THE DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS M. A. F. R. S. 

 CLERK OF THE ACTS AND SECRETARY TO THE ADMIRALTY

 TRANSCRIBED FROM THE SHORTHAND MANUSCRIPT IN THE PEPYSIAN LIBRARY MAGDALENE COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE BY THE REV. MYNORS BRIGHT M. A. LATE FELLOW AND PRESIDENT OF THE COLLEGE

 (Unabridged)

 WITH LORD BRAYBROOKE'S NOTES

 EDITED WITH ADDITIONS BY

 HENRY B. WHEATLEY F. S. A. 

 DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS. FEBRUARY & MARCH 1668-1669

February 1st. Up, and by water from the Tower to White Hall, the firsttime that I have gone to that end of the town by water, for two or threemonths, I think, since I kept a coach, which God send propitious to me;but it is a very great convenience. I went to a Committee of Tangier, butit did not meet, and so I meeting Mr. Povy, he and I away to Dancre's, tospeak something touching the pictures I am getting him to make for me. And thence he carried me to Mr. Streeter's, the famous history-painterover the way, whom I have often heard of, but did never see him before;and there I found him, and Dr. Wren, and several Virtuosos, looking uponthe paintings which he is making for the new Theatre at Oxford: and, indeed, they look as if they would be very fine, and the rest think betterthan those of Rubens in the Banqueting-house at White Hall, but I do notso fully think so. But they will certainly be very noble; and I ammightily pleased to have the fortune to see this man and his work, whichis very famous; and he a very civil little man, and lame, but lives veryhandsomely. So thence to my Lord Bellassis, and met him within: mybusiness only to see a chimney-piece of Dancre's doing, in distemper, withegg to keep off the glaring of the light, which I must have done for myroom: and indeed it is pretty, but, I must confess, I do think it is notaltogether so beautiful as the oyle pictures; but I will have some of one, and some of another. Thence set him down at Little Turnstile, and so Ihome, and there eat a little dinner, and away with my wife by coach to theKing's playhouse, thinking to have seen "The Heyresse, " first acted onSaturday last; but when we come thither, we find no play there; Kinaston, that did act a part therein, in abuse to Sir Charles Sedley, being lastnight exceedingly beaten with sticks, by two or three that assaulted him, so as he is mightily bruised, and forced to keep his bed. So we to theDuke of York's playhouse, and there saw "She Would if She Could, " and sohome and to my office to business, and then to supper and to bed. Thisday, going to the play, The. Turner met us, and carried us to her mother, at my Lady Mordaunt's; and I did carry both mother and daughter with us tothe Duke of York's playhouse, at next door. 

2nd. Up, and to the office, where all the morning, and home to dinner atnoon, where I find Mr. Sheres; and there made a short dinner, and carriedhim with us to the King's playhouse, where "The Heyresse, "not-withstanding Kinaston's being beaten, is acted; and they say the Kingis very angry with Sir Charles Sedley for his being beaten, but he do denyit. But his part is done by Beeston, who is fain to read it out of a bookall the while, and thereby spoils the part, and almost the play, it beingone of the best parts in it; and though the design is, in the firstconception of it, pretty good, yet it is but an indifferent play, wrote, they say, by my Lord Newcastle. But it was pleasant to see Beeston comein with others, supposing it to be dark, and yet he is forced to read hispart by the light of the candles: and this I observing to a gentleman thatsat by me, he was mightily pleased therewith, and spread it up and down. But that, that pleased me most in the play is, the first song that Kneppsings, she singing three or four; and, indeed, it was very finely sung, soas to make the whole house clap her. Thence carried Sheres to White Hall, and there I stepped in, and looked out Mr. May, who tells me that he andhis company cannot come to dine with me to-morrow, whom I expected only tocome to see the manner of our Office and books, at which I was not verymuch displeased, having much business at the Office, and so away home, andthere to the office about my letters, and then home to supper and to bed, my wife being in mighty ill humour all night, and in the morning I foundit to be from her observing Knepp to wink and smile on me; and she says Ismiled on her; and, poor wretch! I did perceive that she did, and do onall such occasions, mind my eyes. I did, with much difficulty, pacify her, and were friends, she desiring that hereafter, at that house, we mightalways sit either above in a box, or, if there be [no] room, close up tothe lower boxes. 

3rd. So up, and to the Office till noon, and then home to a littledinner, and thither again till night, mighty busy, to my great content, doing a great deal of business, and so home to supper, and to bed; Ifinding this day that I may be able to do a great deal of business bydictating, if I do not read myself, or write, without spoiling my eyes, Ibeing very well in my eyes after a great day's work. 

4th. Up, and at the office all the morning. At noon home with my peopleto dinner, and then after dinner comes Mr. Spong to see me, and brings memy Parallelogram, in better order than before, and two or three draughtsof the port of Brest, to my great content, and I did call Mr. Gibson totake notice of it, who is very much pleased therewith; and it seems thisParallelogram is not, as Mr. Sheres would, the other day, have persuadedme, the same as a Protractor, which do so much the more make me value it, but of itself it is a most usefull instrument. Thence out with my wifeand him, and carried him to an instrument-maker's shop in Chancery Lane, that was once a 'Prentice of Greatorex's, but the master was not within, and there he [Gibson] shewed me a Parallelogram in brass, which I like sowell that I will buy, and therefore bid it be made clean and fit for me. And so to my cozen Turner's, and there just spoke with The. , the mothernot being at home; and so to the New Exchange, and thence home to myletters; and so home to supper and to bed. This morning I made a slipfrom the Office to White Hall, expecting Povy's business at a Committee ofTangier, at which I would be, but it did not meet, and so I presentlyback. 

5th. Up betimes, by coach to Sir W. Coventry's, and with him by coach toWhite Hall, and there walked in the garden talking of several things, andby my visit to keep fresh my interest in him; and there he tells me how ithath been talked that he was to go one of the Commissioners to Ireland, which he was resolved never to do, unless directly commanded; for he toldme that for to go thither, while the Chief Secretary of State was hisprofessed enemy, was to undo himself; and, therefore, it were better forhim to venture being unhappy here, than to go further off, to be undone bysome obscure instructions, or whatever other way of mischief his enemiesshould cut out for him. He mighty kind to me, and so parted, and thencehome, calling in two or three places--among others, Dancre's, where I findhim beginning of a piece for me, of Greenwich, which will please me well, and so home to dinner, and very busy all the afternoon, and so at nighthome to supper, and to bed. 

6th. Up, and to the office, where all the morning, and thence afterdinner to the King's playhouse, and there, --in an upper box, where come inColonel Poynton and Doll Stacey, who is very fine, and, by herwedding-ring, I suppose he hath married her at last, --did see "The Moor ofVenice:" but ill acted in most parts; Mohun, which did a little surpriseme, not acting Iago's part by much so well as Clun used to do; nor anotherHart's, which was Cassio's; nor, indeed, Burt doing the Moor's so well asI once thought he did. Thence home, and just at Holborn Conduit the boltbroke, that holds the fore-wheels to the perch, and so the horses wentaway with them, and left the coachman and us; but being near ourcoachmaker's, and we staying in a little ironmonger's shop, we werepresently supplied with another, and so home, and there to my letters atthe office, and so to supper and to bed. 

7th (Lord's day). My wife mighty peevish in the morning about my lyingunquietly a-nights, and she will have it that it is a late practice, frommy evil thoughts in my dreams, . . . . And mightily she is troubledabout it; but all blew over, and I up, and to church, and so home todinner, where she in a worse fit, which lasted all the afternoon, andshut herself up, in her closet, and I mightily grieved and vexed, andcould not get her to tell me what ayled her, or to let me into hercloset, but at last she did, where I found her crying on the ground, and I could not please her; but I did at last find that she did plainlyexpound it to me. It was, that she did believe me false to her withJane, and did rip up three or four silly circumstances of her not risingtill I come out of my chamber, and her letting me thereby see herdressing herself; and that I must needs go into her chamber and wasnaught with her; which was so silly, and so far from truth, that I couldnot be troubled at it, though I could not wonder at her being troubled, if she had these thoughts, and therefore she would lie from me, andcaused sheets to be put on in the blue room, and would have Jane to liewith her lest I should come to her. At last, I did give her suchsatisfaction, that we were mighty good friends, and went to bed betimes . . . . . 

8th. Up, and dressed myself; and by coach, with W. Hewer and my wife, toWhite Hall, where she set us two down; and in the way, our little boy, atMartin, my bookseller's shop, going to 'light, did fall down; and, had henot been a most nimble boy (I saw how he did it, and was mightily pleasedwith him for it), he had been run over by the coach. I to visit my LordSandwich; and there, while my Lord was dressing himself, did see a youngSpaniard, that he hath brought over with him, dance, which he is admiredfor, as the best dancer in Spain, and indeed he do with mighty mastery;but I do not like his dancing as the English, though my Lord commends itmightily: but I will have him to my house, and show it my wife. Here Imet with Mr. Moore, who tells me the state of my Lord's accounts of hisembassy, which I find not so good as I thought: for, though it be passedthe King and his Cabal (the Committee for Foreign Affairs as they arecalled), yet they have cut off from L9000 full L8000, and have now sent itto the Lords of the Treasury, who, though the Committee have allowed therest, yet they are not obliged to abide by it. So that I do fear thisaccount may yet be long ere it be passed--much more, ere that sum be paid:I am sorry for the family, and not a little for what it owes me. So to mywife, took her up at Unthank's, and in our way home did shew her the tallwoman in Holborne, which I have seen before; and I measured her, and sheis, without shoes, just six feet five inches high, and they say not abovetwenty-one years old. Thence home, and there to dinner, and my wife in awonderful ill humour; and, after dinner, I staid with her alone, being notable to endure this life, and fell to some angry words together; but byand by were mighty good friends, she telling me plain it was still aboutJane, whom she cannot believe but I am base with, which I made a matter ofmirth at; but at last did call up Jane, and confirm her mistress'sdirections for her being gone at Easter, which I find the wench willing tobe, but directly prayed that Tom might go with her, which I promised, andwas but what I designed; and she being thus spoke with, and gone, my wifeand I good friends, and mighty kind, I having promised, and I will performit, never to give her for the time to come ground of new trouble; and so Ito the Office, with a very light heart, and there close at my business allthe afternoon. This day I was told by Mr. Wren, that Captain Cox, Master-Attendant at Deptford, is to be one of us very soon, he and Tippetsbeing to take their turns for Chatham and Portsmouth, which choice I likewell enough; and Captain Annesley is to come in his room at Deptford. This morning also, going to visit Roger Pepys, at the potticary's inKing's Street, he tells me that Roger is gone to his wife's, so that theyhave been married, as he tells me, ever since the middle of last week: itwas his design, upon good reasons, to make no noise of it; but I am wellenough contented that it is over. Dispatched a great deal of business atthe office, and there pretty late, till finding myself very full of wind, by my eating no dinner to-day, being vexed, I was forced to go home, andthere supped W. Batelier with us, and so with great content to bed. 

9th. Up, and all the morning busy at the office, and after dinner abroadwith my wife to the King's playhouse, and there saw "The IslandPrincesse, " which I like mighty well, as an excellent play: and here wefind Kinaston to be well enough to act again, which he do very well, afterhis beating by Sir Charles Sedley's appointment; and so thence home, andthere to my business at the Office, and after my letters done, then hometo supper and to bed, my mind being mightily eased by my having thismorning delivered to the Office a letter of advice about our answers tothe Commissioners of Accounts, whom we have neglected, and I have donethis as a record in my justification hereafter, when it shall come to beexamined. 

10th. Up, and with my wife and W. Hewer, she set us down at White Hall, where the Duke of York was gone a-hunting: and so, after I had done alittle business there, I to my wife, and with her to the plaisterer's atCharing Cross, that casts heads and bodies in plaister: and there I had mywhole face done; but I was vexed first to be forced to daub all my faceover with pomatum: but it was pretty to feel how soft and easily it isdone on the face, and by and by, by degrees, how hard it becomes, that youcannot break it, and sits so close, that you cannot pull it off, and yetso easy, that it is as soft as a pillow, so safe is everything where manyparts of the body do bear alike. Thus was the mould made; but when itcame off there was little pleasure in it, as it looks in the mould, norany resemblance whatever there will be in the figure, when I come to seeit cast off, which I am to call for a day or two hence, which I shall longto see. Thence to Hercules Pillars, and there my wife and W. Hewer and Idined, and back to White Hall, where I staid till the Duke of York comefrom hunting, which he did by and by, and, when dressed, did come out todinner; and there I waited: and he did tell me that to-morrow was to bethe great day that the business of the Navy would be dis coursed of beforethe King and his Caball, and that he must stand on his guard, and diddesign to have had me in readiness by, but that upon second thoughts didthink it better to let it alone, but they are now upon entering into theeconomical part of the Navy. Here he dined, and did mightily magnify hissauce, which he did then eat with every thing, and said it was the bestuniversal sauce in the world, it being taught him by the SpanishEmbassador; made of some parsley and a dry toast, beat in a mortar, together with vinegar, salt, and a little pepper: he eats it with flesh, or fowl, or fish: and then he did now mightily commend some new sort ofwine lately found out, called Navarre wine, which I tasted, and is, Ithink, good wine: but I did like better the notion of the sauce, and byand by did taste it, and liked it mightily. After dinner, I did what Iwent for, which was to get his consent that Balty might hold hisMuster-Master's place by deputy, in his new employment which I design forhim, about the Storekeeper's accounts; which the Duke of York did grantme, and I was mighty glad of it. Thence home, and there I find Povy andW. Batelier, by appointment, met to talk of some merchandize of wine andlinnen; but I do not like of their troubling my house to meet in, havingno mind to their pretences of having their rendezvous here, but, however, I was not much troubled, but went to the office, and there very busy, anddid much business till late at night, and so home to supper, and withgreat pleasure to bed. This day, at dinner, I sent to Mr. Spong to cometo me to Hercules Pillars, who come to us, and there did bring with him mynew Parallelogram of brass, which I was mightily pleased with, and paidfor it 25s. , and am mightily pleased with his ingenious and modestcompany. 

