d conduct in the last year's war, which is a strange act; but,
I know not how, the blockhead Albemarle hath strange luck to be loved,
though he be, and every man must know it, the heaviest man in the world,
but stout and honest to his country. This evening late, Mr. Moore come
to me to prepare matters for my Lord Sandwich's defence; wherein I can
little assist, but will do all I can; and am in great fear of nothing
but the damned business of the prizes, but I fear my Lord will receive a
cursed deal of trouble by it.

24th. Up, and to the office, where all the morning very busy, and at
noon took Mr. Hater home with me to dinner, and instantly back again to
write what letters I had to write, that I might go abroad with my wife,
who was not well, only to jumble her, and so to the Duke of York's
playhouse; but there Betterton not being yet well, we would not stay,
though since I hear that Smith do act his part in "The Villaine," which
was then acted, as well or better than he, which I do not believe; but
to Charing Cross, there to see Polichinelli. But, it being begun, we in
to see a Frenchman, at the house, where my wife's father last lodged,
one Monsieur Prin, play on the trump-marine,

[The trumpet marine is a stringed instrument having a triangular-
shaped body or chest and a long neck, a single string raised on a
bridge and running along the body and neck. It was played with a
bow.]

which he do beyond belief; and, the truth is, it do so far outdo a
trumpet as nothing more, and he do play anything very true, and it is
most admirable and at first was a mystery to me that I should hear a
whole concert of chords together at the end of a pause, but he showed me
that it was only when the last notes were 5ths or 3rds, one to another,
and then their sounds like an Echo did last so as they seemed to sound
all together. The instrument is open at the end, I discovered; but he
would not let me look into it, but I was mightily pleased with it, and
he did take great pains to shew me all he could do on it, which was very
much, and would make an excellent concert, two or three of them, better
than trumpets can ever do, because of their want of compass. Here we
also saw again the two fat children come out of Ireland, and a brother
and sister of theirs now come, which are of little ordinary growth, like
other people. But, Lord! how strange it is to observe the difference
between the same children, come out of the