great many yesterday, and did, with great praise of me, go on with the
discourse with me. And, by and by, overtaking the King, the King and Duke
of York come to me both; and he--[The King]--said, "Mr. Pepys, I am very
glad of your success yesterday;" and fell to talk of my well speaking; and
many of the Lords there. My Lord Barkeley did cry the up for what they
had heard of it; and others, Parliament-men there, about the King, did say
that they never heard such a speech in their lives delivered in that
manner. Progers, of the Bedchamber, swore to me afterwards before
Brouncker, in the afternoon, that he did tell the King that he thought I
might teach the Sollicitor-Generall. Every body that saw me almost come
to me, as Joseph Williamson and others, with such eulogys as cannot be
expressed. From thence I went to Westminster Hall, where I met Mr. G.
Montagu, who come to me and kissed me, and told me that he had often
heretofore kissed my hands, but now he would kiss my lips: protesting that
I was another Cicero, and said, all the world said the same of me. Mr.
Ashburnham, and every creature I met there of the Parliament, or that knew
anything of the Parliament's actings, did salute me with this honour:--Mr.
Godolphin;--Mr. Sands, who swore he would go twenty mile, at any time, to
hear the like again, and that he never saw so many sit four hours together
to hear any man in his life, as there did to hear me; Mr. Chichly,--Sir
John Duncomb,--and everybody do say that the kingdom will ring of my
abilities, and that I have done myself right for my whole life: and so
Captain Cocke, and others of my friends, say that no man had ever such an
opportunity of making his abilities known; and, that I may cite all at
once, Mr. Lieutenant of the Tower did tell me that Mr. Vaughan did protest
to him, and that, in his hearing it, said so to the Duke of Albemarle, and
afterwards to W. Coventry, that he had sat twenty-six years in Parliament
and never heard such a speech there before: for which the Lord God make me
thankful! and that I may make use of it not to pride and vain-glory, but
that, now I have this esteem, I may do nothing that may lessen it! I