Temple, to my new.
bookseller's; and there I did agree for Rycaut's late History of the
Turkish Policy, which costs me 55s.; whereas it was sold plain before
the late fire for 8s., and bound and coloured as this is for 20s.; for
I have bought it finely bound and truly coloured, all the figures, of
which there was but six books done so, whereof the King and Duke of
York, and Duke of Monmouth, and Lord Arlington, had four. The fifth was
sold, and I have bought the sixth. So to enquire out Mrs. Knipp's new
lodging, but could not, but do hear of her at the Playhouse, where she
was practising, and I sent for her out by a porter, and the jade come
to me all undressed, so cannot go home to my house to dinner, as I had
invited her, which I was not much troubled at, because I think there is
a distance between her and Mrs. Pierce, and so our company would not be
so pleasant. So home, and there find all things in good readiness for
a good dinner, and here unexpectedly I find little Mis. Tooker, whom my
wife loves not from the report of her being already naught; however, I
do shew her countenance, and by and by come my guests, Dr. Clerke and
his wife, and Mrs. Worshipp, and her daughter; and then Mr. Pierce and
his wife, and boy, and Betty; and then I sent for Mercer; so that we
had, with my wife and I, twelve at table, and very good and pleasant
company, and a most neat and excellent, but dear dinner; but, Lord! to
see with what envy they looked upon all my fine plate was pleasant;
for I made the best shew I could, to let them understand me and my
condition, to take down the pride of Mrs. Clerke, who thinks herself
very great. We sat long, and very merry, and all things agreeable; and,
after dinner, went out by coaches, thinking to have seen a play, but
come too late to both houses, and then they had thoughts of going
abroad somewhere; but I thought all the charge ought not to be mine, and
therefore I endeavoured to part the company, and so ordered it to set
them all down at Mrs. Pierces; and there my wife and I and Mercer left
them in good humour, and we three to the King's house, and saw the
latter end of the "Surprisall," a wherein was no great matter, I
thought, by what I saw there. Thence away to Polichinello, and there
had three times more sport than at the play, and so home, and there the
first night we have been this year in the garden late, we three and our
Barker singing very well, and then home to supper, and so broke up,