and discoursed of the body of ships, which I am now going about to
understand, and then I took him to the coffee-house, where he was very
earnest against Mr. Grant's report in favour of Sir W. Petty's vessel,
even to some passion on both sides almost. So to the Exchange, and thence
home to dinner with my brother, and in the afternoon to Westminster hall,
and there found Mrs. Lane, and by and by by agreement we met at the
Parliament stairs (in my way down to the boat who should meet us but my
lady Jemimah, who saw me lead her but said nothing to me of her, though I
ought to speak to her to see whether she would take notice of it or no)
and off to Stangate and so to the King's Head at Lambeth marsh, and had
variety of meats and drinks, but I did so towse her and handled her, but
could get nothing more from her though I was very near it; but as wanton
and bucksome as she is she dares not adventure upon the business, in which
I very much commend and like her. Staid pretty late, and so over with her
by water, and being in a great sweat with my towsing of her durst not go
home by water, but took coach, and at home my brother and I fell upon Des
Cartes, and I perceive he has studied him well, and I cannot find but he
has minded his book, and do love it. This evening came a letter about
business from Mr. Coventry, and with it a silver pen he promised me to
carry inke in, which is very necessary. So to prayers and to bed.
6th. Up and was angry with my maid Hannah for keeping the house no
better, it being more dirty now-a-days than ever it was while my whole
family was together. So to my office, whither Mr. Coventry came and Sir
William Pen, and we sat all the morning. This day Mr. Coventry borrowed
of me my manuscript of the Navy. At noon I to the 'Change, and meeting
with Sir W. Warren, to a coffee-house, and there finished a contract with
him for the office, and so parted, and I to my cozen Mary Joyce's at a
gossiping, where much company and good cheer. There was the King's
Falconer, that lives by Paul's, and his wife, an ugly pusse, but brought
him money. He speaking of the strength of hawkes, which will strike a
fowle to the ground with that force that shall make the fowle rebound a
great way from ground, which no force of man or art can do, but it was
very pleasant to hear what reasons he and another, one Ballard, a rich man
of the same Company of Leathersellers of which the Joyces are, did give
for this. Ballard's wife, a pretty and a very well-bred woman, I took
occasion to kiss several times, and she to carve, drink, and show me great
respect. After dinner to talk and laugh. I drank no wine, but sent for
some water; the beer not being good. A fiddler was sent for, and there
one Mrs. Lurkin, a neighbour, a good, and merry poor woman, but a very
tall woman, did dance and show such tricks that made us all merry, but
above all a daughter of Mr. Brumfield's, black, but well-shaped and
modest, did dance very well, which pleased me mightily. I begun the
Duchess with her, but could not do it; but, however, I came off well
enough, and made mighty much of her, kissing and leading her home, with
her cozen Anthony and Kate Joyce (Kate being very handsome and well, that
is, handsomely dressed to-day, and I grew mighty kind and familiar with
her, and kissed her soundly, which she takes very well) to their house,
and there I left them, having in our way, though nine o'clock at night,
carried them into a puppet play in Lincolnes Inn Fields, where there was
the story of Holofernes, and other clockwork, well done. There was at
this house today Mr. Lawrence, who did give the name, it seems, to my
cozen Joyce's child, Samuel, who is a very civil gentleman, and his wife a
pretty woman, who, with Kate Joyce, were stewards of the feast to-day, and
a double share cost for a man and a woman came to 16s., which I also would
pay, though they would not by any means have had me do so. I walked home
very well contented with this afternoon's work, I thinking it convenient
to keep in with the Joyces against a bad day, if I should have occasion to
make use of them. So I walked home, and after a letter to my wife by the
post and my father, I home to supper, and after a little talk with my
brother to bed.
