2.  I had a letter some days ago from Moll Gery;[11] her name is now Wigmore, and her husband has turned parson.  She desires nothing but that I would get Lord Keeper to give him a living; but I will send her no answer, though she desires it much.  She still makes mantuas at Farnham.  It rained all this day, and Dilly came to me, and was coaching it into the City; so I went with him for a shaking, because it would not cost me a farthing.  There I met my friend Stratford,[12] the merchant, who is going abroad to gather up his debts, and be clear in the world.  He begged that I would dine with some merchant friends of ours there, because it was the last time I should see him:  so I did, and thought to have seen Lord Treasurer in the evening, but he happened to go out at five; so I visited some friends, and came home.  And now I have the greatest part of your letter to answer; and yet I will not do it to-night, say what oo please.  The Parliament meets to-morrow, but will be prorogued for a fortnight; which disappointment will, I believe, vex abundance of them, though they are not Whigs; for they are forced to be in town at expense for nothing:  but we want an answer from Spain, before we are sure of everything being right for the peace; and God knows whether we can have that answer this month.  It is a most ticklish juncture of affairs; we are always driving to an inch:  I am weary of it.  Nite MD.

3.  The Parliament met, and was prorogued, as I said, and I found some cloudy faces, and heard some grumbling.  We have got over all our difficulties with France, I think.  They have now settled all the articles of commerce between us and them, wherein they were very much disposed to play the rogue if we had not held them to [it]; and this business we wait from Spain is to prevent some other rogueries of the French, who are finding an evasion to trade to the Spanish West Indies; but I hope we shall prevent it.  I dined with Lord Treasurer, and he was in good humour enough.  I gave him that part of my book in manuscript to read where his character was, and drawn pretty freely.  He was reading and correcting it with his pencil, when the Bishop of St. David’s[13] (now removing to Hereford) came in and interrupted us.  I left him at eight, and sat till twelve with the Provost and Bishop of Clogher at the Provost’s.  Nite MD.

4.  I was to-day at Court, but kept out of Lord Treasurer’s way, because I was engaged to the Duke of Ormond, where I dined, and, I think, ate and drank too much.  I sat this evening with Lady Masham, and then with Lord Masham and Lord Treasurer at Lord Masham’s.  It was last year, you may remember, my constant evening place.  I saw Lady Jersey[14] with Lady Masham, who has been laying out for my acquaintance, and has forced a promise for me to drink chocolate with her in a day or two, which I know not whether I shall perform (I have just mended my pen, you see), for I do not much like her character;