8th.  Up, and my wife and I by coach to Bennett’s, in Paternoster Row, few shops there being yet open, and there bought velvett for a coate, and camelott for a cloake for myself; and thence to a place to look over some fine counterfeit damasks to hang my wife’s closett, and pitched upon one, and so by coach home again, I calling at the ’Change, and so home to dinner and all the afternoon look after my papers at home and my office against to-morrow, and so after supper and considering the uselessness of laying out so much money upon my wife’s closett, but only the chamber, to bed.

9th.  Up, and then to the office, where we met first since the plague, which God preserve us in!  At noon home to dinner, where uncle Thomas with me, and in comes Pierce lately come from Oxford, and Ferrers.  After dinner Pierce and I up to my chamber, where he tells me how a great difference hath been between the Duke and Duchesse, he suspecting her to be naught with Mr. Sidney.

["This Duchess was Chancellor Hyde’s daughter, and she was a very handsome woman, and had a great deal of wit; therefore it was not without reason that Mr. Sydney, the handsomest youth of his time, of the Duke’s bedchamber, was so much in love with her, as appeared to us all, and the Duchess not unkind to him, but very innocently.  He was afterwards banished the Court for another reason, as was reported” (Sir John Reresby’s “Memoirs,” August 5th, 1664, ed.  Cartwright, pp. 64,65). “’How could the Duke of York make my mother a Papist?’ said the Princess Mary to Dr. Bumet.  ’The Duke caught a man in bed with her,’ said the Doctor, ’and then had power to make her do anything.’  The Prince, who sat by the fire, said, ’Pray, madam, ask the Doctor a few more questions’” (Spence’s “Anecdotes,” ed.  Singer, 329).]

But some way or other the matter is made up; but he was banished the Court, and the Duke for many days did not speak to the Duchesse at all.  He tells me that my Lord Sandwich is lost there at Court, though the King is particularly his friend.  But people do speak every where slightly of him; which is a sad story to me, but I hope it may be better again.  And that Sir G. Carteret is neglected, and hath great enemies at work against him.  That matters must needs go bad, while all the town, and every boy in the streete, openly cries, “The King cannot go away till my Lady Castlemaine be ready to come along with him;” she being lately put to bed And that he visits her and Mrs. Stewart every morning before he eats his breakfast.  All this put together makes me very sad, but yet I hope I shall do pretty well among them for all this, by my not meddling with either of their matters.  He and Ferrers gone I paid uncle Thomas his last quarter’s money, and then comes Mr. Gawden and he and I talked above stairs together a good while about his business, and to my great joy got him to declare that of the L500 he did give me the other day, none of it was for my