me, both for his respect to my Lord Sandwich and for my owne sake
hereafter, when I come to pass my accounts. Thence to my Lord Crew's, and
there dined, and mightily made of, having not, to my shame, been there in
8 months before. Here my Lord and Sir Thomas Crew, Mr. John, and Dr.
Crew, and two strangers. The best family in the world for goodness and
sobriety. Here beyond my expectation I met my Lord Hinchingbroke, who is
come to towne two days since from Hinchingbroke, and brought his sister
and brother Carteret with him, who are at Sir G. Carteret's. After dinner
I and Sir Thomas Crew went aside to discourse of public matters, and do
find by him that all the country gentlemen are publickly jealous of the
courtiers in the Parliament, and that they do doubt every thing that they
propose; and that the true reason why the country gentlemen are for a
land-tax and against a general excise, is, because they are fearful that
if the latter be granted they shall never get it down again; whereas the
land-tax will be but for so much; and when the war ceases, there will be
no ground got by the Court to keep it up. He do much cry out upon our
accounts, and that all that they have had from the King hath been but
estimates both from my Lord Treasurer and us, and from all people else, so
that the Parliament is weary of it. He says the House would be very glad
to get something against Sir G. Carteret, and will not let their inquiries
die till they have got something. He do, from what he hath heard at the
Committee for examining the burning of the City, conclude it as a thing
certain that it was done by plots; it being proved by many witnesses that
endeavours were made in several places to encrease the fire, and that both
in City and country it was bragged by several Papists that upon such a day
or in such a time we should find the hottest weather that ever was in
England, and words of plainer sense. But my Lord Crew was discoursing at
table how the judges have determined in the case whether the landlords or
the tenants (who are, in their leases, all of them generally tied to
maintain and uphold their houses) shall bear the losse of the fire; and