Diary, November 1667 | Page 7

an old play of Shakespeare's,
acted, I hear, the first day; and so my wife, and girl, and W. Hewer by
themselves, and Sir W. Pen and I afterwards by ourselves; and forced
to sit in the side balcone over against the musique-room at the Duke's
house, close by my Lady Dorset and a great many great ones. The
house mighty full; the King and Court there and the most innocent play
that ever I saw; and a curious piece of musique in an echo of half
sentences, the echo repeating the former half, while the man goes on to
the latter; which is mighty pretty. The play [has] no great wit, but yet
good, above ordinary plays. Thence home with [Sir] W. Pen, and there
all mightily pleased with the play; and so to supper and to bed, after
having done at the office.

8th. Called up betimes by Sir H. Cholmly, and he and I to good purpose
most of the morning--I in my dressing-gown with him, on our Tangier
accounts, and stated them well; and here he tells me that he believes it
will go hard with my Lord Chancellor. Thence I to the office, where
met on some special, business; and here I hear that the Duke of York is
very ill; and by and by word brought us that we shall not need to attend
to-day the Duke of York, for he is not well, which is bad news. They
being gone, I to my workmen, who this day come to alter my office, by
beating down the wall, and making me a fayre window both there, and
increasing the window of my closet, which do give me some present
trouble; but will be mighty pleasant. So all the whole day among them
to very late, and so home weary, to supper, and to bed, troubled for the
Duke of York his being sick.

9th. Up and to my workmen, who are at work close again, and I at the
office all the morning, and there do hear by a messenger that Roger
Pepys would speak with me, so before the office up I to Westminster,
and there find the House very busy, and like to be so all day, about my
Lord Chancellor's impeachment, whether treason or not, where every
body is mighty busy. I spoke with my cozen Roger, whose business
was only to give me notice that Carcasse hath been before the
Committee; and to warn me of it, which is a great courtesy in him to do,

and I desire him to continue to do so. This business of this fellow,
though it may be a foolish thing, yet it troubles me, and I do plainly see
my weakness that I am not a man able to go through trouble, as other
men, but that I should be a miserable man if I should meet with
adversity, which God keep me from! He desirous to get back into the
House, he having his notes in his hand, the lawyers being now speaking
to the point of whether treason or not treason, the article of advising the
King to break up the Parliament, and to govern by the sword. Thence I
down to the Hall, and there met Mr. King, the Parliament-man for
Harwich, and there he did shew, and let me take a copy of, all the
articles against my Lord Chancellor, and what members they were that
undertook to bring witnesses to make them good, of which I was
mighty glad, and so away home, and to dinner and to my workmen, and
in the afternoon out to get Simpson the joyner to come to work at my
office, and so back home and to my letters by the post to-night, and
there, by W. Pen, do hear that this article was overvoted in the House
not to be a ground of impeachment of treason, at which I was glad,
being willing to have no blood spilt, if I could help it. So home to
supper, and glad that the dirty bricklayers' work of my office is done,
and home to supper and to bed.

10th (Lord's day). Mighty cold, and with my wife to church, where a
lazy sermon. Here was my Lady Batten in her mourning at church, but I
took no notice of her. At noon comes Michell and his wife to dine with
us, and pretty merry. I glad to see her still. After dinner Sir W. Pen and
I to White Hall, to speak with Sir W. Coventry; and there, beyond all
we looked for, do hear that the Duke of York hath got, and is full of,
the small-pox; and so we to his lodgings; and there find most of the
family