his morning draught; and after that about eight more bottles of sack
and so went to the playhouse."[9]

[8] It is presumed some notorious place of ill fame.

[9] Ballard's Collection. Bodleian.

The King having given a grand ball at St. James's, in honour of the
Princess's birthday, Peter was invited; but instead of mixing with the
company, he was put into a small room, from whence he could see all
that passed without being himself seen. This extraordinary aversion
for a crowd kept him away from all great assemblies. Once, indeed, he
attempted to subdue it, from a desire to hear the debates in the House
of Commons, but even then the Marquess of Carmarthen could not prevail
on him to go into the body of the house.

Having dined with the King at Kensington, he was prevailed on to see
the ceremony of his Majesty passing four bills; but, it appears from a
note of Lord Dartmouth, that here, as in the Commons, he avoided going
into the house. His Lordship says, "He had a great dislike to being
looked at, but had a mind to see the King in parliament; in order to
which he was placed in a gutter upon the house-top, to peep in at the
window, where he made so ridiculous a figure, that neither king nor
people could forbear laughing, which obliged him to retire sooner than
he intended."

From the same authority we learn that Peter was, at another time,
placed in an awkward situation. "The King made the Tzar a visit, in
which an odd incident happened. The Tzar had a favourite monkey, which
sat upon the back of his chair; as soon as the King was sat down, the