18th (Whitsunday).  By water to White Hall, and thereto chappell in my pew belonging to me as Clerk of the Privy Seal; and there I heard a most excellent sermon of Dr. Hacket, Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry, upon these words:  “He that drinketh this water shall never thirst.”  We had an excellent anthem, sung by Captain Cooke and another, and brave musique.  And then the King came down and offered, and took the sacrament upon his knees; a sight very well worth seeing.  Hence with Sir G. Carteret to his lodging to dinner with his Lady and one Mr. Brevin, a French Divine, we were very merry, and good discourse, and I had much talk with my Lady.  After dinner, and so to chappell again; and there had another good anthem of Captain Cooke’s.  Thence to the Councell-chamber; where the King and Councell sat till almost eleven o’clock at night, and I forced to walk up and down the gallerys till that time of night.  They were reading all the bills over that are to pass to-morrow at the House, before the King’s going out of town and proroguing the House.  At last the Councell risen, and Sir G. Carteret telling me what the Councell hath ordered about the ships designed to carry horse from Ireland to Portugall, which is now altered.  I got a coach and so home, sending the boat away without me.  At home I found my wife discontented at my being abroad, but I pleased her.  She was in her new suit of black sarcenet and yellow petticoat very pretty.  So to bed.

19th.  Long in bed, sometimes scolding with my wife, and then pleased again, and at last up, and put on my riding cloth suit, and a camelott coat new, which pleases me well enough.  To the Temple about my replication, and so to my brother Tom’s, and there hear that my father will be in town this week.  So home, the shops being but some shut and some open.  I hear that the House of Commons do think much that they should be forced to huddle over business this morning against the afternoon, for the King to pass their Acts, that he may go out of town.

[To ears accustomed to the official words of speeches from the throne at the present day, the familiar tone of the following extracts from Charles’s speech to the Commons, on the 1st of March; will be amusing:  “I will conclude with putting you in mind of the season of the year, and the convenience of your being in the country, in many respects, for the good and welfare of it; for you will find much tares have been sowed there in your absence.  The arrival of my wife, who I expect some time this month, and the necessity of my own being out of town to meet her, and to stay some time before she comes hither, makes it very necessary that the Parliament be adjourned before Easter, to meet again in the winter . . . . .  The mention of my wife’s arrival puts me in mind to desire you to put that compliment upon her, that her entrance into the town may be with more decency than the ways will now suffer it to be; and, to that purpose, I pray