Diary, September 1665 | Page 9

die almost with laughing, and did so stop the mouth of Sir J.
Minnes in the middle of all his mirth (and in a thing agreeing with his
own manner of genius), that I never saw any man so out-done in all my
life; and Sir J. Minnes's mirth too to see himself out-done, was the
crown of all our mirth. In this humour we sat till about ten at night, and
so my Lord and his mistress home, and we to bed, it being one of the
times of my life wherein I was the fullest of true sense of joy.

11th. Up and walked to the office, there to do some business till ten of
the clock, and then by agreement my Lord, Sir J. Minnes, Sir W. Doyly,
and I took boat and over to the ferry, where Sir W. Batten's coach was
ready for us, and to Walthamstow drove merrily, excellent merry
discourse in the way, and most upon our last night's revells; there come
we were very merry, and a good plain venison dinner. After dinner to
billiards, where I won an angel,
[A gold coin, so called because it bore the image of an angel, varying in
value from six shillings and eightpence to ten shillings.]
and among other sports we were merry with my pretending to have a
warrant to Sir W. Hickes (who was there, and was out of humour with
Sir W. Doyly's having lately got a warrant for a leash of buckes, of
which we were now eating one) which vexed him, and at last would

compound with me to give my Lord Bruncker half a buck now, and me
a Doe for it a while hence when the season comes in, which we agreed
to and had held, but that we fear Sir W. Doyly did betray our design,
which spoiled all; however, my Lady Batten invited herself to dine with
him this week, and she invited us all to dine with her there, which we
agreed to, only to vex him, he being the most niggardly fellow, it seems,
in the world. Full of good victuals and mirth we set homeward in the
evening, and very merry all the way. So to Greenwich, where when
come I find my Lord Rutherford and Creed come from Court, and
among other things have brought me several orders for money to pay
for Tangier; and, among the rest L7000 and more, to this Lord, which is
an excellent thing to consider, that, though they can do nothing else,
they can give away the King's money upon their progresse. I did give
him the best answer I could to pay him with tallys, and that is all they
could get from me. I was not in humour to spend much time with them,
but walked a little before Sir J. Minnes's door and then took leave, and I
by water to Woolwich, where with my wife to a game at tables,
[The old name for backgammon, used by Shakespeare and others. The
following lines are from an epitaph entirely made up of puns on
backgammon
"Man's life's a game at tables, and he may Mend his bad fortune by his
wiser play."
Wit's Recre., i. 250, reprint, 1817.]
and to bed.

12th. Up, and walked to the office, where we sat late, and thence to
dinner home with Sir J. Minnes, and so to the office, where writing
letters, and home in the evening, where my wife shews me a letter from
her brother speaking of their father's being ill, like to die, which, God
forgive me! did not trouble me so much as it should, though I was
indeed sorry for it. I did presently resolve to send him something in a
letter from my wife, viz. 20s. So to bed.

13th. Up, and walked to Greenwich, taking pleasure to walk with my
minute watch in my hand, by which I am come now to see the distances
of my way from Woolwich to Greenwich, and do find myself to come
within two minutes constantly to the same place at the end of each

quarter of an houre. Here we rendezvoused at Captain Cocke's, and
there eat oysters, and so my Lord Bruncker, Sir J. Minnes, and I took
boat, and in my Lord's coach to Sir W. Hickes's, whither by and by my
Lady Batten and Sir William comes. It is a good seat, with a fair grove
of trees by it, and the remains of a good garden; but so let to run to
ruine, both house and every thing in and about it, so ill furnished and
miserably looked after, I never did see in all my life. Not so much as a
latch to his dining-