 4

 

4 Prayed, Acts xxii. 16, tunes; 8 read narrative, tunes; 12 within; 12.30 letters; 2.30 dinner, conversed, writ Th[ough]ts [u]p[on] Meth[odis]m[1]; 5 tea, conversed, garden; 6.30 prayed, writ narrative; 8 supper, conversed, prayer; 9.30.

 

Saturday 5[2]

 

4 Prayed, writ Mr. FI[etcher’s] Life; 8 tea, conversed, prayer, writ Life; 12.30 on business; 1 dinner, prayer; 2.30 Life; 5 tea, conversed; 6 prayed, Life ; 7.30 supper, conversed, Pen[ ry], on business; 9.30.

 

Sunday 6

 

4Prayed, Life; 8 the preachers, letter; 9.30 prayers, Matt. vii. 16! com­munion, dinner; 2 sleep, prayed; 3 leaders; 4 tea, conversed, prayer; 5 prayers, 2 Tim. iv. 7, 8! buried; 6.30 society, within to some; 8 at Thomas R[ankin’s], supper, conversed, prayer; 9.30.

 

Monday 7[3]

 

4 Prayed, Acts xxii. 16! select society, letters, tea, conversed, letters; 12.30 on business; 1 dinner, conversed, prayer; 2 on business, letter; 5 West[minste]r, tea, Life; 6.15 read prayers, Heb. x. 36, the bands, Charles, prayer; 9.30.

 

Tuesday 8

 

4 Prayed, Life; 6 tea, conversed; 7 coach; 10 Ingatestone, tea, within; 10.30 coach; 2.30 Colch[este]r, dinner, the Castle, walk; 4.30 coach; 8 Harwich, supper, within; 9.30.

 

AUG 8, Tues. - At seven Mr. Brankenbury, Broadbent, and I took coach for Harwich, which we reached about eight in the evening.

 

Wed. 9.-Between two and three in the afternoon we went on board the Besborough packet, one of the cleanest ships I ever saw, with one of the most obliging captains. We had many gentlemen on board, whom I was agreeably surprised to find equally obliging.

 

Thur. 10. - The wind continuing small, and the sea calm, they desired me to give them a sermon. They were all atten­tion. Who knows but some among them may retain the impressions they then received?

 

Fri. 11.-For some time we had a dead calm; so that we did not reach Hellevoetsluis till the afternoon, nor Rotterdam till between ten and eleven at night. We found Mr. Loyal was not returned from a journey, which he had begun a week or two before; but Mrs. Loyal gave us a hearty welcome.

 

Sat. 12.-Mr. Williams, minister of the Episcopal Church, and Mr. Scott, minister of the Scotch Church, both welcomed me to Holland[4]; but their kindness involved me in an awkward difficulty. 

 

Wednesday 9

 

4 Prayed, Life, letters; 8 tea, letters, Life; 12.30 visited; 1.30 dinner; 2.30 Ship, the Besborough, in talk, read Told[5]; 5 prayed, tea, Told, together, supper; 9 together; 9.30.

 

Thursday 10

 

4 Prayed, Told; 8 tea, Smollet[t], Prov. iii 17, conversed, Smol1et; 2 dinner, conversed, Smollet, tea, prayed, Smollet, supper together; 9.30.

 

Friday 11

 

4.30 Prayed, Smollet; 8 tea, within, Smollet; 2 dinner; 4 Helvoetsluys, on business; 4.45 coach; 10 Rotterdam, on business, at Mrs. Loyal’s, supper; 11.

 

Saturday 12

 

530 Prayed, letter, Life; 8 tea, conversed, Life; 12.30 visited, Life; 2 dinner, conversed; 3.30 Life;

 

 5 at Mr. Hall’s, tea, conversed; 6 prayed, Life; 8.30 supper, conversed, prayer; 10.

 

Mr. Scott had asked the consent of his Consistory for me to preach in his church on Sunday afternoon; but Mr. Williams had given notice of my preaching in his church, both morning and afternoon, and neither of them being willing to give up his point, I would fain have compromised the matter; but each seemed to apprehend his honour concerned, and would not in any wise give up his point. I saw no possible way to satisfy both but by prolonging my stay in Holland, in order to preach one Sunday, morning and afternoon, in the Episcopal, and another in the Scotch Church. And possibly God may have more work for me to do in Holland than I am yet aware of.