7th. Up and to my office a little, and then to Brown's for my measuring
rule, which is made, and is certainly the best and the most commodious for
carrying in one's pocket, and most useful that ever was made, and myself
have the honour of being as it were the inventor of this form of it. Here
I staid discoursing an hour with him and then home, and thither came Sir
Fairbrother to me, and we walked a while together in the garden and then
abroad into the cittie, and then we parted for a while and I to my Viall,
which I find done and once varnished, and it will please me very well when
it is quite varnished. Thence home and to study my new rule till my head
aked cruelly. So by and by to dinner and the Doctor and Mr. Creed came to
me. The Doctor's discourse, which (though he be a very good-natured man)
is but simple, was some sport to me and Creed, though my head akeing I
took no great pleasure in it. We parted after dinner, and I walked to
Deptford and there found Sir W. Pen, and I fell to measuring of some
planks that was serving into the yard, which the people took notice of,
and the measurer himself was amused at, for I did it much more ready than
he, and I believe Sir W. Pen would be glad I could have done less or he
more. By and by he went away and I staid walking up and down, discoursing
with the officers of the yard of several things, and so walked back again,
and on my way young Bagwell and his wife waylayd me to desire my favour
about getting him a better ship, which I shall pretend to be willing to do
for them, but my mind is to know his wife a little better. They being
parted I went with Cadbury the mast maker to view a parcel of good masts
which I think it were good to buy, and resolve to speak to the board about
it. So home, and my brother John and I up and I to my musique, and then
to discourse with him, and I find him not so thorough a philosopher, at
least in Aristotle, as I took him for, he not being able to tell me the
definition of final nor which of the 4 Qualitys belonged to each of the 4
Elements. So to prayers, and to bed, among other things being much
satisfied with my new rule.
8th. Up and to my office, whither I search for Brown the mathematical
instrument maker, who now brought me a ruler for measuring timber and
other things so well done and in all things to my mind that I do set up my
trust upon it that I cannot have a better, nor any man else have so good
for this purpose, this being of my own ordering. By and by we sat all the
morning dispatching of business, and then at noon rose, and I with Mr.
Coventry down to the water-side, talking, wherein I see so much goodness
and endeavours of doing the King service, that I do more and more admire
him. It being the greatest trouble to me, he says, in the world to see
not only in the Navy, but in the greatest matters of State, where he can
lay his finger upon the soare (meaning this man's faults, and this man's
office the fault lies in), and yet dare or can not remedy matters. Thence
to the Exchange about several businesses, and so home to dinner, and in
the afternoon took my brother John and Will down to Woolwich by water, and
after being there a good while, and eating of fruit in Sheldon's garden,
we began our walk back again, I asking many things in physiques of my
brother John, to which he gives me so bad or no answer at all, as in the
regions of the ayre he told me that he knew of no such thing, for he never
read Aristotle's philosophy and Des Cartes ownes no such thing, which
vexed me to hear him say. But I shall call him to task, and see what it
is that he has studied since his going to the University. It was late
before we could get from Greenwich to London by water, the tide being
against us and almost past, so that to save time and to be clear of
anchors I landed at Wapping, and so walked home weary enough, walking over
the stones. This night Sir W. Batten and Sir J. Minnes returned [from]
Portsmouth, but I did not go see them.
9th (Lord's day). Up, and leaving my brother John to go somewhere else, I
to church, and heard Mr. Mills (who is lately returned out of the country,
and it seems was fetched in by many of the parishioners, with great
state,) preach upon the authority of the ministers, upon these words, "We
are therefore embassadors of Christ." Wherein, among other high
expressions, he said, that such a learned man used to say, that if a
minister of the word and an angell should meet him together, he would
salute the minister first; which methought was a little too high. This
day I begun to make use of the silver pen (Mr. Coventry did give me) in
writing of this sermon, taking only the heads of it in Latin, which I
shall, I think, continue to do. So home and at my office reading my
vowes, and so to Sir W. Batten to dinner, being invited and sent for, and
being willing to hear how they left things at Portsmouth, which I found
but ill enough, and are mightily for a Commissioner to be at seat there to
keep the yard in order. Thence in the afternoon with my Lady Batten,
leading her through the streets by the hand to St. Dunstan's Church, hard
by us (where by Mrs. Russell's means we were set well), and heard an
excellent sermon of one Mr. Gifford, the parson there, upon "Remember
Lot's wife." So from thence walked back to Mrs. Russell's, and there
drank and sat talking a great while. Among other things talked of young
Dawes that married the great fortune, who it seems has a Baronet's patent
given him, and is now Sir Thos. Dawes, and a very fine bred man they say
he is. Thence home, and my brother being abroad I walked to my uncle
Wight's and there staid, though with little pleasure, and supped, there
being the husband of Mrs. Anne Wight, who it seems is lately married to
one Mr. Bentley, a Norwich factor. Home, and staid up a good while
examining Will in his Latin below, and my brother along with him in his
Greeke, and so to prayers and to bed. This afternoon I was amused at the
tune set to the Psalm by the Clerke of the parish, and thought at first
that he was out, but I find him to be a good songster, and the parish
could sing it very well, and was a good tune. But I wonder that there
should be a tune in the Psalms that I never heard of.
