At noon comes Mr Evelyn to me, about some business with the office, and there in discourse tell me of his loss, to the value of L500, which he hath met with in a late attempt of making of bricks upon an adventure with others, by which he presumed to have got a great deal of money; so that I see the most ingenious man may sometimes be mistaken'.

Kiviet a year or two later on had a fresh scheme for draining marshy lands 'with the hopes of a rich harvest of hemp and cole seed', but Evelyn took no share in this new adventure.
In July 1669 his University, Oxford, bestowed upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Law, but he had still no permanent official appointment, his Commissionerships now being completed.

Early in May 1670 he went 'to London concerning the office of Latine Secretary to his Majesty, a place of more honor than dignitie and profit, the revertion of which he had promised me', though the promise was not fulfilled.
Early in 1669, it had been proposed to Evelyn by Lord Arlington that he should write a history of the Dutch War, but he declined.

Towards the middle of the following year, however, pressure was brought on him to undertake the work.

'After dinner Lord (Arlington) communicated to me his Majesty's desire that I would engage to write the History of our late War with the Hollanders, which I had hitherto declin'd; this I found was ill-taken, and that I should disoblige his Majesty, who had made choice of me to do him this service, and if I would undertake it, I should have all the assistance the Secretary's office and others could give me, with other encouragements, which I could not decently refuse'.
This work was never completed, so much as was written by way of introduction being subsequently published in 1674 as _Navigation and Commerce, their Original and Progress_.
Evelyn was, however, not to have much longer to wait for regular official employment, as on 28 February, 1671, 'The Treasurer acquainted me that his Majesty was graciously pleas'd to nominate me one of the Council of Forraine Plantations, and give me a salary of L500 per ann.
to encourage me'.