tion of the victory is too
great for me presently to comprehend.

[Mrs. Ady (Julia Cartwright), in her fascinating life of Henrietta,
Duchess of Orleans, gives an account of the receipt of the news of
the great sea-fight in Paris, and quotes a letter of Charles II. to
his sister, dated, "Whitehall, June 8th, 1665" The first report
that reached Paris was that "the Duke of York's ship had been blown
up, and he himself had been drowned." "The shock was too much for
Madame... she was seized with convulsions, and became so
dangerously ill that Lord Hollis wrote to the king, 'If things had
gone ill at sea I really believe Madame would have died.'" Charles
wrote: "I thanke God we have now the certayne newes of a very
considerable victory over the Duch; you will see most of the
particulars by the relation my Lord Hopis will shew you, though I
have had as great a losse as 'tis possible in a good frinde, poore
C. Barckely. It troubles me so much, as I hope you will excuse the
shortnesse of this letter, haveing receaved the newes of it but two
houres agoe" ("Madame," 1894, pp. 215, 216).]

9th. Lay long in bed, my head akeing with too much thoughts I think
last night. Up and to White Hall, and my Lord Treasurer's to Sir Ph.
Warwicke, about Tangier business, and in my way met with Mr. Moore, who
eases me in one point wherein I was troubled; which was, that I heard
of nothing said or done by my Lord Sandwich: but he tells me that Mr.
Cowling, my Lord Chamberlain's secretary, did hear the King say that my
Lord Sandwich had done nobly and worthily. The King, it seems, is much
troubled at the fall of my Lord of Falmouth; but I do not meet with any
man else that so much as wishes him alive again, the world conceiving
him a man of too much pleasure to do the King any good, or offer any
good office to him. But I hear of all hands he is confessed to have been
a man of great honour, that did show it in this his going with the Duke,
the most that ever any man did. Home, where my people busy to make ready
a supper against night for some guests, in lieu of my stonefeast. At
noon eat a small dinner at home, and so abroad to buy several things,
and among others with my taylor to buy a silke suit, which though I had
one lately, yet I do, for joy of the good newes we have lately had
of our victory over the Dutch, which makes me willing to spare myself
something