other things done, which I did, and by coach to Lord Bruncker's, and got
his hand to it; and then to the Parliament House and got it signed by the
rest, and then delivered it at the House-door to Sir Philip Warwicke; Sir
G. Carteret being gone into the House with his book of accounts under his
arme, to present to the House. I had brought my wife to White Hall, and
leaving her with Mrs. Michell, where she sat in her shop and had burnt
wine sent for her, I walked in the Hall, and among others with Ned
Picketing, who continues still a lying, bragging coxcombe, telling me that
my Lord Sandwich may thank himself for all his misfortune; for not
suffering him and two or three good honest fellows more to take them by
the throats that spoke ill of him, and told me how basely Lionell Walden
hath carried himself towards my Lord; by speaking slightly of him, which I
shall remember. Thence took my wife home to dinner, and then to the
office, where Mr. Hater all the day putting in order and entering in a
book all the measures that this account of the Navy hath been made up by,
and late at night to Mrs. Turner's, where she had got my wife and Lady Pen
and Pegg, and supped, and after, supper and the rest of the company by
design gone, Mrs. Turner and her husband did lay their case to me about
their lodgings, Sir J. Minnes being now gone wholly to his owne, and now,
they being empty, they doubt Sir T. Harvy or Lord Bruncker may look after
the lodgings. I did give them the best advice, poor people, that I could,
and would do them any kindnesse, though it is strange that now they should
have ne'er a friend of Sir W. Batten or Sir W. Pen to trust to but me,
that they have disobliged. So home to bed, and all night still mightily
troubled in my sleepe, with fire and houses pulling down.
26th. Up, and with Sir J. Minnes to St. James's, where every body going
to the House, I away by coach to White Hall, and after a few turns, and
hearing that our accounts come into the House but to-day, being hindered
yesterday by other business, I away by coach home, taking up my wife and
calling at Bennet's, our late mercer, who is come into Covent Garden to a
fine house looking down upon the Exchange; and I perceive many Londoners
every day come; and Mr. Pierce hath let his wife's closett, and the little
blind bed chamber, and a garret to a silke man for L50 fine, and L30 per
annum, and L40 per annum more for dieting the master and two prentices.
So home, not agreeing for silk for a petticoat for her which she desired,
but home to dinner and then back to White Hall, leaving my wife by the way
to buy her petticoat of Bennet, and I to White Hall waiting all day on the
Duke of Yorke to move the King for getting Lanyon some money at Plymouth
out of some oyle prizes brought in thither, but could get nothing done,
but here Mr. Dugdale I hear the great loss of books in St. Paul's
Church-yarde, and at their Hall also, which they value about L150,000;
some booksellers being wholly undone, among others, they say, my poor
Kirton. And Mr. Crumlu all his books and household stuff burned; they
trusting St. Fayth's, and the roof of the church falling, broke the arch
down into the lower church, and so all the goods burned. A very great
loss. His father hath lost above L1000 in books; one book newly printed,
a Discourse, it seems, of Courts. Here I had the hap to see my Lady
Denham: and at night went into the dining-room and saw several fine
ladies; among others, Castlemayne, but chiefly Denham again; and the Duke
of Yorke taking her aside and talking to her in the sight of all the
world, all alone; which was strange, and what also I did not like. Here I
met with good Mr. Evelyn, who cries out against it, and calls it
bitchering,--[This word was apparently of Evelyn's own making.]--for the
Duke of Yorke talks a little to her, and then she goes away, and then he
follows her again like a dog. He observes that none of the nobility come
out of the country at all to help the King, or comfort him, or prevent
commotions at this fire; but do as if the King were nobody; nor ne'er a
priest comes to give the King and Court good council, or to comfort the
poor people that suffer; but all is dead, nothing of good in any of their
minds: he bemoans it, and says he fears more ruin hangs over our heads.
