cke, whom nobody else will keep company with. Of whom
he told me this story: That once the Duke of Albemarle in his drink taking
notice as of a wonder that Nan Hide should ever come to be Duchesse of
York, "Nay," says Troutbecke, "ne'er wonder at that; for if you will give
me another bottle of wine, I will tell you as great, if not greater, a
miracle." And what was that, but that our dirty Besse (meaning his
Duchesse) should come to be Duchesse of Albemarle? Here we parted, and so
by and by the Council rose, and out comes Sir G. Carteret and Sir W.
Coventry, and they and my Lord Bruncker and I went to Sir G. Carteret's
lodgings, there to discourse about some money demanded by Sir W. Warren,
and having done that broke up. And Sir G. Carteret and I alone together a
while, where he shows a long letter, all in cipher, from my Lord Sandwich
to him. The contents he hath not yet found out, but he tells me that my
Lord is not sent for home, as several people have enquired after of me.
He spoke something reflecting upon me in the business of pursers, that
their present bad behaviour is what he did foresee, and had convinced me
of, and yet when it come last year to be argued before the Duke of York I
turned and said as the rest did. I answered nothing to it, but let it go,
and so to other discourse of the ill state of things, of which all people
are full of sorrow and observation, and so parted, and then by water,
landing in Southwarke, home to the Tower, and so home, and there began to
read "Potter's Discourse upon 1666," which pleases me mightily, and then
broke off and to supper and to bed.
5th (A holyday). Lay long; then up, and to the office, where vexed to
meet with people come from the fleete at the Nore, where so many ships are
laid up and few going abroad, and yet Sir Thomas Allen hath sent up some
Lieutenants with warrants to presse men for a few ships to go out this
winter, while every day thousands appear here, to our great trouble and
affright, before our office and the ticket office, and no Captains able to
command one-man aboard. Thence by water to Westminster, and there at the
Swan find Sarah is married to a shoemaker yesterday, so I could not see
her, but I believe I shall hereafter at good leisure. Thence by coach to
my Lady Peterborough, and there spoke with my Lady, who had sent to speak
with me. She makes mighty moan of the badness of the times, and her
family as to money. My Lord's passionateness f
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