that sort of works, much to my satisfaction. At noon came Mr. Coventry on
purpose from Hampton Court to see the same, and dined with Mr. Falconer,
and after dinner to several experiments of Hemp, and particularly some
Milan hemp that is brought over ready dressed. Thence we walked talking,
very good discourse all the way to Greenwich, and I do find most excellent
discourse from him. Among other things, his rule of suspecting every man
that proposes any thing to him to be a knave; or, at least, to have some
ends of his own in it. Being led thereto by the story of Sir John
Millicent, that would have had a patent from King James for every man to
have had leave to have given him a shilling; and that he might take it of
every man that had a mind to give it, and being answered that that was a
fair thing, but what needed he a patent for it, and what he would do to
them that would not give him. He answered, he would not force them; but
that they should come to the Council of State, to give a reason why they
would not. Another rule is a proverb that he hath been taught, which is
that a man that cannot sit still in his chamber (the reason of which I did
not understand him), and he that cannot say no (that is, that is of so
good a nature that he cannot deny any thing, or cross another in doing any
thing), is not fit for business. The last of which is a very great fault
of mine, which I must amend in. Thence by boat; I being hot, he put the
skirt of his cloak about me; and it being rough, he told me the passage of
a Frenchman through London Bridge, where, when he saw the great fall, he
begun to cross himself and say his prayers in the greatest fear in the
world, and soon as he was over, he swore "Morbleu! c'est le plus grand
plaisir du monde," being the most like a French humour in the world.

[When the first editions of this Diary were printed no note was
required here. Before the erection of the present London Bridge the
fall of water at the ebb tide was great, and to pass at that time
was called "Shooting the bridge". It was very hazardous for small