come up to stay here till next Wednesday, and then to meet the King and Queen at Hampton Court.  So to dinner, Mr. Browne, Clerk of the House of Lords, and his wife and brother there also; and my Lord mighty merry; among other things, saying that the Queen is a very agreeable lady, and paints still.  After dinner I showed him my letter from Teddiman about the news from Argier, which pleases him exceedingly; and he writ one to the Duke of York about it, and sent it express.  There coming much company after dinner to my Lord, my wife and I slunk away to the Opera, where we saw “Witt in a Constable,” the first time that it is acted; but so silly a play I never saw I think in my life.  After it was done, my wife and I to the puppet play in Covent Garden, which I saw the other day, and indeed it is very pleasant.  Here among the fidlers I first saw a dulcimere

     [The dulcimer (or psaltery) consisted of a flat box, acting as a
     resonating chamber, over which strings of wire were stretched:  These
     were struck by little hammers.]

played on with sticks knocking of the strings, and is very pretty.  So by water home, and supped with Sir William Pen very merry, and so to bed.

24th.  To the Wardrobe, and there again spoke with my Lord, and saw W. Howe, who is grown a very pretty and is a sober fellow.  Thence abroad with Mr. Creed, of whom I informed myself of all I had a mind to know.  Among other things, the great difficulty my Lord hath been in all this summer for lack of good and full orders from the King; and I doubt our Lords of the Councell do not mind things as the late powers did, but their pleasures or profit more.  That the Juego de Toros is a simple sport, yet the greatest in Spain.  That the Queen hath given no rewards to any of the captains or officers, but only to my Lord Sandwich; and that was a bag of gold, which was no honourable present, of about L1400 sterling.  How recluse the Queen hath ever been, and all the voyage never come upon the deck, nor put her head out of her cabin; but did love my Lord’s musique, and would send for it down to the state-room, and she sit in her cabin within hearing of it.  That my Lord was forced to have some clashing with the Council of Portugall about payment of the portion, before he could get it; which was, besides Tangier and a free trade in the Indys, two millions of crowns, half now, and the other half in twelve months.  But they have brought but little money; but the rest in sugars and other commoditys, and bills of exchange.  That the King of Portugall is a very fool almost, and his mother do all, and he is a very poor Prince.  After a morning draft at the Star in Cheapside, I took him to the Exchange, thence home, but my wife having dined, I took him to Fish Street, and there we had a couple of lobsters, and dined upon them, and much discourse.  And so I to the office, and that being done, Sir W. Pen and I to Deptford by water to Captain Rooth’s to see him, he being very sick, and by land home, calling at Halfway house, where we eat and drank.  So home and to bed.