Diary, Sep/Oct 1661 | Page 6

to very high words, which made
me very angry, and I did not think that he would ever have been such a
fool to meddle with other people's business, but I saw he spoke worse
to his father than to me and therefore I bore it the better, but all the
company was offended with him, so we parted angry he and I, and so
my wife and I to the fair, and I showed her the Italians dancing the
ropes, and the women that do strange tumbling tricks and so by foot
home vexed in my mind about Antony Joyce.

6th. This morning my uncle Fenner by appointment came and drank his
morning draft with me, and from thence he and I go to see my aunt Kite
(my wife holding her resolution to go this morning as she resolved
yesterday, and though there could not be much hurt in it, yet my own
jealousy put a hundred things into my mind, which did much trouble
me all day), whom we found in bed and not like to live as we think, and
she told us her mind was that if she should die she should give all she
had to her daughter, only L5 apiece to her second husband's children, in
case they live to come out of their apprenticeships, and that if her
daughter should die before marrying, then L10 to be divided between

Sarah Kite's children and the rest as her own daughter shall dispose of
it, and this I set down that I may be able to swear in case there should
be occasion. From thence to an alehouse while it rained, which kept us
there I think above two hours, and at last we were fain to go through
the rainy street home, calling on his sister Utbeck and drank there.
Then I home to dinner all alone, and thence my mind being for my
wife's going abroad much troubled and unfit for business, I went to the
Theatre, and saw "Elder Brother" ill acted; that done, meeting here with
Sir G. Askew, Sir Theophilus Jones, and another Knight, with Sir W.
Pen, we to the Ship tavern, and there staid and were merry till late at
night, and so got a coach, and Sir Wm. and I home, where my wife had
been long come home, but I seemed very angry, as indeed I am, and did
not all night show her any countenance, neither before nor in bed, and
so slept and rose discontented.

7th. At the office all the morning. At noon Mr. Moore dined with me,
and then in comes Wm. Joyce to answer a letter of mine I wrote this
morning to him about a maid of his that my wife had hired, and she
sent us word that she was hired to stay longer with her master, which
mistake he came to clear himself of; and I took it very kindly. So I
having appointed the young ladies at the Wardrobe to go with them to a
play to-day, I left him and my brother Tom who came along with him
to dine, and my wife and I took them to the Theatre, where we seated
ourselves close by the King, and Duke of York, and Madame Palmer,
which was great content; and, indeed, I can never enough admire her
beauty. And here was "Bartholomew Fayre," with the puppet-show,
acted to-day, which had not been these forty years (it being so satyricall
against Puritanism, they durst not till now, which is strange they should
already dare to do it, and the King do countenance it), but I do never a
whit like it the better for the puppets, but rather the worse. Thence
home with the ladies, it being by reason of our staying a great while for
the King's coming, and the length of the play, near nine o'clock before
it was done, and so in their coach home, and still in discontent with my
wife, to bed, and rose so this morning also.

8th (Lord's day). To church, it being a very wet night last night and
to-day, dined at home, and so to church again with my wife in the

afternoon, and coming home again found our new maid Doll asleep,
that she could not hear to let us in, so that we were fain to send the boy
in at a window to open the door to us. So up to my chamber all alone,
and troubled in mind to think how much of late I have addicted myself
to expense and pleasure, that now I can hardly reclaim myself to look
after my great business of settling Gravely business, until now almost
too late. I pray God give me grace to begin