book that I am buying for Paul's
School before I do cast up my accompts.

4th. At home most of the morning hanging up pictures, and seeing how my
pewter sconces that I have bought will become my stayres and entry, and
then with my wife by water to Westminster, whither she to her father's
and I to Westminster Hall, and there walked a turn or two with Mr.
Chetwin (who had a dog challenged of him by another man that said it was
his, but Mr. Chetwin called the dog, and the dog at last would follow
him, and not his old master, and so Chetwin got the dog) and W. Symons,
and thence to my wife, who met me at my Lord's lodgings, and she and I
and old East to Wilkinson's to dinner, where we had some rost beef and
a mutton pie, and a mince-pie, but none of them pleased me. After dinner
by coach my wife and I home, and I to the office, and there till late,
and then I and my wife to Sir W. Pen's to cards and supper, and were
merry, and much correspondence there has been between our two families
all this Christmas. So home and to bed.

5th (Lord's day). Left my wife in bed not well... and I to church, and
so home to dinner, and dined alone upon some marrow bones, and had a
fine piece of rost beef, but being alone I eat none. So after dinner
comes in my brother Tom, and he tells me how he hath seen the father and
mother of the girl which my cozen Joyces would have him to have for a
wife, and they are much for it, but we are in a great quandary what to
do therein, L200 being but a little money; and I hope, if he continues
as he begins, he may look out for one with more. To church, and before
sermon there was a long psalm, and half another sung out while the
Sexton gathered what the church would give him for this last year. I
gave him 3s., and have the last week given the Clerk 2s., which I set
down that I may know what to do the next year, if it please the Lord
that I live so long; but the jest was, the Clerk begins the 25th psalm,
which hath a proper tune to it, and then the 116th, which cannot be sung
with that tune, which seemed very ridiculous. After church to Sir W.
Batten's, where on purpose I have not been this fortnight, and I am
resolved to keep myself more reserved to avoyd the contempt which
otherwise I must fall into, and so home and six and talked and supped
with my wife, and so up to prayers and to bed, having wrote a letter
this night to Sir J. Mennes in the Downs for his opinion in the business
of striking of flags.