Diary, Sep/Oct 1662 | Page 6

our people are glad of. Here I staid and mustered the yard and
looked into the storehouses; and so walked all alone to Greenwich, and
thence by water to Deptford, and there examined some stores, and did
some of my own business in hastening my work there, and so walked to
Redriffe, being by this time pretty weary and all in a sweat; took boat
there for the Tower, which made me a little fearful, it being a cold,
windy morning. So to my lodgings and there rubbed myself clean, and
so to Mr. Bland's, the merchant, by invitation, I alone of all our
company of this office; where I found all the officers of the Customs,
very grave fine gentlemen, and I am very glad to know them; viz.--Sir
Job Harvy, Sir John Wolstenholme, Sir John Jacob, Sir Nicholas Crisp,
Sir John Harrison, and Sir John Shaw: very good company. And among
other pretty discourse, some was of Sir Jerom Bowes, Embassador
from Queene Elizabeth to the Emperor of Russia;
[In 1583; the object of his mission being to persuade the Muscovite
(Ivan IV. the Terrible) to a peace with John, King of Sweden. He was
also employed to confirm the trade of the English with Russia, and
having incurred some personal danger, was received with favour on his

return by the Queen. He died in 1616.]
who, because some of the noblemen there would go up the stairs to the
Emperor before him, he would not go up till the Emperor had ordered
those two men to be dragged down stairs, with their heads knocking
upon every stair till they were killed. And when he was come up, they
demanded his sword of him before he entered the room. He told them,
if they would have his sword, they should have his boots too. And so
caused his boots to be pulled off, and his night-gown and night-cap and
slippers to be sent for; and made the Emperor stay till he could go in
his night-dress, since he might not go as a soldier. And lastly, when the
Emperor in contempt, to show his command of his subjects, did
command one to leap from the window down and broke his neck in the
sight of our Embassador, he replied that his mistress did set more by,
and did make better use of the necks of her subjects but said that, to
show what her subjects would do for her, he would, and did, fling down
his gantlett before the Emperor; and challenged all the nobility there to
take it up, in defence of the Emperor against his Queen: for which, at
this very day, the name of Sir Jerom Bowes is famous and honoured
there. After dinner I came home and found Sir John Minnes come this
day, and I went to him to Sir W. Batten's, where it pleased me to see
how jealous Sir Williams both are of my going down to Woolwich, &c.,
and doing my duty as I nowadays do, and of my dining with the
Commission of the Customs. So to my office, and there till 9 at night,
and so to my lodgings to bed. I this day heard that Mr. Martin Noell is
knighted by the King, which I much wonder at; but yet he is certainly a
very useful man.

6th. Lay long, that is, till 6 and past before I rose, in order to sweat a
little away the cold which I was afraid I might have got yesterday, but I
bless God I am well. So up and to my office, and then we met and sat
till noon, very full of business. Then Sir John Minnes, both Sir
Williams and I to the Trinity House, where we had at dinner a couple of
venison pasties, of which I eat but little, being almost cloyed, having
been at five pasties in three days, namely, two at our own feast, and one
yesterday, and two to-day. So home and at the office all the afternoon,
busy till nine at night, and so to my lodging and to bed. This afternoon
I had my new key and the lock of my office door altered, having lost

my key the other day, which vexed me.

7th (Lord's day). Up betimes and round about by the streets to my
office, and walked in the garden and in my office till my man Will rose,
and then sent to tell Sir J. Minnes that I would go with him to Whitehall,
which anon we did, in his coach, and to the Chapell, where I heard a
good sermon of the Dean of Ely's, upon returning to the old ways, and a
most excellent anthem, with symphonys between, sung by Captain
Cooke. Then home