in his mind been often troubled in
the late times how to answer his gratitude to the King, who raised his
father), did say it was that did bring him to his obedience to the King;
and did also bless himself with his good fortune, in comparison to
what it was when I was with him in the Sound, when he durst not own his
correspondence with the King; which is a thing that I never did hear of
to this day before; and I do from this raise an opinion of him, to be
one of the most secret men in the world, which I was not so convinced of
before. After dinner he bid all go out of the room, and did tell me
how the King had promised him L4000 per annum for ever, and had already
given him a bill under his hand (which he showed me) for L4000 that Mr.
Fox is to pay him. My Lord did advise with me how to get this received,
and to put out L3000 into safe hands at use, and the other he will make
use of for his present occasion. This he did advise with me about with
much secresy. After all this he called for the fiddles and books, and we
two and W. Howe, and Mr. Childe, did sing and play some psalmes of Will.
Lawes's, and some songs; and so I went away. So I went to see my Lord's
picture, which is almost done, and do please me very well. Hence to
Whitehall to find out Mr. Fox, which I did, and did use me very civilly,
but I did not see his lady, whom I had so long known when she was a
maid, Mrs. Whittle. From thence meeting my father Bowyer, I took him to
Mr. Harper's, and there drank with him. Among other things in discourse
he told me how my wife's brother had a horse at grass with him, which
I was troubled to hear, it being his boldness upon my score. Home by
coach, and read late in the last night's book of Trials, and told
my wife about her brother's horse at Mr. Bowyer's, who is also much
troubled for it, and do intend to go to-morrow to inquire the truth.
Notwithstanding this was the first day of the King's proclamation
against hackney coaches coming into the streets to stand to be hired,
yet I got one to carry me home.
["A Proclamation to restrain the abuses of Hackney Coaches in the
Cities of London and Westminster and the Suburbs thereof." This is
printed in "Notes and Queries," First Series, vol. viii. p. 122.
"In April, 1663, the poor widows of hackney-coachmen petitioned for
some relief, as the parliament had reduced the number of coaches to
400; there were before, in and about London, more than 2
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