11th. Up, and to the office, where sat all the morning, and at noon homeand heard that the last night Colonel Middleton's wife died, a woman Inever saw since she come hither, having never been within their housesince. Home at noon to dinner, and thence to work all the afternoon withgreat pleasure, and did bring my business to a very little compass in myday book, which is a mighty pleasure, and so home to supper and get mywife to read to me, and then to bed. 

12th. Up, and my wife with me to White Hall, and Tom, and there she setsus down, and there to wait on the Duke of York, with the rest of us, atthe Robes, where the Duke of York did tell us that the King would have usprepare a draught of the present administration of the Navy, and what itwas in the late times, in order to his being able to distinguish betweenthe good and the bad, which I shall do, but to do it well will give me agreat deal of trouble. Here we shewed him Sir J. Minnes's propositionsabout balancing Storekeeper's accounts; and I did shew him Hosier's, whichdid please him mightily, and he will have it shewed the Council and Kinganon, to be put in practice. Thence to the Treasurer's; and I and Sir J. Minnes and Mr. Tippets down to the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, and there had a hot debate from Sir Thomas Clifford and my Lord Ashly (thelatter of which, I hear, is turning about as fast as he can to the Duke ofBuckingham's side, being in danger, it seems, of being otherwise out ofplay, which would not be convenient for him), against Sir W. Coventry andSir J. Duncomb, who did uphold our Office against an accusation of ourTreasurers, who told the Lords that they found that we had run the King indebt L50, 000 or more, more than the money appointed for the year woulddefray, which they declared like fools, and with design to hurt us, thoughthe thing is in itself ridiculous. But my Lord Ashly and Clifford didmost horribly cry out against the want of method in the Office. At lastit come that it should be put in writing what they had to object; but Iwas devilish mad at it, to see us thus wounded by our own members, and soaway vexed, and called my wife, and to Hercules Pillars, Tom and I, theredined; and here there coming a Frenchman by with his Shew, we did make himshew it us, which he did just as Lacy acts it, which made it mightypleasant to me. So after dinner we away and to Dancre's, and there sawour picture of Greenwich in doing, which is mighty pretty, and so to WhiteHall, my wife to Unthank's, and I attended with Lord Brouncker the Kingand Council, about the proposition of balancing Storekeeper's accounts andthere presented Hosier's book, and it was mighty well resented andapproved of. So the Council being up, we to the Queen's side with theKing and Duke of York: and the Duke of York did take me out to talk of ourTreasurers, whom he is mighty angry with: and I perceive he is mightydesirous to bring in as many good motions of profit and reformation in theNavy as he can, before the Treasurers do light upon them, they beingdesirous, it seems, to be thought the great reformers: and the Duke ofYork do well. But to my great joy he is mighty open to me in every thing;and by this means I know his whole mind, and shall be able to securemyself, if he stands. Here to-night I understand, by my Lord Brouncker, that at last it is concluded on by the King and Buckingham that my Lord ofOrmond shall not hold his government of Ireland, which is a great stroke, to shew the power of Buckingham and the poor spirit of the King, andlittle hold that any man can have of him. Thence I homeward, and callingmy wife called at my cozen Turner's, and there met our new cozen Pepys(Mrs. Dickenson), and Bab. And Betty' come yesterday to town, poor girls, whom we have reason to love, and mighty glad we are to see them; and therestaid and talked a little, being also mightily pleased to see BettyTurner, who is now in town, and her brothers Charles and Will, being comefrom school to see their father, and there talked a while, and so home, and there Pelling hath got me W. Pen's book against the Trinity. 

 [Entitled, "The Sandy Foundation Shaken; or those . . . Doctrines of one God subsisting in three distinct and separate persons; the impossibility of God's pardoning sinners without a plenary satisfaction, the justification of impure persons by an imputative righteousness, refuted from the authority of Scripture testimonies and right reason, etc. London, 1668. " It caused him to be imprisoned in the Tower. "Aug. 4, 1669. Young Penn who wrote the blasphemous book is delivered to his father to be transported" ("Letter to Sir John Birkenhead, quoted by Bishop Kennett in his MS. Collections, vol. Lxxxix. , p. 477). ]

I got my wife to read it to me; and I find it so well writ as, I think, itis too good for him ever to have writ it; and it is a serious sort ofbook, and not fit for every body to read. So to supper and to bed. 

13th. Up, and all the morning at the office, and at noon home to dinner, and thence to the office again mighty busy, to my great content, tillnight, and then home to supper and, my eyes being weary, to bed. 

14th (Lord's day). Up, and by coach to Sir W. Coventry, and there, hetaking physic, I with him all the morning, full of very good discourse ofthe Navy and publick matters, to my great content, wherein I find himdoubtful that all will be bad, and, for his part, he tells me he takes nomore care for any thing more than in the Treasury; and that, that beingdone, he goes to cards and other delights, as plays, and in summertime tobowles. But here he did shew me two or three old books of the Navy, of myLord Northumberland's' times, which he hath taken many good notes out of, for justifying the Duke of York and us, in many things, wherein, perhaps, precedents will be necessary to produce, which did give me great content. At noon home, and pleased mightily with my morning's work, and cominghome, I do find a letter from Mr. Wren, to call me to the Duke of Yorkafter dinner. So dined in all haste, and then W. Hewer and my wife and Iout, we set her at my cozen Turner's while we to White Hall, where theDuke of York expected me; and in his closet Wren and I. He did tell me howthe King hath been acquainted with the Treasurers' discourse at the LordsCommissioners of the Treasury, the other day, and is dissatisfied with ourrunning him in debt, which I removed; and he did, carry me to the King, and I did satisfy him also; but his satisfaction is nothing worth, itbeing easily got, and easily removed; but I do purpose to put in writingthat which shall make the Treasurers ashamed. But the Duke of York ishorrid angry against them; and he hath cause, for they do all they can tobring dishonour upon his management, as do vainly appear in all they do. Having done with the Duke of York, who do repose all in me, I with Mr. Wren to his, chamber, to talk; where he observed, that these people areall of them a broken sort of people, that have not much to lose, andtherefore will venture all to make their fortunes better: that Sir ThomasOsborne is a beggar, having 11 of L1200 a-year, but owes above L10, 000. The Duke of Buckingham's condition is shortly this: that he hath aboutL19, 600 a-year, of which he pays away about L7, 000 a-year in interest, about L2000 in fee-farm rents to the King, about L6000 wages and pensions, and the rest to live upon, and pay taxes for the whole. Wren says, thatfor the Duke of York to stir in this matter, as his quality might justify, would but make all things worse, and that therefore he must bend, andsuffer all, till time works it out: that he fears they will sacrifice theChurch, and that the King will take anything, and so he will hold up hishead a little longer, and then break in pieces. But Sir W. Coventry didtoday mightily magnify my late Lord Treasurer, for a wise and solid, though infirm man: and, among other things, that when he hath said it wasimpossible in nature to find this or that sum of money, and my LordChancellor hath made sport of it, and tell the King that when my Lord hathsaid it [was] impossible, yet he hath made shift to find it, and that wasby Sir G. Carteret's getting credit, my Lord did once in his hearing saythus, which he magnifies as a great saying--that impossible would be foundimpossible at last; meaning that the King would run himself out, beyondall his credit and funds, and then we should too late find it impossible;which is, he says, now come to pass. For that Sir W. Coventry says theycould borrow what money they would, if they had assignments, and funds tosecure it with, which before they had enough of, and then must spend it asif it would never have an end. From White Hall to my cozen Turner's, andthere took up my wife; and so to my uncle Wight's, and there sat andsupped, and talked pretty merry, and then walked home, and to bed. 

15th. Up, and with Tom to White Hall; and there at a Committee ofTangier, where a great instance of what a man may lose by the neglect of afriend: Povy never had such an opportunity of passing his accounts, theDuke of York being there, and everybody well disposed, and in expectationof them; but my Lord Ashly, on whom he relied, and for whose sake this daywas pitched on, that he might be sure to be there, among the rest of hisfriends, staid too long, till the Duke of York and the company thoughtunfit to stay longer and so the day lost, and God knows when he will everhave so good a one again, as long as he lives; and this was the man of thewhole company that he hath made the most interest to gain, and now mostdepended upon him. So up and down the house a while, and then to theplaisterer's, and there saw the figure of my face taken from the mould:and it is most admirably like, and I will have another made, before I takeit away, and therefore I away and to the Temple, and thence to my cozenTurner's, where, having the last night been told by her that she had drawnme for her Valentine, I did this day call at the New Exchange, and boughther a pair of green silk stockings and garters and shoe-strings, and twopair of jessimy gloves, all coming to about 28s. , and did give them herthis noon. At the 'Change, I did at my bookseller's shop accidentallyfall into talk with Sir Samuel Tuke about trees, and Mr. Evelyn's garden;and I do find him, I think, a little conceited, but a man of very finediscourse as any I ever heard almost, which I was mighty glad of. I dinedat my cozen Turner's, and my wife also and her husband there, and afterdinner, my wife and I endeavoured to make a visit to Ned Pickering; but henot at home, nor his lady; and therefore back again, and took up my cozenTurner, and to my cozen Roger's lodgings, and there find him pretty wellagain, and his wife mighty kind and merry, and did make mighty much of us, and I believe he is married to a very good woman. Here was also Bab. AndBetty, who have not their clothes yet, and therefore cannot go out, otherwise I would have had them abroad to-morrow; but the poor girlsmighty kind to us, and we must skew them kindness also. Here in SuffolkStreet lives Moll Davis; and we did see her coach come for her to herdoor, a mighty pretty fine coach. Here we staid an hour or two, and thencarried Turner home, and there staid and talked a while, and then my wifeand I to White Hall; and there, by means of Mr. Cooling, did get into theplay, the only one we have seen this winter: it was "The Five Hours'Adventure:" but I sat so far I could not hear well, nor was there anypretty woman that I did see, but my wife, who sat in my Lady Fox's pew

 [We may suppose that pews were by no means common at this time within consecrated walls, from the word being applied indifferently by Pepys to a box in a place of amusement, and two days afterwards to a seat at church. It would appear, from other authorities, that between 1646 and 1660 scarcely any pews had been erected; and Sir C. Wren is known to have objected to their introduction into his London churches. --B. ]

with her. The house very full; and late before done, so that it was pasteleven before we got home. But we were well pleased with seeing it, andso to supper, where it happened that there was no bread in the house, which was an unusual case, and so to bed. 

16th. Up, and to the office, where all the morning, my head full ofbusiness of the office now at once on my hands, and so at noon home todinner, where I find some things of W. Batelier's come out of France, among which some clothes for my wife, wherein she is likely to lead me tothe expence of so much money as vexed me; but I seemed so, more than I atthis time was, only to prevent her taking too much, and she was mightycalm under it. But I was mightily pleased with another picture of theKing of France's head, of Nanteuil's, bigger than the other which hebrought over, that pleases me infinitely: and so to the Office, where busyall the afternoon, though my eyes mighty bad with the light of the candleslast night, which was so great as to make my eyes sore all this day, anddo teach me, by a manifest experiment, that it is only too much light thatdo make my eyes sore. Nevertheless, with the help of my tube, and beingdesirous of easing my mind of five or six days journall, I did venture towrite it down from ever since this day se'nnight, and I think withouthurting my eyes any more than they were before, which was very much, andso home to supper and to bed. 

