o the door of my lodging, I
found a coach waited for him. I chid him for it; but he whispered me it
was impossible to do otherwise; and in the coach he told me he had not
one farthing in his pocket to pay it; and therefore took the coach for
the whole day, and intended to borrow money somewhere or other. So
there was the Queen's Minister entrusted in affairs of the greatest
importance, without a shilling in his pocket to pay a coach! I paid
him while he was with me seven guineas, in part of a dozen of shirts he
bought me in Holland. I presented him to the Duke of Ormond, and several
lords at Court; and I contrived it so that Lord Treasurer came to me and
asked (I had Parnell by me) whether that was Dr. Parnell, and came up
and spoke to him with great kindness, and invited him to his house.
I value myself upon making the Ministry desire to be acquainted with
Parnell, and not Parnell with the Ministry. His poem is almost fully
corrected, and shall soon be out. Here's enough for to-day: only to tell
you that I was in the City with my printer to alter an Examiner about my
friend Lewis's story,(10) which will be told with remarks. Nite MD.

Feb. 1. I could do nothing till to-day about the Examiner, but the
printer came this morning, and I dictated to him what was fit to be
said, and then Mr. Lewis came, and corrected it as he would have it;
so I was neither at church nor Court. The Duke of Ormond and I dined at
Lord Orkney's. I left them at seven, and sat with Sir Andrew Fountaine,
who has a very bad sore leg, for which he designs to go to France. Fais,
here's a week gone, and one side of this letter not finished. Oh, but I
write now but once in three weeks; iss, fais, this shall go sooner. The
Parliament is to sit on the third, but will adjourn for three or four
days; for the Queen is laid up with the gout, and both Speakers out of
order, though one of them, the Lord Keeper, is almost well. I spoke
to the Duke of Ormond a good deal about Ireland. We do not altogether
agree, nor am I judge enough of Irish affairs; but I will speak to Lord
Treasurer to-morrow, that we three may settle them some way or other.
Nite sollahs both, rove Pdfr.

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