Diary, Feb/Mar 1668/69 | Page 7

well enough
contented that it is over. Dispatched a great deal of business at the
office, and there pretty late, till finding myself very full of wind, by my
eating no dinner to-day, being vexed, I was forced to go home, and
there supped W. Batelier with us, and so with great content to bed.

9th. Up, and all the morning busy at the office, and after dinner abroad
with my wife to the King's playhouse, and there saw "The Island
Princesse," which I like mighty well, as an excellent play: and here we
find Kinaston to be well enough to act again, which he do very well,
after his beating by Sir Charles Sedley's appointment; and so thence
home, and there to my business at the Office, and after my letters done,
then home to supper and to bed, my mind being mightily eased by my
having this morning delivered to the Office a letter of advice about our
answers to the Commissioners of Accounts, whom we have neglected,
and I have done this as a record in my justification hereafter, when it
shall come to be examined.

10th. Up, and with my wife and W. Hewer, she set us down at White
Hall, where the Duke of York was gone a-hunting: and so, after I had
done a little business there, I to my wife, and with her to the plaisterer's
at Charing Cross, that casts heads and bodies in plaister: and there I had
my whole face done; but I was vexed first to be forced to daub all my
face over with pomatum: but it was pretty to feel how soft and easily it
is done on the face, and by and by, by degrees, how hard it becomes,
that you cannot break it, and sits so close, that you cannot pull it off,
and yet so easy, that it is as soft as a pillow, so safe is everything where
many parts of the body do bear alike. Thus was the mould made; but
when it came off there was little pleasure in it, as it looks in the mould,
nor any resemblance whatever there will be in the figure, when I come
to see it cast off, which I am to call for a day or two hence, which I
shall long to see. Thence to Hercules Pillars, and there my wife and W.
Hewer and I dined, and back to White Hall, where I staid till the Duke
of York come from hunting, which he did by and by, and, when dressed,
did come out to dinner; and there I waited: and he did tell me that
to-morrow was to be the great day that the business of the Navy would
be dis coursed of before the King and his Caball, and that he must stand
on his guard, and did design to have had me in readiness by, but that
upon second thoughts did think it better to let it alone, but they are now
upon entering into the economical part of the Navy. Here he dined, and
did mightily magnify his sauce, which he did then eat with every thing,
and said it was the best universal sauce in the world, it being taught
him by the Spanish Embassador; made of some parsley and a dry toast,

beat in a mortar, together with vinegar, salt, and a little pepper: he eats
it with flesh, or fowl, or fish: and then he did now mightily commend
some new sort of wine lately found out, called Navarre wine, which I
tasted, and is, I think, good wine: but I did like better the notion of the
sauce, and by and by did taste it, and liked it mightily. After dinner, I
did what I went for, which was to get his consent that Balty might hold
his Muster- Master's place by deputy, in his new employment which I
design for him, about the Storekeeper's accounts; which the Duke of
York did grant me, and I was mighty glad of it. Thence home, and there
I find Povy and W. Batelier, by appointment, met to talk of some
merchandize of wine and linnen; but I do not like of their troubling my
house to meet in, having no mind to their pretences of having their
rendezvous here, but, however, I was not much troubled, but went to
the office, and there very busy, and did much business till late at night,
and so home to supper, and with great pleasure to bed. This day, at
dinner, I sent to Mr. Spong to come to me to Hercules Pillars, who
come to us, and there did bring with him my new Parallelogram of
brass, which I was mightily pleased with, and paid for it 25s., and