10th. Up, though not so early this summer as I did all the last, for
which I am sorry, and though late am resolved to get up betimes before the
season of rising be quite past. To my office to fit myself to wait on the
Duke this day. By and by by water to White Hall, and so to St. James's,
and anon called into the Duke's chamber, and being dressed we were all as
usual taken in with him and discoursed of our matters, and that being
done, he walked, and I in the company with him, to White Hall, and there
he took barge for Woolwich, and, I up to the Committee of Tangier, where
my Lord Sandwich, pay Lord Peterborough, (whom I have not seen before
since his coming back,) Sir W. Compton, and Mr. Povy. Our discourse about
supplying my Lord Teviott with money, wherein I am sorry to see, though
they do not care for him, yet they are willing to let him for civility and
compliment only have money almost without expecting any account of it; but
by this means, he being such a cunning fellow as he is, the King is like
to pay dear for our courtiers' ceremony. Thence by coach with my Lords
Peterborough and Sandwich to my Lord Peterborough's house; and there,
after an hour's looking over some fine books of the Italian buildings,
with fine cuts; and also my Lord Peterborough's bowes and arrows, of which
he is a great lover, we sat down to dinner, my Lady coming down to dinner
also, and there being Mr. Williamson, that belongs to Sir H. Bennet, whom
I find a pretty understanding and accomplished man, but a little
conceited. After dinner I took leave and went to Greatorex's, whom I
found in his garden, and set him to work upon my ruler, to engrave an
almanac and other things upon the brasses of it, which a little before
night he did, but the latter part he slubbered over, that I must get him
to do it over better, or else I shall not fancy my rule, which is such a
folly that I am come to now, that whereas before my delight was in
multitude of books, and spending money in that and buying alway of other
things, now that I am become a better husband, and have left off buying,
now my delight is in the neatness of everything, and so cannot be pleased
with anything unless it be very neat, which is a strange folly. Hither
came W. Howe about business, and he and I had a great deal of discourse
about my Lord Sandwich, and I find by him that my Lord do dote upon one of
the daughters of Mrs. [Becke] where he lies, so that he spends his time
and money upon her. He tells me she is a woman of a very bad fame and
very impudent, and has told my Lord so, yet for all that my Lord do spend
all his evenings with her, though he be at court in the day time, and that
the world do take notice of it, and that Pickering is only there as a
blind, that the world may think that my Lord spends his time with him when
he do worse, and that hence it is that my Lord has no more mind to go into
the country than he has. In fine, I perceive my Lord is dabbling with
this wench, for which I am sorry, though I do not wonder at it, being a
man amorous enough, and now begins to allow himself the liberty that he
says every body else at Court takes. Here I am told that my Lord Bristoll
is either fled or concealed himself; having been sent for to the King, it
is believed to be sent to the Tower, but he is gone out of the way.
Yesterday, I am told also, that Sir J. Lenthall, in Southwarke, did
apprehend about one hundred Quakers, and other such people, and hath sent
some of them to the gaole at Kingston, it being now the time of the
Assizes. Hence home and examined a piece of, Latin of Will's with my
brother, and so to prayers and to bed. This evening I had a letter from
my father that says that my wife will come to town this week, at which I
wonder that she should come to town without my knowing more of it. But I
find they have lived very ill together since she went, and I must use all
the brains I have to bring her to any good when she do come home, which I
fear will be hard to do, and do much disgust me the thoughts of it.
