should not pardon me in
this world, and am confident that God will pardon me for it in the
next." And so he concluded. Parson Herring read a psalm and chapters
before sermon; and one was the chapter in the Acts, where the story of
Ananias and Sapphira is. And after he had done, says he, "This is just
the case of England at present. God he bids us to preach, and men bid
us not to preach; and if we do, we are to be imprisoned and further
punished. All that I can say to it is, that I beg your prayers, and the
prayers of all good Christians, for us." This was all the exposition he
made of the chapter in these very words, and no more. I was much pleased
with Dr. Bates's manner of bringing in the Lord's Prayer after his own;
thus, "In whose comprehensive words we sum up all our imperfect desires;
saying, 'Our Father,'" &c. Church being done and it raining I took a
hackney coach and so home, being all in a sweat and fearful of getting
cold. To my study at my office, and thither came Mr. Moore to me and
walked till it was quite dark. Then I wrote a letter to my Lord Privy
Seale as from my Lord for Mr.-------to be sworn directly by deputy to my
Lord, he denying to swear him as deputy together with me. So that I am
now clear of it, and the profit is now come to be so little that I am
not displeased at my getting off so well. He being gone I to my study
and read, and so to eat a bit of bread and cheese and so to bed. I hear
most of the Presbyters took their leaves to-day, and that the City is
much dissatisfied with it. I pray God keep peace among us, and make the
Bishops careful of bringing in good men in their rooms, or else all will
fly a-pieces; for bad ones will not [go] down with the City.

18th. Up very early, and up upon my house to see how work goes on, which
do please me very well. So about seven o'clock took horse and rode to
Bowe, and there staid at the King's Head, and eat a breakfast of eggs
till Mr. Deane of Woolwich came to me, and he and I rid into Waltham
Forest, and there we saw many trees of the King's a-hewing; and he
showed me the whole mystery of off square,

[Off-square is evidently a mistake, in the shorthand MS., for half
square.]

wherein the King is abused in the timber that he buys, which I shall
with much pleasure be able to correct. After we had been a good while in
the wood, we rode to Illford, and there, while dinner was getting ready,
he and I practised measuring of the tables and othe