Diary, Mar/Apr 1659/60 | Page 5

and that my Aunt
Fenner was very ill too. After dinner I to Warwick House, in Holborn,
to my Lord, where he dined with my Lord of Manchester, Sir Dudley
North, my Lord Fiennes, and my Lord Barkly. I staid in the great hall,
talking with some gentlemen there, till they all come out. Then I, by
coach with my Lord, to Mr. Crew's, in our way talking of publick
things, and how I should look after getting of his Commissioner's
despatch. He told me he feared there was new design hatching, as if

Monk had a mind to get into the saddle. Here I left him, and went by
appointment to Hering, the merchant, but missed of my money, at
which I was much troubled, but could not help myself. Returning, met
Mr. Gifford, who took me and gave me half a pint of wine, and told me,
as I hear this day from many, that things are in a very doubtful posture,
some of the Parliament being willing to keep the power in their hands.
After I had left him, I met with Tom Harper, who took me into a place
in Drury Lane, where we drank a great deal of strong water, more than
ever I did in my life at onetime before. He talked huge high that my
Lord Protector would come in place again, which indeed is much
discoursed of again, though I do not see it possible. Hence home and
wrote to my father at Brampton by the post. So to bed. This day I was
told that my Lord General Fleetwood told my lord that he feared the
King of Sweden is dead of a fever at Gottenburg.

4th. Lord's day. Before I went to church I sang Orpheus' Hymn to my
viall. After that to Mr. Gunning's, an excellent sermon upon charity.
Then to my mother to dinner, where my wife and the maid were come.
After dinner we three to Mr. Messum's where we met Mons.
L'Impertinent, who got us a seat and told me a ridiculous story how that
last week he had caused a simple citizen to spend; L80 in
entertainments of him and some friends of his upon pretence of some
service that he would do him in his suit after a widow. Then to my
mother again, and after supper she and I talked very high about religion,
I in defence of the religion I was born in. Then home.

5th. Early in the morning Mr. Hill comes to string my theorbo,
[The theorbo was a bass lute. Having gut strings it was played with the
fingers. There is a humorous comparison of the long waists of ladies,
which came into fashion about 1621, with the theorbo, by Bishop
Corbet:
"She was barr'd up in whale-bones, that did leese None of the whale's
length, for they reached her knees; Off with her head, and then she hath
a middle As her waste stands, just like the new found fiddle, The
favourite Theorbo, truth to tell ye, Whose neck and throat are deeper
than the belly."
Corbet, 'Iter Boreale'.]

which we were about till past ten o'clock, with a great deal of pleasure.
Then to Westminster, where I met with Mr. Sheply and Mr. Pinkney at
Will's, who took me by water to Billingsgate, at the Salutation Tavern,
whither by-and-by, Mr. Talbot and Adams came, and bring a great
[deal of] good meat, a ham of bacon, &c. Here we staid and drank till
Mr. Adams began to be overcome. Then we parted, and so to
Westminster by water, only seeing Mr. Pinkney at his own house,
where he shewed me how he had alway kept the Lion and Unicorn, in
the back of his chimney, bright, in expectation of the King's coming
again. At home I found Mr. Hunt, who told me how. the Parliament had
voted that the Covenant be printed and hung in churches again. Great
hopes of the King's coming again. To bed.

6th. (Shrove Tuesday.) I called Mr. Sheply and we both went up to my
Lord's lodgings at Mr. Crew's, where he bade us to go home again, and
get a fire against an hour after. Which we did at White Hall, whither he
came, and after talking with him and me about his going to sea, he
called me by myself to go along with him into the garden, where he
asked me how things were with me, and what he had endeavoured to do
with my uncle to get him to do something for me but he would say
nothing too. He likewise bade me look out now at this turn some good
place, and he would use all his own, and all the interest of his friends
that