's own ships, besides others taken in merchantmen,
which expect, as is usual, that the King should redeem them; but I think
he will not, by what Sir G. Downing says. This our prisoners complain
of there; and say in their letters, which Sir G. Downing shewed me, that
they have made a good feat that they should be taken in the service of
the King, and the King not pay for their victuals while prisoners for
him. But so far they are from doing thus with their men, as we do to
discourage ours, that I find in the letters of some of our prisoners
there, which he shewed me, that they have with money got our men, that
they took, to work and carry their ships home for them; and they have
been well rewarded, and released when they come into Holland: which is
done like a noble, brave, and wise people. Having staid out my time that
I thought fit for me to return home, I home and there took coach and
with my wife to Walthamstow; to Sir W. Pen's, by invitation, the first
time I have been there, and there find him and all their guests (of
our office only) at dinner, which was a very bad dinner, and everything
suitable, that I never knew people in my life that make their flutter,
that do things so meanly. I was sick to see it, but was merry at some
ridiculous humours of my Lady Batten, who, as being an ill-bred woman,
would take exceptions at anything any body said, and I made good sport
at it. After dinner into the garden and wilderness, which is like the
rest of the house, nothing in order, nor looked after. By and by comes
newes that my Lady Viner was come to see Mrs. Lowther, which I was glad
of, and all the pleasure I had here was to see her, which I did, and
saluted her, and find she is pretty, though not so eminently so as
people talked of her, and of very pretty carriage and discourse. I sat
with them and her an hour talking and pleasant, and then slunk away
alone without taking leave, leaving my wife there to come home with
them, and I to Bartholomew fayre, to walk up and down; and there,
among other things, find my Lady Castlemayne at a puppet-play, "Patient
Grizill,"

[The well-known story, first told by Boccaccio, then by Petrarca,
afterwards by Chaucer, and which has since become proverbial. Tom
Warton, writing about 1770, says, "I need not mention that it is to
this day represented in England, on a stage of the lowest species,
and of the highest antiquity: I mean at a puppet show" ("Hist. of