16th September, 1673. To Council, about choosing a new Secretary.
17th September, 1673. I went with some friends to visit Mr. Bernard Grenville, at Abs Court in Surrey; an old house in a pretty park.
23d September, 1673. I went to see Paradise, a room in Hatton Garden furnished with a representation of all sorts of animals handsomely painted on boards or cloth, and so cut out and made to stand, move, fly, crawl, roar, and make their several cries. The man who showed it, made us laugh heartily at his formal poetry.
15th October, 1673. To Council, and swore in Mr. Locke, secretary, Dr. Worsley being dead.
27th October, 1673. To Council, about sending succors to recover New York: and then we read the commission and instructions to Sir Jonathan Atkins, the new Governor of Barbadoes.
5th November, 1673. This night the youths of the city burned the Pope in effigy, after they had made procession with it in great triumph, they being displeased at the Duke for altering his religion and marrying an Italian lady.
30th November, 1673. On St. Andrew's day I first saw the new Duchess of York, and the Duchess of Modena, her mother.
1st December, 1673. To Gresham College, whither the city had invited the Royal Society by many of their chief aldermen and magistrates, who gave us a collation, to welcome us to our first place of assembly, from whence we had been driven to give place to the City, on their making it their Exchange on the dreadful conflagration, till their new Exchange was finished, which it now was. The Society having till now been entertained and having met at Arundel House.
2d December, 1673. I dined with some friends, and visited the sick; thence, to an almshouse, where was prayers and relief, some very ill and miserable. It was one of the best days I ever spent in my life.
3d December, 1673. There was at dinner my Lord Lockhart, designed Ambassador for France, a gallant and sober person.
9th December, 1673. I saw again the Italian Duchess and her brother, the Prince Reynaldo.
20th December, 1673. I had some discourse with certain strangers, not unlearned, who had been born not far from Old Nineveh; they assured me of the ruins being still extant, and vast and wonderful were the buildings, vaults, pillars, and magnificent fragments;[34] but they could say little of the Tower of Babel that satisfied me. But the description of the amenity and fragrancy of the country for health and cheerfulness, delighted me; so sensibly they spoke of the excellent air and climate in respect of our cloudy and splenetic country.