y again, and at
noon all of us to Chatelin's, the French house in Covent Garden, to
dinner--Brouncker, J. Minnes, W. Pen, T. Harvey, and myself--and there
had a dinner cost us 8s. 6d. a-piece, a damned base dinner, which did
not please us at all, so that I am not fond of this house at all, but do
rather choose the Beare. After dinner to White Hall to the Duke of York,
and there did our usual business, complaining of our standing still in
every-respect for want of money, but no remedy propounded, but so I must
still be. Thence with our company to the King's playhouse, where I left
them, and I, my head being full of to-morrow's dinner, I to my Lord
Crew's, there to invite Sir Thomas Crew; and there met with my Lord
Hinchingbroke and his lady, the first time I spoke to her. I saluted
her; and she mighty civil and; with my Lady Jemimah, do all resolve to
be very merry to-morrow at my house. My Lady Hinchingbroke I cannot say
is a beauty, nor ugly; but is altogether a comely lady enough, and seems
very good-humoured, and I mighty glad of the occasion of seeing her
before to-morrow. Thence home; and there find one laying of my napkins
against tomorrow in figures of all sorts, which is mighty pretty; and,
it seems, it is his trade, and he gets much money by it; and do now and
then furnish tables with plate and linnen for a feast at so much, which
is mighty pretty, and a trade I could not have thought of. I find my
wife upon the bed not over well, her breast being broke out with heat,
which troubles her, but I hope it will be for her good. Thence I to Mrs.
Turner, and did get her to go along with me to the French pewterer's,
and there did buy some new pewter against to-morrow; and thence to White
Hall, to have got a cook of her acquaintance, the best in England, as
she says. But after we had with much ado found him, he could not come,
nor was Mr. Gentleman in town, whom next I would have had, nor would
Mrs. Stone let her man Lewis come, whom this man recommended to me; so
that I was at a mighty loss what in the world to do for a cooke, Philips
being out of town. Therefore, after staying here at Westminster a great
while, we back to London, and there to Philips's, and his man directed
us to Mr. Levett's, who could not come, and he sent to two more, and
they could not; so that, at last, Levett as a great kindness did resolve
he would leave his business and come himself, which set me in great ease
in my mind, and so home, and there