but extraordinary
well carriaged and speaks very handsomely and with extraordinary
understanding, so as I spent the whole afternoon in her company with
my wife, she understanding all the things of note touching plays and
fashions and Court and everything and speaks rarely, which pleases me
mightily, and seems to love her niece very well, and was so glad (which
was pretty odde) that since she came hither her breasts begin to swell,
she being afeard before that she would have none, which was a pretty
kind of content she gave herself. She tells us that Catelin is likely to
be soon acted, which I am glad to hear, but it is at the King's House.
But the King's House is at present and hath for some days been silenced
upon some difference [between] Hart and Moone. She being gone I to the
office, and there late doing business, and so home to supper and to bed.
Only this evening I must remember that my Lady Batten sent for me, and
it was to speak to me before her overseers about my bargain with Sir W.
Batten about the prize, to which I would give no present answer, but am
well enough contented that they begin the discourse of it, and so away
to the office again, and then home to supper and to bed. Somebody told
me this, that they hear that Thomson, with the wooden leg, and Wildman,
the Fifth-Monarchy man, a great creature of the Duke of Buckingham's,
are in nomination to be Commissioners, among others, upon the Bill of
Accounts.

8th (Lord's day). All the morning at my chamber doing something towards
the settling of my papers and accounts, which have been out of order a
great while. At noon to dinner, where W. How with us, and after dinner,
he being gone, I to my chamber again till almost night, and then took
boat, the tide serving, and so to White Hall, where I saw the Duchesse
of York, in a fine dress of second mourning for her mother, being black,
edged with ermine, go to make her first visit to the Queene since the
Duke of York was sick; and by and by, she being returned, the Queene
come and visited her. But it was pretty to observe that Sir W. Coventry
and I, walking an hour and more together in the Matted Gallery, he
observed, and so did I, how the Duchesse, as soon as she spied him,
turned her head a one side. Here he and I walked thus long, which we
have not done a great while before. Our discourse was upon everything:
the unhappiness of having our matters examined by people that understand
them not; that it was better fo