ing the rise of the
friendship) only from the likeness of their pleasures, and acquaintance,
and concernments, they have in the same matters of lust and baseness;
for which, God forgive them! But he do flatter himself, from promises of
Sir H. Bennet, that he shall have a pension of L2000 per annum, and be
made an Earl. My Lord told me he expected a challenge from him, but told
me there was no great fear of him, for there was no man lies under such
an imputation as he do in the business of Mr. Cholmely, who, though a
simple sorry fellow, do brave him and struts before him with the Queen,
to the sport and observation of the whole Court. He did keep my Lord at
the window, thus reviling and braving him above an hour, my Lady Wright
being by; but my Lord tells me she could not hear every word, but did
well know what their discourse was; she could hear enough to know that.
So that he commands me to keep it as the greatest secret in the world,
and bids me beware of speaking words against Mr. Montagu, for fear I
should suffer by his passion thereby. After he had told me this I took
coach and home, where I found my wife come home and in bed with her
sister in law in the chamber with her, she not being able to stay to see
the wassel, being so ill..., which I was sorry for. Hither we sent for
her sister's viall, upon which she plays pretty well for a girl, but
my expectation is much deceived in her, not only for that, but in her
spirit, she being I perceive a very subtle witty jade, and one that will
give her husband trouble enough as little as she is, whereas I took her
heretofore for a very child and a simple fool. I played also, which I
have not done this long time before upon any instrument, and at last
broke up and I to my office a little while, being fearful of being too
much taken with musique, for fear of returning to my old dotage thereon,
and so neglect my business as I used to do. Then home and to bed. Coming
home I brought Mr. Pickering as far as the Temple, who tells me the
story is very true of a child being dropped at the ball at Court; and
that the King had it in his closett a week after, and did dissect it;
and making great sport of it, said that in his opinion it must have been
a month and three hours old; and that, whatever others think, he hath
the greatest loss (it being a boy, as he says), that hath lost a subject
by the business. He tells me, too, that the other story, of my Lady
Castlemaine's and Stuart's mar