lphin, at his chamber; and I do find him a very pretty and able
person, a man of very fine parts, and of infinite zeal to my Lord
Sandwich; and one that says he is, he believes, as wise and able a
person as any prince in the world hath. He tells me that he meets with
unmannerly usage by Sir Robert Southwell, in Portugall, who would sign
with him in his negociations there, being a forward young man: but that
my Lord mastered him in that point, it being ruled for my Lord here,
at a hearing of a Committee of the Council. He says that if my Lord can
compass a peace between Spain and Portugall, and hath the doing of it
and the honour himself, it will be a thing of more honour than ever any
man had, and of as much advantage. Thence to Westminster Hall, where
the Hall mighty full: and, among other things, the House begins to sit
to-day, and the King come. But, before the King's coming, the House of
Commons met; and upon information given them of a Bill intended to be
brought in, as common report said, for Comprehension, they did mightily
and generally inveigh against it, and did vote that the King should be
desired by the House (and the message delivered by the Privy-counsellers
of the House) that the laws against breakers of the Act of Uniformity
should be put in execution: and it was moved in the House that, if any
people had a mind to bring any new laws into the House, about religion,
they might come, as a proposer of new laws did in Athens, with ropes
about their necks. By and by the King comes to the Lords' House, and
there tells them of his league with Holland, and the necessity of a
fleete, and his debts; and, therefore, want of money; and his desire
that they would think of some way to bring in all his Protestant
subjects to a right understanding and peace one with another; meaning
the Bill of Comprehension. The Commons coming to their House, it was
moved that the vote passed this morning might be suspended, because of
the King's speech, till the House was full and called over, two days
hence: but it was denied, so furious they are against this Bill: and
thereby a great blow either given to the King or Presbyters, or, which
is the rather of the two, to the House itself, by denying a thing
desired by the King, and so much desired by much the greater part of the
nation. Whatever the consequence be, if the King be a man of any stomach
and heat, all do believe that he will resent this vote. Thence with
Creed home to my house