Diary, March 1667/68 | Page 6

at it till but about ten at night, and then quite
weary, and dull, and vexed, I could go no further, but resolved to leave
the rest to to-morrow morning, and so in full discontent and weariness
did give over and went home, with[out] supper vexed and sickish to
bed, and there slept about three hours, but then waked, and never in so
much trouble in all my life of mind, thinking of the task I have upon me,
and upon what dissatisfactory grounds, and what the issue of it may be
to me.

5th. With these thoughts I lay troubling myself till six o'clock, restless,
and at last getting my wife to talk to me to comfort me, which she at
last did, and made me resolve to quit my hands of this Office, and
endure the trouble of it no longer than till I can clear myself of it. So
with great trouble, but yet with some ease, from this discourse with my
wife, I up, and to my Office, whither come my clerks, and so I did
huddle the best I could some more notes for my discourse to-day, and
by nine o'clock was ready, and did go down to the Old Swan, and there
by boat, with T. H[ater] and W. H[ewer] with me, to Westminster,
where I found myself come time enough, and my brethren all ready.
But I full of thoughts and trouble touching the issue of this day; and, to
comfort myself, did go to the Dog and drink half-a-pint of mulled sack,
and in the Hall [Westminster] did drink a dram of brandy at Mrs.
Hewlett's; and with the warmth of this did find myself in better order as
to courage, truly. So we all up to the lobby; and between eleven and
twelve o'clock, were called in, with the mace before us, into the House,
where a mighty full House; and we stood at the bar, namely, Brouncker,
Sir J. Minnes, Sir T. Harvey, and myself, W. Pen being in the House, as
a Member. I perceive the whole House was full, and full of expectation
of our defence what it would be, and with great prejudice. After the
Speaker had told us the dissatisfaction of the House, and read the

Report of the Committee, I began our defence most acceptably and
smoothly, and continued at it without any hesitation or losse, but with
full scope, and all my reason free about me, as if it had been at my own
table, from that time till past three in the afternoon; and so ended,
without any interruption from the Speaker; but we withdrew. And there
all my Fellow- Officers, and all the world that was within hearing, did
congratulate me, and cry up my speech as the best thing they ever heard;
and my Fellow- Officers overjoyed in it; we were called in again by
and by to answer only one question, touching our paying tickets to
ticket-mongers; and so out; and we were in hopes to have had a vote
this day in our favour, and so the generality of the House was; but my
speech, being so long, many had gone out to dinner and come in again
half drunk; and then there are two or three that are professed enemies to
us and every body else; among others, Sir T. Littleton, Sir Thomas Lee,
Mr. Wiles, the coxcomb whom I saw heretofore at the cock-fighting,
and a few others; I say, these did rise up and speak against the coming
to a vote now, the House not being full, by reason of several being at
dinner, but most because that the House was to attend the King this
afternoon, about the business of religion, wherein they pray him to put
in force all the laws against Nonconformists and Papists; and this
prevented it, so that they put it off to to-morrow come se'nnight.
However, it is plain we have got great ground; and everybody says I
have got the most honour that any could have had opportunity of
getting; and so with our hearts mightily overjoyed at this success, we
all to dinner to Lord Brouncker's--that is to say, myself, T. Harvey, and
W. Pen, and there dined; and thence with Sir Anthony Morgan, who is
an acquaintance of Brouncker's, a very wise man, we after dinner to the
King's house, and there saw part of "The Discontented Colonel," but
could take no great pleasure in it, because of our coming in in the
middle of it. After the play, home with W. Pen, and there to my wife,
whom W. Hewer had told of my success, and she overjoyed, and I also
as to my particular; and, after talking awhile, I betimes to bed, having
had no