money, and then to fling off the Parliament, and raise a land-army and
keep them all down like slaves; and it is gotten among them, that Bab.
May, the Privy-purse, hath been heard to say that L300 a-year is enough
for any country gentleman; which makes them mad, and they do talk of 6 or
L800,000 gone into the Privy-purse this war, when in King James's time it
arose but to L5,000, and in King Charles's but L10,000 in a year. He tells
me that a goldsmith in town told him that, being with some plate with my
Lady Castlemayne lately, she directed her woman (the great beauty),
"Wilson," says she, "make a note for this, and for that, to the
Privy-purse for money." He tells me a little more of the baseness of the
courses taken at Court in the case of Mr. Moyer, who is at liberty, and is
to give L500 for his liberty; but now the great ones are divided, who
shall have the money, the Duke of Albemarle on one hand, and another Lord
on the other; and that it is fain to be decided by having the person's
name put into the King's warrant for his liberty, at whose intercession
the King shall own that he is set at liberty; which is a most lamentable
thing, that we do professedly own that we do these things, not for right
and justice sake, but only to gratify this or that person about the King.
God forgive us all! Busy till noon, and then home to dinner, and Mr.
Moore come and dined with us, and much more discourse at and after dinner
of the same kind, and then, he gone, I to my office busy till the evening,
and then with my wife and Jane over to Half-way house, a very good walk;
and there drank, and in the cool of the evening back again, and sang with
pleasure upon the water, and were mightily pleased in hearing a boatfull
of Spaniards sing, and so home to supper and to bed. Jane of late mighty
fine, by reason of a laced whiske her mistress hath given her, which makes
her a very gracefull servant. But, above all, my wife and I were the most
surprised in the beauty of a plain girle, which we met in the little lane
going from Redriffe-stairs into the fields, one of the prettiest faces
that we think we ever saw in our lives.