eave of them,
and so having taken up something at my wife's tailor's, I home by coach
and there to my office, whither Shales came and I had much discourse
with him about the business of the victualling, and thence in
the evening to the Coffee-house, and there sat till by and by, by
appointment Will brought me word that his uncle Blackburne was ready to
speak with me. So I went down to him, and he and I to a taverne hard by,
and there I begun to speak to Will friendlily, advising him how to carry
himself now he is going from under my roof, without any reflections upon
the occasion from whence his removal arose. This his uncle seconded, and
after laying down to him his duty to me, and what I expect of him, in
a discourse of about a quarter of an houre or more, we agreed upon his
going this week, towards the latter (end) of the week, and so dismissed
him, and Mr. Blackburne and I fell to talk of many things, wherein I did
speak so freely to him in many things agreeing with his sense that
he was very open to me: first, in that of religion, he makes it great
matter of prudence for the King and Council to suffer liberty of
conscience; and imputes the losse of Hungary to the Turke from the
Emperor's denying them this liberty of their religion. He says that many
pious ministers of the word of God, some thousands of them, do now beg
their bread: and told me how highly the present clergy carry themselves
every where, so as that they are hated and laughed at by everybody;
among other things, for their excommunications, which they send upon the
least occasions almost that can be. And I am convinced in my judgement,
not only from his discourse, but my thoughts in general, that the
present clergy will never heartily go down with the generality of the
commons of England; they have been so used to liberty and freedom, and
they are so acquainted with the pride and debauchery of the present
clergy. He did give me many stories of the affronts which the clergy
receive in all places of England from the gentry and ordinary persons of
the parish. He do tell me what the City thinks of General Monk, as of
a most perfidious man that hath betrayed every body, and the King also;
who, as he thinks, and his party, and so I have heard other good friends
of the King say, it might have been better for the King to have had his
hands a little bound for the present, than be forced to bring such a
crew of poor people about him, and be liable to satisfy the d