about the King that would be glad of any occasion to take him out of
the world, he standing in their ways; and seemed to mean the Duke of
Monmouth, who spends his time the most viciously and idly of any man,
nor will be fit for any thing; yet bespeaks as if it were not impossible
but the King would own him for his son, and that there was a marriage
between his mother and him; which God forbid should be if it be not
true, nor will the Duke of York easily be gulled in it. But this put to
our other distractions makes things appear very sad, and likely to be
the occasion of much confusion in a little time, and my Lord Bruncker
seems to say that nothing can help us but the King's making a peace soon
as he hath this money; and thereby putting himself out of debt, and
so becoming a good husband, and then he will neither need this nor any
other Parliament, till he can have one to his mind: for no Parliament
can, as he says, be kept long good, but they will spoil one another, and
that therefore it hath been the practice of kings to tell Parliaments
what he hath for them to do, and give them so long time to do it in, and
no longer. Harry Kembe, one of our messengers, is lately dead.

17th. Up, and several people to speak with me, and then comes Mr.
Caesar, and then Goodgroome, and, what with one and the other, nothing
but musique with me this morning, to my great content; and the more, to
see that God Aimighty hath put me into condition to bear the charge of
all this. So out to the 'Change, and did a little business, and then
home, where they two musicians and Mr. Cooke come to see me, and Mercer
to go along with my wife this afternoon to a play. To dinner, and then
our company all broke up, and to my chamber to do several things. Among
other things, to write a letter to my Lord Sandwich, it being one of
the burdens upon my mind that I have not writ to him since he went into
Spain, but now I do intend to give him a brief account of our whole
year's actions since he went, which will make amends. My wife well home
in the evening from the play; which I was glad of, it being cold and
dark, and she having her necklace of pearl on, and none but Mercer with
her. Spent the evening in fitting my books, to have the number set upon
each, in order to my having an alphabet of my whole, which will be of
great ease to me. This day Captain Batters come from sea in his fireship
and come to see me, poor man, as his patron, and a poor painful wretch