in several places, coming in great bodies, and
turning people out of the churches, and there preaching themselves, and
pulling the surplice over the Parsons' heads: this was confirmed from
several places; which makes them stark mad, especially the hectors and
bravadoes of the House, who shew all the zeal on this occasion. Having
done with him, I home vexed in my mind, and so fit for no business, but
sat talking with my wife and supped with her; and Nan Mercer come and sat
all the evening with us, and much pretty discourse, which did a little
ease me, and so to bed.

29th. Up, and walked to Captain Cocke's, where Sir G. Carteret promised
to meet me and did come to discourse about the prize-business of my Lord
Sandwich's, which I perceive is likely to be of great ill consequence to
my Lord, the House being mighty vehement in it. We could say little but
advise that his friends should labour to get it put off, till he comes. We
did here talk many things over, in lamentation of the present posture of
affairs, and the ill condition of all people that have had anything to do
under the King, wishing ourselves a great way off: Here they tell me how
Sir Thomas Allen hath taken the Englishmen out of "La Roche," and taken
from him an Ostend prize which La Roche had fetched out of our harbours;
and at this day La Roche keeps upon our coasts; and had the boldness to
land some men and go a mile up into the country, and there took some goods
belonging to this prize out of a house there; which our King resents, and,
they say, hath wrote to the King of France about; and everybody do think a
war will follow; and then in what a case we shall be for want of money,
nobody knows. Thence to the office, where we sat all the morning, and at
noon home to dinner, and to the office again in the afternoon, where we
met to consider of an answer to the Parliament about the not paying of
tickets according to our own orders, to which I hope we shall be able to
give a satisfactory answer, but that the design of the House being
apparently to remove us, I do question whether the best answer will
prevail with them. This done I by coach with my wife to Martin, my
bookseller's, expecting to have had my Kercher's Musurgia, but to my
trouble and loss of trouble it was not done. So home again, my head full
of thoughts about our troubles in the office, and so to the office. Wrote
to my father this post, and sent him now Colvill's--[The Goldsmith.]--note
fo