17th. Up, and with W. Hewer with me to Lincoln's Inn, by appointment, tohave spoke with Mr. Pedley about Mr. Goldsborough's business and Mr. Weaver's, but he was gone out, and so I with Mr. Castle, the son-in-law ofWeaver, to White Hall to look for him, but did not find him, but here Idid meet with several and talked, and do hear only that the King diningyesterday at the Dutch Embassador's, after dinner they drank, and werepretty merry; and, among the rest of the King's company, there was thatworthy fellow my lord of Rochester, and Tom Killigrew, whose mirth andraillery offended the former so much, that he did give Tom Killigrew a boxon the ear in the King's presence, which do much give offence to thepeople here at Court, to see how cheap the King makes himself, and themore, for that the King hath not only passed by the thing, and pardoned itto Rochester already, but this very morning the King did publickly walk upand down, and Rochester I saw with him as free as ever, to the King'severlasting shame, to have so idle a rogue his companion. How TomKilligrew takes it, I do not hear. I do also this day hear that my LordPrivy Seale do accept to go Lieutenant into Ireland; but whether it betrue or no, I cannot tell. So calling at my shoemaker's, and paying himto this day, I home to dinner, and in the afternoon to Colonel Middleton'shouse, to the burial of his wife, where we are all invited, and much morecompany, and had each of us a ring: and so towards evening to our church, where there was a sermon preached by Mills, and so home. At church therewas my Lord Brouncker and Mrs. Williams in our pew, the first time theywere ever there or that I knew that either of them would go to church. Athome comes Castle to me, to desire me to go to Mr. Pedly, this night, hebeing to go out of town to-morrow morning, which I, therefore, did, byhackney-coach, first going to White Hall to meet with Sir W. Coventry, butmissed him. But here I had a pleasant rencontre of a lady in mourning, that, by the little light I had, seemed handsome. I passing by her, I didobserve she looked back again and again upon me, I suffering her to gobefore, and it being now duske. I observed she went into the littlepassage towards the Privy Water-Gate, and I followed, but missed her; butcoming back again, I observed she returned, and went to go out of theCourt. I followed her, and took occasion, in the new passage now built, where the walke is to be, to take her by the hand, to lead her through, which she willingly accepted, and I led her to the Great Gate, and thereleft her, she telling me, of her own accord, that she was going as far as, Charing Cross; but my boy was at the gate, and so je durst not go out conher, which vexed me, and my mind (God forgive me) did run apres her toutethat night, though I have reason to thank God, and so I do now, that I wasnot tempted to go further. So to Lincoln's Inn, where to Mr. Pedly, withwhom I spoke, and did my business presently: and I find him a man of verygood language, and mighty civil, and I believe very upright: and so home, where W. Batelier was, and supped with us, and I did reckon this nightwhat I owed him; and I do find that the things my wife, of her own head, hath taken (together with my own, which comes not to above L5), comes toabove L22. But it is the last, and so I am the better contented; and theyare things that are not trifles, but clothes, gloves, shoes, hoods, &c. So after supper, to bed. 

18th. Up, and to the Office, and at noon home, expecting to have this dayseen Bab. And Betty Pepys here, but they come not; and so after dinner mywife and I to the Duke of York's house, to a play, and there saw "The MadLover, " which do not please me so well as it used to do, only Betterton'spart still pleases me. But here who should we have come to us but Bab. And Betty and Talbot, the first play they were yet at; and going to seeus, and hearing by my boy, whom I sent to them, that we were here, theycome to us hither, and happened all of us to sit by my cozen Turner andThe. , and we carried them home first, and then took Bab. And Betty to ourhouse, where they lay and supped, and pretty merry, and very fine withtheir new clothes, and good comely girls they are enough, and very glad Iam of their being with us, though I would very well have been contented tohave been without the charge. So they to bed and we to bed. 

19th. Up, and after seeing the girls, who lodged in our bed, with theirmaid Martha, who hath been their father's maid these twenty years andmore, I with Lord Brouncker to White Hall, where all of us waited on theDuke of York; and after our usual business done, W. Hewer and I to look mywife at the Black Lion, Mercer's, but she is gone home, and so I home andthere dined, and W. Batelierand W. Hewer with us. All the afternoon I atthe Office, while the young people went to see Bedlam, and at night hometo them and to supper, and pretty merry, only troubled with a great coldat this time, and my eyes very bad ever since Monday night last that thelight of the candles spoiled me. So to bed. This morning, among otherthings, talking with Sir W. Coventry, I did propose to him my putting into serve in Parliament, if there should, as the world begins to expect, bea new one chose: he likes it mightily, both for the King's and Service'ssake, and the Duke of York's, and will propound it to the Duke of York:and I confess, if there be one, I would be glad to be in. 

20th. Up, and all the morning at the office, and then home to dinner, andafter dinner out with my wife and my two girls to the Duke of York'shouse, and there saw "The Gratefull Servant, " a pretty good play, andwhich I have forgot that ever I did see. And thence with them to Mrs. Gotier's, the Queen's tire-woman, for a pair of locks for my wife; she isan oldish French woman, but with a pretty hand as most I have seen; and sohome, and to supper, W. Batelier and W. Hewer with us, and so my coldbeing great, and greater by my having left my coat at my tailor's to-nightand come home in a thinner that I borrowed there, I went to bed beforethem and slept pretty well. 

21st (Lord's day). Up, and with my wife and two girls to church, theyvery fine; and so home, where comes my cozen Roger and his wife, I havingsent for them, to dine with us, and there comes in by chance also Mr. Shepley, who is come to town with my Lady Paulina, who is desperatelysick, and is gone to Chelsey, to the old house where my Lord himself wasonce sick, where I doubt my Lord means to visit hers more for young Mrs. Beck's sake than for hers. Here we dined with W. Batelier, and W. Hewerwith us, these two, girls making it necessary that they be always with us, for I am not company light enough to be always merry with them and so sattalking all the afternoon, and then Shepley went: away first, and then mycozen Roger and his wife. And so I, to my Office, to write down myJournall, and so home to my chamber and to do a little business there, mypapers being in mighty disorder, and likely so to continue while thesegirls are with us. In the evening comes W. Batelier and his sisters andsupped and talked with us, and so spent the evening, myself being somewhatout of order because of my eyes, which have never been well since lastSunday's reading at Sir W. Coventry's chamber, and so after supper to bed. 

22nd. Up, and betimes to White Hall; but there the Duke of York is goneabroad a-hunting, and therefore after a little stay there I into London, with Sir H. Cholmly, talking all the way of Tangier matters, wherein Ifind him troubled from some reports lately from Norwood (who is his greatenemy and I doubt an ill man), of some decay of the Mole, and a breachmade therein by the sea to a great value. He set me down at the end ofLeadenhall Street, and so I home, and after dinner, with my wife, in hermorning-gown, and the two girls dressed, to Unthanke's, where my wifedresses herself, having her gown this day laced, and a new petticoat; andso is indeed very fine. And in the evening I do carry them to White Hall, and there did without much trouble get into the playhouse, there in a goodplace among the Ladies of Honour, and myself also sat in the pit; andthere by and by come the King and Queen, and they begun "BartholomewFayre. " But I like no play here so well as at the common playhouse;besides that, my eyes being very ill since last Sunday and this dayse'nnight, with the light of the candles, I was in mighty pain to defendmyself now from the light of the candles. After the play done, we metwith W. Batelier and W. Hewer and Talbot Pepys, and they follow us in ahackney-coach: and we all stopped at Hercules' Pillars; and there I didgive them the best supper I could, and pretty merry; and so home betweeneleven and twelve at night, and so to bed, mightily well pleased with thisday's work. 

23rd. Up: and to the Office, where all the morning, and then home, andput a mouthfull of victuals in my mouth; and by a hackney-coach followedmy wife and the girls, who are gone by eleven o'clock, thinking to haveseen a new play at the Duke of York's house. But I do find them stayingat my tailor's, the play not being to-day, and therefore I now took themto Westminster Abbey, and there did show them all the tombs very finely, having one with us alone, there being other company this day to see thetombs, it being Shrove Tuesday; and here we did see, by particular favour, the body of Queen Katherine of Valois; and I had the upper part of herbody in my hands, and I did kiss her mouth, reflecting upon it that I didkiss a Queen, [Pepys's attachment to the fair sex extended even to a dead queen. The record of this royal salute on his natal day is very characteristic. The story told him in Westminster Abbey appears to have been correct; for Neale informs us ("History of Westminster Abbey, " vol. Ii. , p. 88) that near the south side of Henry V. 's tomb there was formerly a wooden chest, or coffin, wherein part of the skeleton and parched body of Katherine de Valois, his queen (from the waist upwards), was to be seen. She was interred in January, 1457, in the Chapel of Our Lady, at the east end of this church; but when that building was pulled down by her grandson, Henry VII. , her coffin was found to be decayed, and her body was taken up, and placed in a chest, near her first husband's tomb. "There, " says Dart, "it hath ever since continued to be seen, the bones being firmly united, and thinly clothed with flesh, like scrapings of tanned leather. " This awful spectacle of frail mortality was at length removed from the public gaze into St. Nicholas's Chapel, and finally deposited under the monument of Sir George Villiers, when the vault was made for the remains of Elizabeth Percy, Duchess of Northumberland, in December, 1776. --B. ]

and that this was my birth-day, thirty-six years old, that I did firstkiss a Queen. But here this man, who seems to understand well, tells methat the saying is not true that says she was never buried, for she wasburied; only, when Henry the Seventh built his chapel, it was taken up andlaid in this wooden coffin; but I did there see that, in it, the body wasburied in a leaden one, which remains under the body to this day. Thenceto the Duke of York's playhouse, and there, finding the play begun, wehomeward to the Glass-House, [Glass House Alley, Whitefriars and Blackfriars, marked the site for some years: The Whitefriars Glass Works of Messrs. Powell and Sons are on the old site, now Temple Street. ]

and there shewed my cozens the making of glass, and had several thingsmade with great content; and, among others, I had one or twosinging-glasses made, which make an echo to the voice, the first that everI saw; but so thin, that the very breath broke one or two of them. Sohome, and thence to Mr. Batelier's, where we supped, and had a goodsupper, and here was Mr. Gumbleton; and after supper some fiddles, and soto dance; but my eyes were so out of order, that I had little pleasurethis night at all, though I was glad to see the rest merry, and so aboutmidnight home and to bed. 

24th. Lay long in bed, both being sleepy and my eyes bad, and myselfhaving a great cold so as I was hardly able to speak, but, however, by andby up and to the office, and at noon home with my people to dinner, andthen I to the office again, and there till the evening doing of muchbusiness, and at night my wife sends for me to W. Hewer's lodging, where Ifind two best chambers of his so finely furnished, and all so rich andneat, that I was mightily pleased with him and them and here only my wife, and I, and the two girls, and had a mighty neat dish of custards andtarts, and good drink and talk. And so away home to bed, with infinitecontent at this his treat; for it was mighty pretty, and everything mightyrich. 

25th. All the morning at the office. At noon home and eat a bit myself, and then followed my wife and girls to the Duke of York's house, and therebefore one, but the house infinite full, where, by and by, the King andCourt come, it being a new play, or an old one new vamped, by Shadwell, called "The Royall Shepherdesse;" but the silliest for words and design, and everything, that ever I saw in my whole life, there being nothing inthe world pleasing in it, but a good martial dance of pikemen, whereHarris and another do handle their pikes in a dance to admiration; butnever less satisfied with a play in my life. Thence to the office I, anddid a little business, and so home to supper with my girls, and prettymerry, only my eyes, which continue very bad, and my cold, that I cannotspeak at all, do trouble me. 

26th. Was forced to send my excuse to the Duke of York for my notattending him with my fellows this day because of my cold, and was theless troubled because I was thereby out of the way to offer my proposalsabout Pursers till the Surveyor hath delivered his notions, which he is todo to-day about something he has to offer relating to the Navy in general, which I would be glad to see and peruse before I offer what I have to say. So lay long in bed, and then up and to my office, and so to dinner, andthen, though I could not speak, yet I went with my wife and girls to theKing's playhouse, to shew them that, and there saw "The FaithfullShepherdesse. " But, Lord! what an empty house, there not being, as Icould tell the people, so many as to make up above L10 in the whole house!The being of a new play at the other house, I suppose, being the cause, though it be so silly a play that I wonder how there should be enoughpeople to go thither two days together, and not leave more to fill thishouse. The emptiness of the house took away our pleasure a great deal, though I liked it the better; for that I plainly discern the musick is thebetter, by how much the house the emptier. Thence home, and again to W. Hewer's, and had a pretty little treat, and spent an hour or two, my voicebeing wholly taken away with my cold, and so home and to bed. 

27th. Up, and at the office all the morning, where I could speak but alittle. At noon home to dinner, and all the afternoon till night busy atthe office again, where forced to speak low and dictate. But that thattroubles me most is my eyes, which are still mighty bad night and day, andso home at night to talk and sup with my cozens, and so all of us inmighty good humour to bed. 

28th (Lord's day). Up, and got my wife to read to me a copy of what theSurveyor offered to the Duke of York on Friday, he himself putting it intomy hands to read; but, Lord! it is a poor, silly thing ever to think tobring it in practice, in the King's Navy. It is to have the Captains toaccount for all stores and victuals; but upon so silly grounds, to mythinking; and ignorance of the present instructions of Officers, that I amashamed to hear it. However, I do take a copy of it, for my future useand answering; and so to church, where, God forgive me! I did most of thetime gaze on the fine milliner's wife, in Fenchurch Street, who was at ourchurch to-day; and so home to dinner. And after dinner to write down myJournall; and then abroad by coach with my cozens, to their father's, where we are kindly received, but he is an great pain for his man Arthur, who, he fears, is now dead, having been desperately sick, and speaks somuch of him that my cozen, his wife, and I did make mirth of it, and callhim Arthur O'Bradly. After staying here a little, and eat and drank, andshe gave me some ginger-bread made in cakes, like chocolate, very good, made by a friend, I carried him and her to my cozen Turner's, where westaid, expecting her coming from church; but she coming not, I went to herhusband's chamber in the Temple, and thence fetched her, she having beenthere alone ever since sermon staying till the evening to walk home onfoot, her horses being ill. This I did, and brought her home. And aftertalking there awhile, and agreeing to be all merry at my house on Tuesdaynext, I away home; and there spent the evening talking and reading, withmy wife and Mr. Pelling, and yet much troubled with my cold, it hardlysuffering me to speak, we to bed. 

