6th To York House, where the Russia Embassador do lie, and there I saw his people go up and down louseing themselves they are all in a great hurry, being to be gone the beginning of next meek But that that pleased me best, was the remains of the noble soul of the late Duke of Buckingham appearing in his house, in every place, in the door-cases and the windows Sir John Hebden, the Russia Resident, did tell me how he is vexed to see things at Court ordered as they are by nobody that attends to business, but every man himself or his pleasures He cries up my Lord Ashley to be almost the only man that he sees to look after business, and with the ease and mastery, that he wonders at him He cries out against the King’s dealing so much with goldsmiths, and suffering himself to have his purse kept and commanded by them He tells me also with what exact care and order the States of Holland’s stores are kept in their Yards, and every thing managed there by their builders with such husbandry as is not imaginable, which I will endeavour to understand further.

7th Mrs Turner, who is often at Court, do tell me to-day that for certain the Queene hath much changed her humour, and is become very pleasant and sociable as any, and they say is with child, or believed to be so After church to Sir W Batten’s, where my Lady Batten enveighed mightily against the German Princesse, and I as high in the defence of her wit and spirit, and glad that she is cleared at the Sessions.

12th To the Royal Theatre, and there saw The Committee⁴³ a merry but indifferent play, only Lacey’s part, an Irish footman, is beyond imagination Here I saw my Lord Falconbridge,⁴⁴ and his Lady, my Lady Mary Cromwell, who looks as well as I have known her, and well clad but when the House began to fill she put on her vizard, and so kept it on all the play, which of late is become a great fashion among the ladies, which hides their whole face So to the Exchange, to buy things with my wife, among others, a vizard for herself.

13th To the Royal Theatre, and in our way saw my Lady Castlemaine, who, I fear, is not so handsome as I have taken her for, and now she begins to decay something This is my wife’s opinion also Yesterday, upon conference with the King in the Banqueting House, the Parliament did agree with much ado, it being carried but by forty-two voices, that they would supply him with a sum of money, but what and how is not yet known, but expected to be done with great disputes the next week But if done at all, it is well.

15th To the Trinity House, where, among others, I found my Lords Sandwich and Craven, and my cousin Roger Pepys, and Sir Wm Wheeler Both at and after dinner we had great discourses of the nature and power of spirits, and whether they can animate dead bodies, in all which, as of the general appearance of spirits, my Lord Sandwich is very scepticall He says the greatest warrants that ever he had to believe any, is the present appearing of the Devil⁴⁵ in Wiltshire, much of late talked of, who beats a drum up and down There are books of it, and, they say, very true, but my Lord observes, that though he do answer to any tune that you will play to him upon another drum, yet one time he tried to play and could not, which makes him suspect the whole, and I think it is a good argument.

16th Dined with Sir W Batten, who tells me that the House have voted the supply, intended for the King, shall be by subsidy.

17th This day I met with Pierce the surgeon, who tells me that the King has made peace between Mr Edward Montagu and his father Lord Montagu, and that all is well again, at which, for the family’s sake, I am glad, but do not think it will hold long.

19th To Lambeth, expecting to have seen the Archbishop lie in state, but it seems he is not laid out yet At the Privy Seale Office examined the books, and found the grant of increase of salary to the principall officers in the year 1639, £300 among the Controller, Surveyor, and Clerk to the Shippes Met Captain Ferrers, who tells us that the King of France is well again, and that he saw him train his Guards, all brave men at Paris, and that when he goes to his mistress, Madame La Valiere, a pretty little woman, now with child by him, he goes publicly, and his trumpets and kettle-drums with him, and yet he says that, for all this, the Queene do not know of it, for that nobody dares to tell her, but that I dare not believe.