Diary, Aug/Sep 1660 | Page 7

business, and from thence to
Mrs. Blackburne again, who did treat my wife and me with a great deal
of civility, and did give us a fine collation of collar of beef, &c. Thence
I, having my head full of drink from having drunk so much Rhenish
wine in the morning, and more in the afternoon at Mrs. Blackburne's,
came home and so to bed, not well, and very ill all night.

10th. I had a great deal of pain all night, and a great loosing upon me so
that I could not sleep. In the morning I rose with much pain and to the
office. I went and dined at home, and after dinner with great pain in my
back I went by water to Whitehall to the Privy Seal, and that done with
Mr. Moore and Creed to Hide Park by coach, and saw a fine foot-race
three times round the Park between an Irishman and Crow, that was
once my Lord Claypoole's footman. (By the way I cannot forget that
my Lord Claypoole did the other day make enquiry of Mrs. Hunt,
concerning my House in Axe-yard, and did set her on work to get it of
me for him, which methinks is a very great change.) Crow beat the
other by above two miles. Returned from Hide Park, I went to my
Lord's, and took Will (who waited for me there) by coach and went
home, taking my lute home with me. It had been all this while since I
came from sea at my Lord's for him to play on. To bed in some pain
still. For this month or two it is not imaginable how busy my head has
been, so that I have neglected to write letters to my uncle Robert in
answer to many of his, and to other friends, nor indeed have I done
anything as to my own family, and especially this month my waiting at
the Privy Seal makes me much more unable to think of anything,
because of my constant attendance there after I have done at the Navy
Office. But blessed be God for my good chance of the Privy Seal,

where I get every day I believe about L3. This place I got by chance,
and my Lord did give it me by chance, neither he nor I thinking it to be
of the worth that he and I find it to be. Never since I was a man in the
world was I ever so great a stranger to public affairs as now I am,
having not read a new book or anything like it, or enquiring after any
news, or what the Parliament do, or in any wise how things go. Many
people look after my house in Axe-yard to hire it, so that I am troubled
with them, and I have a mind to get the money to buy goods for my
house at the Navy Office, and yet I am loth to put it off because that Mr.
Man bids me L1000 for my office, which is so great a sum that I am
loth to settle myself at my new house, lest I should take Mr. Man's offer
in case I found my Lord willing to it.

11th. I rose to-day without any pain, which makes me think that my
pain yesterday was nothing but from my drinking too much the day
before. To my Lord this morning, who did give me order to get some
things ready against the afternoon for the Admiralty where he would
meet. To the Privy Seal, and from thence going to my own house in
Axeyard, I went in to Mrs. Crisp's, where I met with Mr. Hartlibb; for
whom I wrote a letter for my Lord to sign for a ship for his brother and
sister, who went away hence this day to Gravesend, and from thence to
Holland. I found by discourse with Mrs. Crisp that he is very jealous of
her, for that she is yet very kind to her old servant Meade. Hence to my
Lord's to dinner with Mr. Sheply, so to the Privy Seal; and at night
home, and then sent for the barber, and was trimmed in the kitchen, the
first time that ever I was so. I was vexed this night that W. Hewer was
out of doors till ten at night but was pretty well satisfied again when my
wife told me that he wept because I was angry, though indeed he did
give me a good reason for his being out; but I thought it a good
occasion to let him know that I do expect his being at home. So to bed.

12th. Lord's day. To my Lord, and with him to