to
begin; the King and every man about him minding so much their pleasures
or profits. My Lord Hinchingbroke, I am told, hath had a mischance to
kill his boy by his birding-piece going off as he was a-fowling. The gun
was charged with small shot, and hit the boy in the face and about the
temples, and he lived four days. In Scotland, it seems, for all
the newes-books tell us every week that they are all so quiett, and
everything in the Church settled, the old woman had like to have killed,
the other day, the Bishop of Galloway, and not half the Churches of the
whole kingdom conform. Strange were the effects of the late thunder and
lightning about a week since at Northampton, coming with great rain,
which caused extraordinary floods in a few hours, bearing away bridges,
drowning horses, men, and cattle. Two men passing over a bridge on
horseback, the arches before and behind them were borne away, and that
left which they were upon: but, however, one of the horses fell over,
and was drowned. Stacks of faggots carried as high as a steeple, and
other dreadful things; which Sir Thomas Crew showed me letters to
him about from Mr. Freemantle and others, that it is very true. The
Portugalls have choused us,

[The word chouse appears to have been introduced into the language
at the beginning of the seventeenth century. In 1609, a Chiaus sent
by Sir Robert Shirley, from Constantinople to London, had chiaused
(or choused) the Turkish and Persian merchants out of L4,000, before
the arrival of his employer, and had decamped. The affair was quite
recent in 1610, when Jonson's "Alchemist" appeared, in which it is
alluded to.]

it seems, in the Island of Bombay, in the East Indys; for after a great
charge of our fleets being sent thither with full commission from the
King of Portugall to receive it, the Governour by some pretence or other
will not deliver it to Sir Abraham Shipman, sent from the King, nor to
my Lord of Marlborough; which the King takes highly ill, and I fear our
Queen will fare the worse for it. The Dutch decay there exceedingly, it
being believed that their people will revolt from them there, and they
forced to give over their trade. This is talked of among us, but how
true I understand not. Sir Thomas showed me his picture and Sir Anthony
Vandike's, in crayon in little, done exceedingly well. Having thus
freely talked with him, and of many more things, I took leave, and by
coach