Diary, August 1668 | Page 6

from Epsom not
well, and Sir J. Minnes, who is not well neither. And so home to supper,
and to set my books a little right, and then to bed. This day Betty
Michell come and dined with us, the first day after her lying in, whom I
was glad to see.

10th. Up, and by water to White Hall, and thence to Sir W. Coventry,
but he is gone out of town this morning, so thence to my Lord
Arlington's house, the first time I there since he come thither, at Goring
House, a very fine, noble place; and there he received me in sight of
several Lords with great respect. I did give him an account of my
journey; and here, while I waited for him a little, my Lord Orrery took
notice of me, and begun discourse of hangings, and of the improvement
of shipping: I not thinking that he knew me, but did then discover it,
with a mighty compliment of my abilities and ingenuity, which I am
mighty proud of; and he do speak most excellently. Thence to
Westminster Hall, and so by coach to the old Exchange, and there did
several businesses, and so home to dinner, and then abroad to Duck
Lane, where I saw my belle femme of the book vendor, but had no

opportunity para hazer con her. So away to Cooper's, where I spent all
the afternoon with my wife and girl, seeing him-make an end of her
picture, which he did Jo my great content, though not so great as, I
confess, I expected, being not satisfied in the greatness of the
resemblance, nor in the blue garment: but it is most certainly a most
rare piece of work, as to the painting. He hath L30 for his work--and
the chrystal, and case, and gold case comes to L8 3s. 4d.; and which I
sent him this night, that I might be out of debt. Thence my people home,
and I to Westminster Hall about a little business, and so by water home
[to] supper, and my wife to read a ridiculous book I bought today of the
History of the Taylors' Company,
[The title of this book was, "The Honour of the Merchant Taylors."
Wherein is set forth the noble acts, valliant deeds, and heroick
performances of Merchant Taylors in former ages; their honourable
loves, and knightly adventures, their combating of foreign enemies and
glorious successes in honour of the English nation: together with their
pious....]
and all the while Deb. did comb my head, and I did toker her with my
main para very great pleasure, and so to bed.

11th. Up, and by water to Sir W. Coventry to visit him, whom I find yet
troubled at the Commissioners of Accounts, about this business of Sir
W. Warren, which is a ridiculous thing, and can come to nothing but
contempt, and thence to Westminster Hall, where the Parliament met
enough to adjourne, which they did, to the 10th of November next, and
so by water home to the office, and so to dinner, and thence at the
Office all the afternoon till night, being mightily pleased with a little
trial I have made of the use of a tube-spectacall of paper, tried with my
right eye. This day I hear that, to the great joy of the Nonconformists,
the time is out of the Act against them, so that they may meet: and they
have declared that they will have a morning lecture
[During the troubled reign of Charles I., the House of Commons gave
parishioners the right of appointing lecturers at the various churches
without the consent of rector or vicar, and this naturally gave rise to
many quarrels. In the early period of the war between the king and the
parliament, a course of sermons or lectures was projected in aid of the
parliamentary cause. These lectures, which were preached by eminent

Presbyterian divines at seven o'clock on the Sunday mornings, were
commenced in the church of St. Mary Magdalen in Milk Street, but
were soon afterwards removed to St. Giles's, Cripplegate. After the
Restoration the lectures were collected in four volumes, and published
under the title of the "Cripplegate Morning Exercises," vol. i. in 1661;
vol. ii. in 1674; vol. iii. in 1682; and vol. iv. in 1690. In addition there
were two volumes which form a supplement to the work, viz., "The
Morning Exercises methodized," preached at St. Giles's-in-the-Fields,
edited by the Rev. Thomas Case in 1660, and the "Exercises against
Popery," preached in Southwark, and published in 1675 (see Demon's
"Records of St. Giles's, Crinnlegate," 1883, pp. 55-56).]
up again, which is pretty strange; and they are connived at by the King
every where, I hear, in City and country. So