Diary, July 1667 | Page 9

Collonel Ingoldsby, being his
old acquaintance, and Ingoldsby hath a troop now from under the King,
and I think it is a handsome way for him, but it was an ominous thing,
methought, just as he was bidding me his last adieu, his nose fell

a-bleeding, which ran in my mind a pretty while after. This afternoon
Sir Alexander Frazier, who was of council for Sir J. Minnes, and had
given him over for a dead man, said to me at White Hall:--"What," says
he, "Sir J. Minnes is dead." I told him, "No! but that there is hopes of
his life." Methought he looked very sillily after it, and went his way.
Late home to supper, a little troubled at my not going to Epsum
to-morrow, as I had resolved, especially having the Duke of York and
[Sir] W. Coventry out of town, but it was my own fault and at last my
judgment to stay, and so to supper and to bed. This day, with great
satisfaction, I hear that my Lady Jemimah is brought to bed, at
Hinchingbroke, of a boy.

7th (Lord's day). Up, and to my chamber, there to settle some papers,
and thither comes Mr. Moore to me and talked till church time of the
news of the times about the peace and the bad consequences of it if it
be not improved to good purpose of fitting ourselves for another war.
He tells me he heard that the discontented Parliament-men are fearful
that the next sitting the King will put for a general excise, by which to
raise him money, and then to fling off the Parliament, and raise a
land-army and keep them all down like slaves; and it is gotten among
them, that Bab. May, the Privy-purse, hath been heard to say that L300
a-year is enough for any country gentleman; which makes them mad,
and they do talk of 6 or L800,000 gone into the Privy-purse this war,
when in King James's time it arose but to L5,000, and in King Charles's
but L10,000 in a year. He tells me that a goldsmith in town told him
that, being with some plate with my Lady Castlemayne lately, she
directed her woman (the great beauty), "Wilson," says she, "make a
note for this, and for that, to the Privy-purse for money." He tells me a
little more of the baseness of the courses taken at Court in the case of
Mr. Moyer, who is at liberty, and is to give L500 for his liberty; but
now the great ones are divided, who shall have the money, the Duke of
Albemarle on one hand, and another Lord on the other; and that it is
fain to be decided by having the person's name put into the King's
warrant for his liberty, at whose intercession the King shall own that he
is set at liberty; which is a most lamentable thing, that we do
professedly own that we do these things, not for right and justice sake,
but only to gratify this or that person about the King. God forgive us all!

Busy till noon, and then home to dinner, and Mr. Moore come and
dined with us, and much more discourse at and after dinner of the same
kind, and then, he gone, I to my office busy till the evening, and then
with my wife and Jane over to Half-way house, a very good walk; and
there drank, and in the cool of the evening back again, and sang with
pleasure upon the water, and were mightily pleased in hearing a
boatfull of Spaniards sing, and so home to supper and to bed. Jane of
late mighty fine, by reason of a laced whiske her mistress hath given
her, which makes her a very gracefull servant. But, above all, my wife
and I were the most surprised in the beauty of a plain girle, which we
met in the little lane going from Redriffe-stairs into the fields, one of
the prettiest faces that we think we ever saw in our lives.

8th. Up, and to my chamber, and by and by comes Greeting, and to my
flageolett with him with a pretty deal of pleasure, and then to the office,
where [Sir] W. Batten, [Sir] W. Pen and I met about putting men to
work for the weighing of the ships in the River sunk. Then home again,
and there heard Mr. Caesar play some very good things on the lute
together with myself on the violl and Greeting on the viallin. Then with
my wife abroad by coach, she to her tailor's, I to Westminster to Burges
about my Tangier business, and thence to White Hall, where I spoke
with Sir John Nicholas, who tells me that Mr. Coventry is