more to fit her out, but with peace and honour I am willing to
spare anything so as to be able to keep all ends together, and my power
over her undisturbed. So to my office and by and by home, where my wife
and her master were dancing, and so I staid in my chamber till they had
done, and sat down myself to try a little upon the Lyra viall, my hand
being almost out, but easily brought to again. So by and by to dinner,
and then carried my wife and Ashwell to St. James's, and there they sat
in the coach while I went in, and finding nobody there likely to meet
with the Duke, but only Sir J. Minnes with my Lord Barkely (who speaks
very kindly, and invites me with great compliments to come now and then
and eat with him, which I am glad to hear, though I value not the thing,
but it implies that my esteem do increase rather than fall), and so I
staid not, but into the coach again, and taking up my wife's taylor,
it raining hard, they set me down, and who should our coachman be but
Carleton the Vintner, that should have had Mrs. Sarah, at Westminster,
my Lord Chancellor's, and then to Paternoster Row. I staid there to
speak with my Lord Sandwich, and in my staying, meeting Mr. Lewis
Phillips of Brampton, he and afterwards others tell me that news came
last night to Court, that the King of France is sick of the spotted
fever, and that they are struck in again; and this afternoon my Lord
Mandeville is gone from the King to make him a visit; which will be
great news, and of great import through Europe. By and by, out comes my
Lord Sandwich, and he and I talked a great while about his business, of
his accounts for his pay, and among other things he told me that this
day a vote hath passed that the King's grants of land to my Lord Monk
and him should be made good; which pleases him very well. He also tells
me that things don't go right in the House with Mr. Coventry; I suppose
he means in the business of selling of places; but I am sorry for it.
Thence by coach home, where I found Pembleton, and so I up to dance with
them till the evening, when there came Mr. Alsopp, the King's brewer,
and Lanyon of Plymouth to see me. Mr. Alsopp tells me of a horse of his
that lately, after four days' pain, voided at his fundament four stones,
bigger than that I was cut of, very heavy, and in the middle of each
of them either a piece of iron or wood. The King has two of them in his
closett, and a third the College of Physicians to keep for rarity, and