11th. Up and to my office, whither, by and by, my brother Tom came, and I
did soundly rattle him for his neglecting to see and please the Joyces as
he has of late done. I confess I do fear that he do not understand his
business, nor will do any good in his trade, though he tells me that he do
please every body and that he gets money, but I shall not believe it till
I see a state of his accounts, which I have ordered him to bring me before
he sees me any more. We met and sat at the office all the morning, and at
noon I to the 'Change, where I met Dr. Pierce, who tells me that the King
comes to towne this day, from Tunbridge, to stay a day or two, and then
fetch the Queen from thence, who he says is grown a very debonnaire lady,
and now hugs him, and meets him gallopping upon the road, and all the
actions of a fond and pleasant lady that can be, that he believes has a
chat now and then of Mrs. Stewart, but that there is no great danger of
her, she being only an innocent, young, raw girl; but my Lady Castlemaine,
who rules the King in matters of state, and do what she list with him, he
believes is now falling quite out of favour. After the Queen is come back
she goes to the Bath; and so to Oxford, where great entertainments are
making for her. This day I am told that my Lord Bristoll hath warrants
issued out against him, to have carried him to the Tower; but he is fled
away, or hid himself. So much the Chancellor hath got the better of him.
Upon the 'Change my brother, and Will bring me word that Madam Turner
would come and dine with me to-day, so I hasted home and found her and
Mrs. Morrice there (The. Joyce being gone into the country), which is the
reason of the mother rambling. I got a dinner for them, and after dinner
my uncle Thomas and aunt Bell came and saw me, and I made them almost
foxed with wine till they were very kind (but I did not carry them up to
my ladies). So they went away, and so my two ladies and I in Mrs.
Turner's coach to Mr. Povy's, who being not within, we went in and there
shewed Mrs. Turner his perspective and volary,
[A large birdcage, in which the birds can fly about; French
'voliere'. Ben Jonson uses the word volary.]
and the fine things that he is building of now, which is a most neat
thing. Thence to the Temple and by water to Westminster; and there
Morrice and I went to Sir R. Ling's to have fetched a niece of his, but
she was not within, and so we went to boat again and then down to the
bridge, and there tried to find a sister of Mrs. Morrice's, but she was
not within neither, and so we went through bridge, and I carried them on
board the King's pleasure-boat, all the way reading in a book of Receipts
of making fine meats and sweetmeats, among others to make my own sweet
water, which made us good sport. So I landed them at Greenwich, and there
to a garden, and gave them fruit and wine, and so to boat again, and
finally, in the cool of the evening, to Lyon Kee,
[Lion Key, Lower Thames Street, where the famous Duchess of Suffolk
in the time of Bishop Gardiner's persecution took boat for the
continent. James, Duke of York, also left the country from this
same place on the night of April 20th, 1648, when he escaped from
St. James's Palace.]
the tide against us, and so landed and walked to the Bridge, and there
took a coach by chance passing by, and so I saw them home, and there eat
some cold venison with them, and drunk and bade them good night, having
been mighty merry with them, and I think it is not amiss to preserve,
though it cost me a little, such a friend as Mrs. Turner. So home and to
bed, my head running upon what to do to-morrow to fit things against my
wife's coming, as to buy a bedstead, because my brother John is here, and
I have now no more beds than are used.
12th. A little to my office, to put down my yesterday's journall, and so
abroad to buy a bedstead and do other things. So home again, and having
put up the bedstead and done other things in order to my wife's coming, I
went out to several places and to Mrs. Turner's, she inviting me last
night, and there dined; with her and Madam Morrice and a stranger we were
very merry and had a fine dinner, and thence I took leave and to White
Hall, where my Lords Sandwich, Peterborough, and others made a Tangier
Committee; spent the afternoon in reading and ordering with a great deal
of alteration, and yet methinks never a whit the better, of a letter drawn
by Creed to my Lord Rutherford. The Lords being against anything that
looked to be rough, though it was in matter of money and accounts, wherein
their courtship may cost the King dear. Only I do see by them, that
speaking in matters distasteful to him that we write to, it is best to do
it in the plainest way and without ambages or reasoning, but only say
matters of fact, and leave the party to collect your meaning. Thence by
water to my brother's, and there I hear my wife is come and gone home, and
my father is come to town also, at which I wondered. But I discern it is
to give my brother advice about his business, and it may be to pacify me
about the differences that have been between my wife and him and my mother
at her late being with them. Though by and by he coming to Mr. Holden's
(where I was buying a hat) he took no notice to me of anything. I talked
to him a little while and left him to lie at the end of the town, and I
home, where methought I found my wife strange, not knowing, I believe, in
what temper she could expect me to be in, but I fell to kind words, and so
we were very kind, only she could not forbear telling me how she had been
used by them and her mayde, Ashwell, in the country, but I find it will be
best not to examine it, for I doubt she's in fault too, and therefore I
seek to put it off from my hearing, and so to bed and there entertained
her with great content, and so to sleep.
