22nd All preparing for my Lord’s going to sea to fetch the Queen to-morrow At night my Lord come home, with whom I staid long, and talked of many things He told me there hath been a meeting before the King and my Lord Chancellor, of some Episcopalian and Presbyterian Divines, but what had passed he could not tell me.

23rd About eight o’clock my Lord went, and going through the garden, Mr William Montagu told him of an estate of land lately come into the King’s hands, that he had a mind my Lord should beg To which end my Lord writ a letter presently to my Lord Chancellor to do it for him, which (after leave taken of my Lord at White Hall bridge) I did carry to Warwick House to him, and had a fair promise of him, that he would do it this day for my Lord In my way thither I met the Lord Chancellor and all the Judges riding on horseback and going to Westminster Hall, it being the first day of the terme.

24th Mr Moore tells me, among other things, that the Duke of York is now sorry for his amour with my Lord Chancellor’s daughter, who is now brought to bed of a boy To Mr Lilly’s,¹⁷⁷ where, not finding Mr Spong, I went to Mr Greatorex, where I met him, and where I bought of him a drawing pen, and he did show me the manner of the lamp-glasses, which carry the light a great way, good to read in bed by, and I intend to have one of them So to Mr Lilly’s with Mr Spong, where well received, there being a clubb tonight among his friends Among the rest Esquire Ashmole,¹⁷⁸ who I found was a very ingenious gentleman With him we two sang afterwards in Mr Lilly’s study That done, we all parted, and I home by coach, taking Mr Rooker with me, who did tell me a great many fooleries, which may be done by nativities, and blaming Mr Lilly for writing to please his friends and to keep in with the times (as he did formerly to his own dishonour,) and not according to the rules of art, by which he could not well erre, as he had done.

26th By Westminster to White Hall, where I saw the Duke de Soissons go from his audience with a very great deal of state, his own coach all red velvet covered with gold lace, and drawn by six barbes, and attended by twenty pages very rich in clothes To Westminster Hall, and bought, among other books, one of the Life of our Queen, which I read at home to my wife, but it was so sillily writ, that we did nothing but laugh at it among other things it is dedicated to that paragon of virtue and beauty the Duchess of Albemarle Great talk as if the Duke of York do now own the marriage between him and the Chancellor’s daughter To Westminster Abbey, where with much difficulty, going round to the cloysters, I got in, this day being a great day for the consecrating of five Bishopps, which was done after sermon but I could not get into Henry VII’s chappel After dinner to White Hall chappel, my Lady and my Lady Jemimah and I up to the King’s closet, (who is now gone to meet the Queen) So meeting with one Mr Hill, that did know my lady, he did take us into the King’s closet, and there we did stay all service-time.

29th I up early, it being my Lord Mayor’s day (Sir Richd Browne,) and neglecting my office, I went to the Wardrobe, where I met my Lady Sandwich and all the children, and after drinking of some strange and incomparable good clarett of Mr Remball’s,¹⁷⁹ he and Mr Townsend¹⁷⁹ did take us, and set the young Lords at one Mr Neville’s, a draper in Paul’s churchyard, and my Lady and my Lady Pickering¹⁸⁰ and I to one Mr Isaacson’s, a linen-draper at the Key in Cheapside, where there was a company of fine ladies, and we were very civilly treated, and had a very good place to see the pageants, which were many, and I believe good, for such kind of things, but in themselves but poor and absurd.

30th I went to the Cockpit all alone, and there saw a very fine play called The Tamer tamed¹⁸¹ very well acted I hear nothing yet of my Lord, whether he be gone for the Queen from the Downes or no, but I believe he is, and that he is now upon coming back again.

November 1st 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