Walked round to White Hall, the Park being quite locked up; and I observed a house shut up this day in the Pell Mell, where heretofore in Cromwell’s time we young men used to keep our weekly clubs.

6th. Alderman Backewell is ordered abroad upon some private score with a great sum of money; wherein I was instrumental the other day in shipping him away. It seems some of his creditors have taken notice of it, and he was like to be broke yesterday in his absence: Sir G. Carteret telling me that the King and the kingdom must as good as fall with that man at this time; and that he was forced to get £4000 himself to answer Backewell’s people’s occasions, or he must have broke; but committed this to me as a great secret. I could not see Lord Brouncker, nor had much mind, one of the great houses within two doors of him being shut up: and Lord! the number of houses visited, which this day I observed through the town quite round in my way by Long Lane and London Wall. Sir W. Pen, it seems, sailed last night from Solebay with about sixty sail of ship, and my Lord Sandwich in the Prince and some others, it seems, going after them to overtake them.

7th. At this time I have two tierces of Claret, two quarter casks of Canary, and a smaller vessel of Sack; a vessel of Tent, another of Malaga, and another of white wine, all in my wine cellar together.

9th. I took occasion to have much discourse with Mr. Ph. Carteret, and find him a very modest man; and I think verily of mighty good nature, and pretty understanding. He did give me a good account of the fight with the Dutch. Having promised Harman yesterday, I to his house: the most observable thing I found there to my content, was to hear him and his clerk tell me that in this parish of Michell’s Cornhill, one of the middle-most parishes and a great one of the town, there hath, notwithstanding this sickliness, been buried of any disease, man, woman, or child, not one for thirteen months last past; which is very strange. And the like in a good degree in most other parishes, I hear, saving only of the plague in them.

12th. A solemn fast-day for the plague growing upon us.

13th. Above 700 died of the plague this week.

14th. I by water to Sir G. Carteret’s, and there find my Lady Sandwich buying things for my Lady Jem’s wedding: and my Lady Jem is beyond expectation come to Dagenham’s,³⁸ where Mr Carteret is to go to visit her to-morrow; and my proposal of waiting on him, he being to go alone to all persons strangers to him, was well accepted, and so I go with him. But Lord! to see how kind my Lady Carteret is to her! Sends her most rich jewells, and provides bedding and things of all sorts most richly for her.

15th. Mr Carteret and I to the ferry-place at Greenwich, and there staid an hour crossing the water to and again to get our coach and horses over; and by and by set out, and so toward Dagenhams. But Lord! what silly discourse we had as to love-matters, he being the most awkerd man ever I met with in my life as to that business. Thither we come, and by that time it begun to be dark, and were kindly received by Lady Wright and my Lord Crewe And to discourse they went, my Lord discoursing with him, asking of him questions of travell, which he answered well enough in a few words; but nothing to the lady from him at all To supper, and after supper to talk again, he yet taking no notice of the lady My Lord would have had me have consented to leaving the young people together to-night, to begin their amours, his staying being but to be little But I advised against it, lest the lady might be too much surprised So they led him up to his chamber, where I staid a little, to know how he liked the lady, which he told me he did mightily: but Lord! in the dullest insipid manner that ever lover did So I bid him good night, and down to prayers with my Lord Crewe’s family, and after prayers, my Lord and Lady Wright, and I, to consult what to do; and it was agreed at last to have them go to church together, as the family used to do, though his lameness was a great objection against it.

16th (Lord’s day) I up, having lain with Mr Moore in the chaplin’s chamber And having trimmed myself, down to Mr Carteret; and we walked in the gallery an hour or two, it being a most noble and pretty house that ever, for the bigness, I saw Here I taught him what to do: to take the lady always by the hand to lead her, and telling him that I would find opportunity to leave them together, he should make these and these compliments, and also take a time to do the like to Lord Crewe and Lady Wright After I had