with a
shower of fire-drops.

When you could endure no more upon the water, we to a little ale-house
on the Bankside, and there stayed till it was dark almost, and saw the
fire grow; and as it grew darker, appeared more and more, and in corners
and upon steeples, and between churches and houses, as far as we could
see up the hill of the City, in a most horrid, malicious, bloody flame,
not like the fine flame of an ordinary fire. We stayed till, it being
darkish, we saw the fire as only one entire arch of fire from this to
the other side of the bridge, and in a bow up the hill for an arch of
above a mile long; it made me weep to see it. The churches, houses, and
all on fire and flaming at once; and a horrid noise the flames made, and
the cracking of houses at their ruin. So home with a sad heart.

_IV.--Of the Badness of the Government_

_April 26, 1667._ To White Hall, and there saw the Duke of Albemarle,
who is not well, and do grow crazy. Then I took a turn with Mr. Evelyn,
with whom I walked two hours; talking of the badness of the government,
where nothing but wickedness, and wicked men and women command the king;
that it is not in his nature to gainsay anything that relates to his
pleasures; that much of it arises from the sickliness of our ministers
of state, who cannot be about him as the idle companions are, and
therefore he gives way to the young rogues; and then from the negligence
of the clergy, that a bishop shall never be seen about him, as the King
of France hath always; that the king would fain have some of the same
gang to be lord treasurer, which would be yet worse.

And Mr. Evelyn tells me of several of the menial servants of the court
lacking bread, that have not received a farthing wages since the king's
coming in. He tells me that now the Countess Castlemaine do carry all
before her. He did tell me of the ridiculous humour of our king and
knights of the Garter the other day, who, whereas heretofore their robes
were only to be worn during their ceremonies, these, as proud of their
coats, did wear them all day till night, and then rode in the park with
them on. Nay, he tells me he did see my Lord Oxford and Duke of Monmouth
in a hackney coach with two footmen in the park, with their robes on,
which is a most scandalous thing, so as all gravity may be said to be
lost among us.

_V.--The End of the Diary_

_November 30, 1668._ My wife after dinner went the first time abroad in
her coach,