England where I have many friends, and that when you see me in your country you may remember that I told you.”
In 1676 Henri Justel married his cousin Charlotte de Lorme. Their daughter was buried on March 17, 1681, the eve of their departure from France. Weiss informs us: — “Justel, who was secretary to Louis XIV., early penetrated that monarch’s designs. Resolutely making up his mind, he sold his rich library several years before the Revocation, and went to England. This was great joy to Bayle. ‘I hope,’ he said in his Nouvelles de la République des Lettres, March 1684, ‘Monsieur Justel, who now resides in London, and who is so inquiring, so learned, so well informed in all that concerns the Republic of letters, and so well disposed to contribute his information, will tell us many things that will do much honour to this Journal.’ Scarcely had Justel arrived in London when he was named librarian to the King of England. Such was his reputation as a learned man, that he was more than once chosen to arbitrate in erudite quarrels. His rich and copious conversation attracted St. Evremond, who loved those talking libraries (ces bibliotheques parlantes).”
On his arrival in 1681, Justel called on Hickes at his house on Tower-Hill, and reminded him of his prediction. The office which he obtained was Keeper of the King’s Library at St. James’s; the annual salary was £200. One of his hospitable friends was John Evelyn. We meet him in Evelyn’s diary during the severe frost of January and February 1684, when the ice on the Thames was covered with streets of booths where all sorts of shopping could be executed, meat was roasted, carriages, carts, and horses driven along; there was a printing press where the people had their names printed on cards for sixpence per name; and Justel’s card is still preserved by a collector.
Monsr. et Madme. Justel.
Printed on the river Thames being frozen.
In the 36th year of King Charles the II.,
February the 5th, 1683.
Justel added with a pen V.S. (for vieux style), to indicate that the true date was 1684. On the 8th February Evelyn writes:— “I went this evening to visit that great and knowing virtuoso, Monsieur Justell. The weather was set in to an absolute thaw and rain; but the Thames still frozen;” “3d December, I carried Mr. Justell and Mr. Slingsby, Master of the Mint, to see Mr. Sheldon’s collection of medals.” The last entry is dated 13th March 1691: “I went to visit Monsieur Justell and the library at St. James’s, in which that learned man had put the MSS. (which were in good number) into excellent order, they having lain neglected for many years; divers medals had been stolen and embezzled.”
“Henry Justel” was formally naturalized at Westminster, 15th April 1687, after a residence of six years. This truly great man died in September 1693, and was buried at Eton. His widow survived him. “Madame Charlotte Justel” is registered in London as godmother to Jean Moisant, on 24th January 1695. He was also survived by a son, Henry, B.A. of Oxford in 1700, and MA. in 1701. The Rev. Henry became chaplain to the Duke of Montague. On 4th May 1721 he is registered in the French Chapel of St. James’ Palace as Rector of Clewer in Berkshire, on the occasion of his marriage to Charlotte Francoise De la Croix.[1] The Rev. Henry Justel had three daughters born and baptized at Clewer, of whom two (Charlotte and Emily) survived him. He died in April 1729, and was buried at Clewer.
VII. Mussard.
Jean Mussard, goldsmith, took refuge in Geneva, flying out of France at or before 1579. By Anne Le Grand, his wife, whom he had married in 1574, he had five sons. The second, named Jean Mussard, married Clermonde Crespe in 1609, and had two daughters and three sons, of which sons both the eldest and the youngest bore the name of Pierre; the latter, who was born in 1627, was styled le cadet (the younger). This was the learned, eloquent, and orthodox Pasteur Pierre Mussard.
Having settled in France as a pasteur, and being of a French family, he is entitled to a place among the Huguenot refugees. The city of Lyons was his home as
- ↑ “Le 4 May 1721 en vertu d’une Licence de l’Arch. Mr. Mesnard a beni le mariage de Henry Justel Recteur de Cluer en Berkshire avec Charlotte Francoise De la Croix, de la Paroisse de St. James, fille.”