 

Though Mr. Loyal,[6] with whom I lodged when I was at Rotterdam before, was not in town, being gone with a friend to Paris, yet I was quite as at home, and went on in my work without any interruption.

 

Sun. 13.-The service began about ten. Mr. Williams read prayers exceedingly well, and I preached on those words in the First Lesson, ‘How long halt ye between two opinions?’ All the congregation gave a serious attention: but I fear they only heard, but did not feel. But many seemed to be much affected in the afternoon, while I opened and applied those words, ‘There hath no temptation taken you but what is common to men.’ In the evening Mr. Scott called upon me and informed me that the elders of his church would not desire me to stay in Holland on purpose to preach, but would dismiss my promise. I then determined to follow my first plan, and (God willing) to return to England in a fortnight.

 

Mon. 14- Taking boat at eight, we went at our ease through one of the pleasantest summer countries in Europe, and reached The Hague between twelve and one. 

 

Sunday 13

 

4.30 Prayed, Life; 8 tea, conversed, Life; 10 E[piscopal] Ch[urch], prayers, I Kings xviii. 21; 12 Life, at Mr. Will[iam]’s, dinner, Life; 2.30 prayers, I Cor. x. 13! visited, tea, conversed; 6 Life, prayed, walk; 8.30 supper, conversed, prayer; 10.

 

Monday 14

 

4.30 Prayed, Life; 7.30 tea; 8 boat, read History; 10.30 De[l]ft, conversed; 11.30 boat; 12.30 Hague, at Mr. AI[-], Life; 3 dinner, Life;  5 tea; 6 Life; 7.30 walk, conversed, supper, prayer; 10.

 

Being de­termined to lodge at no more inns,[7] I went with brother Ferguson to his own lodging, and passed a quiet and comfort­able night. A few pious persons came to us in the evening, with whose spirits we quickly took acquaintance. I have not found any persons, since we crossed the sea, who seemed so much devoted to God.

 

Tues. 15.-Making the experiment when we took boat, I found I could write as well in the boat as in my study; so from this hour I continued writing whenever I was on board. What mode of travelling is to be compared with this? About noon we called on Professor Roers, at Leyden, a very sensible and conversable man. As he spoke Latin very fluently, I could willingly have spent some hours with him; but I had appointed to be at Amsterdam in the evening. We came thither between seven and eight, and took up our abode with William Ferguson, who continued to lodge us all with tolerable convenience.

 

Wed. 16.-I spent the day very quietly in writing, and visiting a few friends, who knew not how to be affectionate enough. In the evening I spoke to a little company at my own lodgings on ‘It is appointed unto men once to die;’

 

Thur. 17.-I breakfasted with a little company of truly pious people, and afterwards went to see the manner wherein the deacons of Amsterdam relieve their poor weekly. I sup­pose there were two or three hundred poor, but the whole was transacted with the utmost stillness and decency.

 

Tuesday 15

 

4.30 Prayed, Life, tea; 7 boat, Life, Leyden, visited some; 12.30 boat; 5 H[a]arlem; 5.30 boat; 7.30 Amsterdam, walk; 8 at brother Ferguson’s, supper, within, prayer; 10.

 

        Wednesday 16

 

4.30 Prayed, Life; 7.30 tea, conversed, prayer, Life; 12.30walk, Life; 2 dinner, Life; 4 at Mrs. Yeaston’s, tea, conversed, prayer; 7.30     Heb. ix. 27, supper, within, prayer; 9.30­

 

Thursday 17

 

4 Prayed, Life: 8 at brother Dykman’s, tea, conversed, prayer, visited; 10 Deacons; 11 Life; 1 walk, at Mr. Vanhingal; dinner, conversed, prayer; 4.15 walk; 5 at Mr. Melv., tea, within; 6 Life, prayed;  7.30 supper, conversed, prayer; 9.30.

 

To-day likewise I visited more of my friends, who showed all possible affection.

