the Navy-office, which is and hath a
pretty while been in good condition, finished and made very convenient.
My purse is worth about L650, besides my goods of all sorts, which
yet might have been more but for my late layings out upon my house and
public assessment, and yet would not have been so much if I had not
lived a very orderly life all this year by virtue of the oaths that God
put into my heart to take against wine, plays, and other expenses, and
to observe for these last twelve months, and which I am now going to
renew, I under God owing my present content thereunto. My family is
myself and wife, William, my clerk; Jane, my wife's upper mayde, but, I
think, growing proud and negligent upon it: we must part, which troubles
me; Susan, our cook-mayde, a pretty willing wench, but no good cook; and
Wayneman, my boy, who I am now turning away for his naughty tricks. We
have had from the beginning our healths to this day very well, blessed
be God! Our late mayde Sarah going from us (though put away by us) to
live with Sir W. Pen do trouble me, though I love the wench, so that
we do make ourselves a little strange to him and his family for it, and
resolve to do so. The same we are for other reasons to my Lady Batten
and hers. We have lately had it in our thoughts, and I can hardly bring
myself off of it, since Mrs. Gosnell cannot be with us, to find out
another to be in the quality of a woman to my wife that can sing or
dance, and yet finding it hard to save anything at the year's end as I
now live, I think I shall not be such a fool till I am more warm in my
purse, besides my oath of entering into no such expenses till I am worth
L1000. By my last year's diligence in my office, blessed be God! I am
come to a good degree of knowledge therein; and am acknowledged so by
all--the world, even the Duke himself, to whom I have a good access and
by that, and my being Commissioner with him for Tangier, he takes
much notice of me; and I doubt not but, by the continuance of the same
endeavours, I shall in a little time come to be a man much taken notice
of in the world, specially being come to so great an esteem with Mr.
Coventry. The only weight that lies heavy upon my mind is the ending
the business with my uncle Thomas about my-dead uncle's estate, which
is very ill on our side, and I fear when all is done I must be forced to
maintain my father myself, or spare a good deal towards it out of my own
purse, which will be a very gr