The Diary of Samuel Pepys [179]
it should be by an artificial light of a candle, set to advantage, as he could do it. I find the fellow, by his discourse, very ingenious: and among other things, a great admirer and well read in the English poets, and undertakes to judge of them all, and that not impertinently.
11th. Comes Cocker with my rule, which he hath engraved to admiration, for goodness and smallness of work: it cost me 14s. the doing. This day, for a wager before the King, my Lords of Castlehaven and Arran, (a son of my Lord of Ormond's) they two alone did run down and kill a stoute bucke in St. James's parke.
13th. To the new play, at the Duke's house, of "Henry the Fifth;" a most noble play, writ by my Lord Orrery; wherein Betterton, Harris, and Ianthe's parts most incomparably wrote and done, and the whole play the most full of height and raptures of wit and sense, that ever I heard; having but one incongruity, that King Harry promises to plead for Tudor to their mistress, Princesse Katherine of France, more than when it comes to it he seems to do; and Tudor refused by her with some kind of indignity, not with a difficulty and honour that it ought to have been done in to him.
15th. With Sir J. Minnes, he talking of his cures abroad, while he was with the King as a doctor. And among others, Sir J. Benham he told me he had cured to a miracle. At Charing Cross, and there saw the great Dutchman that is come over, under whose arm I went with my hat on, and could not reach higher than his eyebrowes with, the tip of my fingers. He is a comely and well- made man, and his wife a very little but pretty comely Dutch woman.
16th. Wakened about two o'clock this morning with a noise of thunder, which lasted for an hour, with such continued lightnings, not flashes, but flames, that all the sky and ayre was light; and that for a great while, not a minute's space between new flames all the time: such a thing as I never did see, nor could have believed had even been in nature. And being put into a great sweat with it, could not sleep till all was over. And that accompanied with such a storm of rain as I never heard in my life. I expected to find my house in the morning overflowed; but I find not one drop of rain in my house, nor any news of hurt done. Mr. Pierce tells me the King do still sup every night with my Lady Castlemaine.
19th. The news of the Emperour's victory over the Turkes is by some doubted, but by most confessed to be very small (though great,) of what was talked, which was 80,000 men to be killed and taken of the Turke's side.
20th. I walked to Cheapside to see the effect of a fire there this morning, since four o'clock: which I find in the house of Mr. Bois, that married Doctor Fuller's niece, who are both out of town, leaving only a maid and man in town. It begun in their house, and hath burned much and many houses backward, though none forward; and that in the great uniform pile of buildings in the middle of Cheapside. I am very sorry for them, for the Doctor's sake. Thence to the 'Change, and so home to dinner. And thence to Sir W. Batten's, whither Sir Richard Ford come, the Sheriffe, who hath been at this fire all the while; and he tells me, upon my question, that he and the Mayor [Sir John Robinson.] were there, as it is their dutys to be, not only to keep the peace, but they have power of commanding the pulling down of any house or houses, to defend the City. By and by comes in the Common Cryer of the City to speak with him; and when he was gone, says he, "You may see by this man the constitution of the Magistracy of this City; that this fellow's place, I dare give him (if he will be true to me,) 1000l. for his profits every year, and expect to get 500l. more to myself thereby. When," says he, "I in myself am forced to spend many times as much."
26th. To see some pictures at one Hiseman's, [Huysman.] a picture-drawer, a Dutchman, which is said to exceed Lilly, and indeed there is both of the Queenes and Maids or honour (particularly Mrs. Stewart's in a buff doublet like a soldier) [Still to
11th. Comes Cocker with my rule, which he hath engraved to admiration, for goodness and smallness of work: it cost me 14s. the doing. This day, for a wager before the King, my Lords of Castlehaven and Arran, (a son of my Lord of Ormond's) they two alone did run down and kill a stoute bucke in St. James's parke.
13th. To the new play, at the Duke's house, of "Henry the Fifth;" a most noble play, writ by my Lord Orrery; wherein Betterton, Harris, and Ianthe's parts most incomparably wrote and done, and the whole play the most full of height and raptures of wit and sense, that ever I heard; having but one incongruity, that King Harry promises to plead for Tudor to their mistress, Princesse Katherine of France, more than when it comes to it he seems to do; and Tudor refused by her with some kind of indignity, not with a difficulty and honour that it ought to have been done in to him.
15th. With Sir J. Minnes, he talking of his cures abroad, while he was with the King as a doctor. And among others, Sir J. Benham he told me he had cured to a miracle. At Charing Cross, and there saw the great Dutchman that is come over, under whose arm I went with my hat on, and could not reach higher than his eyebrowes with, the tip of my fingers. He is a comely and well- made man, and his wife a very little but pretty comely Dutch woman.
16th. Wakened about two o'clock this morning with a noise of thunder, which lasted for an hour, with such continued lightnings, not flashes, but flames, that all the sky and ayre was light; and that for a great while, not a minute's space between new flames all the time: such a thing as I never did see, nor could have believed had even been in nature. And being put into a great sweat with it, could not sleep till all was over. And that accompanied with such a storm of rain as I never heard in my life. I expected to find my house in the morning overflowed; but I find not one drop of rain in my house, nor any news of hurt done. Mr. Pierce tells me the King do still sup every night with my Lady Castlemaine.
19th. The news of the Emperour's victory over the Turkes is by some doubted, but by most confessed to be very small (though great,) of what was talked, which was 80,000 men to be killed and taken of the Turke's side.
20th. I walked to Cheapside to see the effect of a fire there this morning, since four o'clock: which I find in the house of Mr. Bois, that married Doctor Fuller's niece, who are both out of town, leaving only a maid and man in town. It begun in their house, and hath burned much and many houses backward, though none forward; and that in the great uniform pile of buildings in the middle of Cheapside. I am very sorry for them, for the Doctor's sake. Thence to the 'Change, and so home to dinner. And thence to Sir W. Batten's, whither Sir Richard Ford come, the Sheriffe, who hath been at this fire all the while; and he tells me, upon my question, that he and the Mayor [Sir John Robinson.] were there, as it is their dutys to be, not only to keep the peace, but they have power of commanding the pulling down of any house or houses, to defend the City. By and by comes in the Common Cryer of the City to speak with him; and when he was gone, says he, "You may see by this man the constitution of the Magistracy of this City; that this fellow's place, I dare give him (if he will be true to me,) 1000l. for his profits every year, and expect to get 500l. more to myself thereby. When," says he, "I in myself am forced to spend many times as much."
26th. To see some pictures at one Hiseman's, [Huysman.] a picture-drawer, a Dutchman, which is said to exceed Lilly, and indeed there is both of the Queenes and Maids or honour (particularly Mrs. Stewart's in a buff doublet like a soldier) [Still to