stage, and looks mighty fine, and pretty, and noble : and also Nell, in her boy's clothes, mighty pretty. But, Lord! their confidence! and how many men do hover about them as soon as they come off the stage, and how confident they are in their talk! Here I did kiss the pretty woman newly come, called Pegg,' that was Sir Charles Sedley's mistress, a mighty pretty woman, and seems, but is not, modest. Here took up Knipp into our coach, and all of us with her to her lodgings, and thither comes Bannister with a song of her's, that he hath set in Sir Charles Sedley's play for her, which is, I think, but very meanly set; but this he did, before us, teach her, and it being but a slight, silly, short ayre, she learnt it presently. But I did get him to prick me down the notes of the Echo in "The Tempest," which pleases me mightily. Here was also Haynes, the incomparable dancer of the King's house. Then we abroad to Marrowbone, and there walked in the garden,3 the first time I ever was there; and a pretty place it is.

1 Pegg must have been Margaret Hughes, Prince Rupert's mistress, who had probably before that time lived with Sir Charles Sedley. She belonged to Killigrew's company when first it was formed, and acted Desdemona in "Othello;" Theodosia in "The Mock Astrologer," &c. This actress seems to have quitted the stage before 1670, but it is not known when or where she died. Her residence for many years was at Hammersmith, in a fine mansion, built by Sir Nicholas Crispe, which had been purchased for her by Prince Rupert. It was subsequently pulled down to give place to Brandenburgh House.

2 The song in Sir C. Sedley's play, "The Mulberry Garden," is "Ah, Cloris, that I now could sit ;" the author of which, until within these few years, was supposed to be a Scotchman, from the circumstance of its having been sung to a Scotch air, called "Gilderoy." Banister's music to it has not been discovered.

On the site of Manchester Square. "Maribone Gardens were situated at the end of the present Harley and Wimpole Streets. The north side of Cavendish Square had but two houses, and there were no buildings between them and the gardens."-SOUTHEY'S Commonplace Book, p. 299.

8th. The Lords' House did sit till eleven o'clock last night, about the business of difference between them and the Commons, in the matter of the East India Company. To my Lord Crew's, and there dined; where Mr. Case, the minister, a dull fellow in his talk, and all in the Presbyterian manner; a great deal of noise and a kind of religious tone, but very dull. After dinner my Lord and I together. He tells me he hears that there are great disputes like to be at Court, between the factions of the two women, my Lady Castlemaine and Mrs. Stewart,' who is now well again, and the King has made several public visits to her, and like to come to Court: the other is to go to Barkeshire-house, which is taken for her, and they say a Privy-Seal is passed for 5000l. for it. He believes all will come to ruin. Thence I to White Hall, where the Duke of York gone to the Lords' House, where there is to be a conference on the Lords' side with the Commons this afternoon, giving in their Reasons, which I would have been at, but could not; for, going by direction to the Prince's chamber, there Brouncker, W. Pen, and Mr. Wren, and I, met, and did our business with the Duke of York. But, Lord! to see how this play of Sir Positive At-all, in abuse of Sir Robert Howard, do take, all the Duke's and every body's talk being of that, and telling more stories of him, of the like nature, that it is now the town and country talk, and, they say, is most exactly true. The Duke

1 The Duchess of Richmond, who had recently been ill of the small-pox.

2 Afterwards called from the title of Cleveland conferred on Lady Castlemaine, and now preserved in the names of Cleveland Row and Cleveland Square.

3 The Prince's Chamber stood on the north side of Palace Yard, and the Sovereigns passed through it in their way to the old House of Lords. SMITH'S Antiquities of Westminster.

4 "The Impertinents."

of York himself said that, of his playing at trap-ball is true, and told several other stories of him. Then to Brouncker's house, and there sat and talked, I asking many questions in mathematics to my Lord, which he do me the pleasure to satisfy me in.

9th. I hear that the Queen hath miscarryed of a perfect child, being gone about ten weeks, which do show that she can conceive, though it be unfortunate that she cannot bring forth. We are told also that last night the Duchess of Monmouth, dancing at her lodgings, hath sprained her thigh.' We are told also that the House of Commons sat till five o'clock this morning, upon the business of the difference between the Lords and them, resolving to do something therein before they rise, to assert their privileges. So I at noon by water to Westminster, and there find the King hath waited in the Prince's chamber these two hours, and the Houses are not ready for him. The Commons having sent this morning, after their long debate therein the last night, to the Lords, that they do think the only expedient left to preserve unity between the two Houses is, that they do put a stop to any proceedings upon their late judgement against the East India Company, till their next meeting; to which the Lords returned answer that they would return answer to them by a messenger their own, which they not presently doing, they were all inflamed, and thought it was only a trick, to keep them in suspense till the King come to adjourne them; and, so, rather than lose the opportunity of doing themselves right, they presently with great fury come to this vote: "That whoever should assist in the execution of the judgement of the Lords against the Company, should be held betrayers of the liberties of the people of England, and of the 1 She never recovered from this lameness. See 15th May, post. 2 The usual form at this day.

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