brother
Tom's mistress. After dinner and some talk with him, I to my office;
there busy, till by and by Jacke Noble came to me to tell me that he had
Cave in prison, and that he would give me and my father good security
that neither we nor any of our family should be troubled with the child;
for he could prove that he was fully satisfied for him; and that if the
worst came to the worst, the parish must keep it; that Cave did bring
the child to his house, but they got it carried back again, and that
thereupon he put him in prison. When he saw that I would not pay him
the money, nor made anything of being secured against the child, he then
said that then he must go to law, not himself, but come in as a witness
for Cave against us. I could have told him that he could bear witness
that Cave is satisfied, or else there is no money due to himself; but
I let alone any such discourse, only getting as much out of him as I
could. I perceive he is a rogue, and hath inquired into everything and
consulted with Dr. Pepys, and that he thinks as Dr. Pepys told him that
my father if he could would not pay a farthing of the debts, and yet I
made him confess that in all his lifetime he never knew my father to be
asked for money twice, nay, not once, all the time he lived with him,
and that for his own debts he believed he would do so still, but he
meant only for those of Tom. He said now that Randall and his wife and
the midwife could prove from my brother's own mouth that the child was
his, and that Tom had told them the circumstances of time, upon November
5th at night, that he got it on her. I offered him if he would secure
my father against being forced to pay the money again I would pay him,
which at first he would do, give his own security, and when I asked more
than his own he told me yes he would, and those able men, subsidy men,
but when we came by and by to discourse of it again he would not then do
it, but said he would take his course, and joyne with Cave and release
him, and so we parted. However, this vexed me so as I could not be
quiet, but took coach to go speak with Mr. Cole, but met him not within,
so back, buying a table by the way, and at my office late, and then home
to supper and to bed, my mind disordered about this roguish business--in
every thing else, I thank God, well at ease.

26th. Up by 5 o'clock, which I have not been many a day, and down by
water to Deptford, and there took in Mr. Pumpfield the rope-maker, a