hall find some way or other of doing it, though it do trouble me not a
little. Thence, not pleased, away to White Hall to Mr. Williamson,
and by and by my Lord Arlington about Mr. Lanyon's business, and it is
pretty to see how Mr. Williamson did altogether excuse himself that my
business was not done when I come to my Lord and told him my business;
"Why," says my Lord, "it hath been done, and the King signed it several
days ago," and so it was and was in Mr. Williamson's hands, which made
us both laugh, and I in innocent mirth, I remember, said, it is pretty
to see in what a condition we are that all our matters now-a-days are
undone, we know not how, and done we know not when. He laughed at it,
but I have since reflected on it, and find it a severe speech as it
might be taken by a chief minister of state, as indeed Mr. Williamson
is, for he is indeed the Secretary. But we fell to other pleasant talk,
and a fine gentleman he is, and so gave him L5 for his fee, and away
home, and to Sir W. Batten's to talk a little, and then to the office to
do a little business, and so home to supper and read myself asleep, and
then to bed.

4th. Up, and, in vain expecting Sir R. Ford's calling on me, I took
coach and to the Sessions-house, where I have a mind to hear Bazill
Fielding's case--[See May 9th, 1667]--tried; and so got up to the
Bench, my Lord Chief-Justice Keeling being Judge. Here I stood bare, not
challenging, though I might well enough, to be covered. But here were
several fine trials; among others, several brought in for making it
their trade to set houses on fire merely to get plunder; and all proved
by the two little boys spoken of yesterday by Sir R. Ford, who did give
so good account of particulars that I never heard children in my life.
And I confess, though I was unsatisfied with the force given to such
little boys, to take away men's lives, yet, when I was told that my Lord
Chief-Justice did declare that there was no law against taking the oath
of children above twelve years old, and then heard from Sir R. Ford the
good account which the boys had given of their understanding the nature
and consequence of an oath, and now my own observation of the sobriety
and readiness of their answers, further than of any man of any rank that
come to give witness this day, though some men of years and learning, I
was a little amazed, and fully satisfied that they ought to have as
much credit as the rest. They proved against severa