t White Hall:--"What," says he, "Sir J. Minnes is dead." I
told him, "No! but that there is hopes of his life." Methought he looked
very sillily after it, and went his way. Late home to supper, a
little troubled at my not going to Epsum to-morrow, as I had resolved,
especially having the Duke of York and [Sir] W. Coventry out of town,
but it was my own fault and at last my judgment to stay, and so to
supper and to bed. This day, with great satisfaction, I hear that my
Lady Jemimah is brought to bed, at Hinchingbroke, of a boy.
7th (Lord's day). Up, and to my chamber, there to settle some papers,
and thither comes Mr. Moore to me and talked till church time of the
news of the times about the peace and the bad consequences of it if it
be not improved to good purpose of fitting ourselves for another war. He
tells me he heard that the discontented Parliament-men are fearful that
the next sitting the King will put for a general excise, by which to
raise him money, and then to fling off the Parliament, and raise a
land-army and keep them all down like slaves; and it is gotten among
them, that Bab. May, the Privy-purse, hath been heard to say that L300
a-year is enough for any country gentleman; which makes them mad, and
they do talk of 6 or L800,000 gone into the Privy-purse this war, when
in King James's time it arose but to L5,000, and in King Charles's but
L10,000 in a year. He tells me that a goldsmith in town told him that,
being with some plate with my Lady Castlemayne lately, she directed her
woman (the great beauty), "Wilson," says she, "make a note for this, and
for that, to the Privy-purse for money." He tells me a little more of
the baseness of the courses taken at Court in the case of Mr. Moyer, who
is at liberty, and is to give L500 for his liberty; but now the great
ones are divided, who shall have the money, the Duke of Albemarle on one
hand, and another Lord on the other; and that it is fain to be decided
by having the person's name put into the King's warrant for his liberty,
at whose intercession the King shall own that he is set at liberty;
which is a most lamentable thing, that we do professedly own that we do
these things, not for right and justice sake, but only to gratify this
or that person about the King. God forgive us all! Busy till noon, and
then home to dinner, and Mr. Moore come and dined with us, and much more
discourse at and after dinner of the same kind, and then, he gone, I to
my office busy
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