 THE DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS M. A. F. R. S. 

 CLERK OF THE ACTS AND SECRETARY TO THE ADMIRALTY

 TRANSCRIBED FROM THE SHORTHAND MANUSCRIPT IN THE PEPYSIAN LIBRARYMAGDALENE COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE BY THE REV. MYNORS BRIGHT M. A. LATE FELLOW AND PRESIDENT OF THE COLLEGE

 (Unabridged)

 WITH LORD BRAYBROOKE'S NOTES

 EDITED WITH ADDITIONS BY

 HENRY B. WHEATLEY F. S. A. 

 DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS. MARCH 1668-1669

March 1st. Up, and to White Hall to the Committee of Tangier, but it didnot meet. But here I do hear first that my Lady Paulina Montagu did dieyesterday; at which I went to my Lord's lodgings, but he is shut up withsorrow, and so not to be spoken with: and therefore I returned, and toWestminster Hall, where I have not been, I think, in some months. Andhere the Hall was very full, the King having, by Commission to some Lordsthis day, prorogued the Parliament till the 19th of October next: at whichI am glad, hoping to have time to go over to France this year. But I wasmost of all surprised this morning by my Lord Bellassis, who, byappointment, met me at Auditor Wood's, at the Temple, and tells me of aduell designed between the Duke of Buckingham and my Lord Halifax, or SirW. Coventry; the challenge being carried by Harry Saville, but preventedby my Lord Arlington, and the King told of it; and this was all thediscourse at Court this day. But I, meeting Sir W. Coventry in the Dukeof York's chamber, he would not own it to me, but told me that he was aman of too much peace to meddle with fighting, and so it rested: but thetalk is full in the town of the business. Thence, having walked someturns with my cozen Pepys, and most people, by their discourse, believingthat this Parliament will never sit more, I away to several places to lookafter things against to-morrow's feast, and so home to dinner; and thence, after noon, my wife and I out by hackneycoach, and spent the afternoon inseveral places, doing several things at the 'Change and elsewhere againstto-morrow; and, among others, I did also bring home a piece of my facecast in plaister, for to make a wizard upon, for my eyes. And so home, where W. Batelier come, and sat with us; and there, after many doubts, didresolve to go on with our feast and dancing to-morrow; and so, aftersupper, left the maids to make clean the house, and to lay the cloth, andother things against to-morrow, and we to bed. 

2nd. Up, and at the office till noon, when home, and there I find mycompany come, namely, Madam Turner, Dyke, The. , and Betty Turner, and Mr. Bellwood, formerly their father's clerk, but now set up for himself--aconceited, silly fellow, but one they make mightily of--my cozen RogerPepys, and his wife, and two daughters. I had a noble dinner for them, asI almost ever had, and mighty merry, and particularly myself pleased withlooking on Betty Turner, who is mighty pretty. After dinner, we fell oneto one talk, and another to another, and looking over my house, andcloset, and things; and The. Turner to write a letter to a lady in thecountry, in which I did, now and then, put in half a dozen words, andsometimes five or six lines, and then she as much, and made up a long andgood letter, she being mighty witty really, though troublesome-humouredwith it. And thus till night, that our musick come, and the Office readyand candles, and also W. Batelier and his sister Susan come, and alsoWill. Howe and two gentlemen more, strangers, which, at my requestyesterday, he did bring to dance, called Mr. Ireton and Mr. Starkey. Wefell to dancing, and continued, only with intermission for a good supper, till two in the morning, the musick being Greeting, and another mostexcellent violin, and theorbo, the best in town. And so with mightymirth, and pleased with their dancing of jigs afterwards several of them, and, among others, Betty Turner, who did it mighty prettily; and, lastly, W. Batelier's "Blackmore and Blackmore Mad;" and then to a country-danceagain, and so broke up with extraordinary pleasure, as being one of thedays and nights of my life spent with the greatest content; and that whichI can but hope to repeat again a few times in my whole life. This done, we parted, the strangers home, and I did lodge my cozen Pepys and his wifein our blue chamber. My cozen Turner, her sister, and The. , in our bestchamber; Bab. , Betty, and Betty Turner, in our own chamber; and myself andmy wife in the maid's bed, which is very good. Our maids in the, coachman's bed; the coachman with the boy in his settlebed, and Tom wherehe uses to lie. And so I did, to my great content, lodge at once in myhouse, with the greatest ease, fifteen, and eight of them strangers ofquality. My wife this day put on first her French gown, called a Sac, which becomes her very well, brought her over by W. Batelier. 

3rd. Up, after a very good night's rest, and was called upon by Sir H. Cholmly, who was with me an hour, and though acquainted did not stay totalk with my company I had in the house, but away, and then I to myguests, and got them to breakfast, and then parted by coaches; and I did, in mine, carry my she-cozen Pepys and her daughters home, and there leftthem, and so to White Hall, where W. Hewer met me; and he and I took aturn in St. James's Park, and in the Mall did meet Sir W. Coventry and SirJ. Duncomb, and did speak with them about some business before the Lordsof the Treasury; but I did find them more than usually busy, though I knewnot then the reason of it, though I guess it by what followed to-morrow. Thence to Dancre's, the painter's, and there saw my picture of Greenwich, finished to my very good content, though this manner of distemper do makethe figures not so pleasing as in oyle. So to Unthanke's, and there tookup my wife, and carried her to the Duke of York's playhouse, and there sawan old play, the first time acted these forty years, called "The Lady'sTryall, " acted only by the young people of the house; but the house veryfull. But it is but a sorry play, and the worse by how much my head isout of humour by being a little sleepy and my legs weary since last night. So after the play we to the New Exchange, and so called at my cozenTurner's; and there, meeting Mr. Bellwood, did hear how my Lord Mayor, being invited this day to dinner at the Reader's at the Temple, andendeavouring to carry his sword up, the students did pull it down, andforced him to go and stay all the day in a private Councillor's chamber, until the Reader himself could get the young gentlemen to dinner; and thenmy Lord Mayor did retreat out of the Temple by stealth, with his sword up. This do make great heat among the students; and my Lord Mayor did send tothe King, and also I hear that Sir Richard Browne did cause the drums tobeat for the Train-bands, but all is over, only I hear that the studentsdo resolve to try the Charter of the City. So we home, and betimes tobed, and slept well all night. 

4th. Up, and a while at the office, but thinking to have Mr. Povy'sbusiness to-day at the Committee for Tangier, I left the Board and away toWhite Hall, where in the first court I did meet Sir Jeremy Smith, who didtell me that Sir W. Coventry was just now sent to the Tower, about thebusiness of his challenging the Duke of Buckingham, and so was also HarrySaville to the Gate-house; which, as [he is] a gentleman, and of the Dukeof York's bedchamber, I heard afterwards that the Duke of York is mightilyincensed at, and do appear very high to the King that he might not be sentthither, but to the Tower, this being done only in contempt to him. Thisnews of Sir W. Coventry did strike me to the heart, and with reason, forby this and my Lord of Ormond's business, I do doubt that the Duke ofBuckingham will be so flushed, that he will not stop at any thing, but beforced to do any thing now, as thinking it not safe to end here; and, SirW. Coventry being gone, the King will have never a good counsellor, northe Duke of York any sure friend to stick to him; nor any good man will beleft to advise what is good. This, therefore, do heartily trouble me asany thing that ever I heard. So up into the House, and met with severalpeople; but the Committee did not meet; and the whole House I find full ofthis business of Sir W. Coventry's, and most men very sensible of thecause and effects of it. So, meeting with my Lord Bellassis, he told methe particulars of this matter; that it arises about a quarrel which SirW. Coventry had with the Duke of Buckingham about a design between theDuke and Sir Robert Howard, to bring him into a play at the King's house, which W. Coventry not enduring, did by H. Saville send a letter to theDuke of Buckingham, that he had a desire to speak with him. Upon which, the Duke of Buckingham did bid Holmes, his champion ever since my LordShrewsbury's business, [Charles II. Wrote to his sister (Henrietta, Duchess of Orleans), on March 7th, 1669: "I am not sorry that Sir Will. Coventry has given me this good occasion by sending my Lord of Buckingham a challenge to turne him out of the Councill. I do intend to turn him allso out of the Treasury. The truth of it is, he has been a troublesome man in both places and I am well rid of him" (Julia Cartwright's "Madame, " 1894, p. 283). ]

go to him to know the business; but H. Saville would not tell it to anybut himself, and therefore did go presently to the Duke of Buckingham, andtold him that his uncle Coventry was a person of honour, and was sensibleof his Grace's liberty taken of abusing him, and that he had a desire ofsatisfaction, and would fight with him. But that here they wereinterrupted by my Lord Chamberlain's coming in, who was commanded to go tobid the Duke of Buckingham to come to the King, Holmes having discoveredit. He told me that the King did last night, at the Council, ask the Dukeof Buckingham, upon his honour, whether he had received any challenge fromW. Coventry? which he confessed that he had; and then the King asking W. Coventry, he told him that he did not owne what the Duke of Buckingham hadsaid, though it was not fit for him to give him a direct contradiction. But, being by the King put upon declaring, upon his honour, the matter, heanswered that he had understood that many hard questions had upon thisbusiness been moved to some lawyers, and that therefore he was unwillingto declare any thing that might, from his own mouth, render him obnoxiousto his Majesty's displeasure, and, therefore, prayed to be excused: whichthe King did think fit to interpret to be a confession, and so gavewarrant that night for his commitment to the Tower. Being very muchtroubled at this, I away by coach homewards, and directly to the Tower, where I find him in one Mr. Bennet's house, son to Major Bayly, one of theOfficers of the Ordnance, in the Bricke Tower:

 [The Brick Tower stands on the northern wall, a little to the west of Martin tower, with which it communicates by a secret passage. It was the residence of the Master of the Ordnance, and Raleigh was lodged here for a time. ]

where I find him busy with my Lord Halifax and his brother; so I would notstay to interrupt them, but only to give him comfort, and offer my serviceto him, which he kindly and cheerfully received, only owning his beingtroubled for the King his master's displeasure, which, I suppose, is theordinary form and will of persons in this condition. And so I parted, with great content, that I had so earlily seen him there; and so goingout, did meet Sir Jer. Smith going to meet me, who had newly been with SirW. Coventry. And so he and I by water to Redriffe, and so walked toDeptford, where I have not been, I think, these twelve months: and thereto the Treasurer's house, where the Duke of York is, and his Duchess; andthere we find them at dinner in the great room, unhung; and there was withthem my Lady Duchess of Monmouth, the Countess of Falmouth, Castlemayne, Henrietta Hide' (my Lady Hinchingbroke's sister), and my LadyPeterborough. And after dinner Sir Jer. Smith and I were invited down todinner with some of the Maids of Honour, namely, Mrs. Ogle, Blake, andHoward, which did me good to have the honour to dine with, and look on;and the Mother of the Maids, and Mrs. Howard, the mother of the Maid ofHonour of that name, and the Duke's housekeeper here. Here was alsoMonsieur Blancfort, Sir Richard Powell, Colonel Villers, Sir JonathanTrelawny, and others. And here drank most excellent, and great variety, and plenty of wines, more than I have drank, at once, these seven years, but yet did me no great hurt. Having dined and very merry, andunderstanding by Blancfort how angry the Duke of York was, about theiroffering to send Saville to the Gate-house, among the rogues; and then, observing how this company, both the ladies and all, are of a gang, anddid drink a health to the union of the two brothers, and talking of othersas their enemies, they parted, and so we up; and there I did find the Dupeof York and Duchess, with all the great ladies, sitting upon a carpet, onthe ground, there being no chairs, playing at "I love my love with an A, because he is so and so: and I hate him with an A, because of this andthat:" and some of them, but particularly the Duchess herself, and myLady Castlemayne, were very witty. This done, they took barge, and I withSir J. Smith to Captain Cox's; and there to talk, and left them and othercompany to drink; while I slunk out to Bagwell's; and there saw her, andher mother, and our late maid Nell, who cried for joy to see me, but I hadno time for pleasure then nor could stay, but after drinking I back to theyard, having a month's mind para have had a bout with Nell, which Ibelieve I could have had, and may another time. So to Cox's, and thencewalked with Sir J. Smith back to Redriffe; and so, by water home, andthere my wife mighty angry for my absence, and fell mightily out, but notbeing certain of any thing, but thinks only that Pierce or Knepp wasthere, and did ask me, and, I perceive, the boy, many questions. But Idid answer her; and so, after much ado, did go to bed, and lie quiet allnight; but [she] had another bout with me in the morning, but I did makeshift to quiet her, but yet she was not fully satisfied, poor wretch! inher mind, and thinks much of my taking so much pleasure from her; which, indeed, is a fault, though I did not design or foresee it when I went. 

