Up and spent most of the morning upon my measuring Ruler and with
great pleasure I have found out some things myself of great dispatch,
more than my book teaches me, which pleases me mightily. Sent my wife's
things and the wine to-day by the carrier to my father's, but staid my
boy from a letter of my father's, wherein he desires that he may not
come to trouble his family as he did the last year. Dined at home and
then to the office, where we sat all the afternoon, and at night home
and spent the evening with my wife, and she and I did jangle mightily
about her cushions that she wrought with worsteds the last year, which
are too little for any use, but were good friends by and by again. But
one thing I must confess I do observe, which I did not before, which is,
that I cannot blame my wife to be now in a worse humour than she used to
be, for I am taken up in my talk with Ashwell, who is a very witty girl,
that I am not so fond of her as I used and ought to be, which now I do
perceive I will remedy, but I would to the Lord I had never taken
any, though I cannot have a better than her. To supper and to bed.
The consideration that this is the longest day in the year is very
unpleasant to me.--[It is necessary to note that this was according to
the old style.]--This afternoon my wife had a visit from my Lady Jeminah
and Mr. Ferrers.

12th. Up and my office, there conning my measuring Ruler, which I shall
grow a master of in a very little time. At noon to the Exchange and so
home to dinner, and abroad with my wife by water to the Royall Theatre;
and there saw "The Committee," a merry but indifferent play, only
Lacey's part, an Irish footman, is beyond imagination. Here I saw my
Lord Falconbridge, and his Lady, my Lady Mary Cromwell, who looks as
well as I have known her, and well clad; but when the House began to
fill she put on her vizard,

[Masks were commonly used by ladies in the reign of Elizabeth, and
when their use was revived at the Restoration for respectable women
attending the theatre, they became general. They soon, however,
became the mark of loose women, and their use was discontinued by
women of repute. On June 1st, 1704, a song was sung at the theatre
in Lincoln's Inn Fields called "The Misses' Lamentation for want of
their Vizard Masques at the Theatre." Mr. R. W. Lowe gives several
references to the use of vizard masks at the theatre in his
interesting biogra