every day come; and Mr. Pierce hath let his wife's closett, and the little
blind bed chamber, and a garret to a silke man for L50 fine, and L30 per
annum, and L40 per annum more for dieting the master and two prentices.
So home, not agreeing for silk for a petticoat for her which she desired,
but home to dinner and then back to White Hall, leaving my wife by the way
to buy her petticoat of Bennet, and I to White Hall waiting all day on the
Duke of Yorke to move the King for getting Lanyon some money at Plymouth
out of some oyle prizes brought in thither, but could get nothing done,
but here Mr. Dugdale I hear the great loss of books in St. Paul's
Church-yarde, and at their Hall also, which they value about L150,000;
some booksellers being wholly undone, among others, they say, my poor
Kirton. And Mr. Crumlu all his books and household stuff burned; they
trusting St. Fayth's, and the roof of the church falling, broke the arch
down into the lower church, and so all the goods burned. A very great
loss. His father hath lost above L1000 in books; one book newly printed,
a Discourse, it seems, of Courts. Here I had the hap to see my Lady
Denham: and at night went into the dining-room and saw several fine
ladies; among others, Castlemayne, but chiefly Denham again; and the Duke
of Yorke taking her aside and talking to her in the sight of all the
world, all alone; which was strange, and what also I did not like. Here I
met with good Mr. Evelyn, who cries out against it, and calls it
bitchering,--[This word was apparently of Evelyn's own making.]--for the
Duke of Yorke talks a little to her, and then she goes away, and then he
follows her again like a dog. He observes that none of the nobility come
out of the country at all to help the King, or comfort him, or prevent
commotions at this fire; but do as if the King were nobody; nor ne'er a
priest comes to give the King and Court good council, or to comfort the
poor people that suffer; but all is dead, nothing of good in any of their
minds: he bemoans it, and says he fears more ruin hangs over our heads.
Thence away by coach, and called away my wife at Unthanke's, where she