 

Fri. 18.-We went to Haarlem, and spent an agreeable day with a few agreeable friends. We lodged at Mr. Van Kampen’s,[8] a florist, and were perfectly at home. Both Mr. and Mrs. Van Kampen seemed deeply devoted to God, as much as any I have seen in Holland.

 

In the afternoon we met a little company in the town, who seemed to be truly alive to God; one Miss Rouquet in par­ticular, whose least recommendation was that she could speak both Dutch, French, and English. She spent the evening at Miss Falkenberg’s, the chief gentlewoman in the town. Here we supped. The manner was particular: no table-cloth was used, but plates, with knives and forks, and napkins, to each person, and fifteen or sixteen small ones; on which were bread, butter, cheese, slices of hung beef, cakes, pancakes, and fruits of various kinds. To these were added music upon an excellent organ, one of the sweetest tones I ever heard.

 

Sat. 19.-We took a walk in Haarlem wood. So delightful a place I scarce ever saw before. I judged it to be about a mile broad, and two or three miles deep. This is divided into almost innumerable walks, some broad and some narrow, but diversified in a wonderful manner, and skirted with elegant houses on both sides. In the afternoon we returned to Amsterdam. In the evening Mr. Schouten,[9] a bookseller (whose daughter had come to us in the boat to Amsterdam), an elder of the Hollands Church, invited us to supper, and desired me to expound a portion of Scripture, which I did with liberty of Spirit.

 

Friday 18

 

4 Prayed; 6 boat, conversed; 9.30 Haarlem, tea, prayers, visited, walk; 1 at Mr. Van Campen’s, garden, conversed, prayer; 2.30 Life; 5 visited, tea, conversed; 7 at Miss Fa1conberg’s, music, conversed; 9 supper, together; 10 coach; 10.30.

 

Saturday 19

 

5 Prayed, Life; 8 tea, conversed, Life; 11 walk; 1 dinner, conversed; 3 boat, Life; 6 at home, tea, prayed; 6.30 at Mr. Schouten’s, [-] Eph. ii. 8! supper, conversed, prayer; 930.

 

Afterward Mr. Brackenbury repeated to them in French the substance of what I had said.

 

Sun. 20.-I expected to have preached in the English Church, as I did before; but some of the elders were un­willing. So I attended there as a hearer; and I heard as miserable a sermon as most I have heard in my life. It might have been preached either among Jews, Turks, or heathens, without offending them at all. In the afternoon I expounded, to a company of serious Christians, our Lord’s account of building our house upon a rock. Jonathan Ferguson[10] interpreted sentence by sentence; and God applied it to the hearts of the hearers.

 

Mon. 21.-I spent an hour with great satisfaction at Mr. Noltani’s[11] country house. Such a couple as him and his wife I never saw since I left London; and both their children appeared to be worthy of their parents, both as to person, understanding, and temper.

 

Tues. 22.-I spent great part of the day at Mr. Vankennel’s[12] country house, having agreed with him to give me a private room to write in before and after dinner. At ten a very sensible clergyman came in, with whom I conversed very largely, as he talked elegant Latin, and exceeding fluently, beyond any I have lately seen on the Continent.

 

Sunday 20

 

4 Prayed, Life; 7 tea, conversed, Life; 9.30 English Church, prayers, Life; 12.30 dinner, conversed, Life; 1.30 prayers; 3 Life; 4 at brother Dykman’s, tea, Matt. vii. 24! 6.30 at Mr. Vanhingel’s, conversed, supper; 8.30 at home, prayer; 9.15.

 

Monday 21

 

4.30 Prayed, Life; 7 tea, conversed, prayer, Life; 12 visited; 1 dinner, conversed, Life; 3.30 walk; 4 at Mrs. Yeaston’s, conversed, prayer, walk, at Mr. Noltani’s [Noltenius], tea, conversed, garden; 7 coach, walk; 8 supper, conversed, prayer; 9.30.

 

Tuesday 22

 

4 Prayed, Life, [-]! 8.30 at Mr. Dykm[an]’s, tea, conversed, prayer, visited; 10.30 at home, Life; 1.30 dinner, conversed, Life; 4 prayed; 5 at Mr. Ger-, tea, conversed; 7.30 Life; 8.30 supper, conversed, prayer; 9.30.

