Diary, Nov/Dec 1662 | Page 6

and after doing business
there, then home to supper and to bed.

5th. Up and with my painters painting my dining room all day long till
night, not stirring out at all. Only in the morning my. Lady Batten did
send to speak with me, and told me very civilly that she did not desire,
nor hoped I did, that anything should pass between us but what was
civill, though there was not the neighbourliness between her and my
wife that was fit to be, and so complained of my maid's mocking of her;
when she called "Nan" to her maid within her own house, my maid
Jane in the garden overheard her, and mocked her, and some other such
like things she told me, and of my wife's speaking unhandsomely of her;
to all which I did give her a very respectfull answer, such as did please
her, and am sorry indeed that this should be, though I do not desire
there should be any acquaintance between my wife and her. But I
promised to avoid such words and passages for the future. So home,
and by and by Sir W. Pen did send for me to his bedside; and tell me
how really Sir J. Minnes did resolve to have one of my rooms, and that
he was very angry and hot, and said he would speak to the Duke. To
which, knowing that all this was but to scare me, and to get him to put

off his resolution of making up the entry, I did tell him plainly how I
did not value his anger more, than he did mine, and that I should be
willing to do what the Duke commanded, and I was sure to have justice
of him, and that was all I did say to him about it, though I was much
vexed, and after a little stay went home; and there telling my wife she
did put me into heart, and resolve to offer him to change lodgings, and
believe that that will one way or other bring us to some end in this
dispute. At night I called up my maids, and schooled Jane, who did
answer me so humbly and drolly about it, that though I seemed angry, I
was much pleased with her and [my] wife also. So at night to bed.

6th. At the office forenoon and afternoon till late at night, very busy
answering my Lord Treasurer's letter, and my mind troubled till we
come to some end with Sir J. Minnes about our lodgings, and so home.
And after some pleasant discourse and supper to bed, and in my dream
much troubled by being with Will. Swan, a great fanatic, my old
acquaintance, and, methought, taken and led up with him for a plotter,
all our discourse being at present about the late plots.

7th. Up and being by appointment called upon by Mr. Lee, he and I to
the Tower, to make our third attempt upon the cellar. And now
privately the woman, Barkestead's great confident, is brought, who do
positively say that this is the place which he did say the money was hid
in, and where he and she did put up the L50,000
[Thus in the MS., although the amount was first stated as L7,000 (see
October 30th, 1662)]
in butter firkins; and the very day that he went out of England did say
that neither he nor his would be the better for that money, and therefore
wishing that she and hers might. And so left us, and we full of hope did
resolve to dig all over the cellar, which by seven o'clock at night we
performed. At noon we sent for a dinner, and upon the head of a barrel
dined very merrily, and to work again. Between times, Mr. Lee, who
had been much in Spain, did tell me pretty stories of the customs and
other things, as I asked him, of the country, to my great content. But at
last we saw we were mistaken; and after digging the cellar quite
through, and removing the barrels from one side to the other, we were
forced to pay our porters, and give over our expectations, though I do

believe there must be money hid somewhere by him, or else he did
delude this woman in hopes to oblige her to further serving him, which
I am apt to believe. Thence by coach to White Hall, and at my Lord's
lodgings did write a letter, he not being within, to tell him how things
went, and so away again, only hearing that Mrs. Sarah is married, I did
go up stairs again and joy her and kiss her, she owning of it; and it
seems it is