NOVEMBER 1660

NOVEMBER 1, 1660. This morning Sir W. Pen and I were mounted
early, and had very merry discourse all the way, he being very
good company. We come to Sir W. Batten's, where he lives like a
prince, and we were made very welcome. Among other things he
showed me my Lady's closet, wherein was great store of rarities;
as also a chair, which he calls King Harry's chaire, where he
that sits down is catched with two irons, that come round about
him, which makes good sport. Here dined with us two or three
more country gentlemen; among the rest Mr. Christmas, my old
school-fellow, with whom I had much talk. He did remember that I
was a great Roundhead when I was a boy, and I was much afraid
that he would have remembered the words that I said the day the
King was beheaded (that, were I to preach upon him, my text
should be--"The memory of the wicked shall rot"); But I found
afterwards that he did go away from school before that time.

2nd. To White Hall, where I saw the boats coming very thick to
Lambeth, and all the stairs to be full of people. I was told the
Queen was a-coming; so I got a sculler for sixpence to carry me
thither and back again, but I could not get to see the Queen; so
come back, and to my Lord's, where he was come: and I supt with
him, he being very merry, telling me stories of the country
mayors, how they entertained the King all the way as he come
along; and how the country gentlewomen did hold up their heads to
be kissed by the King, not taking his hand to kiss as they should
do. I took leave of my Lord and Lady, and so took coach at White
Hall and carried Mr. Childe as far as the Strand, and myself got
as far as Ludgate by all the bonfires, but with a great deal of
trouble; and there the coachman desired that I would release him,
for he durst not go further for the fires. In Paul's churchyard
I called at Kirton's, and there they had got a masse book for me,
which I bought and cost me twelve shillings; and, when I come
home, sat up late and read in it with great pleasure to my wife,
to hear that she was long ago acquainted with it. I observed
this night very few bonfires in the City, not above three in all
London, for the Queen's coming; whereby I guess that (as I
believed before) her coming do please but very few.

3rd. Saturday. In the afternoon to White Hall, where my Lord
and Lady were gone to kiss the Queen's hand.

4th (Lord's day). In the morn to our own church, where Mr. Mills
did begin to nibble at the Common Prayer, by saying "Glory be to
the Father, &c." after he had read the two psalms: but the
people had been so little used to it, that they could not tell
what to answer. [Daniel Milles, D.D., thirty-two years rector of
St. Olave's, Hart-Street, and buried there October 1689, aged
sixty-three. In 1667 Sir Robert Brooks presented him to the
rectory of Wanstead, which he also held till his death.] This
declaration of the King's do give the Presbyterians some
satisfaction, and a pretence to read the Common Prayer, which
they would not do before because of their former preaching
against it. After dinner to Westminster, where I went to my
Lord's, and, having spoken with him, I went to the Abbey, where
the first time that ever I heard the organs in a cathedral. My
wife seemed very pretty to-day, it being the first time I had
given her leave to weare a black patch.

5th. At the office at night, to make up an account of what the
debts of nineteen of the twenty-five ships that should have been
paid off, is increased since the adjournment of the Parliament,
they being to sit again to-morrow. This 5th day of November is
observed exceeding well in the City; and at night great bonfires
and fireworks.

6th. Mr. Chetwind told me that he did fear that this late
business of the Duke of York's would prove fatal to my Lord
Chancellor. To our office, where we met all, for the sale of two
ships by an inch of candle (the first time that ever I saw any of
this kind), where I observed how they do invite one another, and
at last how they all do cry, and we have much to do to tell who
did cry last. The ships were the Indian, sold for 1300l. and the
Half-moone, sold for 830l.

7th. Went by water to my Lord, where I dined with him, and he in
a very merry humour (present Mr. Borfett and Childe) at dinner:
he, in discourse of the great opinion of the virtue--gratitude,
(which he did account the greatest thing in the world to him, and
had, therefore, in his mind been often troubled in the late times
how to answer his gratitude to the King, who raised his father,)
did say it was that did bring him to his obedience to the King;
and did also bless himself with his good fortune, in comparison
to what it was when I was with him in the Sound, when he durst
not own his correspondence with the King; which is a thing that I
never did hear of to this day before; and I do from this raise an
opinion of him, to be one of the most secret men in the world,
which I was not so convinced of before. After dinner he bid all
go out of the room, and did tell me how the King had promised him
4000l. per annum for ever, and had already given him a bill under
his hand (which he showed me) for 4000l. that Mr. Fox is to pay
him. My Lord did advise with me how to get this received, and to
put out 3000l. into safe hands at use, and the other he will make
use for his present occasion. This he did advise with me about
with great secresy. After this he called for the fiddles and
books, and we two and W. Howe, and Mr. Childe, did sing and play
some psalmes of Will. Lawes's, and some songs; and so I went
away. [Brother to Henry Lawes the celebrated composer, and
himself a chamber musician to Charles I., in whose service he
took up arms, and was killed at the siege of Chester, 1645. The
King regretted his loss severely, and used to call him the father
of music.] Notwithstanding this was the first day of the King's
proclamation against hackney coaches coming into the streets to
stand to be hired, yet I got one to carry me home.