5th. Up, and by water to White Hall, where did a little business with theDuke of York at our usual attending him, and thence to my wife, who waswith my coach at Unthanke's, though not very well of those upon her, andso home to dinner, and after dinner I to the Tower, where I find Sir W. Coventry with abundance of company with him; and after sitting awhile, andhearing some merry discourse, and, among others, of Mr. Brouncker's beingthis day summoned to Sir William Morton, one of the judges, to give insecurity for his good behaviour, upon his words the other day to Sir JohnMorton, a Parliament-man, at White Hall, who had heretofore spoke veryhighly against Brouncker in the House, I away, and to Aldgate, and walkedforward towards White Chapel, till my wife overtook me with the coach, itbeing a mighty fine afternoon; and there we went the first time out oftown with our coach and horses, and went as far as Bow, the springbeginning a little now to appear, though the way be dirty; and so, withgreat pleasure, with the fore-part of our coach up, we spent theafternoon. And so in the evening home, and there busy at the Officeawhile, and so to bed, mightily pleased with being at peace with my poorwife, and with the pleasure we may hope to have with our coach thissummer, when the weather comes to be good. 

6th. Up, and to the office, where all the morning, only before the OfficeI stepped to Sir W. Coventry at the Tower, and there had a great deal ofdiscourse with him; among others, of the King's putting him out of theCouncil yesterday, with which he is well contented, as with what else theycan strip him of, he telling me, and so hath long done, that he is wearyand surfeited of business; but he joins with me in his fears that all willgo to naught, as matters are now managed. He told me the matter of theplay that was intended for his abuse, wherein they foolishly and sillilybring in two tables like that which he hath made, with a round hole in themiddle, in his closet, to turn himself in; and he is to be in one of themas master, and Sir J. Duncomb in the other, as his man or imitator: andtheir discourse in those tables, about the disposing of their books andpapers, very foolish. But that, that he is offended with, is his beingmade so contemptible, as that any should dare to make a gentleman asubject for the mirth of the world: and that therefore he had told TomKilligrew that he should tell his actors, whoever they were, that didoffer at any thing like representing him, that he would not complain to myLord Chamberlain, which was too weak, nor get him beaten, as Sir CharlesSidly is said to do, but that he would cause his nose to be cut. He toldme the passage at the Council much like what my Lord Bellassis told me. He told me how that the Duke of Buckingham did himself, some time since, desire to join with him, of all men in England, and did bid him propoundto himself to be Chief Minister of State, saying that he would bring itabout, but that he refused to have anything to do with any faction; andthat the Duke of Buckingham did, within these few days, say that, of allmen in England, he would have chosen W. Coventry to have joined entirewith. He tells me that he fears their prevailing against the Duke ofYork; and that their violence will force them to it, as being alreadybeyond his pardon. He repeated to me many examples of challenging ofPrivy-Councillors and others; but never any proceeded against with thatseverity which he is, it never amounting to others to more than a littleconfinement. He tells me of his being weary of the Treasury, and of thefolly, ambition, and desire of popularity of Sir Thomas Clifford; and yetthe rudeness of his tongue and passions when angry. This and much morediscourse being over I with great pleasure come home and to the office, where all the morning, and at noon home to dinner, and thence to theoffice again, where very hard at work all the afternoon till night, andthen home to my wife to read to me, and to bed, my cold having been nowalmost for three days quite gone from me. This day my wife made it appearto me that my late entertainment this week cost me above L12, an expencewhich I am almost ashamed of, though it is but once in a great while, andis the end for which, in the most part, we live, to have such a merry dayonce or twice in a man's life. 

7th (Lord's day). Up, and to the office, busy till church time, and thento church, where a dull sermon, and so home to dinner, all alone with mywife, and then to even my Journall to this day, and then to the Tower, tosee Sir W. Coventry, who had H. Jermin and a great many more with him, andmore, while I was there, come in; so that I do hear that there was notless than sixty coaches there yesterday, and the other day; which I hearalso that there is a great exception taken at, by the King and the Duke ofBuckingham, but it cannot be helped. Thence home, and with our coach outto Suffolk Street, to see my cozen Pepys, but neither the old nor young athome. So to my cozen Turner's, and there staid talking a little, and thenback to Suffolk Street, where they not being yet come home I to WhiteHall, and there hear that there are letters come from Sir Thomas Allen, that he hath made some kind of peace with Algiers; upon which the King andDuke of York, being to go out of town to-morrow, are met at my LordArlington's: so I there, and by Mr. Wren was desired to stay to see ifthere were occasion for their speaking with me, which I did, walkingwithout, with Charles Porter, [Charles Porter "was the son of a prebend[ary] in Norwich, and a 'prentice boy in the city in the rebellious times. When the committee house was blown up, he was very active in that rising, and after the soldiers came and dispersed the rout, he, as a rat among joint stools, shifted to and fro among the shambles, and had forty pistols shot at him by the troopers that rode after him to kill him [24th April, 1648]. In that distress he had the presence of mind to catch up a little child that, during the rout, was frighted, and stood crying in the streets, and, unobserved by the troopers, ran away with it. The people opened a way for him, saying, ' Make room for the poor child. ' Thus he got off, and while search was made for him in the market-place, got into the Yarmouth ferry, and at Yarmouth took ship and went to Holland . . . . In Holland he trailed a pike, and was in several actions as a common soldier. At length he kept a cavalier eating-house; but, his customers being needy, he soon broke, and came for England, and being a genteel youth, was taken in among the chancery clerks, and got to be under a master . . . . His industry was great; and he had an acquired dexterity and skill in the forms of the court; and although he was a bon companion, and followed much the bottle, yet he made such dispatches as satisfied his clients, especially the clerks, who knew where to find him. His person was florid, and speech prompt and articulate. But his vices, in the way of women and the bottle, were so ungoverned, as brought him to a morsel . . . . When the Lord Keeper North had the Seal, who from an early acquaintance had a kindness for him which was well known, and also that he was well heard, as they call it, business flowed in to him very fast, and yet he could scarce keep himself at liberty to follow his business .... At the Revolution, when his interest fell from, and his debts began to fall upon him, he was at his wits' end .... His character for fidelity, loyalty, and facetious conversation was without exception"--Roger North's Lives of the Norths (Lord Keeper Guilford), ed. Jessopp, vol. I. , pp. 381-2. He was originally made Lord Chancellor of Ireland in the reign of James II. , during the viceroyalty of Lord Clarendon, 1686, when he was knighted. "He was, " says Burnet, "a man of ready wit, and being poor was thought a person fit to be made a tool of. When Clarendon was recalled, Porter was also displaced, and Fitton was made chancellor, a man who knew no other law than the king's pleasure" ("Own Time"). Sir Charles Porter was again made Lord Chancellor of Ireland in 1690, and in this same year he acted as one of the Lords Justices. This note of Lord Braybrooke's is retained and added to, but the reference may after all be to another Charles Porter. See vol. Iii. , p. 122, and vol. Vi. , p. 98. ]

talking of a great many things: and I perceive all the world is againstthe Duke of Buckingham his acting thus high, and do prophesy nothing butruin from it: But he do well observe that the church lands cannotcertainly come to much, if the King shall [be] persuaded to take them;they being leased out for long leases. By and by, after two hours' stay, they rose, having, as Wren tells me, resolved upon sending six ships tothe Streights forthwith, not being contented with the peace upon the termsthey demand, which are, that all our ships, where any Turks or Mooresshall be found slaves, shall be prizes; which will imply that they, mustbe searched. I hear that to-morrow the King and the Duke of York set outfor Newmarket, by three in the morning; to some foot and horse-races, tobe abroad ten or twelve days: So I away, without seeing the Duke of York;but Mr. Wren showed me the Order of Council about the balancing theStorekeeper's accounts, passed the Council in the very terms I drew it, only I did put in my name as he that presented the book of Hosier'spreparing, and that is left out--I mean, my name--which is no greatmatter. So to my wife to Suffolk Streete, where she was gone, and there Ifound them at supper, and eat a little with them, and so home, and thereto bed, my cold pretty well gone. 

8th. Up, and with W. Hewer by hackney coach to White Hall, where the Kingand the Duke of York is gone by three in the morning, and had themisfortune to be overset with the Duke of York, the Duke of Monmouth, andthe Prince, at the King's Gate' in Holborne; and the King all dirty, butno hurt. How it come to pass I know not, but only it was dark, and thetorches did not, they say, light the coach as they should do. I thoughtthis morning to have seen my Lord Sandwich before he went out of town, butI come half an hour too late; which troubles me, I having not seen himsince my Lady Palls died. So W. Hewer and I to the Harp-and-Ball, todrink my morning draught, having come out in haste; and there met withKing, the Parliament-man, with whom I had some impertinent talk. And soto the Privy Seal Office, to examine what records I could find there, formy help in the great business I am put upon, of defending the presentconstitution of the Navy; but there could not have liberty without orderfrom him that is in present waiting, Mr. Bickerstaffe, who is out of town. This I did after I had walked to the New Exchange and there met Mr. Moore, who went with me thither, and I find him the same discontented poor man asever. He tells me that Mr. Shepley is upon being turned away from myLord's family, and another sent down, which I am sorry for; but his ageand good fellowship have almost made him fit for nothing. Thence, atUnthanke's my wife met me, and with our coach to my cozen Turner's andthere dined, and after dinner with my wife alone to the King's playhouse, and there saw "The Mocke Astrologer, " which I have often seen, and but anordinary play; and so to my cozen Turner's again, where we met RogerPepys, his wife, and two daughters, and there staid and talked a little, and then home, and there my wife to read to me, my eyes being sensiblyhurt by the too great lights of the playhouse. So to supper and to bed. 

9th. Up, and to the Tower; and there find Sir W. Coventry alone, writingdown his journal, which, he tells me, he now keeps of the material things;upon which I told him, and he is the only man I ever told it to, I think, that I kept it most strictly these eight or ten years; and I am sorryalmost that I told it him, it not being necessary, nor may be convenientto have it known. Here he showed me the petition he had sent to the Kingby my Lord Keeper, which was not to desire any admittance to employment, but submitting himself therein humbly to his Majesty; but prayed theremoval of his displeasure, and that he might be set free. He tells methat my Lord Keeper did acquaint the King with the substance of it, notshewing him the petition; who answered, that he was disposing of hisemployments, and when that was done, he might be led to discharge him: andthis is what he expects, and what he seems to desire. But by thisdiscourse he was pleased to take occasion to shew me and read to me hisaccount, which he hath kept by him under his own hand, of all hisdiscourse, and the King's answers to him, upon the great business of myLord Clarendon, and how he had first moved the Duke of York with it twice, at good distance, one after another, but without success; shewing methereby the simplicity and reasons of his so doing, and the manner of it;and the King's accepting it, telling him that he was not satisfied in hismanagement, and did discover some dissatisfaction against him for hisopposing the laying aside of my Lord Treasurer, at Oxford, which was asecret the King had not discovered. And really I was mighty proud to beprivy to this great transaction, it giving me great conviction of thenoble nature and ends of Sir W. Coventry in it, and considerations ingeneral of the consequences of great men's actions, and the uncertainty oftheir estates, and other very serious considerations. From this to otherdiscourse, and so to the Office, where we sat all the morning, and afterdinner by coach to my cozen Turner's, thinking to have taken the youngladies to a play; but The. Was let blood to-day; and so my wife and Itowards the King's playhouse, and by the way found Betty [Turner], andBab. , and Betty Pepys staying for us; and so took them all to see"Claricilla, " which do not please me almost at all, though there are somegood things in it. And so to my cozen Turner's again, and there find myLady Mordaunt, and her sister Johnson; and by and by comes in a gentleman, Mr. Overbury, a pleasant man, who plays most excellently on theflagelette, a little one, that sounded as low as one of mine, and mightypretty. Hence by and by away, and with my wife, and Bab. And Betty Pepys, and W. Hewer, whom I carried all this day with me, to my cozenStradwick's, where I have not been ever since my brother Tom died, therebeing some difference between my father and them, upon the account of mycozen Scott; and I was glad of this opportunity of seeing them, they beinggood and substantial people, and kind, and here met my cozen Roger and hiswife, and my cozen Turner, and here, which I never did before, I drank aglass, of a pint, I believe, at one draught, of the juice of oranges, ofwhose peel they make comfits; and here they drink the juice as wine, withsugar, and it is very fine drink; but, it being new, I was doubtfulwhether it might not do me hurt. Having staid a while, my wife and Iback, with my cozen Turner, etc. , to her house, and there we took ourleaves of my cozen Pepys, who goes with his wife and two daughters forImpington tomorrow. They are very good people, and people I love, and amobliged to, and shall have great pleasure in their friendship, andparticularly in hers, she being an understanding and good woman. So awayhome, and there after signing my letters, my eyes being bad, to supper andto bed. 

