and late instances of their loyalty to their princes, whatever is objected against them; and excusing their disquiets in Queene Elizabeth’s time, for that it was impossible for them to think her a lawfull Queene, if Queene Mary, who had been owned as such, were so; one being the daughter of the true, and the other of a false wife: and that of the Gunpowder Treason, by saying that it was only the practice of some of us, if not the King, to trepan some of their religion into it, it never being defended by the generality of their Church, nor indeed known by them; and ends with a large Catalogue, in red letters, of the Catholiques which have lost their lives in the quarrel of the late King and this. The thing is very well writindeed.

2nd. Took coach, and no sooner in the coach but something broke, that we were fain there to stay till a smith could be fetched, which was above an hour, and then it costing me 6s. to mend. Away round by the wall and Cow-lane, for fear it should break again, and in pain about the coach all the way. I went to Sir W. Batten’s, and there I hear more ill news still: that all our New-England fleet, which went out lately, are put back a third time by foul weather, and dispersed, some to one port and some to another; and their convoys also to Plymouth; and whether any of them be lost or no, we do not know. This, added to all the rest, do lay us flat in our hopes and courages, every body prophesying destruction to the nation.

3rd. More cheerful than I have been a good while, to hear that for certain the Scott rebels are all routed; they having been so bold as to come within three miles of Edinburgh, and there given two or three repulses to the King’s forces, but at last were mastered. Three or four hundred killed or taken, among which their leader, Wallis, and seven ministers (they having all taken the Covenant a few days before, and sworn to live and die in it, as they did;) and so all is likely to be there quiet again. There is also the very good news come of four New-England ships come home safe to Falmouth with masts for the King; which is a blessing mighty unexpected, and without which (if for nothing else) we must have failed the next year. But God be praised for thus much good fortune, and send us the continuance of his favour in other things!

6th. After dinner my wife and brother⁹² (in another habit) go out to see a play; but I am not to take notice that I know of my brother’s going. This day, in the Gazette, is the whole story of defeating of Scotch rebells, and of the creation of the Duke of Cambridge, Knight of the Garter.

7th. To the King’s playhouse, where two acts were almost done when I come in; and there I sat with my cloak about my face, and saw the remainder of The Mayd’s Tragedy;⁹³ a good play, and well acted, especially by the younger Marshall, who is become a pretty good actor; and is the first play I have seen in either of the houses, since before the great plague, they having acted now about fourteen days publickly. But I was in mighty pain, lest I should be seen by any body to be at a play.

8th. The great Proviso passed the House of Parliament yesterday: which makes the King and Court mad, the King having given order to my Lord Chamberlain to send to the playhouses and brothels, to bid all the Parliament-men that were there to go to the Parliament presently. This is true, it seems; but it was carried against the Court by thirty or forty voices. It is a Proviso to the Poll Bill, that there shall be a Committee of nine persons that shall have the inspection upon oath, and power of giving others, of all the accounts of the money given and spent for this warr. This hath a most sad face, and will breed very ill blood. He tells me, brought in by Sir Robert Howard,⁹⁴ who is one of the King’s servants, at least hath a great office, and hath got, they say, £20,000 since the King come in. Mr Pierce did also tell me as a great truth, as being told it by Mr Cowly,⁹⁵ who was by and heard it, that Tom Killigrew should publickly tell the King that his matters were coming into a very ill state; but that yet there was a way to help all. Says he, ‘There is a good, honest, able man that I could name, that if your Majesty would employ, and command to see all things well executed, all things would soon be mended; and this is one Charles Stuart, who now spends his time in employing his lips about the Court, and hath no other employment; but if you would give him this employment, he were the fittest man in the world to perform it.’ This, he says, is most true; but the King do not profit by any of this, but lays all aside, and remembers nothing, but to his pleasures again: which is a sorrowful consideration. To the King’s playhouse, and there did see a good part of The English Monsieur,⁹⁶ which is a mighty pretty play, very witty and pleasant. And the women do very well; but above all, little Nelly. I hear that this Proviso in Parliament is mightily ill