but to the King’s house, to “The Mayd’s Tragedy;” but vexed all the while with two talking ladies and Sir Charles Sedley; yet pleased to hear their discourse, he being a stranger.  And one of the ladies would, and did sit with her mask on, all the play, and, being exceeding witty as ever I heard woman, did talk most pleasantly with him; but was, I believe, a virtuous woman, and of quality.  He would fain know who she was, but she would not tell; yet did give him many pleasant hints of her knowledge of him, by that means setting his brains at work to find, out who she was, and did give him leave to use all means to find out who she was, but pulling off her mask.  He was mighty witty, and she also making sport with him very inoffensively, that a more pleasant ‘rencontre’ I never heard.  But by that means lost the pleasure of the play wholly, to which now and then Sir Charles Sedley’s exceptions against both words and pronouncing were very pretty.  So home and to the office, did much business, then home, to supper, and to bed.

19th.  Up, and to the office, where all the morning doing little business, our want of money being so infinite great.  At noon home, and there find old Mr. Michell and Howlett come to desire mine and my wife’s company to dinner to their son’s, and so away by coach with them, it being Betty’s wedding-day a year, as also Shrove Tuesday.  Here I made myself mighty merry, the two old women being there also, and a mighty pretty dinner we had in this little house, to my exceeding great content, and my wife’s, and my heart pleased to see Betty.  But I have not been so merry a very great while as with them, every thing pleasing me there as much as among so mean company I could be pleased.  After dinner I fell to read the Acts about the building of the City again;

[Burnet wrote ("History of his Own Time,” book ii.):  “An act passed in this session for rebuilding the city of London, which gave Lord Chief Justice Hale a great reputation, for it was drawn with so true a judgment, and so great foresight, that the whole city was raised out of its ashes without any suits of law.”]

and indeed the laws seem to be very good, and I pray God I may live to see it built in that manner!  Anon with much content home, walking with my wife and her woman, and there to my office, where late doing much business, and then home to supper and to bed.  This morning I hear that our discourse of peace is all in the dirt; for the Dutch will not like of the place, or at least the French will not agree to it; so that I do wonder what we shall do, for carry on the war we cannot.  I long to hear the truth of it to-morrow at Court.