Diary, Nov/Dec 1663 | Page 9

wench is so subtle, that
she lets him not do any thing than is safe to her, but yet his doting is so
great that, Pierce tells me, it is verily thought if the Queene had died, he
would have married her. The Duke of Monmouth is to have part of the
Cockpitt new built for lodgings for him, and they say to be made
Captain of the Guards in the room of my Lord Gerard. Having thus
talked with him, there comes into the Hall Creed and Ned Pickering,
and after a turne or two with them, it being noon, I walked with them
two to the King's Head ordinary, and there we dined; little discourse
but what was common, only that the Duke of Yorke is a very, desperate
huntsman, but I was ashamed of Pickering, who could not forbear
having up my Lord Sandwich now and then in the most paltry matters
abominable. Thence I took leave of them, and so having taken up
something at my wife's tailor's, I home by coach and there to my office,
whither Shales came and I had much discourse with him about the
business of the victualling, and thence in the evening to the
Coffee-house, and there sat till by and by, by appointment Will brought
me word that his uncle Blackburne was ready to speak with me. So I
went down to him, and he and I to a taverne hard by, and there I begun
to speak to Will friendlily, advising him how to carry himself now he is
going from under my roof, without any reflections upon the occasion
from whence his removal arose. This his uncle seconded, and after
laying down to him his duty to me, and what I expect of him, in a
discourse of about a quarter of an houre or more, we agreed upon his
going this week, towards the latter (end) of the week, and so dismissed
him, and Mr. Blackburne and I fell to talk of many things, wherein I
did speak so freely to him in many things agreeing with his sense that

he was very open to me: first, in that of religion, he makes it great
matter of prudence for the King and Council to suffer liberty of
conscience; and imputes the losse of Hungary to the Turke from the
Emperor's denying them this liberty of their religion. He says that many
pious ministers of the word of God, some thousands of them, do now
beg their bread: and told me how highly the present clergy carry
themselves every where, so as that they are hated and laughed at by
everybody; among other things, for their excommunications, which
they send upon the least occasions almost that can be. And I am
convinced in my judgement, not only from his discourse, but my
thoughts in general, that the present clergy will never heartily go down
with the generality of the commons of England; they have been so used
to liberty and freedom, and they are so acquainted with the pride and
debauchery of the present clergy. He did give me many stories of the
affronts which the clergy receive in all places of England from the
gentry and ordinary persons of the parish. He do tell me what the City
thinks of General Monk, as of a most perfidious man that hath betrayed
every body, and the King also; who, as he thinks, and his party, and so
I have heard other good friends of the King say, it might have been
better for the King to have had his hands a little bound for the present,
than be forced to bring such a crew of poor people about him, and be
liable to satisfy the demands of every one of them. He told me that to
his knowledge (being present at every meeting at the Treaty at the Isle
of Wight), that the old King did confess himself overruled and
convinced in his judgement against the Bishopps, and would have
suffered and did agree to exclude the service out of the churches, nay
his own chappell; and that he did always say, that this he did not by
force, for that he would never abate one inch by any vyolence; but what
he did was out of his reason and judgement. He tells me that the King
by name, with all his dignities, is prayed for by them that they call
Fanatiques, as heartily and powerfully as in any of the other churches
that are thought better: and that, let the King think what he will, it is
them that must helpe him in the day of warr. For as they are the most,
so generally they are the most substantial sort of people, and the
soberest; and