10th. Up, and by hackney-coach to Auditor Beale's Office, in Holborne, tolook for records of the Navy, but he was out of the way, and so forced togo next to White Hall, to the Privy Seal; and, after staying a littlethere, then to Westminster, where, at the Exchequer, I met with Mr. Newport and Major Halsey; and, after doing a little business with Mr. Burges, we by water to White Hall, where I made a little stop: and so withthem by coach to Temple Bar, where, at the Sugar Loaf we dined, and W. Hewer with me; and there comes a companion of theirs, Colonel Vernon, Ithink they called him; a merry good fellow, and one that was very plain incursing the Duke of Buckingham, and discoursing of his designs to ruin us, and that ruin must follow his counsels, and that we are an undone people. To which the others concurred, but not so plain, but all vexed at Sir W. Coventry's being laid aside: but Vernon, he is concerned, I perceive, formy Lord Ormond's being laid aside; but their company, being all oldcavaliers, were very pleasant to hear how they swear and talk. ButHalsey, to my content, tells me that my Lord Duke of Albemarle says thatW. Coventry being gone, nothing will be well done at the Treasury, and Ibelieve it; but they do all talk as that Duncombe, upon some pretence orother, must follow him. Thence to Auditor Beale's, his house and office, but not to be found, and therefore to the Privy Seale at White Hall, where, with W. Hewer and Mr. Gibson, who met me at the Temple, I spent theafternoon till evening looking over the books there, and did find severalthings to my purpose, though few of those I designed to find, the booksbeing kept there in no method at all. Having done there, we by waterhome, and there find my cozen Turner and her two daughters come to see us;and there, after talking a little, I had my coach ready, and my wife andI, they going home, we out to White Chapel to take a little ayre, thoughyet the dirtiness of the road do prevent most of the pleasure, whichshould have been from this tour. So home, and my wife to read to me tillsupper, and to bed. 

11th. Up, and to Sir W. Coventry, to the Tower, where I walked and talkedwith him an hour alone, from one good thing to another: who tells me thathe hears that the Commission is gone down to the King, with a blank tofill, for his place in the Treasury: and he believes it will be filledwith one of our Treasurers of the Navy, but which he knows not, but hebelieves it will be Osborne. We walked down to the Stone Walk, which iscalled, it seems, my Lord of Northumberland's walk, being paved by someone of that title, that was prisoner there: and at the end of it, there isa piece of iron upon the wall, with, his armes upon it, and holes to putin a peg, for every turn that they make upon that walk. So away to theOffice, where busy all the morning, and so to dinner, and so very busy allthe afternoon, at my Office, late; and then home tired, to supper, withcontent with my wife, and so to bed, she pleasing me, though I dare notown it, that she hath hired a chambermaid; but she, after manycommendations, told me that she had one great fault, and that was, thatshe was very handsome, at which I made nothing, but let her go on; butmany times to-night she took occasion to discourse of her handsomeness, and the danger she was in by taking her, and that she did doubt yetwhether it would be fit for her, to take her. But I did assure her of myresolutions to have nothing to do with her maids, but in myself I was gladto have the content to have a handsome one to look on. 

12th. Up, and abroad, with my own coach, to Auditor Beale's house, andthence with W. Hewer to his Office, and there with great content spent allthe morning looking over the Navy accounts of several years, and theseveral patents of the Treasurers, which was more than I did hope to havefound there. About noon I ended there, to my great content, and givingthe clerks there 20s. For their trouble, and having sent for W. Howe to meto discourse with him about the Patent Office records, wherein Iremembered his brother to be concerned, I took him in my coach with W. Hewer and myself towards Westminster; and there he carried me to Nott's, the famous bookbinder, that bound for my Lord Chancellor's library; andhere I did take occasion for curiosity to bespeak a book to be bound, onlythat I might have one of his binding. Thence back to Graye's Inne: and, at the next door, at a cook's-shop of Howe's acquaintance, we bespokedinner, it being now two o'clock; and in the meantime he carried us intoGraye's Inne, to his chamber, where I never was before; and it is verypretty, and little, and neat, as he was always. And so, after a littlestay, and looking over a book or two there, we carried a piece of my LordCoke with us, and to our dinner, where, after dinner, he read at my desirea chapter in my Lord Coke about perjury, wherein I did learn a good dealtouching oaths, and so away to the Patent Office; in Chancery Lane, wherehis brother Jacke, being newly broke by running in debt, and growing anidle rogue, he is forced to hide himself; and W. Howe do look after theOffice, and here I did set a clerk to look out some things for me in theirbooks, while W. Hewer and I to the Crowne Offices where we met withseveral good things that I most wanted, and did take short notes of thedockets, and so back to the Patent Office, and did the like there, and bycandle-light ended. And so home, where, thinking to meet my wife withcontent, after my pains all this day, I find her in her closet, alone, inthe dark, in a hot fit of railing against me, upon some news she has thisday heard of Deb. 's living very fine, and with black spots, and speakingill words of her mistress, which with good reason might vex her; and thebaggage is to blame, but, God knows, I know nothing of her, nor what shedo, nor what becomes of her, though God knows that my devil that is withinme do wish that I could. Yet God I hope will prevent me therein, for Idare not trust myself with it if I should know it; but, what with my highwords, and slighting it, and then serious, I did at last bring her to verygood and kind terms, poor heart! and I was heartily glad of it, for I dosee there is no man can be happier than myself, if I will, with her. Butin her fit she did tell me what vexed me all the night, that this had puther upon putting off her handsome maid and hiring another that was full ofthe small pox, which did mightily vex me, though I said nothing, and dostill. So down to supper, and she to read to me, and then with allpossible kindness to bed. 

13th. Up, and to the Tower, to see Sir W. Coventry, and with him talkingof business of the Navy, all alone, an hour, he taking physic. And soaway to the Office, where all the morning, and then home to dinner, withmy people, and so to the Office again, and there all the afternoon tillnight, when comes, by mistake, my cozen Turner, and her two daughters, which love such freaks, to eat some anchovies and ham of bacon with me, instead of noon, at dinner, when I expected them. But, however, I haddone my business before they come, and so was in good humour enough to bewith them, and so home to them to supper, and pretty merry, being pleasedto see Betty Turner, which hath something mighty pretty. But that whichput me in good humour, both at noon and night, is the fancy that I am thisday made a Captain of one of the King's ships, Mr. Wren having this daysent me, the Duke of York's commission to be Captain of "The Jerzy, " inorder to my being of a Court-martiall for examining the loss of "TheDefyance, " and other things; which do give me occasion of much mirth, andmay be of some use to me, at least I shall get a little money by it forthe time I have it; it being designed that I must really be a Captain tobe able to sit in this Court. They staid till about eight at night, andthen away, and my wife to read to me, and then to bed in mighty goodhumour, but for my eyes. 

14th (Lord's day). Up, and to my office with Tom, whom I made to read tome the books of Propositions in the time of the Grand Commission, which Idid read a good part of before church, and then with my wife to church, where I did see my milliner's wife come again, which pleased me; but Idurst not be seen to mind her for fear of my wife's seeing me, though thewoman I did never speak twenty words to, and that but only in herhusband's shop. But so fearful I am of discontenting my wife, or givingher cause of jealousy. But here we heard a most excellent good sermon ofMr. Gifford's, upon the righteousness of Scribes and Pharisees. So hometo dinner and to work again, and so till dinner, where W. Howe come anddined with me, and staid and read in my Lord Cooke upon his chapter ofperjury again, which pleased me, and so parted, and I to my office, andthere made an end of the books of Propositions, which did please memightily to hear read, they being excellently writ and much to thepurpose, and yet so as I think I shall make good use of his defence of ourpresent constitution. About four o'clock took coach to visit my cozenTurner, and I out with her to make a visit, but the lady she went to seewas abroad. So back and to talk with her and her daughters, and thenhome, and she and I to walk in the garden, the first time this year, theweather being mighty temperate; and then I to write down my Journall forthe last week, my eyes being very bad, and therefore I forced to find away to use by turns with my tube, one after another, and so home to supperand to bed. Before I went from my office this night I did tell Tom myresolution not to keep him after Jane was gone, but shall do well by him, which pleases him; and I think he will presently marry her, and go awayout of my house with her. 

15th. Up, and by water with W. Hewer to the Temple; and thence to theRolls, where I made inquiry for several rolls, and was soon informed inthe manner of it: and so spent the whole morning with W. Hewer, he takinglittle notes in short-hand, while I hired a clerk there to read to meabout twelve or more several rolls which I did call for: and it was greatpleasure to me to see the method wherein their rolls are kept; that whenthe Master of the Office, one Mr. Case, do call for them, who is a manthat I have heretofore known by coming to my Lord of Sandwich's, he didmost readily turn to them. At noon they shut up; and W. Hewer and I didwalk to the Cocke, at the end of Suffolke Streete, where I never was, agreat ordinary, mightily cried up, and there bespoke a pullett; whichwhile dressing, he and I walked into St. James's Park, and thence back, and dined very handsome, with a good soup, and a pullet, for 4s. 6d. Thewhole. Thence back to the Rolls, and did a little more business: and soby water to White Hall, whither. I went to speak with Mr. Williamson, that if he hath any papers relating to the Navy I might see them, which hepromises me: and so by water home, with great content for what I have thisday found, having got almost as much as I desire of the history of theNavy, from 1618 to 1642, when the King and Parliament fell out. So home, and did get my wife to read, and so to supper and to bed. 

16th. Up, and to the office, after having visited Sir W. Coventry at theTower, and walked with him upon the Stone Walk, alone, till other companycome to him, and had very good discourse with him. At noon home, where mywife and Jane gone abroad, and Tom, in order to their buying of things fortheir wedding, which, upon my discourse the last night, is now resolved tobe done, upon the 26th of this month, the day of my solemnity for mycutting of the stone, when my cozen Turner must be with us. My wife, therefore, not at dinner; and comes to me Mr. Evelyn of Deptford, a worthygood man, and dined with me, but a bad dinner; who is grieved for, andspeaks openly to me his thoughts of, the times, and our ruin approaching;and all by the folly of the King. His business to me was about someground of his, at Deptford, next to the King's yard: and after dinner weparted. My sister Michell coming also this day to see us, whom I leftthere, and I away down by water with W. Hewer to Woolwich, where I havenot been I think more than a year or two, and here I saw, but did not goon board, my ship "The Jerzy, " she lying at the wharf under repair. Butmy business was to speak with Ackworth, about some old things and passagesin the Navy, for my information therein, in order to my great business nowof stating the history of the Navy. This I did; and upon the whole dofind that the late times, in all their management, were not more husbandlythan we; and other things of good content to me. His wife was sick, and soI could not see her. Thence, after seeing Mr. Sheldon, I to Greenwich bywater, and there landed at the King's house, which goes on slow, but isvery pretty. 

 [The old palace at Greenwich had just been pulled down, and a new building commenced by Charles II. , only one wing of which was completed, at the expense of L36, 000, under the auspices of Webb, Inigo Jones's kinsman and executor. In 1694 the unfinished edifice was granted by William and Mary to trustees for the use and service of a Naval Hospital; and it has been repeatedly enlarged and improved till it has arrived at its present splendour. --B. ]

I to the Park, there to see the prospect of the hill, to judge of Dancre'spicture, which he hath made thereof for me: and I do like it very well:and it is a very pretty place. Thence to Deptford, but staid not, Uthwayte being out of the way: and so home, and then to the Ship Tavern, Morrice's, and staid till W. Hewer fetched his uncle Blackburne byappointment to me, to discourse of the business of the Navy in the latetimes; and he did do it, by giving me a most exact account in writing, ofthe several turns in the Admiralty and Navy, of the persons employedtherein, from the beginning of the King's leaving the Parliament, to hisSon's coming in, to my great content; and now I am fully informed in all Iat present desire. We fell to other talk; and I find by him that theBishops must certainly fall, and their hierarchy; these people have got somuch ground upon the King and kingdom as is not to be got again from them:and the Bishops do well deserve it. But it is all the talk, I find, thatDr. Wilkins, my friend, the Bishop of Chester, shall be removed toWinchester, and be Lord Treasurer. Though this be foolish talk, yet I dogather that he is a mighty rising man, as being a Latitudinarian, and theDuke of Buckingham his great friend. Here we staid talking till to atnight, where I did never drink before since this man come to the house, though for his pretty wife's sake I do fetch my wine from this, whom Icould not nevertheless get para see to-night, though her husband did seemto call for her. So parted here and I home, and to supper and to bed. 

17th. Up, and by water to see Mr. Wren, and then Mr. Williamson, who didshew me the very original bookes of propositions made by the Commissionersfor the Navy, in 1618, to my great content; but no other Navy papers hecould now shew me. Thence to Westminster by water and to the Hall, whereMrs. Michell do surprize me with the news that Doll Lane is suddenlybrought to bed at her sister's lodging, and gives it out that she ismarried, but there is no such thing certainly, she never mentioning itbefore, but I have cause to rejoice that I have not seen her a greatwhile, she having several times desired my company, but I doubt to an evilend. Thence to the Exchequer, where W. Hewer come to me, and after alittle business did go by water home, and there dined, and took my wife bya hackney to the King's playhouse, and saw "The Coxcomb, " the first timeacted, but an old play, and a silly one, being acted only by the youngpeople. Here met cozen Turner and The. So parted there from them, andhome by coach and to my letters at the office, where pretty late, and soto supper and to bed. 

