the Parliament do resolve to do something to retrench Sir G. Carteret's
great salary; but cannot hear of any thing bad they can lay to his charge.
The House did this day order to be engrossed the Bill against importing
Irish cattle; a thing, it seems, carried on by the Western Parliament-men,
wholly against the sense of most of the rest of the House; who think if
you do this, you give the Irish again cause to rebel. Thus plenty on both
sides makes us mad. The Committee of the Canary Company of both factions
come to me for my Cozen Roger that is of the Committee. Thence with [Sir]
W. Coventry when the House rose and [Sir] W. Batten to St. James's, and
there agreed of and signed our paper of extraordinaries, and there left
them, and I to Unthanke's, where Mr. Falconbridge's girle is, and by and
by comes my wife, who likes her well, though I confess I cannot (though
she be of my finding out and sings pretty well), because she will be
raised from so mean a condition to so high all of a sudden; but she will
be much to our profit, more than Mercer, less expense. Here we bespoke
anew gowne for her, and to come to us on Friday. She being gone, my wife
and I home by coach, and then I presently by water with Mr. Pierce to
Westminster Hall, he in the way telling me how the Duke of York and Duke
of Albemarle do not agree. The Duke of York is wholly given up to this
bitch of Denham. The Duke of Albemarle and Prince Rupert do less agree.
So that we are all in pieces, and nobody knows what will be done the next
year. The King hath yesterday in Council declared his resolution of
setting a fashion for clothes, which he will never alter.

[There are several references to this new fashion of dress
introduced by the king, Pepys saw the Duke of York put on the vest
on the 13th, and he says Charles II. himself put it on on the 15th.
On November 4th Pepys dressed himself in the new vest and coat. See
notes, October 15th and November 22nd.]