ke my
wife's and mayd's accounts as they give them, being not able to correct
them, which vexes me; but the fault being my own, contrary to my wife's
frequent desires, I cannot find fault, but am resolved never to let them
come to that pass again. The truth is, I have indulged myself more in
pleasure for these last two months than ever I did in my life before,
since I come to be a person concerned in business; and I doubt, when I
come to make up my accounts, I shall find it so by the expence.

23rd. Up, and walked to the Exchange, there to get a coach but failed,
and so was forced to walk a most dirty walk to the Old Swan, and there
took boat, and so to the Exchange, and there took coach to St. James's and
did our usual business with the Duke of York. Thence I walked over the
Park to White Hall and took water to Westminster, and there, among other
things, bought the examinations of the business about the Fire of London,
which is a book that Mrs. Pierce tells me hath been commanded to be burnt.
The examinations indeed are very plain. Thence to the Excise office, and
so to the Exchange, and did a little business, and so home and took up my
wife, and so carried her to the other end, where I 'light at my Lord
Ashly's, by invitation, to dine there, which I did, and Sir H. Cholmly,
Creed, and Yeabsly, upon occasion of the business of Yeabsly, who, God
knows, do bribe him very well for it; and it is pretty to see how this
great man do condescend to these things, and do all he can in his
examining of his business to favour him, and yet with great cunning not to
be discovered but by me that am privy to it. At table it is worth
remembering that my Lord tells us that the House of Lords is the last
appeal that a man can make, upon a poynt of interpretation of the law, and
that therein they are above the judges; and that he did assert this in the
Lords' House upon the late occasion of the quarrel between my Lord
Bristoll and the Chancellor, when the former did accuse the latter of
treason, and the judges did bring it in not to be treason: my Lord Ashly
did declare that the judgment of the judges was nothing in the presence of
their Lordships, but only as far as they were the properest men to bring
precedents; but not to interpret the law to their Lordships, but only the
inducements of their persuasions: and this the Lords did concur in.
Another pretty thing was my Lady Ashly's speaking of the bad qualities of
glass-coaches; amon