18th. Up, and to see Sir W. Coventry, and walked with him a good while inthe Stone Walk: and brave discourse about my Lord Chancellor, and his illmanagements and mistakes, and several things of the Navy, and thence tothe office, where we sat all the morning, and so home to dinner, where mywife mighty finely dressed, by a maid that she hath taken, and is to cometo her when Jane goes; and the same she the other day told me of, to be sohandsome. I therefore longed to see her, but did not till after dinner, that my wife and I going by coach, she went with us to Holborne, where weset her down. She is a mighty proper maid, and pretty comely, but so so;but hath a most pleasing tone of voice, and speaks handsomely, but hathmost great hands, and I believe ugly; but very well dressed, and goodclothes, and the maid I believe will please me well enough. Thence tovisit Ned Pickering and his lady, and Creed and his wife, but the formerabroad, and the latter out of town, gone to my Lady Pickering's inNorthamptonshire, upon occasion of the late death of their brother, OliverPickering, a youth, that is dead of the smallpox. So my wife and I toDancre's to see the pictures; and thence to Hyde Park, the first time wewere there this year, or ever in our own coach, where with mighty priderode up and down, and many coaches there; and I thought our horses andcoach as pretty as any there, and observed so to be by others. Here staidtill night, and so home, and to the office, where busy late, and so hometo supper and to bed, with great content, but much business in my head ofthe office, which troubles me. 

19th. Up, and by water to White Hall, there to the Lords of the Treasury, and did some business, and here Sir Thomas Clifford did speak to me, asdesirous that I would some time come and confer with him about the Navy, which I am glad of, but will take the direction of the Duke of York beforeI do it, though I would be glad to do something to secure myself, if Icould, in my employment. Thence to the plaisterer's, and took my face, and my Lord Duke of Albemarle's, home with me by coach, they being done tomy mind; and mighty glad I am of understanding this way of having thepictures of any friends. At home to dinner, where Mr. Sheres dined withus, but after dinner I left him and my wife, and with CommissionerMiddleton and Kempthorne to a Court-martiall, to which, by virtue of mylate Captainship, I am called, the first I was ever at; where manyCommanders, and Kempthorne president. Here was tried a difference betweenSir L. Van Hemskirke, the Dutch Captain who commands "The Nonsuch, " builtby his direction, and his Lieutenant; a drunken kind of silly business. We ordered the Lieutenant to ask him pardon, and have resolved to laybefore the Duke of York what concerns the Captain, which was striking ofhis Lieutenant and challenging him to fight, which comes not within anyarticle of the laws martiall. But upon discourse the other day with SirW. Coventry, I did advise Middleton, and he and I did forbear to givejudgment, but after the debate did withdraw into another cabin, the Courtbeing held in one of the yachts, which was on purpose brought up overagainst St. Katharine's, it being to be feared that this precedent of ourbeing made Captains, in order to the trying of the loss of "The Defyance, "wherein we are the proper persons to enquire into the want of instructionswhile ships do lie in harbour, evil use might be hereafter made of theprecedent by putting the Duke of Buckingham, or any of these rude fellowsthat now are uppermost, to make packed Courts, by Captains made on purposeto serve their turns. The other cause was of the loss of "The Providence"at Tangier, where the Captain's being by chance on shore may prove veryinconvenient to him, for example's sake, though the man be a good man, andone whom, for Norwood's sake, I would be kind to; but I will not offer anything to the excusing such a miscarriage. He is at present confined, tillhe can bring better proofs on his behalf of the reasons of his being onshore. So Middleton and I away to the Office; and there I late busy, making my people, as I have done lately, to read Mr. Holland's' Discourseof the Navy, and what other things I can get to inform me fully in all;and here late, about eight at night, comes Mr. Wren to me, who had been atthe Tower to Coventry. He come only to see how matters go, and tells me, as a secret, that last night the Duke of York's closet was broken open, and his cabinets, and shut again, one of them that the rogue that did ithath left plate and a watch behind him, and therefore they fear that itwas only for papers, which looks like a very malicious business in design, to hurt the Duke of York; but they cannot know that till the Duke of Yorkcomes to town about the papers, and therefore make no words of it. Hegone, I to work again, and then to supper at home, and to bed. 

20th. Up, and to the Tower, to W. Coventry, and there walked with himalone, on the Stone Walk, till company come to him; and there about thebusiness of the Navy discoursed with him, and about my Lord Chancellor andTreasurer; that they were against the war [with the Dutch] at first, declaring, as wise men and statesmen, at first to the King, that theythought it fit to have a war with them at some time or other, but that itought not to be till we found the Crowns of Spain and France together bythe Bares, the want of which did ruin our war. But then he told me that, a great deal before the war, my Lord Chancellor did speak of a war withsome heat, as a thing to be desired, and did it upon a belief that hecould with his speeches make the Parliament give what money he pleased, and do what he would, or would make the King desire; but he found himselfsoon deceived of the Parliament, they having a long time before hisremoval been cloyed with his speeches and good words, and were come tohate him. Sir W. Coventry did tell me it, as the wisest thing that everwas said to the King by any statesman of his time, and it was by my LordTreasurer that is dead, whom, I find, he takes for a very greatstatesman--that when the King did shew himself forward for passing the Actof Indemnity, he did advise the King that he would hold his hand in doingit, till he had got his power restored, that had been diminished by thelate times, and his revenue settled in such a manner as he might depend onhimself, without resting upon Parliaments, --and then pass it. But my LordChancellor, who thought he could have the command of Parliaments for ever, because for the King's sake they were awhile willing to grant all the Kingdesired, did press for its being done; and so it was, and the King fromthat time able to do nothing with the Parliament almost. Thence to theoffice, where sat all the forenoon, and then home to dinner, and so to theoffice, where late busy, and so home, mightily pleased with the newsbrought me to-night, that the King and Duke of York are come back thisafternoon, and no sooner come, but a warrant was sent to the Tower for thereleasing Sir W. Coventry; which do put me in some hopes that there maybe, in this absence, some accommodation made between the Duke of York andthe Duke of Buckingham and; Arlington. So home, to supper, and to bed. 

21st (Lord's day). Up, and by water over to Southwarke; and then, notgetting a boat, I forced to walk to Stangate; and so over to White Hall, in a scull; where up to the Duke of York's dressing-room, and there metHarry Saville, and understand that Sir W. Coventry is come to his houselast night. I understand by Mr. Wren that his friends having, bySecretary Trevor and my Lord Keeper, applied to the King upon his firstcoming home, and a promise made that he should be discharged this day, myLord Arlington did anticipate them, by sending a warrant presently for hisdischarge which looks a little like kindness, or a desire of it; which Godsend! though I fear the contrary: however, my heart is glad that he isout. Thence up and down the House. Met with Mr. May, who tells me thestory of his being put by Sir John Denham's place, of Surveyor of theKing's Works, who it seems, is lately dead, by the unkindness of the DukeBuckingham, who hath brought in Dr. Wren: though, he tells me, he hathbeen his servant for twenty years together in all his wants and dangers, saving him from want of bread by his care and management, and with apromise of having his help in his advancement, and an engagement under hishand for L1000 not yet paid, and yet the Duke of Buckingham so ungratefulas to put him by: which is an ill thing, though Dr. Wren is a worthy man. But he tells me that the King is kind to him, and hath promised him apension of L300 a-year out of the Works; which will be of more content tohim than the place, which, under their present wants of money, is a placethat disobliges most people, being not able to do what they desire totheir lodgings. Here meeting with Sir H. Cholmly and Povy, that tell methat my Lord Middleton is resolved in the Cabal that he shall not go toTangier; and that Sir Edward Harlow [Harley], whom I know not, ispropounded to go, who was Governor of Dunkirke, and, they say, a mostworthy brave man, which I shall be very glad of. So by water (H. Russellcoming for me) home to dinner, where W. Howe comes to dine with me; andafter dinner propounds to me my lending him L500, to help him to purchasea place--the Master of the Patent Office, of Sir Richard Piggott. I didgive him a civil answer, but shall think twice of it; and the more, because of the changes we are like to have in the Navy, which will notmake it fit for me to divide the little I have left more than I have done, God knowing what my condition is, I having not attended, and now not beingable to examine what my state is, of my accounts, and being in the world, which troubles me mightily. He gone, I to the office to enter my journallfor a week. News is lately come of the Algerines taking L3000 in money, out of one of our Company's East India ships, outward bound, which willcertainly make the war last; which I am sorry for, being so poor as weare, and broken in pieces. At night my wife to read to me, and then tosupper, where Pelling comes to see and sup with us, and I find that he isassisting my wife in getting a licence to our young people to be marriedthis Lent, which is resolved shall be done upon Friday next, my great day, or feast, for my being cut of the stone. So after supper to bed, my eyesbeing very bad. 

22nd. Up, and by water, with W. Newer, to White Hall, there to attend theLords of the Treasury; but, before they sat, I did make a step to see SirW. Coventry at his house, where, I bless God! he is come again; but in myway I met him, and so he took me into his coach and carried me to WhiteHall, and there set me down where he ought not--at least, he hath not yetleave to come, nor hath thought fit to ask it, hearing that Henry Savilleis not only denied to kiss the King's hand, but the King, being asked itby the Duke of York, did deny it, and directed that the Duke shall notreceive him, to wait upon him in his chamber, till further orders. Sir W. Coventry told me that he was going to visit Sir John Trevor, who hath beenkind to him; and he shewed me a long list of all his friends that he mustthis week make visits to, that come to visit him in the Tower; and seemsmighty well satisfied with his being out of business, but I hope he willnot long be so; at least, I do believe that all must go to rat if the Kingdo not come to see the want of such a servant. Thence to theTreasury-Chamber, and there all the morning to my great grief, put to doSir G. Downing's work of dividing the Customes for this year, between theNavy, the Ordnance and Tangier: but it did so trouble my eyes, that I hadrather have given L20 than have had it to do; but I did thereby oblige SirThomas Clifford and Sir J. Duncombe, and so am glad of the opportunity torecommend myself to the former for the latter I need not, he loving mewell already. At it till noon, here being several of my brethren with mebut doing nothing, but I all. But this day I did also represent to ourTreasurers, which was read here, a state of the charge of the Navy, andwhat the expence of it this year would likely be; which is done so as itwill appear well done and to my honour, for so the Lords did take it: andI oblige the Treasurers by doing it, at their request. Thence with W. Hewer at noon to Unthanke's, where my wife stays for me and so to theCocke, where there was no room, and thence to King Street, to severalcook's shops, where nothing to be had; and at last to the corner shop, going down Ivy Lane, by my Lord of Salisbury's, and there got a gooddinner, my wife, and W. Newer, and I: and after dinner she, with hercoach, home; and he and I to look over my papers for the East IndiaCompany, against the afternoon: which done, I with them to White Hall, andthere to the Treasury-Chamber, where the East India Company and threeCouncillors pleaded against me alone, for three or four hours, till sevenat night, before the Lords; and the Lords did give me the conquest onbehalf of the King, but could not come to any conclusion, the Companybeing stiff: and so I think we shall go to law with them. This done, andmy eyes mighty bad with this day's work, I to Mr. Wren's, and then up tothe Duke of York, and there with Mr. Wren did propound to him my going toChatham to-morrow with Commissioner Middleton, and so this week to makethe pay there, and examine the business of "The Defyance" being lost, andother businesses, which I did the rather, that I might be out of the wayat the wedding, and be at a little liberty myself for a day, or two, tofind a little pleasure, and give my eyes a little ease. The Duke of Yorkmightily satisfied with it; and so away home, where my wife troubled at mybeing so late abroad, poor woman! though never more busy, but I satisfiedher; and so begun to put things in order for my journey to-morrow, and so, after supper, to bed. 

23rd. Up, and to my office to do a little business there, and so, mythings being all ready, I took coach with Commissioner Middleton, CaptainTinker, and Mr. Huchinson, a hackney coach, and over the bridge, and soout towards Chatham, and; dined at Dartford, where we staid an hour ortwo, it being a cold day; and so on, and got to Chatham just at night, with very good discourse by the way, but mostly of matters of religion, wherein Huchinson his vein lies. After supper, we fell to talk of spiritsand apparitions, whereupon many pretty, particular stories were told, soas to make me almost afeard to lie alone, but for shame I could not helpit; and so to bed and, being sleepy, fell soon to rest, and so restedwell. 

