situation and brave plantations; and among others, a vine-yard, the first that ever I did see. No extraordinary dinner, nor any other entertainment good; but afterwards to the tryal of some experiments about making of coaches easy. And several we tried; but one did prove mighty easy, (not here for me to describe, but the whole body of the coach lies upon one long spring,) and we all, one after another, rid in it; and it is very fine and likely to take. Thence to Deptford, and in to Mr Evelyn’s,²⁴ which is a most beautiful place; but it being dark and late, I staid not; but Dean Wilkins and Mr Hooke and I, walked to Redriffe; and noble discourse all day long did please me.

3rd. My Lord Chief-Justice Hide did die suddenly this week, a day or two ago, of an apoplexy.

5th. After dinner, to Mr Evelyn’s; he being abroad, we walked in his garden, and a lovely noble ground he hath indeed. And among other rarities, a hive of bees, so as being hived in glass, you may see the bees making their honey and combs mighty pleasantly.

10th. To the Cocke-pitt, where the Duke did give Sir W. Batten and me an account of the late taking of eight ships, and of his intent to come back to the Gunfleete with the fleet presently; which creates us much work and haste therein, against the fleet comes. And thence to the Guard in Southwarke, there to get some soldiers, by the Duke’s order, to go keep pressmen on board our ships.

14th. To church, it being Whit-sunday; my wife very fine in a new yellow bird’s-eye hood, as the fashion is now. I took a coach, and to Wemstead, the house where Sir H. Mildmay died, and now Sir Robert Brookes²⁵ lives, having bought it of the Duke of York, it being forfeited to him. A fine seat, but an old- fashioned house; and being not full of people looks flatly.

17th. The Duchesse of York went down yesterday to meet the Duke.

18th. To the Duke of Albemarle, where we did examine Nixon and Stanesby, about their late running from two Dutchmen; for which they were committed to a vessel to carry them to the fleet to be tried. A most fowle unhandsome thing as ever was heard, for plain cowardice on Nixon’s part.

23rd. Late comes Sir Arthur Ingram²⁶ to my office, to tell me, that, by letters from Amsterdam of the 18th. of this month, the Dutch fleet, being about 100 men-of-war, besides fire-ships, &c., did set out upon the 13th. and 14th. inst. Being divided into seven squadrons, viz. -- 1. General Opdam. 2. Cottenar,²⁷ of Rotterdam. 3. Trump. 4. Schram, of Horne. 5. Stillingworth, of Freezland. 6. Everson. 7. One other, not named, of Zealand.

24th. To the Coffee-house, where all the news is of the Dutch being gone out, and of the plague growing upon us in this town; and of remedies against it: some saying one thing, and some another.

26th. In the evening by water to the Duke of Albemarle, whom I found mightily off the hooks, that the ships are not gone out of the River; which vexed me to see.

28th. I hear that Nixon is condemned to be shot to death, for his cowardice, by a Council of War. To my Lady Sandwich’s, where, to my shame, I had not been a great while. Here, upon my telling her a story of my Lord Rochester’s²⁸ running away on Friday night last with Mrs Mallett,²⁹ the great beauty and fortune of the North, who had supped at White Hall with Mrs Stewart, and was going home to her lodgings with her grand-father, my Lord Haly,³⁰ by coach: and was at Charing Cross seized on by both horse and footmen, and forcibly taken from him, and put into a coach with six horses, and two women provided to receive her, and carried away. Upon immediate pursuit, my Lord of Rochester (for whom the King had spoke to the lady often, but with no success,) was taken at Uxbridge: but the lady is not yet heard of, and the King mighty angry, and the Lord sent to the Tower. Hereupon my Lady did confess to me, as a great secret, her being concerned in this story. For if this match breaks between my Lord Rochester and her, then, by the consent of all her friends, my Lord Hinchingbroke stands fair, and is invited for her. She is worth, and will be at her mother’s death, (who keeps but a little from her,) £2500 per annum. Pray God give a good success to it! But my poor Lady who is afraid of the sickness, and