where a sorry dull parson, and so home and most excellent
company with Mr. Hill and discourse of musique.
I took my Lady Pen home, and her daughter Pegg, and
merry we were; and after dinner I made my wife show
them her pictures, which did mad Pegg Pen, who learns
of the same man and cannot do so well. After
dinner left them and I by water to Greenwich, where
much ado to be suffered to come into the towne because
of the sicknesse, for fear I should come from London,
till I told them who I was. So up to the church,
where at the door I find Captain Cocke in my Lord
Brunker’s coach, and he come out and walked with
me in the church-yarde till the church was done, talking
of the ill government of our Kingdom, nobody setting
to heart the business of the Kingdom, but every body
minding their particular profit or pleasures, the King
himself minding nothing but his ease, and so we let
things go to wracke. This arose upon considering
what we shall do for money when the fleete comes in,
and more if the fleete should not meet with the Dutch,
which will put a disgrace upon the King’s actions,
so as the Parliament and Kingdom will have the less
mind to give more money, besides so bad an account
of the last money, we fear, will be given, not half
of it being spent, as it ought to be, upon the Navy.
Besides, it is said that at this day our Lord Treasurer
cannot tell what the profit of Chimney money is, what
it comes to per annum, nor looks whether that or any
other part of the revenue be duly gathered as it ought;
the very money that should pay the City the L200,000
they lent the King, being all gathered and in the hands
of the Receiver and hath been long and yet not brought
up to pay the City, whereas we are coming to borrow
4 or L500,000 more of the City, which will never be
lent as is to be feared. Church being done,
my Lord Bruncker, Sir J. Minnes, and I up to the Vestry
at the desire of the justices of the Peace, Sir Theo.
Biddulph and Sir W. Boreman and Alderman Hooker, in
order to the doing something for the keeping of the
plague from growing; but Lord! to consider the madness
of the people of the town, who will (because they are
forbid) come in crowds along with the dead corps to
see them buried; but we agreed on some orders for
the prevention thereof. Among other stories,
one was very passionate, methought, of a complaint
brought against a man in the towne for taking a child
from London from an infected house. Alderman
Hooker told us it was the child of a very able citizen
in Gracious Street, a saddler, who had buried all
the rest of his children of the plague, and himself
and wife now being shut up and in despair of escaping,
did desire only to save the life of this little child;
and so prevailed to have it received stark-naked into
the arms of a friend, who brought it (having put it
into new fresh clothes) to Greenwich; where upon hearing
the story, we did agree it should be permitted to be
received and kept in the towne. Thence with
my Lord Bruncker to Captain Cocke’s, where we
mighty merry and supped, and very late I by water to
Woolwich, in great apprehensions of an ague.
Here was my Lord Bruncker’s lady of pleasure,
who, I perceive, goes every where with him; and he,
I find, is obliged to carry her, and make all the
courtship to her that can be.