Thence away by coach, and called away my wife at Unthanke's, where she
tells me she hath bought a gowne of 15s. per yard; the same, before her
face, my Lady Castlemayne this day bought also, which I seemed vexed for,
though I do not grudge it her, but to incline her to have Mercer again,
which I believe I shall do, but the girle, I hear, has no mind to come to
us again, which vexes me. Being come home, I to Sir W. Batten, and there
hear our business was tendered to the House to-day, and a Committee of the
whole House chosen to examine our accounts, and a great many Hotspurs
enquiring into it, and likely to give us much trouble and blame, and
perhaps (which I am afeard of) will find faults enow to demand better
officers. This I truly fear. Away with Sir W. Pen, who was there, and he
and I walked in the garden by moonlight, and he proposes his and my
looking out into Scotland about timber, and to use Pett there; for timber
will be a good commodity this time of building the City; and I like the
motion, and doubt not that we may do good in it. We did also discourse
about our Privateer, and hope well of that also, without much hazard, as,
if God blesses us, I hope we shall do pretty well toward getting a penny.
I was mightily pleased with our discourse, and so parted, and to the
office to finish my journall for three or four days, and so home to
supper, and to bed. Our fleete abroad, and the Dutch too, for all we
know; the weather very bad; and under the command of an unlucky man, I
fear. God bless him, and the fleete under him!
27th. A very furious blowing night all the night; and my mind still
mightily perplexed with dreams, and burning the rest of the town, and
waking in much pain for the fleete. Up, and with my wife by coach as far
as the Temple, and there she to the mercer's again, and I to look out
Penny, my tailor, to speak for a cloak and cassock for my brother, who is
coming to town; and I will have him in a canonical dress, that he may be
the fitter to go abroad with me. I then to the Exchequer, and there,
among other things, spoke to Mr. Falconbridge about his girle I heard sing
at Nonsuch, and took him and some other 'Chequer men to the Sun Taverne,
and there spent 2s. 6d. upon them, and he sent for the girle, and she hath
a pretty way of singing, but hath almost forgot for want of practice. She
is poor in clothes, and not bred to any carriage, but will be soon taught
all, and if Mercer do not come again, I think we may have her upon better
terms, and breed her to what we please. Thence to Sir W. Coventry's, and
there dined with him and Sir W. Batten, the Lieutenant of the Tower, and
Mr. Thin, a pretty gentleman, going to Gottenburgh. Having dined, Sir W.
Coventry, Sir W. Batten, and I walked into his closet to consider of some
things more to be done in a list to be given to the Parliament of all our
ships, and time of entry and discharge. Sir W. Coventry seems to think
they will soon be weary of the business, and fall quietly into the giving
the King what is fit. This he hopes. Thence I by coach home to the
office, and there intending a meeting, but nobody being there but myself
and Sir J. Minnes, who is worse than nothing, I did not answer any body,
but kept to my business in the office till night, and then Sir W. Batten
and Sir W. Pen to me, and thence to Sir W. Batten's, and eat a barrel of
oysters I did give them, and so home, and to bed. I have this evening
discoursed with W. Hewer about Mercer, I having a mind to have her again;
and I am vexed to hear him say that she hath no mind to come again, though
her mother hath. No newes of the fleete yet, but that they went by Dover
on the 25th towards the Gunfleete, but whether the Dutch be yet abroad, or
no, we hear not. De Ruyter is not dead, but like to do well. Most think
that the gross of the French fleete are gone home again.
28th. Lay long in bed, and am come to agreement with my wife to have
Mercer again, on condition she may learn this winter two months to dance,
and she promises me she will endeavour to learn to sing, and all this I am
willing enough to. So up, and by and by the glazier comes to finish the
windows of my house, which pleases me, and the bookbinder to gild the
backs of my books. I got the glass of my book-presses to be done
presently, which did mightily content me, and to setting my study in a
little better order; and so to my, office to my people, busy about our
Parliament accounts; and so to dinner, and then at them again close. At
night comes Sir W. Pen, and he and I a turn in the garden, and he broke to
me a proposition of his and my joining in a design of fetching timber and
deals from Scotland, by the help of Mr. Pett upon the place; which, while
London is building, will yield good money. I approve it. We judged a
third man, that is knowing, is necessary, and concluded on Sir W. Warren,
and sent for him to come to us to-morrow morning. I full of this all
night, and the project of our man of war; but he and, I both dissatisfied
with Sir W. Batten's proposing his son to be Lieutenant, which we, neither
of us, like. He gone, I discoursed with W. Hewer about Mercer, having a
great mind she should come to us again, and instructed him what to say to
her mother about it. And so home, to supper, and to bed.
