Diary, July 1665 | Page 8

discourse with Mr.
Ph. Carteret, and find him a very modest man; and I think verily of

mighty good nature, and pretty understanding. He did give me a good
account of the fight with the Dutch. My Lady Sandwich dined in her
chamber. About three o'clock I, leaving my wife there, took boat and
home, and there shifted myself into my black silke suit, and having
promised Harman yesterday, I to his house, which I find very mean,
and mean company. His wife very ill; I could not see her. Here I, with
her father and Kate Joyce, who was also very ill, were godfathers and
godmother to his boy, and was christened Will. Mr. Meriton christened
him. The most observable thing I found there to my content, was to
hear him and his clerk tell me that in this parish of Michell's, Cornhill,
one of the middlemost parishes and a great one of the towne, there hath,
notwithstanding this sickliness, been buried of any disease, man,
woman, or child, not one for thirteen months last past; which [is] very
strange. And the like in a good degree in most other parishes, I hear,
saving only of the plague in them, but in this neither the plague nor any
other disease. So back again home and reshifted myself, and so down to
my Lady Carteret's, where mighty merry and great pleasantnesse
between my Lady Sandwich and the young ladies and me, and all of us
mighty merry, there never having been in the world sure a greater
business of general content than this match proposed between Mr.
Carteret and my Lady Jemimah. But withal it is mighty pretty to think
how my poor Lady Sandwich, between her and me, is doubtfull
whether her daughter will like of it or no, and how troubled she is for
fear of it, which I do not fear at all, and desire her not to do it, but her
fear is the most discreet and pretty that ever I did see. Late here, and
then my wife and I, with most hearty kindnesse from my Lady Carteret
by boat to Woolwich, come thither about 12 at night, and so to bed.

10th. Up, and with great pleasure looking over a nest of puppies of Mr.
Shelden's, with which my wife is most extraordinary pleased, and one
of them is promised her. Anon I took my leave, and away by water to
the Duke of Albemarle's, where he tells me that I must be at Hampton
Court anon. So I home to look over my Tangier papers, and having a
coach of Mr. Povy's attending me, by appointment, in order to my
coming to dine at his country house at Brainford, where he and his
family is, I went and Mr. Tasbrough with me therein, it being a pretty
chariot, but most inconvenient as to the horses throwing dust and dirt

into one's eyes and upon one's clothes. There I staid a quarter of an
houre, Creed being there, and being able to do little business (but the
less the better). Creed rode before, and Mr. Povy and I after him in the
chariot; and I was set down by him at the Parke pale, where one of his
saddle horses was ready for me, he himself not daring to come into the
house or be seen, because that a servant of his, out of his horse,
happened to be sicke, but is not yet dead, but was never suffered to
come into his house after he was ill. But this opportunity was taken to
injure Povy, and most horribly he is abused by some persons hereupon,
and his fortune, I believe, quite broke; but that he hath a good heart to
bear, or a cunning one to conceal his evil. There I met with Sir W.
Coventry, and by and by was heard by my Lord Chancellor and
Treasurer about our Tangier money, and my Lord Treasurer had
ordered me to forbear meddling with the L15,000 he offered me the
other day, but, upon opening the case to them, they did offer it again,
and so I think I shall have it, but my Lord General must give his
consent in it, this money having been promised to him, and he very
angry at the proposal. Here though I have not been in many years, yet I
lacke time to stay, besides that it is, I perceive, an unpleasing thing to
be at Court, everybody being fearful one of another, and all so sad,
enquiring after the plague, so that I stole away by my horse to Kingston,
and there with trouble was forced, to press two sturdy rogues to carry
me to London, and met at the waterside with Mr. Charnocke, Sir Philip
Warwicke's