myself, by the great blessing of God, worth L1349, by
which, as I have spent very largely, so I have laid up above L500 this
yeare above what I was worth this day twelvemonth. The Lord make me for
ever thankful to his holy name for it! Thence home to eat a little and
so to bed. Soon as ever the clock struck one, I kissed my wife in the
kitchen by the fireside, wishing her a merry new yeare, observing that
I believe I was the first proper wisher of it this year, for I did it as
soon as ever the clock struck one.

So ends the old yeare, I bless God, with great joy to me, not only from
my having made so good a yeare of profit, as having spent L420 and laid
up L540 and upwards; but I bless God I never have been in so good plight
as to my health in so very cold weather as this is, nor indeed in any
hot weather, these ten years, as I am at this day, and have been these
four or five months. But I am at a great losse to know whether it be
my hare's foote, or taking every morning of a pill of turpentine, or my
having left off the wearing of a gowne. My family is, my wife, in good
health, and happy with her; her woman Mercer, a pretty, modest, quiett
mayde; her chambermayde Besse, her cook mayde Jane, the little girl
Susan, and my boy, which I have had about half a yeare, Tom Edwards,
which I took from the King's chappell, and a pretty and loving quiett
family I have as any man in England. My credit in the world and my
office grows daily, and I am in good esteeme with everybody, I think. My
troubles of my uncle's estate pretty well over; but it comes to be but
of little profit to us, my father being much supported by my purse. But
great vexations remain upon my father and me from my brother Tom's death
and ill condition, both to our disgrace and discontent, though no great
reason for either. Publique matters are all in a hurry about a Dutch
warr. Our preparations great; our provocations against them great; and,
after all our presumption, we are now afeard as much of them, as we
lately contemned them. Every thing else in the State quiett, blessed be
God! My Lord Sandwich at sea with the fleete at Portsmouth; sending
some about to cruise for taking of ships, which we have done to a great
number. This Christmas I judged it fit to look over all my papers and
books; and to tear all that I found either boyish or not to be worth
keeping, or fit to be seen, if it should please God to take me away
suddenly. Among others, I found these two