many ladies sitting in the body of a coach that must be ended by
to-morrow: they were my Lady Marquess of Winchester, Bellassis, and other
great ladies; eating of bread and butter, and drinking ale. I to my
coach, which is silvered over, but no varnish yet laid on, so I put it in
a way of doing; and myself about other business, and particularly to see
Sir W. Coventry, with whom I talked a good while to my great content; and
so to other places-among others, to my tailor's: and then to the
belt-maker's, where my belt cost me 55s., of the colour of my new suit;
and here, understanding that the mistress of the house, an oldish woman in
a hat hath some water good for the eyes, she did dress me, making my eyes
smart most horribly, and did give me a little glass of it, which I will
use, and hope it will do me good. So to the cutler's, and there did give
Tom, who was with me all day a sword cost me 12s. and a belt of my owne;
and set my own silver-hilt sword a-gilding against to-morrow. This
morning I did visit Mr. Oldenburgh, and did see the instrument for
perspective made by Dr. Wren, of which I have one making by Browne; and
the sight of this do please me mightily. At noon my wife come to me at my
tailor's, and I sent her home and myself and Tom dined at Hercules'
Pillars; and so about our business again, and particularly to Lilly's, the
varnisher about my prints, whereof some of them are pasted upon the
boards, and to my full content. Thence to the frame-maker's one Morris,
in Long Acre, who shewed me several forms of frames to choose by, which
was pretty, in little bits of mouldings, to choose by. This done, I to my
coach-maker's, and there vexed to see nothing yet done to my coach, at
three in the afternoon; but I set it in doing, and stood by it till eight
at night, and saw the painter varnish which is pretty to see how every
doing it over do make it more and more yellow; and it dries as fast in the
sun as it can be laid on almost; and most coaches are, now-a-days done so,
and it is very pretty when laid on well, and not pale, as some are, even
to shew the silver. Here I did make the workmen drink, and saw my coach