in the Exchequer way with their queries, which
are neither many nor great, or hard to answer upon it, and so dined with
me, and then I by coach to the King's playhouse, and there saw "The
English Monsieur;"' sitting for privacy sake in an upper box: the play
hath much mirth in it as to that particular humour. After the play done,
I down to Knipp, and did stay her undressing herself; and there saw the
several players, men and women go by; and pretty to see how strange they
are all, one to another, after the play is done. Here I saw a wonderful
pretty maid of her own, that come to undress her, and one so pretty that
she says she intends not to keep her, for fear of her being undone in her
service, by coming to the playhouse. Here I hear Sir W. Davenant is just
now dead; and so who will succeed him in the mastership of the house is
not yet known. The eldest Davenport is, it seems, gone from this house to
be kept by somebody; which I am glad of, she being a very bad actor. I
took her then up into a coach and away to the Park, which is now very fine
after some rain, but the company was going away most, and so I took her to
the Lodge, and there treated her and had a deal of good talk, and now and
then did baiser la, and that was all, and that as much or more than I had
much mind to because of her paint. She tells me mighty news, that my Lady
Castlemayne is mightily in love with Hart of their house: and he is much
with her in private, and she goes to him, and do give him many presents;
and that the thing is most certain, and Becke Marshall only privy to it,
and the means of bringing them together, which is a very odd thing; and by
this means she is even with the King's love to Mrs. Davis. This done, I
carried her and set her down at Mrs. Manuel's, but stayed not there
myself, nor went in; but straight home, and there to my letters, and so
home to bed.

8th. Up, and at my office all the morning, doing business, and then at
noon home to dinner all alone. Then to White Hall with Sir J. Minnes in
his coach to attend the Duke of York upon our usual business, which was
this day but little, and thence with Lord Brouncker to the Duke of York's
playhouse, where we saw "The Unfortunate Lovers," no extraordinary play,
methinks, and thence I to Drumbleby's, and there did talk a great deal
about pipes; and did buy a recorder, which I do intend to learn to play
on, the sound of it being, of all sounds in the world, most pleasing to