office, whither Mr. Coventry came and Sir
William Pen, and we sat all the morning. This day Mr. Coventry borrowed
of me my manuscript of the Navy. At noon I to the 'Change, and meeting
with Sir W. Warren, to a coffee-house, and there finished a contract
with him for the office, and so parted, and I to my cozen Mary Joyce's
at a gossiping, where much company and good cheer. There was the King's
Falconer, that lives by Paul's, and his wife, an ugly pusse, but brought
him money. He speaking of the strength of hawkes, which will strike a
fowle to the ground with that force that shall make the fowle rebound a
great way from ground, which no force of man or art can do, but it was
very pleasant to hear what reasons he and another, one Ballard, a rich
man of the same Company of Leathersellers of which the Joyces are, did
give for this. Ballard's wife, a pretty and a very well-bred woman, I
took occasion to kiss several times, and she to carve, drink, and show
me great respect. After dinner to talk and laugh. I drank no wine, but
sent for some water; the beer not being good. A fiddler was sent for,
and there one Mrs. Lurkin, a neighbour, a good, and merry poor woman,
but a very tall woman, did dance and show such tricks that made us
all merry, but above all a daughter of Mr. Brumfield's, black, but
well-shaped and modest, did dance very well, which pleased me mightily.
I begun the Duchess with her, but could not do it; but, however, I came
off well enough, and made mighty much of her, kissing and leading her
home, with her cozen Anthony and Kate Joyce (Kate being very handsome
and well, that is, handsomely dressed to-day, and I grew mighty kind and
familiar with her, and kissed her soundly, which she takes very well)
to their house, and there I left them, having in our way, though nine
o'clock at night, carried them into a puppet play in Lincolnes Inn
Fields, where there was the story of Holofernes, and other clockwork,
well done. There was at this house today Mr. Lawrence, who did give the
name, it seems, to my cozen Joyce's child, Samuel, who is a very civil
gentleman, and his wife a pretty woman, who, with Kate Joyce, were
stewards of the feast to-day, and a double share cost for a man and a
woman came to 16s., which I also would pay, though they would not by
any means have had me do so. I walked home very well contented with this
afternoon's work, I thinking it convenient to keep in with the Joyces
against a bad day, if I shou