er sums to other persons. So home to supper and to bed.

26th. Up, and all the morning and most of the afternoon within doors,
beginning to set my accounts in order from before this fire, I being
behindhand with them ever since; and this day I got most of my tradesmen
to bring in their bills and paid them. Dined at home, and busy again
after dinner, and then abroad by water to Westminster Hall, where I
walked till the evening, and then out, the first time I ever was abroad
with Doll Lane, to the Dog tavern, and there drank with her, a bad face,
but good bodied girle. Did nothing but salute and play with her and
talk, and thence away by coach, home, and so to do a little more in my
accounts, and then to supper and to bed. Nothing done in the House yet
as to the finishing of the bill for money, which is a mighty sad thing,
all lying at stake for it.

27th. Up, and there comes to see me my Lord Belasses, which was a great
honour. He tells me great newes, yet but what I suspected, that Vernatty
is fled, and so hath cheated him and twenty more, but most of all, I
doubt, Mr. Povy. Thence to talk about publique business; he tells me how
the two Houses begin to be troublesome; the Lords to have quarrels
one with another. My Lord Duke of Buckingham having said to the Lord
Chancellor (who is against the passing of the Bill for prohibiting the
bringing over of Irish cattle), that whoever was against the Bill, was
there led to it by an Irish interest, or an Irish understanding,
which is as much as to say he is a Poole; this bred heat from my Lord
Chancellor, and something he [Buckingham] said did offend my Lord of
Ossory (my Lord Duke' of Ormond's son), and they two had hard words,
upon which the latter sends a challenge to the former; of which the
former complains to the House, and so the business is to be heard on
Monday next. Then as to the Commons; some ugly knives, like poignards,
to stab people with, about two or three hundred of them were brought
in yesterday to the House, found in one of the house's rubbish that
was burned, and said to be the house of a Catholique. This and several
letters out of the country, saying how high the Catholiques are
everywhere and bold in the owning their religion, have made the Commons
mad, and they presently voted that the King be desired to put all
Catholiques out of employment, and other high things; while the business
of money hangs in the hedge. So that upon the whole, God knows we are in