sillily after it, and went his way. Late home to supper, a little
troubled at my not going to Epsum to-morrow, as I had resolved, especially
having the Duke of York and [Sir] W. Coventry out of town, but it was my
own fault and at last my judgment to stay, and so to supper and to bed.
This day, with great satisfaction, I hear that my Lady Jemimah is brought
to bed, at Hinchingbroke, of a boy.
7th (Lord's day). Up, and to my chamber, there to settle some papers, and
thither comes Mr. Moore to me and talked till church time of the news of
the times about the peace and the bad consequences of it if it be not
improved to good purpose of fitting ourselves for another war. He tells
me he heard that the discontented Parliament-men are fearful that the next
sitting the King will put for a general excise, by which to raise him
money, and then to fling off the Parliament, and raise a land-army and
keep them all down like slaves; and it is gotten among them, that Bab.
May, the Privy-purse, hath been heard to say that L300 a-year is enough
for any country gentleman; which makes them mad, and they do talk of 6 or
L800,000 gone into the Privy-purse this war, when in King James's time it
arose but to L5,000, and in King Charles's but L10,000 in a year. He tells
me that a goldsmith in town told him that, being with some plate with my
Lady Castlemayne lately, she directed her woman (the great beauty),
"Wilson," says she, "make a note for this, and for that, to the
Privy-purse for money." He tells me a little more of the baseness of the
courses taken at Court in the case of Mr. Moyer, who is at liberty, and is
to give L500 for his liberty; but now the great ones are divided, who
shall have the money, the Duke of Albemarle on one hand, and another Lord
on the other; and that it is fain to be decided by having the person's
name put into the King's warrant for his liberty, at whose intercession
the King shall own that he is set at liberty; which is a most lamentable
thing, that we do professedly own that we do these things, not for right
and justice sake, but only to gratify this or that person about the King.
God forgive us all! Busy till noon, and then home to dinner, and Mr.
Moore come and dined with us, and much more discourse at and after dinner
of the same kind, and then, he gone, I to my office busy till the evening,
and then with my wife and Jane over to Half-way house, a very good walk;
and there drank, and in the cool of the e
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