 

Having seen all the friends I proposed to see, on Thursday the 24th I took my leave of this loving people, and the pleasant city of Amsterdam, very probably for ever; and, setting out at seven in the morning, between two and three in the afternoon came to Utrecht. Mr. Van Rocy, the gentleman who had engaged me to lodge, sent a coach to wait for me at my landing; and received me with the courtesy and cordiality of an old Yorkshire Methodist.

 

Fri. 25.-I kept close to my work all the day. I dined at Mr. Loten’s, where was such variety of food as I never saw at any nobleman’s table, either in England or Ireland. In the afternoon we took a view of a widow lady’s gardens in the suburbs of Utrecht. I believe from the house to the end of the grand vista is about a mile. I think the gardens are not half as broad; but such exquisite beauty and symmetry I never saw before. In grandeur it is not to be named with a few places in England; but in elegance and variety, I verily believe it equals, if not exceeds, any place of the size in Europe.

 

In the evening I expounded to a select company of very honourable ladies Matt. vii. 24, Miss Loten[13] interpreting for me sentence by sentence. And I know not but God might bless this poor way of preaching to the Dutch, as He did that to the Indians by David Brainerd

 

Wednesday 23

 

4 Prayed, Life; 7.30 tea, conversed, Life; 10.30 within, walk; 12 at Mr. Van[-]l, 1 Life; 3 dinner, conversed, Life; 4.45 garden, tea, conversed, walk; 7.30 Life; 8 supper, conversed, prayer; 9.30.

 

Thursday 24

 

4.30 Prayed, tea; 7 boat, writ Journal; 2.30 Utrecht, at Mr. Van-Rocy’s; 3 dinner, within, Diary, prayed; 5 tea, conversed, visited some; 7 Life; 8.30 supper, conversed; 9 prayer; 10.

 

Friday 25

 

4 Prayed, Life; 8 at Mr. Russel’s, tea, together; 9 Life; at Miss Loten’s, dinner, conversed, prayer; 4 garden! 5.15 at Mr. Thompson's, tea, conversed, visited; 6 Life; 7 at Miss Loten’s, Matt, vii. 24, 

 

        con­versed; 9.30 supper, conversed; 10.30 at home

 

Sat. 26.-I had a long conversation with a gentleman whom almost all the religious world take for a madman. I do not know that I have found one of so deep experience since I left London. I have no doubt of his being perfected in love. He has a clear witness of it, and has had many years, without any interruption. I had now an opportunity of being thoroughly informed concerning the University of Utrecht. As the young gentlemen are scattered over this town, and live without the least control, they do anything, or nothing, as they please; and, as they have no tutors, they have none to check them. Most of them lounge from morning to night, doing nothing, or doing worse. Well, bad as they are, Oxford and Cambridge are not Utrecht yet.

 

Sun. 27.-I attended the service at the English church, where about thirty persons were present. At five in the evening I believe I had eighty or ninety hearers; and I had much liberty of speech among them. I cannot doubt but some of them found the word of God to be sharper than a two-edged sword.

 

After service I went once more to Mr. Loten’s. Both Mrs. Loten and he came to town on purpose to see me; otherwise, he could find little comfort there during the present state of affairs. The burghers have all agreed to depose their burgomasters, and elect new ones in their stead; who are to-morrow to take an oath on a scaffold erected in the open market-place, not to the Prince of Orange, but to the city of Utrecht. To this end, they had displaced all the Prince’s Guards, and placed burghers at all the gates. 

 

Saturday 26

 

 5 Prayed, Life; 7 ill, lay [-], sleep; 10 visited some; 1 at home, dinner, conversed; 3 Life, prayed; 5 at Mr.          , tea, conversed, prayer, visited; 8 supper, conversed, prayer, on business; 9.30.

 

Sunday 27

 

4 Prayed, Life; 7.30 tea Life; 9.30 at the English church; 10 prayers, sermon! 11.30 Life; 1 at Mr. Russel’s, dinner, within; 3 Life; 4 prayed, tea; 5 prayers, Isai. Iv. 6! visited, at Mr. Loten’s, 

 

        con­versed, prayer, visited; 9 supper; 9.45.