24th. Up, and walked abroad in the garden, and find that Mrs. Tooker hasnot any of her daughters here as I expected and so walked to the yard, leaving Middleton at the pay, and there I only walked up and down theyard, and then to the Hill-House, and there did give order for the coachto be made ready; and got Mr. Gibson, whom I carried with me, to go withme and Mr. Coney, the surgeon, towards Maydston which I had a mighty mindto see, and took occasion, in my way, at St. Margett's, to pretend to callto see Captain Allen to see whether Mrs. Jowles, his daughter, was there;and there his wife come to the door, he being at London, and through awindow, I spied Jowles, but took no notice of he but made excuse tillnight, and then promised to come and see Mrs. Allen again, and so away, itbeing a mighty cold and windy, but clear day; and had the pleasure ofseeing the Medway running, winding up and down mightily, and a very finecountry; and I went a little out of the way to have visited Sir JohnBankes, but he at London; but here I had a sight of his seat and house, the outside, which is an old abbey just like Hinchingbroke, and as good atleast, and mighty finely placed by the river; and he keeps the groundsabout it, and walls and the house, very handsome: I was mightily pleasedwith the sight of it. Thence to Maydstone, which I had a mighty mind tosee, having never been there; and walked all up and down the town, and upto the top of the steeple, and had a noble view, and then down again: andin the town did see an old man beating of flax, and did step into the barnand give him money, and saw that piece of husbandry which I never saw, andit is very pretty: in the street also I did buy and send to our inne, theBell, a dish of fresh fish. And so, having walked all round the town, andfound it very pretty, as most towns I ever saw, though not very big, andpeople of good fashion in it, we to our inne to dinner, and had a gooddinner; and after dinner a barber come to me, and there trimmed me, that Imight be clean against night, to go to Mrs. Allen. And so, staying tillabout four o'clock, we set out, I alone in the coach going and coming; andin our way back, I 'light out of the way to see a Saxon monument, [Kits-Cotty House, a cromlech in Aylesford parish, Kent, on a hillside adjacent to the river Medway, three and a half miles N. By W. Of Maidstone. It consists of three upright stones and an overlying one, and forms a small chamber open in front. It is supposed to have been the centre of a group of monuments indicating the burial-place of the Belgian settlers in this part of Britain. Other stones of a similar character exist in the neighbourhood. ]

as they say, of a King, which is three stones standing upright, and agreat round one lying on them, of great bigness, although not so big asthose on Salisbury Plain; but certainly it is a thing of great antiquity, and I mightily glad to see it; it is near to Aylesford, where Sir JohnBankes lives. So homeward, and stopped again at Captain Allen's, andthere 'light, and sent the coach and Gibson home, and I and Coney staid;and there comes to us Mrs. Jowles, who is a very fine, proper lady, asmost I know, and well dressed. Here was also a gentleman, one MajorManly, and his wife, neighbours; and here we staid, and drank, and talked, and set Coney and him to play while Mrs. Jowles and I to talk, and therehad all our old stories up, and there I had the liberty to salute heroften, and pull off her glove, where her hand mighty moist, and she mightyfree in kindness to me, and je do not at all doubt that I might have hadthat that I would have desired de elle had I had time to have carried herto Cobham, as she, upon my proposing it, was very willing to go, for elleis a whore, that is certain, but a very brave and comely one. Here was apretty cozen of hers come in to supper also, of a great fortune, daughter-in-law to this Manly, mighty pretty, but had now such a cold, shecould not speak. Here mightily pleased with Mrs. Jowles, and did get herto the street door, and there to her su breasts, and baiser her withoutany force, and credo that I might have had all else, but it was not timenor place. Here staid till almost twelve at night, and then with alanthorn from thence walked over the fields, as dark as pitch, and mightycold, and snow, to Chatham, and Mr. Coney with great kindness to me: andthere all in bed before I come home, and so I presently to bed. 

25th. Up, and by and by, about eight o'clock, come Rear-AdmiralKempthorne and seven Captains more, by the Duke of York's order, as weexpected, to hold the Court-martiall about the loss of "The Defyance;" andso presently we by boat to "The Charles, " which lies over against UpnorCastle, and there we fell to the business; and there I did manage thebusiness, the Duke of York having, by special order, directed them to takethe assistance of Commissioner Middleton and me, forasmuch as there mightbe need of advice in what relates to the government of the ships inharbour. And so I did lay the law open to them, and rattle the MasterAttendants out of their wits almost; and made the trial last till seven atnight, not eating a bit all the day; only when we had done examination, and I given my thoughts that the neglect of the Gunner of the ship was asgreat as I thought any neglect could be, which might by the law deservedeath, but Commissioner Middleton did declare that he was against givingthe sentence of death, we withdrew, as not being of the Court, and so leftthem to do what they pleased; and, while they were debating it, theBoatswain of the ship did bring us out of the kettle a piece of hot saltbeef, and some brown bread and brandy; and there we did make a littlemeal, but so good as I never would desire to eat better meat while I live, only I would have cleaner dishes. By and by they had done, and called usdown from the quarterdeck; and there we find they do sentence that theGunner of "The Defyance" should stand upon "The Charles" three hours withhis fault writ upon his breast, and with a halter about his neck, and sobe made incapable of any office. The truth is, the man do seem, and is, Ibelieve, a good man; but his neglect, in trusting a girl to carry fireinto his cabin, is not to be pardoned. This being done, we took boat andhome; and there a good supper was ready for us, which should have been ourdinner. The Captains, desirous to be at London, went away presently forGravesend, to get thither by this night's tide; and so we to supper, ithaving been a great snowy and mighty cold, foul day; and so after supperto bed. 

26th. Up, and with Middleton all the morning at the Docke, looking overthe storehouses and Commissioner Pett's house, in order to Captain Cox'scoming to live there in his stead, as Commissioner. But it is a mightypretty house; and pretty to see how every thing is said to be out ofrepair for this new man, though L10 would put it into as good condition inevery thing as it ever was in, so free every body is of the King's money. By and by to Mr. Wilson's, and there drank, but did not see his wife, norany woman in the yard, and so to dinner at the Hill-House; and afterdinner, till eight at night, close, Middleton and I, examining thebusiness of Mr. Pett, about selling a boat, and we find him a very knave;and some other quarrels of his, wherein, to justify himself, he hath madecomplaints of others. This being done, we to supper, and so to talk, Commissioner Middleton being mighty good company upon a journey, and so tobed, thinking how merry my people are at this time, putting Tom and Janeto bed, being to have been married this day, it being also my feast formy being cut of the stone, but how many years I do not remember, but Ithink it to be about ten or eleven. 

27th. Up, and did a little business, Middleton and I, then; afterdrinking a little buttered ale, he and Huchinson and: I took coach, and, exceeding merry in talk, to Dartford: Middleton finding stories of his ownlife at Barbadoes, and up and down at Venice, and elsewhere, that aremighty pretty, and worth hearing; and he is a strange good companion, and;droll upon the road, more than ever I could have thought to have been inhim. Here we dined and met Captain Allen of Rochester, who dined with us, and so went on his journey homeward, and we by and by took coach again andgot home about six at night, it being all the morning as cold, snowy, windy, and rainy day, as any in the whole winter past, but pretty clear inthe afternoon. I find all well, but my wife abroad with Jane, who wasmarried yesterday, and I to the office busy, till by and by my wife comeshome, and so home, and there hear how merry they were yesterday, and Iglad at it, they being married, it seems, very handsomely, at Islington;and dined at the old house, and lay in our blue chamber, with muchcompany, and wonderful merry. The Turner and Mary Batelier bridesmaids, and Talbot Pepys and W. Hewer bridesmen. Anon to supper and to bed, myhead a little troubled with the muchness of the business I have upon me atpresent. So to bed. 

28th (Lord's day). Lay long talking with pleasure with my wife, and so upand to the Office with Tom, who looks mighty smug upon his marriage, asJane also do, both of whom I did give joy, and so Tom and I at work at theOffice all the morning, till dinner, and then dined, W. Batelier with us;and so after dinner to work again, and sent for Gibson, and kept him alsotill eight at night, doing much business. And so, that being done, and myjournal writ, my eyes being very bad, and every day worse and worse, Ifear: but I find it most certain that stronge drinks do make my eyes sore, as they have done heretofore always; for, when I was in the country, whenmy eyes were at the best, their stronge beere would make my eyes sore: sohome to supper, and by and by to bed. 

29th. Up, and by water to White Hall; and there to the Duke of York, toshew myself, after my journey to Chatham, but did no business to-day withhim: only after gone from him, I to Sir T. Clifford's; and there, after anhour's waiting, he being alone in his closet, I did speak with him, andgive him the account he gave me to draw up, and he did like it very well:and then fell to talk of the business of the Navy and giving me goodwords, did fall foul of the constitution [of the Board], and did thendiscover his thoughts, that Sir J. Minnes was too old, and so was ColonelMiddleton, and that my Lord Brouncker did mind his mathematics too much. I did not give much encouragement to that of finding fault with myfellow-officers; but did stand up for the constitution, and did say thatwhat faults there were in our Office would be found not to arise from theconstitution, but from the failures of the officers in whose hands it was. This he did seem to give good ear to; but did give me of myself very goodwords, which pleased me well, though I shall not build upon them anything. Thence home; and after dinner by water with Tom down to Greenwich, he reading to me all the way, coming and going, my collections out of theDuke of York's old manuscript of the Navy, which I have bound up, and doplease me mightily. At Greenwich I come to Captain Cocke's, where thehouse full of company, at the burial of James Temple, who, it seems, hathbeen dead these five days here I had a very good ring, which I did give mywife as soon as I come home. I spent my time there walking in the garden, talking with James Pierce, who tells me that he is certain that the Dukeof Buckingham had been with his wenches all the time that he was absent, which was all the last week, nobody knowing where he was. The great talkis of the King's being hot of late against Conventicles, and to seewhether the Duke of Buckingham's being returned will turn the King, whichwill make him very popular: and some think it is his plot to make the Kingthus, to shew his power in the making him change his mind. But Pierce didtell me that the King did certainly say, that he that took one stone fromthe Church, did take two from his Crown. By and by the corpse come out;and I, with Sir Richard Browne and Mr. Evelyn, in their coach to thechurch, where Mr. Plume preached. But I, in the midst of the sermon, didgo out, and walked all alone, round to Deptford, thinking para have seenthe wife of Bagwell, which I did at her door, but I could not convenientlygo into her house, and so lost my labour: and so to the King's Yard, andthere my boat by order met me; and home, where I made my boy to finish themy manuscript, and so to supper and to bed my new chamber-maid, that comesin the room of Jane; is come, Jane and Tom lying at their own lodging thisnight: the new maid's name is Matt, a proper and very comely maid . . . This day also our cook-maid Bridget went away, which I was sorry for;but, just at her going she was found to be a thief, and so I was the lesstrouble for it; but now our whole house will, in a manner, be new which, since Jane is gone, I am not at all sorry for, for that my latedifferences with my wife about poor Deb. Will not be remembered. So tobed after supper, and to sleep with great content. 

30th. Up, and to Sir W. Coventry, to see and discourse with him; and hetells me that he hath lately been with my Lord Keeper, and had muchdiscourse about the Navy; and particularly he tells me that he finds theyare divided touching me and my Lord Brouncker; some are for removing; andsome for keeping us. He told my Lord Keeper that it would cost the KingL10, 000 before he hath made another as fit to serve him in the Navy as Iam; which, though I believe it is true, yet I am much pleased to have thatcharacter given me by W. Coventry, whatever be the success of it. But Iperceive they do think that I know too much, and shall impose uponwhomever shall come next, and therefore must be removed, though he tellsme that Sir T. Clifford is inclined well enough to me, and Sir T. Osborne;by what I have lately done, I suppose. This news do a little trouble me, but yet, when I consider it, it is but what I ought not to be muchtroubled for, considering my incapacity, in regard to my eyes, to continuelong at this work, and this when I think of and talk with my wife do makeme the less troubled for it. After some talk of the business of the navymore with him, I away and to the Office, where all the morning; and Sir W. Pen, the first time that he hath been here since his being last sick, which, I think, is two or three months; and I think will be the last thathe will be here as one of the Board, he now inviting us all to dine withhim, as a parting dinner, on Thursday next, which I am glad of, I am sure;for he is a very villain. At noon home to dinner, where, and at theoffice, all the afternoon, troubled at what I have this morning heard, atleast my mind full of thoughts upon it, and so at night after supper tobed. 

31st. Up, and by water to Sir W. Coventry's, there to talk with him aboutbusiness of the Navy, and received from him direction what to advise theDuke of York at this time, which was, to submit and give way to the King'snaming a man or two, that the people about him have a mind should bebrought into the Navy, and perhaps that may stop their fury in runningfurther against the whole; and this, he believes, will do it. After muchdiscourse with him, I walked out with him into St. James's Park, where, being afeard to be seen with him, he having not leave yet to kiss theKing's hand, but notice taken, as I hear, of all that go to him, I didtake the pretence of my attending the Tangier Committee, to take my leave, though to serve him I should, I think, stick at nothing. At theCommittee, this morning, my Lord Middleton declares at last his beingready to go, as soon as ever money can be made ready to pay the garrison:and so I have orders to get money, but how soon I know not. Thence home, and there find Mr Sheres, for whom I find my moher of late to talk withmighty kindness; and particularly he hath shewn himself to be a poet, andthat she do mightily value him for. He did not stay to dine with us, butwe to dinner; and then, in the afternoon, my wife being very well dressedby her new maid, we abroad, to make a visit to Mrs. Pickering; but sheabroad again, and so we never yet saw her. Thence to Dancre's, and there, saw our pictures which are in doing; and I did choose a view of Romeinstead of Hampton Court; and mightily pleased I shall be in them. Herewere Sir Charles Cotterell and his son bespeaking something; bothingenious men. Thence my wife and I to the Park; and pretty store ofcompany; and so home with great content the month, my mind in pretty goodcontent for all things, but the designs on foot to bring alterations inthe Office, which troubles me. 

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 Broken sort of people, that have not much to lose But so fearful I am of discontenting my wife By her wedding-ring, I suppose he hath married her at last Have not much to lose, and therefore will venture all His satisfaction is nothing worth, it being easily got Nor was there any pretty woman that I did see, but my wife With egg to keep off the glaring of the light