Diary, Nov/Dec 1661 | Page 7

abroad
with Sir W. Pen. My wife and I to "Bartholomew Fayre," with puppets
which I had seen once before, and Ate play without puppets often, but
though I love the play as much as ever I did, yet I do not like the
puppets at all, but think it to be a lessening to it. Thence to the
Greyhound in Fleet Street, and there drank some raspberry sack and eat
some sasages, and so home very merry. This day Holmes come to town;
and we do expect hourly to hear what usage he hath from the Duke and
the King about this late business of letting the Swedish Embassador go
by him without striking his flag.
[And that, too, in the river Thames itself. The right of obliging ships of
all nations to lower topsails, and strike their flag to the English, whilst
in the British seas, and even on the French coasts, had, up to this time,
been rigidly enforced. When Sully was sent by Henry IV., in 1603, to
congratulate James I. on his accession, and in a ship commanded by a
vice-admiral of France, he was fired upon by the English Admiral
Mansel, for daring to hoist the flag of France in the presence of that of
England, although within sight of Calais. The French flag was lowered,
and all Sully's remonstrances could obtain no redress for the alleged
injury. According to Rugge, Holmes had insisted upon the Swede's
lowering his flag, and had even fired a shot to enforce the observance
of the usual tribute of respect, but the ambassador sent his secretary and
another gentleman on board the English frigate, to assure the captain,
upon the word and honour of an ambassador, that the king, by a verbal
order, had given him leave and a dispensation in that particular, and
upon this false representation he was allowed to proceed on his voyage
without further question. This want of caution, and disobedience of

orders, fell heavily on Holmes, who was imprisoned for two months,
and not re-appointed to the same ship. Brahe afterwards made a proper
submission for the fault he had committed, at his own court. His
conduct reminds us of Sir Henry Wotton's definition of an
ambassador--that he is an honest man sent to lie abroad for the good of
his country. A pun upon the term lieger--ambassador.--B.]
13th. By appointment, we all went this morning to wait upon the Duke
of York, which we did in his chamber, as he was dressing himself in his
riding suit to go this day by sea to the Downs. He is in mourning for his
wife's grandmother, which is thought a great piece of fondness.
[Fondness, foolishness.
"Fondness it were for any, being free, To covet fetters, tho' they golden
be." Spenser, Sonnet 37,--M. B.]
After we had given him our letter relating the bad condition of the
Navy for want of money, he referred it to his coming back and so
parted, and I to Whitehall and to see la belle Pierce, and so on foot to
my Lord Crew's, where I found him come to his new house, which is
next to that he lived in last; here I was well received by my Lord and
Sir Thomas, with whom I had great talk: and he tells me in good
earnest that he do believe the Parliament (which comes to sit again the
next week), will be troublesome to the Court and Clergy, which God
forbid! But they see things carried so by my Lord Chancellor and some
others, that get money themselves, that they will not endure it. From
thence to the Theatre, and there saw "Father's own Son" again, and so it
raining very hard I went home by coach, with my mind very heavy for
this my expensefull life, which will undo me, I fear, after all my hopes,
if I do not take up, for now I am coming to lay out a great deal of
money in clothes for my wife, I must forbear other expenses. To bed,
and this night began to lie in the little green chamber, where the maids
lie, but we could not a great while get Nell to lie there, because I lie
there and my wife, but at last, when she saw she must lie there or sit up,
she, with much ado, came to bed.
4th. At the office all the morning. At noon I went by appointment to the
Sun in Fish Street to a dinner of young Mr. Bernard's for myself, Mr.
Phillips, Davenport, Weaver, &c., where we had a most excellent
dinner, but a pie of such pleasant variety of good things, as in all my
life I never tasted. Hither came to me Captain Lambert to take his