myself, and so home to my office, and there did much
business to my good content, much better than going
to a play, and then home to my wife, who is not well
with her cold, and sat and read a piece of Grand Cyrus
in English by her, and then to my chamber and to supper,
and so to bed. This morning the Captain come
from Holland did tell us at the board what I have
said he reported yesterday. This evening after
I come from the office Mrs. Turner come to see my wife
and me, and sit and talk with us, and so, my wife
not being well and going to bed, Mrs. Turner and I
sat up till 12 at night talking alone in my chamber,
and most of our discourse was of our neighbours.
As to my Lord Bruncker, she says how Mrs. Griffin,
our housekeeper’s wife, hath it from his maid,
that comes to her house often, that they are very
poor; that the other day Mrs. Williams was fain to
send a jewell to pawn; that their maid hath said herself
that she hath got L50 since she come thither, and L17
by the payment of one bill; that they have a most
lewd and nasty family here in the office, but Mrs.
Turner do tell me that my Lord hath put the King to
infinite charge since his coming thither in alterations,
and particularly that Mr. Harper at Deptford did himself
tell her that my Lord hath had of Foly, the ironmonger,
L50 worth in locks and keys for his house, and that
it is from the fineness of them, having some of L4
and L5 a lock, such as is in the Duke’s closet;
that he hath several of these; that he do keep many
of her things from her of her own goods, and would
have her bring a bill into the office for them; that
Mrs. Griffin do say that he do not keep Mrs. Williams
now for love, but need, he having another whore that
he keeps in Covent Garden; that they do owe money
everywhere almost for every thing, even Mrs. Shipman
for her butter and cheese about L3, and after many
demands cannot get it. Mrs. Turner says she do
believe their coming here is only out of a belief
of getting purchase by it, and that their servants
(which was wittily said of her touching his clerks)
do act only as privateers, no purchase, no pay.
And in my conscience she is in the right. Then
we fell to talk of Sir W. Pen, and his family and rise.
She [Mrs. Turner] says that he was a pityfull [fellow]
when she first knew them; that his lady was one of
the sourest, dirty women, that ever she saw; that
they took two chambers, one over another, for themselves
and child, in Tower Hill; that for many years together
they eat more meals at her house than at their own;
did call brothers and sisters the husbands and wives;
that her husband was godfather to one, and she godmother
to another (this Margaret) of their children, by the
same token that she was fain to write with her own
hand a letter to Captain Twiddy, to stand for a godfather
for her; that she brought my Lady, who then was a dirty
slattern, with her stockings hanging about her heels,
so that afterwards the people of the whole Hill did
say that Mrs. Turner had made Mrs. Pen a gentlewoman,