Our discourse about supplying my Lord Teviott with
money, wherein I am sorry to see, though they do not
care for him, yet they are willing to let him for civility
and compliment only have money almost without expecting
any account of it; but by this means, he being such
a cunning fellow as he is, the King is like to pay
dear for our courtiers’ ceremony. Thence
by coach with my Lords Peterborough and Sandwich to
my Lord Peterborough’s house; and there, after
an hour’s looking over some fine books of the
Italian buildings, with fine cuts; and also my Lord
Peterborough’s bowes and arrows, of which he
is a great lover, we sat down to dinner, my Lady coming
down to dinner also, and there being Mr. Williamson,
that belongs to Sir H. Bennet, whom I find a pretty
understanding and accomplished man, but a little conceited.
After dinner I took leave and went to Greatorex’s,
whom I found in his garden, and set him to work upon
my ruler, to engrave an almanac and other things upon
the brasses of it, which a little before night he
did, but the latter part he slubbered over, that I
must get him to do it over better, or else I shall
not fancy my rule, which is such a folly that I am
come to now, that whereas before my delight was in
multitude of books, and spending money in that and
buying alway of other things, now that I am become
a better husband, and have left off buying, now my
delight is in the neatness of everything, and so cannot
be pleased with anything unless it be very neat, which
is a strange folly. Hither came W. Howe about
business, and he and I had a great deal of discourse
about my Lord Sandwich, and I find by him that my Lord
do dote upon one of the daughters of Mrs. [Becke]
where he lies, so that he spends his time and money
upon her. He tells me she is a woman of a very
bad fame and very impudent, and has told my Lord so,
yet for all that my Lord do spend all his evenings
with her, though he be at court in the day time, and
that the world do take notice of it, and that Pickering
is only there as a blind, that the world may think
that my Lord spends his time with him when he do worse,
and that hence it is that my Lord has no more mind
to go into the country than he has. In fine,
I perceive my Lord is dabbling with this wench, for
which I am sorry, though I do not wonder at it, being
a man amorous enough, and now begins to allow himself
the liberty that he says every body else at Court
takes. Here I am told that my Lord Bristoll is
either fled or concealed himself; having been sent
for to the King, it is believed to be sent to the
Tower, but he is gone out of the way. Yesterday,
I am told also, that Sir J. Lenthall, in Southwarke,
did apprehend about one hundred Quakers, and other
such people, and hath sent some of them to the gaole
at Kingston, it being now the time of the Assizes.
Hence home and examined a piece of, Latin of Will’s
with my brother, and so to prayers and to bed.
This evening I had a letter from my father that says
that my wife will come to town this week, at which
I wonder that she should come to town without my knowing
more of it. But I find they have lived very
ill together since she went, and I must use all the
brains I have to bring her to any good when she do
come home, which I fear will be hard to do, and do
much disgust me the thoughts of it.