Diary, November 1666 | Page 5

comes out the King and Duke of York from the Council, and so I
spoke awhile to Sir W. Coventry about some office business, and so
called my wife (her brother being now a little better than he was), and
so home, and I to my chamber to do some business, and then to supper
and to bed.

3rd. This morning comes Mr. Lovett, and brings me my print of the
Passion, varnished by him, and the frame black, which indeed is very
fine, though not so fine as I expected; however, pleases me exceedingly.
This, and the sheets of paper he prepared for me, come to L3, which I
did give him, and though it be more than is fit to lay out on pleasure,
yet, it being ingenious, I did not think much of it. He gone, I to the

office, where all the morning to little purpose, nothing being before us
but clamours for money: So at noon home to dinner, and after dinner to
hang up my new varnished picture and set my chamber in order to be
made clean, and then to; the office again, and there all the afternoon till
late at night, and so to supper and to bed.

4th (Lord's day). Comes my taylor's man in the morning, and brings my
vest home, and coate to wear with it, and belt, and silver-hilted sword.
So I rose and dressed myself, and I like myself mightily in it, and so do
my wife. Then, being dressed, to church; and after church pulled my
Lady Pen and Mrs. Markham into my house to dinner, and Sir J.
Minnes he got Mrs. Pegg along with him. I had a good dinner for them,
and very merry; and after dinner to the waterside, and so, it being very
cold, to White Hall, and was mighty fearfull of an ague, my vest being
new and thin, and the coat cut not to meet before upon my breast. Here
I waited in the gallery till the Council was up, and among others did
speak with Mr. Cooling, my Lord Chamberlain's secretary, who tells
me my Lord Generall is become mighty low in all people's opinion, and
that he hath received several slurs from the King and Duke of York.
The people at Court do see the difference between his and the Prince's
management, and my Lord Sandwich's. That this business which he is
put upon of crying out against the Catholiques and turning them out of
all employment, will undo him, when he comes to turn-out the officers
out of the Army, and this is a thing of his own seeking. That he is
grown a drunken sot, and drinks with nobody but Troutbecke, whom
nobody else will keep company with. Of whom he told me this story:
That once the Duke of Albemarle in his drink taking notice as of a
wonder that Nan Hide should ever come to be Duchesse of York,
"Nay," says Troutbecke, "ne'er wonder at that; for if you will give me
another bottle of wine, I will tell you as great, if not greater, a miracle."
And what was that, but that our dirty Besse (meaning his Duchesse)
should come to be Duchesse of Albemarle? Here we parted, and so by
and by the Council rose, and out comes Sir G. Carteret and Sir W.
Coventry, and they and my Lord Bruncker and I went to Sir G.
Carteret's lodgings, there to discourse about some money demanded by
Sir W. Warren, and having done that broke up. And Sir G. Carteret and
I alone together a while, where he shows a long letter, all in cipher,

from my Lord Sandwich to him. The contents he hath not yet found out,
but he tells me that my Lord is not sent for home, as several people
have enquired after of me. He spoke something reflecting upon me in
the business of pursers, that their present bad behaviour is what he did
foresee, and had convinced me of, and yet when it come last year to be
argued before the Duke of York I turned and said as the rest did. I
answered nothing to it, but let it go, and so to other discourse of the ill
state of things, of which all people are full of sorrow and observation,
and so parted, and then by water, landing in Southwarke, home to the
Tower, and so home, and there began to read "Potter's Discourse upon
1666," which pleases me mightily, and then broke off and to supper and
to bed.

5th (A holyday). Lay long; then up, and to the office, where vexed to
meet with people come from the fleete at the Nore, where so many
ships are laid up and