took my Lord Sandwich’s draught of the harbour of Portsmouth down to Ratcliffe, to one Burston, to make a plate for the King, and another for the Duke, and another for himself; which will be very neat.

20th. Rode into the beginning of my Lord Chancellor’s new house, near St James’s; which common people have already called Dunkirkehouse, from their opinion of his having a good bribe for the selling of that towne. And very noble I believe it will be. Near that is my Lord Barkeley beginning another one side, and Sir J. Denham on the other.

21st. My Lady Sandwich tells me how my Lord Castlemaine is coming over from France, and is believed will soon be made friends with his Lady again. What mad freaks the Mayds of Honour at Court have: that Mrs Jenings,¹³ one of the Dutchesse’s maids, the other day dressed herself like an orange wench, and went up and down and cried oranges; till falling down, or by some accident her fine shoes were discerned, and she put to a great deal of shame; that such as these tricks being ordinary, and worse among them, thereby few will venture upon them for wives: my Lady Castlemaine will in merriment say, that her daughter (not above a year old or two) will be the first mayd in the Court that will be married. This day my Lord Sandwich writ me word from the Downes, that he is like to be in town this week.

22nd. At noon to the ’Change, busy; where great talk of a Dutch ship in the North put on shore, and taken by a troop of horse.

25th. At noon to the ’Change; where just before I come, the Swede that had told the King and the Duke so boldly a great lie of the Dutch flinging our men back to back into the sea at Guinny, so particularly, and readily, and confidently, was whipt round the ’Change: he confessing it a lie, and that he did it in hopes to get something.

27th. We to a Committee of the Council to discourse concerning pressing of men; but Lord! how they meet; never sit down: one comes, now another goes, then comes another; one complaining that nothing is done, another swearing that he hath been there these two hours and nobody come. At last my Lord Annesly¹⁴ says, ‘I think we must be forced to get the King to come to every committee; for I do not see that we do any thing at any time but when he is here.’ And I believe he said the truth: and very constant he is on council-days; which his predecessors, it seems, very rarely were. To Sir Philip Warwick’s; and there he did contract with me a kind of friendship and freedom of communication, wherein he assures me to make me understand the whole business of the Treasurer of the Navy, that I shall know as well as Sir G. Carteret what money he hath; and will needs have me come to him sometimes, or he meet me, to discourse of things tending to the serving the King: and I am mighty proud and happy in becoming so known to such a man. And I hope shall pursue it.

March 1st. To Gresham College, where Mr Hooke read a second very curious lecture about the late Comet; among other things proving very probably that this is the very same Comet that appeared before in the year 1618, and that in such a time probably it will appear again, which is a very new opinion; but all will be in print. Then to the meeting, where Sir G. Carteret’s two sons, his own, and Sir N. Slaning,¹⁵ were admitted of the society: and this day I did pay my admission money, 40s. to the society.

4th. William Howe come to see me, being come up with my Lord from sea: he is grown a discreet, but very conceited fellow. He tells me how little respectfully Sir W. Pen did carry it to my Lord on board the Duke’s ship at sea; and that Captain Minnes, a favourite of Prince Rupert’s, do show my Lord little respect; but that every body else esteems my Lord as they ought. This day was proclaimed at the ’Change the war with Holland.

5th. To my Lord Sandwich’s and dined with my Lord; it being the first time he hath dined at home since his coming from sea: and a pretty odd demand it was of my Lord to my Lady before me: ‘How do you, sweetheart? How have you done all this week?’ himself taking notice of it to me, that he had hardly seen her the week before. At dinner he did use me with the greatest solemnity in the world, in carving for me, and nobody else, and calling often to my Lady to cut for me; and all the respect possible.