among other news, the late frolick and debauchery of Sir
Charles Sidly and Buckhurst, running up and down all the night with
their arses bare, through the streets; and at last fighting, and being
beat by the watch and clapped up all night; and how the King takes their
parts; and my Lord Chief Justice Keeling hath laid the constable by the
heels to answer it next Sessions: which is a horrid shame. How the
King and these gentlemen did make the fiddlers of Thetford, this last
progress, to sing them all the bawdy songs they could think of. How Sir
W. Coventry was brought the other day to the Duchesse of York by the
Duke, to kiss her hand; who did acknowledge his unhappiness to occasion
her so much sorrow, declaring his intentions in it, and praying her
pardon; which she did give him upon his promise to make good his
pretences of innocence to her family, by his faithfulness to his master,
the Duke of York. That the Duke of Buckingham is now all in all, and
will ruin Coventry, if he can: and that W. Coventry do now rest wholly
upon the Duke of York for his standing, which is a great turn. He tells
me that my Lady Castlemayne, however, is a mortal enemy to the Duke of
Buckingham, which I understand not; but, it seems, she is disgusted
with his greatness, and his ill usage of her. That the King was drunk at
Saxam with Sidly, Buckhurst, &c., the night that my Lord Arlington come
thither, and would not give him audience, or could not which is true,
for it was the night that I was there, and saw the King go up to his
chamber, and was told that the King had been drinking. He tells me,
too, that the Duke of York did the next day chide Bab. May for his
occasioning the King's giving himself up to these gentlemen, to the
neglecting of my Lord Arlington: to which he answered merrily, that, by
God, there was no man in England that had heads to lose, durst do what
they do, every day, with the King, and asked the Duke of York's pardon:
which is a sign of a mad world. God bless us out of it!

24th. This morning comes to me the coachmaker, and agreed with me for
L53, and stand to the courtesy of what more I should give him upon the
finishing of the coach: he is likely also to fit me with a coachman.
There comes also to me Mr. Shotgrave, the operator of our Royal Society,
to show me his method of making the Tubes for the eyes, which are
clouterly done, so that mine are better, but I have well informed myself
in several things from him, and so