10th. The Comtroller [Sir R. Slingsby.] and I to the coffee-
house, where he showed me the state of his case; how the King did
owe him above 6000l. But I do not see great likelihood for them
to be paid, since they begin already in Parliament to dispute the
paying off the just sea-debts, which were already promised to be
paid, and will be the undoing of thousands if they be not paid.

15th. My Lord did this day show me the King's picture which was
done in Flanders, that the King did promise my Lord before he
ever saw him, and that we did expect to have had at sea before
the King come to us; but it come but to-day, and indeed it is the
most pleasant and the most like him that ever I saw picture in my
life. To Sir W. Batten's to dinner, he having a couple of
servants married to-day; and so there was a great number of
merchants, and others of good quality on purpose after dinner to
make an offering, which, when dinner was done, we did, and I did
give ten shillings and no more, though I believe most of the rest
did give more, and did believe that I did so too.

19th. I went with the Treasurer in his coach to White Hall, and
in our way, in discourse, do find him a very good-natured man;
and, talking of those men who now stand condemned for murdering
the King, he says that he believes, that, if the law would give
leave, the King is a man of so great compassion that he would
wholly acquit them.

20th. Mr. Shepley and I to the new play-house near Lincoln's-
Inn-Fields (which was formerly Gibbon's tennis-court), where the
play of "Beggar's Bush" [The "Beggar's Bush," a comedy by
Beaumont and Fletcher.] was newly begun; and so we went in and
saw it well acted: and here I saw the first time one Moone, who
is said to be the best actor in the world, lately come over with
the King, and indeed it is the finest play-house, I believe, that
ever was in England. [Mohun, or Moone, the celebrated actor who
had borne a Major's commission in the King's Army. The period of
his death is uncertain.] This morning I found my Lord in bed
late, he having been with the King, Queen, and Princesse, at the
Cockpit all night, where General Monk treated them; and after
supper a play, where the King did put a great affront upon
Singleton's musique, he bidding them stop and made the French
musique play, which, my Lord says, do much outdo all ours.

22nd. This morning come the carpenters, to make me a door at the
other side of my house, going into the entry. To Mr. Fox's,
where we found Mrs. Fox within and an alderman of London paying
1000l. or 1400l. in gold upon the table for the King. [Elizabeth
daughter of William Whittle, Esq., of Lancashire, wife of Stephen
Fox, Esq., who was knighted in 1665.] Mr. Fox come in presently
and did receive us with a great deal of respect; and then did
take my wife and I to the Queen's presence-chamber, where he got
my wife placed behind the Queen's chaire, and the two Princesses
come to dinner. The Queen a very little plain old woman, and
nothing more in her presence in any respect nor garbe than any
ordinary woman. The Princesse of Orange I had often seen before.
The Princesse Henrietta is very pretty, but much below my
expectation; and her dressing of herself with her haire frized
short up to her eares, did make her seem so much the less to me.
But my wife standing near her with two or three black patches on,
and well dressed, did seem to me much handsomer than she.

To White Hall at about nine at night, and there, with Laud the
page that went with me, we could not get out of Henry the
Eighth's gallery into the further part of the boarded gallery,
where my Lord was walking with my Lord Ormond; and we had a key
of Sir S. Morland's, but all would not do; till at last, by
knocking, Mr. Harrison the door-keeper did open us the door, and,
after some talk with my Lord about getting a catch to carry my
Lord St. Alban's goods to France, I parted and went home on foot.
[Henry Jermyn, created Lord Jermyn 1614, advanced to the Earldom
of St. Alban's 1660 K.G. Ob. 1683, s.p. He was supposed to be
married to the Queen Dowager.]

25th. I had a letter brought me from my Lord to get a ship ready
to carry the Queen's things over to France, she being to go
within five or six days.

27th. To Westminster Hall, and in King Street there being a
great stop of coaches, there was a falling out between a drayman
and my Lord Chesterfield's coachman, and one of his footmen
killed. Mr. Moore told me how the House had this day voted the
King to have all the Excise for ever. This day I do also hear
that the Queen's going to France is stopt, which do like me well,
because then the King will be in town the next month, which is my
month again at the Privy Seale.

30th. Sir G. Carteret did give us an account how Mr. Holland do
intend to prevail with the Parliament to try his project of
discharging the seamen all at present by ticket, and so promise
interest to all men that will lend money upon them at eight per
cent., for so long as they are unpaid; whereby he do think to
take away the growing debt, which do now lie upon the kingdom for
lack of present money to discharge the seamen.