[This book, which has frequently been reprinted, was written by Roger de Rabutin, Comte de Bussy, for the amusement of his mistress, Madame de Montglas, and consists of sketches of the chief ladies of the court, in which he libelled friends and foes alike.  These circulated in manuscript, and were printed at Liege in 1665.  Louis XIV. was so much annoyed with the book that he sent the author to the Bastille for over a year.]

being a pretty libel against the amours of the Court of France.  I walked up and down Deptford yarde, where I had not been since I come from living at Greenwich, which is some months.  There I met with Mr. Castle, and was forced against my will to have his company back with me.  So we walked and drank at Halfway house and so to his house, where I drank a cupp of syder, and so home, where I find Mr. Norbury newly come to town to see us.  After he gone my wife tells me the ill newes that our Susan is sicke and gone to bed, with great pain in her head and back, which troubles us all.  However we to bed expecting what to-morrow would produce.  She hath we conceive wrought a little too much, having neither maid nor girle to help her.

2nd.  Up and find the girle better, which we are glad of, and with Sir W. Batten to White Hall by coach.  There attended the Duke as usual.  Thence with Captain Cocke, whom I met there, to London, to my office, to consult about serving him in getting him some money, he being already tired of his slavery to my Lord Bruncker, and the charge it costs him, and gets no manner of courtesy from him for it.  He gone I home to dinner, find the girle yet better, so no fear of being forced to send her out of doors as we intended.  After dinner.  I by water to White Hall to a Committee for Tangier upon Mr. Yeabsly’s business, which I got referred to a Committee to examine.  Thence among other stops went to my ruler’s house, and there staid a great while with Nan idling away the afternoon with pleasure.  By and by home, so to my office a little, and then home to supper with my wife, the girle being pretty well again, and then to bed.

3rd.  Up, and all the morning at the office.  At noon home, and contrary to my expectation find my little girle Su worse than she was, which troubled me, and the more to see my wife minding her paynting and not thinking of her house business, this being the first day of her beginning the second time to paynt.  This together made me froward that I was angry with my wife, and would not have Browne to think to dine at my table with me always, being desirous to have my house to myself without a stranger and a mechanique to be privy to all my concernments.  Upon this my wife and I had a little disagreement, but it ended by and by, and then to send up and down for a nurse to take the girle home and would have given anything.  I offered to the only one that we could get 20s. per weeke, and we to find clothes, and bedding