play, but which I have not seen before; and in the first act Orange Moll
come to me, with one of our porters by my house, to tell me that Mrs.
Pierce and Knepp did dine at my house to-day, and that I was desired to
come home. So I went out presently, and by coach home, and they were just
gone away so, after a very little stay with my wife, I took coach again,
and to the King's playhouse again, and come in the fourth act; and it
proves to me a very silly play, and to everybody else, as far as I could
judge. But the jest is, that here telling Moll how I had lost my journey,
she told me that Mrs. Knepp was in the house, and so shews me to her, and
I went to her, and sat out the play, and then with her to Mrs. Manuel's,
where Mrs. Pierce was, and her boy and girl; and here I did hear Mrs.
Manuel and one of the Italians, her gallant, sing well. But yet I confess
I am not delighted so much with it, as to admire it: for, not
understanding the words, I lose the benefit of the vocalitys of the
musick, and it proves only instrumental; and therefore was more pleased to
hear Knepp sing two or three little English things that I understood,
though the composition of the other, and performance, was very fine.
Thence, after sitting and talking a pretty while, I took leave and left
them there, and so to my bookseller's, and paid for the books I had
bought, and away home, where I told my wife where I had been. But she was
as mad as a devil, and nothing but ill words between us all the evening
while we sat at cards--W. Hewer and the girl by--even to gross ill words,
which I was troubled for, but do see that I must use policy to keep her
spirit down, and to give her no offence by my being with Knepp and Pierce,
of which, though she will not own it, yet she is heartily jealous. At
last it ended in few words and my silence (which for fear of growing
higher between us I did forbear), and so to supper and to bed without one
word one to another. This day I did carry money out, and paid several
debts. Among others, my tailor, and shoemaker, and draper, Sir W. Turner,
who begun to talk of the Commission of accounts, wherein he is one; but