Diary, September 1667 | Page 9

of clocke-work made by an Englishman--indeed, very good, wherein all
the several states of man's age, to 100 years old, is shewn very pretty
and solemne; and several other things more cheerful, and so we ended,
and took a link, the women resolving to be dirty, and walked up and
down to get a coach; and my wife, being a little before me, had been
like to be taken up by one, whom we saw to be Sam Hartlib. My wife
had her wizard on: yet we cannot say that he meant any hurt; for it was
as she was just by a coach-side, which he had, or had a mind to take up;
and he asked her, "Madam, do you go in this coach?" but, soon as he
saw a man come to her (I know not whether he knew me) he departed
away apace. By and by did get a coach, and so away home, and there to
supper, and to bed.

7th. Up, and to the office, where all the morning. At noon home to
dinner, where Goodgroome was teaching my wife, and dined with us,
and I did tell him of my intention to learn to trill, which he will not
promise I shall obtain, but he will do what can be done, and I am
resolved to learn. All the afternoon at the office, and towards night out
by coach with my wife, she to the 'Change, and I to see the price of a
copper cisterne for the table, which is very pretty, and they demand L6
or L7 for one; but I will have one. Then called my wife at the 'Change,
and bought a nightgown for my wife: cost but 24s., and so out to Mile
End to drink, and so home to the office to end my letters, and so home
to supper and to bed.

8th (Lord's day). Up, and walked to St. James's; but there I find Sir W.
Coventry gone from his chamber, and Mr. Wren not yet come thither.
But I up to the Duke of York, and there, after being ready, my Lord
Bruncker and I had an audience, and thence with my Lord Bruncker to
White Hall, and he told me, in discourse, how that, though it is true that

Sir W. Coventry did long since propose to the Duke of York the
leaving his service, as being unable to fulfill it, as he should do, now he
hath so much public business, and that the Duke of York did bid him to
say nothing of it, but that he would take time to please himself in
another to come in his place; yet the Duke's doing it at this time,
declaring that he hath found out another, and this one of the
Chancellor's servants, he cannot but think was done with some
displeasure, and that it could not well be otherwise, that the Duke of
York should keep one in that place, that had so eminently opposed him
in the defence of his father-in-law, nor could the Duchesse ever endure
the sight of him, to be sure. But he thinks that the Duke of York and he
are parted upon clear terms of friendship. He tells me he do believe that
my Lady Castlemayne is compounding with the King for a pension,
and to leave the Court; but that her demands are mighty high: but he
believes the King is resolved, and so do every body else I speak with,
to do all possible to please the Parliament; and he do declare that he
will deliver every body up to them to give an account of their actions:
and that last Friday, it seems, there was an Act of Council passed, to
put out all Papists in office, and to keep out any from coming in. I went
to the King's Chapel to the closet, and there I hear Cresset sing a tenor
part along with the Church musick very handsomely, but so loud that
people did laugh at him, as a thing done for ostentation. Here I met Sir
G. Downing, who would speak with me, and first to inquire what I paid
for my kid's leather gloves I had on my hand, and shewed me others on
his, as handsome, as good in all points, cost him but 12d. a pair, and
mine me 2s. He told me he had been seven years finding out a man that
could dress English sheepskin as it should be--and, indeed, it is now as
good, in all respects, as kid, and he says will save L100,000 a-year, that
goes out to France for kid's skins. Thus he labours very worthily to
advance our own trade, but do it with mighty vanity and talking. But