Diary, November 1667 | Page 5

do to my best advantage. We
talked of several other things relating to his service, wherein I promise
assistance, but coldly, thinking it policy to do so, and so, after eating a
short dinner, I away home, and there took out my wife, and she and I
alone to the King's playhouse, and there saw a silly play and an old one,
"The Taming of a Shrew," and so home and I to my office a little, and
then home to supper and to bed.

2nd. Up, and to the office, where busy all the morning; at noon home,
and after dinner my wife and Willett and I to the King's playhouse, and
there saw "Henry the Fourth:" and contrary to expectation, was pleased
in nothing more than in Cartwright's speaking of Falstaffe's speech
about "What is Honour?" The house full of Parliament-men, it being
holyday with them: and it was observable how a gentleman of good
habit, sitting just before us, eating of some fruit in the midst of the play,
did drop down as dead, being choked; but with much ado Orange Moll

did thrust her finger down his throat, and brought him to life again.
After the play, we home, and I busy at the office late, and then home to
supper and to bed.

3rd (Lord's day). Up, and with my wife to church, and thither comes
Roger Pepys to our pew, and thence home to dinner, whither comes by
invitation Mr. Turner, the minister, and my cozen Roger brought with
him Jeffrys, the apothecary at Westminster, who is our kinsman, and
we had much discourse of Cottenhamshire, and other things with great
pleasure. My cozen Roger did tell me of a bargain which I may now
have in Norfolke, that my she-cozen, Nan Pepys, is going to sell, the
title whereof is very good, and the pennyworth is also good enough; but
it is out of the way so of my life, that I shall never enjoy it, nor, it may
be, see it, and so I shall have nothing to do with it. After dinner to talk,
and I find by discourse Mr. Turner to be a man mighty well read in the
Roman history, which is very pleasant. By and by Roger went, and Mr.
Turner spent an hour talking over my Lord Sandwich's condition as to
this Parliament, which we fear may be bad, and the condition of his
family, which can be no better, and then having little to comfort
ourselves but that this humour will not last always in the Parliament,
and that [it] may well have a great many more as great men as he
enquired into, and so we parted, and I to my chamber, and there busy
all the evening, and then my wife and I to supper, and so to bed, with
much discourse and pleasure one with another.

4th. Up betimes, and by water with Sir R. Ford (who is going to
Parliament) to Westminster; and there landing at the New Exchange
stairs, I to Sir W. Coventry: and there he read over to me the Prince's
and the Duke of Albemarle's Narratives; wherein they are very severe
against him and our Office. But [Sir] W. Coventry do contemn them;
only that their persons and qualities are great, and so I do perceive [he]
is afeard of them, though he will not confess it. But he do say that, if he
can get out of these briars, he will never trouble himself with Princes
nor Dukes again. He finds several things in their Narratives, which are
both inconsistent and foolish, as well as untrue, especially as to what
the Duke of Albemarle avers of his knowing of the enemy's being
abroad sooner than he says it, which [Sir] W. Coventry will shew him

his own letter against him, for I confess I do see so much, that, were I
but well possessed of what I should have in the world, I think I could
willingly retreat, and trouble myself no more with it. Thence home, and
there met Sir H. Cholmly, and he and I to the Excise Office to see what
tallies are paying, and thence back to the Old Exchange, by the way
talking of news, and he owning Sir W. Coventry, in his opinion, to be
one of the worthiest men in the nation, as I do really think he is. He
tells me he do think really that they will cut off my Lord Chancellor's
head, the Chancellor at this day showing as much pride as is possible to
those few that venture their fortunes by coming to see him; and that the
Duke of York is troubled much, knowing that those that fling down the
Chancellor cannot stop there,