Diary, December 1666 | Page 9

I saw shops now come to be in this
Exchange, and met little Batelier, who sits here but at L3 per annum,
whereas he sat at the other at L100, which he says he believes will
prove of as good account to him now as the other did at that rent. From
the 'Change to Captain Cocke's, and there, by agreement, dined, and
there was Charles Porter, Temple, Fern, Debasty, whose bad English
and pleasant discourses was exceeding good entertainment, Matt. Wren,
Major Cooper, and myself, mighty merry and pretty discourse. They
talked for certain, that now the King do follow Mrs. Stewart wholly,
and my Lady Castlemayne not above once a week; that the Duke of
York do not haunt my Lady Denham so much; that she troubles him
with matters of State, being of my Lord Bristoll's faction, and that he
avoids; that she is ill still. After dinner I away to the office, where we
sat late upon Mr. Gawden's accounts, Sir J. Minnes being gone home
sick. I late at the office, and then home to supper and to bed, being
mightily troubled with a pain in the small of my back, through cold, or
(which I think most true) my straining last night to get open my plate

chest, in such pain all night I could not turn myself in my bed. Newes
this day from Brampton, of Mr. Ensum, my sister's sweetheart, being
dead: a clowne.

13th. Up, and to the office, where we sat. At noon to the 'Change and
there met Captain Cocke, and had a second time his direction to
bespeak L100 of plate, which I did at Sir R. Viner's, being twelve plates
more, and something else I have to choose. Thence home to dinner, and
there W. Hewer dined with me, and showed me a Gazette, in April last,
which I wonder should never be remembered by any body, which tells
how several persons were then tried for their lives, and were found
guilty of a design of killing the King and destroying the Government;
and as a means to it, to burn the City; and that the day intended for the
plot was the 3rd of last September.
[The "Gazette" of April 23rd-26th, 1666, which contains the following
remarkable passage: "At the Sessions in the Old Bailey, John Rathbone,
an old army colonel, William Saunders, Henry Tucker, Thomas Flint,
Thomas Evans, John Myles, Will. Westcot, and John Cole, officers or
soldiers in the late Rebellion, were indicted for conspiring the death of
his Majesty and the overthrow of the Government. Having laid their
plot and contrivance for the surprisal of the Tower, the killing his Grace
the Lord General, Sir John Robinson, Lieutenant of the Tower, and Sir
Richard Brown; and then to have declared for an equal division of
lands, &c. The better to effect this hellish design, the City was to have
been fired, and the portcullis let down to keep out all assistance; and
the Horse Guards to have been surprised in the inns where they were
quartered, several ostlers having been gained for that purpose. The
Tower was accordingly viewed, and its surprise ordered by boats over
the moat, and from thence to scale the wall. One Alexander, not yet
taken, had likewise distributed money to these conspirators; and, for the
carrying on the design more effectually, they were told of a Council of
the great ones that sat frequently in London, from whom issued all
orders; which Council received their directions from another in Holland,
who sat with the States; and that the third of September was pitched on
for the attempt, as being found by Lilly's Almanack, and a scheme
erected for that purpose, to be a lucky day, a planet then ruling which
prognosticated the downfall of Monarchy. The evidence against these

persons was very full and clear, and they were accordingly found guilty
of High Treason." See November 10th, 1666--B.]
And the fire did indeed break out on the 2nd of September, which is
very strange, methinks, and I shall remember it. At the office all the
afternoon late, and then home to even my accounts in my Tangier book,
which I did to great content in all respects, and joy to my heart, and so
to bed. This afternoon Sir W. Warren and Mr. Moore, one after another,
walked with me in the garden, and they both tell me that my Lord
Sandwich is called home, and that he do grow more and more in esteem
everywhere, and is better spoken of, which I am mighty glad of, though
I know well enough his deserving the same before, and did foresee that
it will come to it. In mighty great pain in my back still, but I perceive it
changes