rough bridge, by which Sir W.
Batten won 5s. of Sir J. Minnes. At St. James's we staid while the Duke
made himself ready. Among other things Sir Allen Apsley showed the
Duke the Lisbon Gazette in Spanish, where the late victory is set down
particularly, and to the great honour of the English beyond measure.
They have since taken back Evora, which was lost to the Spaniards, the
English making the assault, and lost not more than three men. Here I
learnt that the English foot are highly esteemed all over the world, but
the horse not so much, which yet we count among ourselves the best; but
they abroad have had no great knowledge of our horse, it seems. The
Duke being ready, we retired with him, and there fell upon Mr. Creed's
business, where the Treasurer did, like a mad coxcomb, without reason or
method run over a great many things against the account, and so did Sir
J. Minnes and Sir W. Batten, which the Duke himself and Mr. Coventry
and my Lord Barkely and myself did remove, and Creed being called in did
answer all with great method and excellently to the purpose (myself I
am a little conscious did not speak so well as I purposed and do think
I used to do, that is, not so intelligibly and persuasively, as I well
hoped I should), not that what I said was not well taken, and did carry
the business with what was urged and answered by Creed and Mr. Coventry,
till the Duke himself did declare that he was satisfied, and my Lord
Barkely offered to lay L100 that the King would receive no wrong in the
account, and the two last knights held their tongues, or at least by not
understanding it did say what made for Mr. Creed, and so Sir G. Carteret
was left alone, but yet persisted to say that the account was not good,
but full of corruption and foul dealing. And so we broke up to his
shame, but I do fear to the loss of his friendship to me a good while,
which I am heartily troubled for. Thence with Creed to the King's Head
ordinary; but, coming late, dined at the second table very well for
12d.; and a pretty gentleman in our company, who confirms my Lady
Castlemaine's being gone from Court, but knows not the reason; he told
us of one wipe the Queen a little while ago did give her, when she came
in and found the Queen under the dresser's hands, and had been so long:

"I wonder your Majesty," says she, "can have the patience to sit so long
a-dressing?"--"I have so much reason to use patience," says the Queen,
"that I can very well bea