by one Prince to another, and would excite a stone to be revenged; and I hope our King will, if it be so, as he tells me it is: being told by one that come over from Paris with my Lady Fanshaw, (who is come over with the dead body of her husband,) and that saw it before he come away. This makes me mighty merry, it being an ingenious kind of affront; but yet makes me angry, to see that the King of England is become so little as to have the affront offered him.

23rd. I spoke with Sir G. Downing about our prisoners in Holland, and their being released; which he is concerned in, and most of them are. Then discoursing of matters of the House of Parliament, he tells me that it is not the fault of the House, but the King’s own party that have hindered the passing of the Bill for money, by their popping in of new projects for raising it: which is a strange thing; and mighty confident he is, that what money is raised, will be raised and put into the same form that the last was, to come into the Exchequer. And for aught I see, I must confess I think it is the best way.

24th. With Sir J. Minnes by coach to Stepney to the Trinity House, where it is kept again now since the burning of their other house in London. And here a great many met at Sir Thomas Allen’s feast, of his being made an Elder Brother; but he is sick, and so could not be there. Here was much good company, and very merry; but the discourse of Scotland it seems is confirmed, and that they are 4000 of them in armes, and do declare for King and Covenant, which is very ill news. I pray God deliver us from the ill consequences we may justly fear from it. Sir Philip Warwick I find is full of trouble in his mind to see how things go, and what our wants are; and so I have no delight to trouble him with discourse, though I honour the man with all my heart, and I think him to be a very able right-honest man.

25th. To Sir G. Carteret’s to dinner; where much company. Among others, Mr Carteret and my Lady Jemimah, and Mr Ashburnham, the great man; who is a pleasant man, and that hath seen much of the world, and more of the Court. Into the Court, and attended there till the Council met, and then was called in, and I read my letter. My Lord Treasurer declared that the King had nothing to give, till the Parliament did give him some money. So the King did of himself bid me to declare to all that would take our tallies for payment, that he should, soon as the Parliament’s money do come in, take back their tallies, and give them money: which I giving him occasion to repeat to me (it coming from him against the gré, I perceive, of my Lord Treasurer,) I was content therewith, and went out. All the talk of Scotland, where the highest report I perceive, runs but upon three or four hundred in armes. Here I saw Mrs Stewart this afternoon, methought the beautifullest creature that ever I saw in my life, more than ever I thought her, so often as I have seen her; and I do begin to think do exceed my Lady Castlemaine, at least now. This being St Katherine’s day, the Queene was at masse by seven o’clock this morning; and Mr Ashburnham do say that he never saw any one have so much zeale in his life as she hath: and (the question being asked by my Lady Carteret,) much beyond the bigotry that ever the old Queene-mother had. I spoke with Mr May,⁸² who tells me that the design of building the City do go on apace, and by his description it will be mighty handsome, and to the satisfaction of the people; but I pray God it come not out too late. Mr Ashburnham to-day at dinner told how the rich fortune Mrs Mallett reports of her servants; that my Lord Herbert⁸³ would have her; my Lord Hinchingbroke was indifferent to have her: my Lord John Butler⁸⁴ might not have her; my Lord of Rochester would have forced her, and Sir -- Popham⁸⁵ (who nevertheless is likely to have her) would do anything to have her.

26th. Into the House of Parliament, where at a great committee I did hear as long as I would the great case against my Lord Mordaunt,⁸⁶

Now Mordaunt may within his castle tower
Imprison parents and the child deflower,

Proceeds to observe,

Each does the other blame, and all distrust,
But Mordaunt new obliged would sure be just. for some arbitrary proceedings of his against one Taylor, whom he imprisoned and did all the violence to imaginable, only to get him to give way to his abusing his daughter. Here was Mr Sawyer,⁸⁷ my old chamber-fellow,⁸⁸