Diary, Jun/Jul 1664 | Page 8

Dr. Whore, talking of musique, and particularly of Mr. Berckenshaw's
way, which Taylor magnifies mightily, and perhaps but what it
deserves, but not so easily to be understood as he and others make of it.

Thence home by water, and after dinner abroad to buy several things,
as a map, and powder, and other small things, and so home to my office,
and in the evening with Captain Taylor by water to our Tangier ship,
and so home, well pleased, having received L26 profit to-day of my
bargain for this ship, which comforts me mightily, though I confess my
heart, what with my being out of order as to my health, and the fear I
have of the money my Lord oweth me and I stand indebted to him in, is
much cast down of late. In the evening home to supper and to bed.

11th. Up and to the office, where we sat all the morning, where some
discourse arose from Sir G. Carteret and Mr. Coventry, which gives me
occasion to think that something like a war is expected now indeed,
though upon the 'Change afterwards I hear too that an Embassador is
landed from Holland, and one from their East India Company, to treat
with ours about the wrongs we pretend to. Mr. Creed dined with me,
and thence after dinner by coach with my wife only to take the ayre, it
being very warm and pleasant, to Bowe and Old Ford; and thence to
Hackney. There 'light, and played at shuffle-board, eat cream and good
churies; and so with good refreshment home. Then to my office vexed
with Captain Taylor about the delay of carrying down the ship hired by
me for Tangier, and late about that and other things at the office. So
home to supper and to bed.

12th (Lord's day). All the morning in my chamber consulting my lesson
of ship building, and at noon Mr. Creed by appointment came and
dined with us, and sat talking all the afternoon till, about church time,
my wife and I began our great dispute about going to Griffin's child's
christening, where I was to have been godfather, but Sir J. Minnes
refusing, he wanted an equal for me and my Lady Batten, and so sought
for other. Then the question was whether my wife should go, and she
having dressed herself on purpose, was very angry, and began to talk
openly of my keeping her within doors before Creed, which vexed me
to the guts, but I had the discretion to keep myself without passion, and
so resolved at last not to go, but to go down by water, which we did by
H. Russell-- [a waterman]--to the Half-way house, and there eat and
drank, and upon a very small occasion had a difference again broke out,
where without any the least cause she had the cunning to cry a great

while, and talk and blubber, which made me mighty angry in mind, but
said nothing to provoke her because Creed was there, but walked home,
being troubled in my mind also about the knavery and neglect of
Captain Fudge and Taylor, who were to have had their ship for Tangier
ready by Thursday last, and now the men by a mistake are come on
board, and not any master or man or boy of the ship's company on
board with them when we came by her side this afternoon, and also
received a letter from Mr. Coventry this day in complaint of it. We
came home, and after supper Creed went home, and I to bed. My wife
made great means to be friends, coming to my bedside and doing all
things to please me, and at last I could not hold out, but seemed pleased,
and so parted, and I with much ado to sleep, but was easily wakened by
extraordinary great rain, and my mind troubled the more to think what
the soldiers would do on board tonight in all this weather.

13th. So up at 5 o'clock, and with Captain Taylor on board her at
Deptford, and found all out of order, only the soldiers civil, and Sir
Arthur Bassett a civil person. I rated at Captain Taylor, whom, contrary
to my expectation, I found a lying and a very stupid blundering fellow,
good for nothing, and yet we talk of him in the Navy as if he had been
an excellent officer, but I find him a lying knave, and of no judgment or
dispatch at all. After finding the condition of the ship, no master, not
above four men, and many ship's provisions, sayls, and other things
wanting, I went back and called upon Fudge, whom I found like a lying
rogue unready to go on board, but