money; wherein I was instrumental the other day in shipping
him away. It seems some of his creditors have taken notice of it, and he
was like to be broke yesterday in his absence; Sir G. Carteret telling
me that the King and the kingdom must as good as fall with that man
at this time; and that he was forced to get L4000 himself to answer
Backewell's people's occasions, or he must have broke; but committed
this to me as a great secret and which I am heartily sorry to hear.
Thence, after a little merry discourse of our marrying business, I
parted, and by coach to several places, among others to see my Lord
Brunkerd, who is not well, but was at rest when I come. I could not see
him, nor had much mind, one of the great houses within two doors of him
being shut up: and, Lord! the number of houses visited, which this day I
observed through the town quite round in my way by Long Lane and London
Wall. So home to the office, and thence to Sir W. Batten, and spent the
evening at supper; and, among other discourse, the rashness of Sir John
Lawson, for breeding up his daughter so high and proud, refusing a
man of great interest, Sir W. Barkeley, to match her with a melancholy
fellow, Colonell Norton's' son, of no interest nor good nature nor
generosity at all, giving her L6000, when the other would have taken her
with two; when he himself knew that he was not worth the money himself
in all the world, he did give her that portion, and is since dead, and
left his wife and two daughters beggars, and the other gone away
with L6000, and no content in it, through the ill qualities of her
father-in-law and husband, who, it seems, though a pretty woman,
contracted for her as if he had been buying a horse; and, worst of all,
is now of no use to serve the mother and two little sisters in any stead
at Court, whereas the other might have done what he would for her: so
here is an end of this family's pride, which, with good care, might have
been what they would, and done well. Thence, weary of this discourse, as
the act of the greatest rashness that ever I heard of in all my little
conversation, we parted, and I home to bed. Sir W. Pen, it seems, sailed
last night from Solebay with, about sixty sail of ship, and my Lord
Sandwich in "The Prince" and some others, it seems, going after them to
overtake them, for I am sure my Lord Sandwich will do all possible to
overtake them, and will be troubled to the heart if he do it not.

7th. Up, and having