pretty to hear him tell
me, of his own accord, as a matter of no shame, that in Spayne he had
a pretty woman, his mistress, whom, when money grew scarce with him, he
was forced to leave, and afterwards heard how she and her husband lived
well, she being kept by an old fryer who used her as his whore; but
this, says he, is better than as our ministers do, who have wives that
lay up their estates, and do no good nor relieve any poor--no, not our
greatest prelates, and I think he is in the right for my part. Staid
till the Council was up, and attended the King and Duke of York round
the Park, and was asked several questions by both; but I was in pain,
lest they should ask me what I could not answer; as the Duke of York did
the value of the hull of the St. Patrick lately lost, which I told him I
could not presently answer; though I might have easily furnished myself
to answer all those questions. They stood a good while to see the
ganders and geese tread one another in the water, the goose being all
the while kept for a great while: quite under water, which was new to
me, but they did make mighty sport of it, saying (as the King did often)
"Now you shall see a marriage, between this and that," which did not
please me. They gone, by coach to my Lord Treasurer's, as the Duke of
York told me, to settle the business of money for the navy, I walked
into the Court to and again till night, and there met Colonell
Reames, and he and I walked together a great while complaining of the
ill-management of things, whereof he is as full as I am. We ran over
many persons and things, and see nothing done like men like to do well
while the King minds his pleasures so much. We did bemoan it that nobody
would or had authority enough with the King to tell him how all things
go to rack and will be lost. Then he and I parted, and I to Westminster
to the Swan, and there staid till Michell and his wife come. Old Michell
and his wife come to see me, and there we drank and laughed a little,
and then the young ones and I took boat, it being fine moonshine. I did
to my trouble see all the way that 'elle' did get as close 'a su marido'
as 'elle' could, and turn her 'mains' away 'quand je' did endeavour to
take one.... So that I had no pleasure at all 'con elle ce' night. When
we landed I did take occasion to send him back a the bateau while I
did get a 'baiser' or two, and would have taken 'la' by 'la' hand,
but 'elle' did turn away, and 'quand' I said sh