Diary, December 1667 | Page 6

account, which is the greatest piece of
roguery that they say was ever found in a Lord Mayor. He says also
that this day hath been made appear to them that the Keeper of
Newgate, at this day, hath made his house the only nursery of rogues,
and whores, and pickpockets, and thieves in the world; where they were
bred and entertained, and the whole society met: and that, for the sake
of the Sheriffes, they durst not this day committ him, for fear of making
him let out the prisoners, but are fain to go by artifice to deal with him.
He tells me, also, speaking of the new street that is to be made from
Guild Hall down to Cheapside, that the ground is already, most of it,
bought. And tells me of one particular, of a man that hath a piece of
ground lieing in the very middle of the street that must be; which, when
the street is cut out of it, there will remain ground enough, of each side,
to build a house to front the street. He demanded L700 for the ground,
and to be excused paying any thing for the melioration of the rest of his
ground that he was to keep. The Court consented to give him L700,
only not to abate him the consideration: which the man denied; but told
them, and so they agreed, that he would excuse the City the L700, that
he might have the benefit of the melioration without paying any thing
for it. So much some will get by having the City burned! But he told
me that in other cases ground, by this means, that was not 4d. a-foot
before, will now, when houses are built, be worth 15s. a-foot. But he
tells me that the common standard now reckoned on between man and
man, in places where there is no alteration of circumstances, but only
the houses burnt, there the ground, which, with a house on it, did yield
L100 a-year, is now reputed worth L33 6s. 8d.; and that this is the
common market-price between one man and another, made upon a
good and moderate medium.

4th. At the office all the morning. At noon to dinner, and presently with

my wife abroad, whom and her girle I leave at Unthanke's, and so to
White Hall in expectation of waiting on the Duke of York to-day, but
was prevented therein, only at Mr. Wren's chamber there I hear that the
House of Lords did send down the paper which my Lord Chancellor
left behind him, directed to the Lords, to be seditious and scandalous;
and the Commons have voted that it be burned by the hands of the
hangman, and that the King be desired to agree to it. I do hear, also,
that they have desired the King to use means to stop his escape out of
the nation. Here I also heard Mr. Jermin, who was there in the chamber
upon occasion of Sir Thomas Harvy's telling him of his brother's
having a child, and thereby taking away his hopes (that is, Mr. Jermin's)
of L2000 a year. He swore, God damn him, he did not desire to have
any more wealth than he had in the world, which indeed is a great
estate, having all his uncle's, my Lord St. Alban's, and my Lord hath all
the Queen-Mother's. But when Sir Thos. Harvy told him that "hereafter
you will wish it more;"-- "By God," answers he, "I won't promise what
I shall do hereafter." Thence into the House, and there spied a pretty
woman with spots on her face, well clad, who was enquiring for the
guard chamber; I followed her, and there she went up, and turned into
the turning towards the chapel, and I after her, and upon the stairs there
met her coming up again, and there kissed her twice, and her business
was to enquire for Sir Edward Bishop, one of the serjeants at armes. I
believe she was a woman of pleasure, but was shy enough to me, and
so I saw her go out afterwards, and I took a hackney coach, and away. I
to Westminster Hall, and there walked, and thence towards White Hall
by coach, and spying Mrs. Burroughs in a shop did stop and 'light and
speak to her; and so to White Hall, where I 'light and went and met her
coming towards White Hall, but was upon business, and I could not get
her to go any whither and so parted, and I home with my wife and girle
(my wife not being very well, of a great looseness day and night for
these two days). So home, my wife to read to me in Sir R. Cotton's
book