Diary, Jan/Feb 1665/66 | Page 5

So forced
to break up all with a good song, and so to bed.

4th. Up, and to the office, where my Lord Bruncker and I, against Sir
W. Batten and Sir J. Minnes and the whole table, for Sir W. Warren in
the business of his mast contract, and overcome them and got them to

do what I had a mind to, for indeed my Lord being unconcerned in
what I aimed at. So home to dinner, where Mr. Sheldon come by
invitation from Woolwich, and as merry as I could be with all my
thoughts about me and my wife still in pain of her tooth. He anon took
leave and took Mrs. Barbary his niece home with him, and seems very
thankful to me for the L10 I did give him for my wife's rent of his
house, and I am sure I am beholding to him, for it was a great
convenience to me, and then my wife home to London by water and I
to the office till 8 at night, and so to my Lord Bruncker's, thinking to
have been merry, having appointed a meeting for Sir J. Minnes and his
company and Mrs. Knipp again, but whatever hindered I know not, but
no company come, which vexed me because it disappointed me of the
glut of mirthe I hoped for. However, good discourse with my Lord and
merry, with Mrs. Williams's descants upon Sir J. Minnes's and Mrs.
Turner's not coming. So home and to bed.

5th. I with my Lord Bruncker and Mrs. Williams by coach with four
horses to London, to my Lord's house in Covent-Guarden. But, Lord!
what staring to see a nobleman's coach come to town. And porters
every where bow to us; and such begging of beggars! And a delightfull
thing it is to see the towne full of people again as now it is; and shops
begin to open, though in many places seven or eight together, and more,
all shut; but yet the towne is full, compared with what it used to be. I
mean the City end; for Covent-Guarden and Westminster are yet very
empty of people, no Court nor gentry being there. Set Mrs. Williams
down at my Lord's house and he and I to Sir G. Carteret, at his chamber
at White Hall, he being come to town last night to stay one day. So my
Lord and he and I much talke about the Act, what credit we find upon it,
but no private talke between him and I. So I to the 'Change, and there
met Mr. Povy, newly come to town, and he and I to Sir George Smith's
and there dined nobly. He tells me how my Lord Bellases complains
for want of money and of him and me therein, but I value it not, for I
know I do all that can be done. We had no time to talk of particulars,
but leave it to another day, and I away to Cornhill to expect my Lord
Bruncker's coming back again, and I staid at my stationer's house, and
by and by comes my Lord, and did take me up and so to Greenwich,
and after sitting with them a while at their house, home, thinking to get

Mrs. Knipp, but could not, she being busy with company, but sent me a
pleasant letter, writing herself "Barbary Allen." I went therefore to Mr.
Boreman's for pastime, and there staid an houre or two talking with him,
and reading a discourse about the River of Thames, the reason of its
being choked up in several places with shelfes; which is plain is, by the
encroachments made upon the River, and running out of causeways
into the River at every wood-wharfe; which was not heretofore when
Westminster Hall and White Hall were built, and Redriffe Church,
which now are sometimes overflown with water. I had great
satisfaction herein. So home and to my papers for lacke of company,
but by and by comes little Mrs. Tooker and sat and supped with me,
and I kept her very late talking and making her comb my head, and did
what I will with her. So late to bed.

6th. Up betimes and by water to the Cockepitt, there met Sir G. Carteret
and, after discourse with the Duke, all together, and there saw a letter
wherein Sir W. Coventry did take notice to the Duke with a
commendation of my paper about Pursers, I to walke in the Parke with
the Vice- Chamberlain, and received his advice about my deportment
about the advancing the credit of the Act; giving me caution to see that
we do not misguide the King by making them believe greater matters
from it than will be