God be praised! rose to L1300.  Which I bless God for.  So after 12 o’clock home to supper and to bed.  I find Creed mightily transported by my Lord of Falmouth’s kind words to him, and saying that he hath a place in his intention for him, which he believes will be considerable.  A witty man he is in every respect, but of no good nature, nor a man ordinarily to be dealt with.  My Lady Castlemayne is sicke again, people think, slipping her filly.

Diaryof Samuel Pepys. 
April
1665

April 1st.  All the morning very busy at the office preparing a last half-year’s account for my Lord Treasurer.  At noon eat a bit and stepped to Sir Ph.  Warwicke, by coach to my Lord Treasurer’s, and after some private conference and examining of my papers with him I did return into the City and to Sir G. Carteret, whom I found with the Commissioners of Prizes dining at Captain Cocke’s, in Broad Streete, very merry.  Among other tricks, there did come a blind fiddler to the doore, and Sir G. Carteret did go to the doore and lead the blind fiddler by the hand in.  Thence with Sir G. Carteret to my Lord Treasurer, and by and by come Sir W. Batten and Sir J. Minnes, and anon we come to my Lord, and there did lay open the expence for the six months past, and an estimate of the seven months to come, to November next:  the first arising to above L500,000, and the latter will, as we judge, come to above L1,000,000.  But to see how my Lord Treasurer did bless himself, crying he could do no more than he could, nor give more money than he had, if the occasion and expence were never so great, which is but a sad story.  And then to hear how like a passionate and ignorant asse Sir G. Carteret did harangue upon the abuse of Tickets did make me mad almost and yet was fain to hold my tongue.  Thence home, vexed mightily to see how simply our greatest ministers do content themselves to understand and do things, while the King’s service in the meantime lies a-bleeding.  At my office late writing letters till ready to drop down asleep with my late sitting up of late, and running up and down a-days.  So to bed.

2nd (Lord’s day).  At my office all the morning, renewing my vowes in writing and then home to dinner.  All the afternoon, Mr. Tasborough, one of Mr. Povy’s clerks, with me about his master’s accounts.  In the evening Mr. Andrews and Hill sang, but supped not with me, then after supper to bed.

3rd.  Up and to the Duke of Albemarle and White Hall, where much business.  Thence home and to dinner, and then with Creed, my wife, and Mercer to a play at the Duke’s, of my Lord Orrery’s, called “Mustapha,” which being not good, made Betterton’s part and Ianthe’s but ordinary too, so that we were not contented with it at all.  Thence home and to the office a while, and then home to supper and to bed.  All the pleasure of the play was, the King and my Lady Castlemayne were there; and pretty witty Nell,—­[Nell Gwynne]—­at the King’s house, and the younger Marshall sat next us; which pleased me mightily.