and having set
her down, home myself, where I find my wife dressed as if she had been
abroad, but I think she was not, but she answering me some way that
I did not like I pulled her by the nose, indeed to offend her, though
afterwards to appease her I denied it, but only it was done in haste.
The poor wretch took it mighty ill, and I believe besides wringing her
nose she did feel pain, and so cried a great while, but by and by I made
her friends, and so after supper to my office a while, and then home to
bed. This day great numbers of merchants came to a Grand Committee of
the House to bring in their claims against the Dutch. I pray God guide
the issue to our good!

6th. Up and to my office, whither by and by came John Noble, my father's
old servant, to speake with me. I smelling the business, took him home;
and there, all alone, he told me how he had been serviceable to my
brother Tom, in the business of his getting his servant, an ugly jade,
Margaret, with child. She was brought to bed in St. Sepulchre's parish
of two children; one is dead, the other is alive; her name Elizabeth,
and goes by the name of Taylor, daughter to John Taylor. It seems Tom
did a great while trust one Crawly with the business, who daily got
money of him; and at last, finding himself abused, he broke the matter
to J. Noble, upon a vowe of secresy. Tom's first plott was to go on
the other side the water and give a beggar woman something to take the
child. They did once go, but did nothing, J. Noble saying that seven
years hence the mother might come to demand the child and force him to
produce it, or to be suspected of murder. Then I think it was that they
consulted, and got one Cave, a poor pensioner in St. Bride's parish
to take it, giving him L5, he thereby promising to keepe it for ever
without more charge to them. The parish hereupon indite the man Cave
for bringing this child upon the parish, and by Sir Richard Browne he
is sent to the Counter. Cave thence writes to Tom to get him out. Tom
answers him in a letter of his owne hand, which J. Noble shewed me, but
not signed by him, wherein he speaks of freeing him and getting security
for him, but nothing as to the business of the child, or anything like
it: so that forasmuch as I could guess, there is nothing therein to my
brother's prejudice as to the main point, and therefore I did not labour
to tear or take away the paper. Cave being released, demands L5 more to
secure my brother for ever