discoursed mighty offensively to Mrs. Pierce, which did displease me, but
I would make no words, but put the discourse by as much as I could (it
being about a report that my wife said was made of herself and meant by
Mrs. Pierce, that she was grown a gallant, when she had but so few suits
of clothes these two or three years, and a great deale of that silly
discourse), and by and by Mrs. Pierce did tell her that such discourses
should not trouble her, for there went as bad on other people, and
particularly of herself at this end of the towne, meaning my wife, that
she was crooked, which was quite false, which my wife had the wit not to
acknowledge herself to be the speaker of, though she has said it twenty
times. But by this means we had little pleasure in their visit; however,
Knipp and I sang, and then I offered them to carry them home, and to take
my wife with me, but she would not go: so I with them, leaving my wife in
a very ill humour, and very slighting to them, which vexed me. However, I
would not be removed from my civility to them, but sent for a coach, and
went with them; and, in our way, Knipp saying that she come out of doors
without a dinner to us, I took them to Old Fish Streete, to the very house
and woman where I kept my wedding dinner, where I never was since, and
there I did give them a joie of salmon, and what else was to be had. And
here we talked of the ill-humour of my wife, which I did excuse as much as
I could, and they seemed to admit of it, but did both confess they
wondered at it; but from thence to other discourse, and among others to
that of my Lord Bruncker and Mrs. Williams, who it seems do speake mighty
hardly of me for my not treating them, and not giving her something to her
closett, and do speake worse of my wife, and dishonourably, but it is what
she do of all the world, though she be a whore herself; so I value it not.
But they told me how poorly my Lord carried himself the other day to his
kinswoman, Mrs. Howard, and was displeased because she called him uncle to
a little gentlewoman that is there with him, which he will not admit of;
for no relation is to be challenged from others to a lord, and did treat