Mr. Cutler told me
how for certain Lawson hath proclaimed war again with Argier,
though they had at his first coming given back the ships which
they had taken, and all their men; though they refused afterwards
to make him restitution for the goods which they had taken.
5th. My eyes beginning every day to grow less and less able to
bear with long reading or writing, though it be by daylight;
which I never observed till now.
13th. In the Painted Chamber I heard a fine conference between
some of the two Houses upon the Bill for Conventicles. The Lords
would be freed from having their houses searched by any but the
Lord Lieutenant of the County: and upon being found guilty, to
be tried only by their peers; and thirdly, would have it added,
that whereas the Bill says, "That that, among other things, shall
be a conventicle wherein any such meeting is found doing any
thing contrary to the Liturgy of the Church of England," they
would have it added, "or practice." The Commons to the Lords
said, that they knew not what might hereafter be found out which
might he called the practice of the Church of England: for there
are many things may be said to be the practice of the Church,
which were never established by any law either common, statute,
or canon; as singing of psalms, binding up; prayers at the end of
the Bible, and praying extempore before and after sermon: and
though these are things indifferent, yet things for aught they at
present know may be started, which may be said to be the practice
of the Church which would not be fit to allow.
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