The Diary Of John Evelyn Vol-2

DIARY OF LONDON

exceedingly well, but the Irish wolf dog exceeded, which
was a tall greyhound, a stately creature indeed, who
beat a cruel mastiff. One of the bulls tossed a dog full
into a lady's lap as she sat in one of the boxes at a con-
siderable height from the arena. Two poor dogs were
killed, and so all ended with the ape on horseback, and
I most heartily weary of the rude and dirty pastime,
which I had not seen, I think, in twenty years before.

i8th June, 1670. Dined at Goring House, whither my
Lord Arlington carried me from Whitehall with the Mar-
quis of Worcester; there, we found Lord Sandwich, Vis-
count Stafford,* the Lieutenant of the Tower, and others.
After dinner, my Lord communicated to me his Maj-
esty's desire that I would engage to write the history of
our late war with the Hollanders, which I had hitherto
declined; this I found was ill taken, and that I should
disoblige his Majesty, who had made choice of me to do
him this service, and, if I would undertake it, I should
have all the assistance the Secretary's office and others
could give me, with other encouragements, which I could
not decently refuse.

Lord Stafford rose from the table, in some disorder,
because there were roses stuck about the fruit when the
dessert was set on the table; such an antipathy, it seems,
he had to them as once Lady Selenger also had, and to
that degree that, as Sir Kenelm Digby tells us, laying
but a rose upon her cheek when she was asleep, it
raised a blister: but Sir Kenelm was a teller of strange
things.

24th June, 1670. Came the Earl of Huntington and
Countess, with the Lord Sherard, to visit us.

29th June, 1670. To London, in order to my niece's
marriage, Mary, daughter to my late brother Richard,
of Woodcot, with the eldest son of Mr. Attorney Mon-
tague, which was celebrated at Southampton-House chapel,
after which a magnificent entertainment, feast, and danc-
ing, dinner and supper, in the great room there; but the
bride was. bedded at my sister's lodging, in Drury-Lane.

6th July, 1670. Came to visit me Mr. Stanhope, gen-

'* Sir William Howard, created in November, 1640, Viscount Stafford.
In 1678, lie was accused of complicity with the Popish Plot, and upon
trial by his Peers in Westminster Hall, was found guilty, by a majority
of twenty-four. He was beheaded, December 29, 1680, on Tower Hill.se, only two voted for the bill, of which