bson in his journey, and my
father's burying of it in the dirt. At this late, but did it to my mind,
and so to supper and to bed.

19th. At the office all the morning, where very busy, and at noon home
to a short dinner, being full of my desire of seeing my Lord Orrery's
new play this afternoon at the King's house, "The Black Prince," the
first time it is acted; where, though we come by two o'clock, yet there
was no room in the pit, but we were forced to go into one of the upper
boxes, at 4s. a piece, which is the first time I ever sat in a box in my
life. And in the same box come, by and by, behind me, my Lord Barkeley
[of Stratton] and his lady; but I did not turn my face to them to be
known, so that I was excused from giving them my seat; and this pleasure
I had, that from this place the scenes do appear very fine indeed, and
much better than in the pit. The house infinite full, and the King and
Duke of York was there. By and by the play begun, and in it nothing
particular but a very fine dance for variety of figures, but a little
too long. But, as to the contrivance, and all that was witty (which,
indeed, was much, and very witty), was almost the same that had been
in his two former plays of "Henry the 5th" and "Mustapha," and the
same points and turns of wit in both, and in this very same play often
repeated, but in excellent language, and were so excellent that the
whole house was mightily pleased with it all along till towards the end
he comes to discover the chief of the plot of the play by the reading
of along letter, which was so long and some things (the people being set
already to think too long) so unnecessary that they frequently begun to
laugh, and to hiss twenty times, that, had it not been for the King's
being there, they had certainly hissed it off the stage. But I must
confess that, as my Lord Barkeley says behind me, the having of that
long letter was a thing so absurd, that he could not imagine how a man
of his parts could possibly fall into it; or, if he did, if he had but
let any friend read it, the friend would have told him of it; and, I
must confess, it is one of the most remarkable instances that ever I did
or expect to meet with in my life of a wise man's not being wise at
all times, and in all things, for nothing could be more ridiculous than
this, though the letter of itself at another time would be thought an
excellent letter, and indeed an excellent Romance, but at the end of the
play, wh