 

It is thought the example will spread; and it will not be strange if all Holland should soon be a field of blood.[14]

 

Mon. 28.-We took boat at seven, being informed that at eight all the city gates would be shut. In the evening we reached Rotterdam, and rejoiced to meet good Mr. Loyal once more. Here we rested on Tuesday.

 

Wed. 30. - W e set out early, and went twelve miles in a coach, for which we had to pay six guilders[15] and no more. We then crossed the river, which cost four stivers,[16] and hired an open wagon for twenty-three stivers, which brought us to the other river in half an hour. At the Brill[17] we hired another coach, which cost us four guilders. I set down these little things that others may not be cheated.

 

We found company enough in our inn at Hellevoetsluis, genteel, good-natured, and sensible; but, finding our conversation was not suited to their taste, we only dined with them on this and the following days. Both on this, Thursday, and Friday the wind was quite contrary, but otherwise we could not have sailed, for it blew a storm; so I took the opportunity of writing a sermon for the Magazine.

 

Monday 28

 

4 .15 Prayed, Life, tea, conversed; 7 boat, Life; 1.30 Gouda, at Mr.       ; 2 dinner, conversed; 3.15 coach; 5.30 Rotterdam, tea, within; 6.30 tea, supper, prayer; 9.30.

 

Tuesday 29

 

4 15 Prayed, writ, Diary, tea, read narrative; 2.30 dinner; 4 read narrative, tea, prayed, supper, prayer; 9.45.

 

Wednesday 30

 

4 Prayed, tea; 6 coach; 12.30 W -, read; 1.45 dinner; 3 writ narrative, tea, supper, prayer; 9.30.

 

Thursday 31

 

4 Prayed, read narrative; 8 tea, read narrative, letters, walk; 2.30 dinner;    4 prayed, walk, tea; 7 read narrative; 8 supper, within, prayer; 9.30.

---

 

[1] See Works, vol. xiii. p. 258; or Arm. Mag. 1787, pp. 100 and 155.

 

[2] On this day we find the earliest Diary-reference to that Life of Fletcher which Wesley published in December of this year. It is included in the Works, vol. xi. There can be no reasonable doubt that the frequent note in the Diary –‘Life’'-is to be interpreted as work preparatory to the Short Account, which he did not begin earnestly to cast into, book form until September 26. It is interesting to note that the Preface was written first, and was dated Amsterdam, September 12, 1786 (Green’s Wesley Bibliography, No. 389).

 

[3] He wrote to Mrs. Fletcher asking for dates needed for his Life of Fletcher (new ed. Wesley Letters).

 

[4] This was Wesley’s third visit to Holland. It was the, only country be­yond seas which he visited so often. His object was not to form Methodist socie­ties, but as opportunities offered to do all the good he could while on his tour. For the Scotch Church in Holland see Halyburton’s Life.

 

[5] The Life of Silas Told had just been published. Three years later Wesley published an abridged edition. See Green's Bibliog. No. 406.

 

[6] See above, vol. vi. pp. 427, 429, and below, Aug.28

 

[7] See above, vol. vi. pp. 427.

 

[8] See above, vol. vi. p. 426.

 

[9] See above, vol. vi. p. 422. In the earlier editions this name is misspelt ‘Shranten.’

 

[10] Son of William Ferguson.

 

[11] Probably Noltenius.

 

[12] Assuming the accuracy of the Diary, an error has crept into the  journal. The Diary shows that the visit to Mr. Vankennel occurred on the 23rd.

 

[13] She corresponded with Wesley in, English up to the time of his death.

 

[14] The resistance [of the Republican party] against the Princess of Holland continued to increase in violence, until in 1787 the Prussians again interfered, occupying Amsterdam, reinstating the stadholder who had been driven out, and compelling the States, much against their will, to ally themselves with England and Prussia (Encyclopaedia Britannica).

 

[15] A guilder equals 1s. 8d.

 

[16] A stiver equals 1d.

 

[17] This is the customary English name for Bridle.