11th.  Up, and to the office, where we sat, and at noon home to dinner, a small dinner because of a good supper.  After dinner my wife and I by coach to St. Clement’s Church, to Mrs. Turner’s lodgings, hard by, to take our leaves of her.  She is returning into the North to her children, where, I perceive, her husband hath clearly got the mastery of her, and she is likely to spend her days there, which for her sake I am a little sorry for, though for his it is but fit she should live where he hath a mind.  Here were several people come to see and take leave of her, she going to-morrow:  among others, my Lady Mordant, which was Betty Turner, a most homely widow, but young, and pretty rich, and good natured.  Thence, having promised to write every month to her, we home, and I to my office, while my wife to get things together for supper.  Dispatching my business at the office.  Anon come our guests, old Mr. Batelier, and his son and daughter, Mercer, which was all our company.  We had a good venison pasty and other good cheer, and as merry as in so good, innocent, and understanding company I could be.  He is much troubled that wines, laden by him in France before the late proclamation was out, cannot now be brought into England, which is so much to his and other merchants’ loss.  We sat long at supper and then to talk, and so late parted and so to bed.  This day the Poll Bill was to be passed, and great endeavours used to take away the Proviso.

12th.  Up, and to the office, where some accounts of Mr. Gawden’s were examined, but I home most of the morning to even some accounts with Sir H. Cholmly, Mr. Moone, and others one after another.  Sir H. Cholmly did with grief tell me how the Parliament hath been told plainly that the King hath been heard to say, that he would dissolve them rather than pass this Bill with the Proviso; but tells me, that the Proviso is removed, and now carried that it shall be done by a Bill by itself.  He tells me how the King hath lately paid about L30,000

[Two thousand pounds of this sum went to Alderman Edward Bakewell for two diamond rings, severally charged L1000 and L900, bought March 14th, 1665-66 (Second addenda to Steinman’s “Memoir of the Duchess of Cleveland,” privately printed, 1878, p. 4.).]

to clear debts of my Lady Castlemayne’s; and that she and her husband are parted for ever, upon good terms, never to trouble one another more.  He says that he hears L400,000 hath gone into the Privypurse since this warr; and that that hath consumed so much of our money, and makes the King and Court so mad to be brought to discover it.  He gone, and after him the rest, I to the office, and at noon to the ’Change, where the very good newes is just come of our four ships from Smyrna, come safe without convoy even into the Downes, without seeing any enemy; which is the best, and indeed only considerable good newes to our Exchange, since the burning of the City; and it is strange to see how it do cheer up men’s