ch 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 s