Bondman¹⁵ acted an excellent play and well done But above all that ever I saw, Beterton do the Bondman the best.

2nd After dinner I went to the theatre, where I found so few people (which is strange, and the reason I do not know) that I went out again, and so to Salsbury Court, where the house as full as could be, and it seems it was a new play, The Queen’s Maske,¹⁶ wherein there are some good humours among others, a good jeer to the old story of the Siege of Troy, making it to be a common country tale But above all it was strange to see so little a boy as that was to act Cupid, which is one of the greatest parts in it.

4th My Lord went this morning on his journey to Hinchingbroke, Mr Parker with him, the chief business being to look over and determine how, and in what manner, his great work of building shall be done Before his going he did give me some jewells to keep for him, viz that that the King of Sweden did give him, with the King’s own picture in it, most excellently done, and a brave George, all of diamonds.

8th All the morning at the office At noon Sir W Batten, Col Slingsby and I by coach to the Tower, to Sir John Robinson’s, to dinner, where great good cheer High company, among others the Duchess of Albemarle,¹⁷ who is ever a plain homely dowdy After dinner, to drink all the afternoon Towards night the Duchesse and ladies went away Then we set to it again till it was very late And at last come in Sir William Wale, almost fuddled, and because I was set between him and another, only to keep them from talking and spoiling the company (as we did to others,) he fell out with the Lieutenant of the Tower, but with much ado we made him understand his error, and then all quiet.

9th To my Lord’s, where we found him lately come from Hinchingbroke I staid and dined with him He took me aside, and asked me what the world spoke of the King’s marriage Which I answering as one that knew nothing, he enquired no further of me But I do perceive by it that there is something in it that is ready to come out that the world knows not of yet.

11th After dinner I went to the theatre, and there saw Love’s Mistress done by them, which I do not like in some things as well as their acting in Salsbury Court.

15th This day my wife and Pall went to see my Lady Kingston, her brother’s¹⁸ lady.

18th This day an ambassador from Florence was brought into the towne in state Yesterday was said to be the day that the Princesse Henrietta was to marry the Duke d’Anjou in France This day I found in the newes-book that Roger Pepys is chosen at Cambridge for the towne, the first place that we hear of to have made their choice yet.

20th To White Hall to Mr Coventry, where I did some business with him, and so with Sir W Pen (who I found with Mr Coventry teaching of him the map to understand Jamaica) The great talk of the towne is the strange election that the City of London made yesterday for Parliament-men, viz Fowke, Love, Jones, and ,¹⁹ men that, so far from being episcopall, are thought to be Anabaptists, and chosen with a great deal of zeale, in spite of the other party that thought themselves so strong, calling out in the Hall, ‘No Bishops no Lord Bishop’ It do make people to fear it may come to worse, by being an example to the country to do the same And indeed the Bishops are so high that very few do love them.

23rd To the Red Bull (where I had not been since plays come up again) up to the tireing-room, where strange the confusion and disorder that there is among them in fitting themselves, especially here, where the clothes are very poore, and the actors but common fellows At last into the pitt, where I think there was not above ten more than myself, and not one hundred in the whole house And the play, which is called All’s lost by Lust,²⁰ poorly done, and with so much disorder, among others, in the musique-room the boy that was to sing a song not singing it right, his master fell about his eares and beat him so, that it put the whole house in an uprore Met my uncle Wight, and with him Lieut-Col Baron, who told us how Crofton the great Presbyterian minister that had preached so highly against Bishops, is clapped up this day in the Tower Which do please some, and displease others exceedingly.