MY LORD

This week your Honour I hope hath received five-dozen of bottles of Rhenish wine from Captain Holland. In my last by Tuesday post I gave you an account concerning the cup, cedar and mourning. On Thursday night there came a woman from Mrs Ann Crew, whom I received. But before I said anything to her concerning the house, she began and asked me if I knew what her work must be. I told her I supposed Mrs Crew had acquainted her with that; she told me, no. Whereupon I told her what had been the office of them that had been before her. She answered, she never had been used to make fires, wash rooms, or cloths, secure, or do anything like that, and that she expected only to take charge of the goods and oversee other maids, as a housekeeper. I answered I knew nothing to the contrary but that her work was to be as theirs that had been in her place before, but that if your intentions were otherwise, Mrs Crew could best advertise her. So she lodged here that night, and desired to be excused from undertaking anything, till she had advised again with Mrs Crew. Whereupon the next morn she went away and since I have not heard of her.

My cousin Mark is here, for how long I know not, but your commands concerning him I shall follow. Only it troubles me to hear, what your Lord­ship’s apprehensions are concerning me (if his report may be credited). The loss of your Honour’s good word I am too sure will prove as much my undoing, as hitherto it hath been my best friend. But as I was ignorant of this late passage, so I see little cause by anything I find yet to doubt of giving your Honour a good account of the goods in the house, and my care in keeping them so. My Lady Strickland returns her service to yourself and my Lady, and hath instructed me in that business, but it’s necessary I should know what kind of coat for the bigness it should be.

Sir William Wheeler con­tinues still ill of the gout and desired me to deliver his letter to the Commissioners for N[ew] buildings, which I shall do the next sitting. Your £250 at the Exchequer I have taken up for the last Quarter, for there is much fear of a stop there to the payment of salaries as there is at the Excise Office, and elsewhere. Mr Crew (with whom I spoke this afternoon) is in health and hath directed me to go to one Captain Cotes, who came over with Mr Edward from Mardike, and is believed to have many things of Mr Edward’s, which I am to endeavour a recovery of, and shall do it.