s with
Cooper the Purveyor, whose dullness in his proceeding in his work I was
vexed at, and find that though he understands it may be as much as other
men that profess skill in timber, yet I perceive that many things, they
do by rote, and very dully. Thence home to dinner, whither Captain Grove
came and dined with me, he going into the country to-day; among other
discourse he told me of discourse very much to my honour, both as to my
care and ability, happening at the Duke of Albemarle's table the other
day, both from the Duke, and the Duchess themselves; and how I paid so
much a year to him whose place it was of right, and that Mr. Coventry
did report thus of me; which was greatly to my content, knowing how
against their minds I was brought into the Navy. Thence by water to
Westminster, and there spent a good deal of time walking in the Hall,
which is going to be repaired, and, God forgive me, had a mind to have
got Mrs. Lane abroad, or fallen in with any woman else (in that hot
humour). But it so happened she could not go out, nor I meet with any
body else, and so I walked homeward, and in my way did many and great
businesses of my own at the Temple among my lawyers and others to my
great content, thanking God that I did not fall into any company to
occasion spending time and money. To supper, and then to a little viall
and to bed, sporting in my fancy with the Queen.

16th. Up and dispatched things into the country and to my father's, and
two keggs of Sturgeon and a dozen bottles of wine to Cambridge for my
cozen Roger Pepys, which I give him. By and by down by water on
several Deall ships, and stood upon a stage in one place seeing calkers
sheathing of a ship. Then at Wapping to my carver's about my Viall head.
So home, and thence to my Viall maker's in Bishops, gate Street; his
name is Wise, who is a pretty fellow at it. Thence to the Exchange, and
so home to dinner, and then to my office, where a full board, and busy
all the afternoon, and among other things made a great contract with Sir
W. Warren for 40,000 deals Swinsound, at L3 17s. od. per hundred. In
the morning before I went on the water I was at Thames Street about some
pitch, and there meeting Anthony Joyce, I took him and Mr. Stacy, the
Tarr merchant, to the tavern, where Stacy told me many old stories of my
Lady Batten's former poor condition, and how her former husband broke,
and how she came to her state. At night, after office done, I went
to Sir W.