13th. Lay long in bed with my wife talking of family matters, and so up
and to the office, where we sat all the' morning, and then home to dinner,
and after dinner my wife and I to talk again about getting of a couple of
good mayds and to part with Ashwell, which troubles me for her father's
sake, though I shall be glad to have the charge taken away of keeping a
woman. Thence a little to the office, and so abroad with my wife by water
to White Hall, and there at my Lord's lodgings met my Lady Jemimah, with
whom we staid a good while. Thence to Mrs. Hunt's, where I left my wife,
and I to walk a little in St. James's Park, while Mrs. Harper might come
home, with whom we came to speak about her kinswoman Jane Gentleman to
come and live with us as a chamber mayde, and there met with Mr. Hoole my
old acquaintance of Magdalen, and walked with him an hour in the Parke,
discoursing chiefly of Sir Samuel Morland, whose lady is gone into France.
It seems he buys ground and a farm in the country, and lays out money upon
building, and God knows what! so that most of the money he sold his
pension of L500 per annum for, to Sir Arthur Slingsby, is believed is
gone. It seems he hath very great promises from the King, and Hoole hath
seen some of the King's letters, under his own hand, to Morland, promising
him great things (and among others, the order of the Garter, as Sir Samuel
says); but his lady thought it below her to ask any thing at the King's
first coming, believing the King would do it of himself, when as Hoole do
really think if he had asked to be Secretary of State at the King's first
coming, he might have had it. And the other day at her going into France,
she did speak largely to the King herself, how her husband hath failed of
what his Majesty had promised, and she was sure intended him; and the King
did promise still, as he is a King and a gentleman, to be as good as his
word in a little time, to a tittle: but I never believe it. Here in the
Park I met with Mr. Coventry, where he sent for a letter he had newly writ
to me, wherein he had enclosed one from Commissioner Pett complaining of
his being defeated in his attempt to suspend two pursers, wherein the
manner of his doing it, and complaint of our seeing him (contrary to our
promises the other day), deserted, did make us laugh mightily, and was
good sport to think how awkwardly he goes about a thing that he has no
courage of his own nor mind to do. Mr. Coventry answered it very
handsomely, but I perceive Pett has left off his corresponding with me any
more. Thence to fetch my wife from Mrs. Hunt's, where now he was come in,
and we eat and drunk, and so away (their child being at home, a very
lively, but not pretty at all), by water to Mrs. Turner's, and there made
a short visit, and so home by coach, and after supper to prayers and to
bed, and before going to bed Ashwell began to make her complaint, and by
her I do perceive that she has received most base usage from my wife,
which my wife sillily denies, but it is impossible the wench could invent
words and matter so particularly, against which my wife has nothing to say
but flatly to deny, which I am sorry to see, and blows to have past, and
high words even at Hinchinbrooke House among my Lady's people, of which I
am mightily ashamed. I said nothing to either of them, but let them talk
till she was gone and left us abed, and then I told my wife my mind with
great sobriety of grief, and so to sleep.
14th. Awake, and to chide my wife again, and I find that my wife has got
too great head to be brought down soon, nor is it possible with any
convenience to keep Ashwell longer, my wife is so set and convinced, as
she was in Sarah, to make her appear a Lyer in every small thing that we
shall have no peace while she stays. So I up and to my office doing
several businesses in my study, and so home to dinner. The time having
outslipt me and my stomach, it being past, two a-clock, and yet before we
could sit down to dinner Mrs. Harper and her cousin Jane came, and we
treated and discoursed long about her coming to my wife for a chamber
mayd, and I think she will do well. So they went away expecting notice
when she shall come, and so we sat down to dinner at four a-clock almost,
and then I walked forth to my brother's, where I found my father very
discontented, and has no mind to come to my house, and would have begun
some of the differences between my wife and him, but I desired to hear
none of them, and am sorry at my folly in forcing it and theirs in not
telling me of it at the beginning, and therefore am resolved to make the
best of a bad market, and to bring my wife to herself again as soon and as
well as I can. So we parted very kindly, and he will dine with me
to-morrow or next day. Thence walked home, doing several errands by the
way, and at home took my wife to visit Sir W. Pen, who is still lame, and
after an hour with him went home and supped, and with great content to
bed.