29th. A little meeting at the office by Sir W. Batten, Sir W. Pen, and
myself, being the first since the fire. We rose soon, and comes Sir W.
Warren, by our desire, and with Sir W. Pen and I talked of our Scotch
motion, which Sir W. Warren did seem to be stumbled at, and did give no
ready answer, but proposed some thing previous to it, which he knows would
find us work, or writing to Mr. Pett to be informed how matters go there
as to cost and ways of providing sawyers or saw-mills. We were parted
without coming to any good resolution in it, I discerning plainly that Sir
W. Warren had no mind to it, but that he was surprised at our motion. He
gone, I to some office business, and then home to dinner, and then to
office again, and then got done by night the lists that are to be
presented to the Parliament Committee of the ships, number of men, and
time employed since the war, and then I with it (leaving my wife at
Unthanke's) to St. James's, where Sir W. Coventry staid for me, and I
perused our lists, and find to our great joy that wages, victuals, wear
and tear, cast by the medium of the men, will come to above 3,000,000; and
that the extraordinaries, which all the world will allow us, will arise to
more than will justify the expence we have declared to have been at since
the war, viz., L320,000, he and I being both mightily satisfied, he saying
to me, that if God send us over this rub we must take another course for a
better Comptroller. So parted, and I to my wife [at Unthanke's], who
staid for the finishing her new best gowne (the best that ever I made her
coloured tabby, flowered, and so took it and her home; and then I to my
people, and having cut them out a little more work than they expected,
viz., the writing over the lists in new method, I home to bed, being in
good humour, and glad of the end we have brought this matter to.
30th (Lord's day). Up, and to church, where I have not been a good while:
and there the church infinitely thronged with strangers since the fire
come into our parish; but not one handsome face in all of them, as if,
indeed, there was a curse, as Bishop Fuller heretofore said, upon our
parish. Here I saw Mercer come into the church, which I had a mind to,
but she avoided looking up, which vexed me. A pretty good sermon, and
then home, and comes Balty and dined with us. A good dinner; and then to
have my haire cut against winter close to my head, and then to church
again. A sorry sermon, and away home. [Sir] W. Pen and I to walk to talk
about several businesses, and then home; and my wife and I to read in
Fuller's Church History, and so to supper and to bed. This month ends
with my mind full of business and concernment how this office will speed
with the Parliament, which begins to be mighty severe in the examining our
accounts, and the expence of the Navy this war.
ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS:
About my new closet, for my mind is full of nothing but that
About the nature of sounds
All the innocent pleasure in the world
Angry, and so continued till bed, and did not sleep friends
Beare-garden
Being examined at Allgate, whether we were husbands and wives
Did dig another, and put our wine in it; and I my Parmazan cheese
Do bury still of the plague seven or eight in a day
Durst not ask any body how it was with us
Evelyn, who cries out against it, and calls it bitchering
Fire grow; and, as it grew darker, appeared more and more
Good sport of the bull's tossing of the dogs
Great fire they saw in the City
Horrid malicious bloody flame
I never did observe so much of myself in my life
No manner of means used to quench the fire
Not permit her begin to do so, lest worse should follow
Offered to stop the fire near his house for such a reward
Pain to ride in a coach with them, for fear of being seen
Plot in it, and that the French had done it
Put up with too much care, that I have forgot where they are
Removing goods from one burned house to another
Sad sight it was: the whole City almost on fire
Staying out late, and painting in the absence of her husband
There did 'tout ce que je voudrais avec' her
This unhappinesse of ours do give them heart
Ye pulling down of houses, in ye way of ye fire