by and by comes Dr. Childe by
appointment, and sat with me all the morning making me bases and inward
parts to several songs that I desired of him, to my great content. Then
dined, and then abroad by coach, and I set him down at Hatton Garden,
and I to the King's house by chance, where a new play: so full as I
never saw it; I forced to stand all the while close to the very door
till I took cold, and many people went away for want of room. The King,
and Queene, and Duke of York and Duchesse there, and all the Court, and
Sir W. Coventry. The play called "The Change of Crownes;" a play of Ned
Howard's, the best that ever I saw at that house, being a great play and
serious; only Lacy did act the country-gentleman come up to Court,
who do abuse the Court with all the imaginable wit and plainness about
selling of places, and doing every thing for money. The play took
very much. Thence I to my new bookseller's, and there bought "Hooker's
Polity," the new edition, and "Dugdale's History of the Inns of Court,"
of which there was but a few saved out of the fire, and Playford's new
Catch-book, that hath a great many new fooleries in it. Then home, a
little at the office, and then to supper and to bed, mightily pleased
with the new play.

16th. Up, and to the office, where sat all the morning, at noon home to
dinner, and thence in haste to carry my wife to see the new play I saw
yesterday, she not knowing it. But there, contrary to expectation, find
"The Silent Woman." However, in; and there Knipp come into the pit. I
took her by me, and here we met with Mrs. Horsley, the pretty woman--an
acquaintance of Mercer's, whose house is burnt. Knipp tells me the King
was so angry at the liberty taken by Lacy's, part to abuse him to his
face, that he commanded they should act no more, till Moone went and got
leave for them to act again, but not this play. The King mighty angry;
and it was bitter indeed, but very true and witty. I never was more
taken with a play than I am with this "Silent Woman," as old as it is,
and as often as I have seen it. There is more wit in it than goes to ten
new plays. Thence with my wife and Knipp to Mrs. Pierce's, and saw
her closet again, and liked her picture. Thence took them all to the
Cake-house, in Southampton Market-place, where Pierce told us the story
how, in good earnest, [the King] is offended with the Duke of Richmond's
marrying, and Mrs. Stewart's sending the King his jewels again. As she
tells it,