the Duke.
Thence I to Westminster and by water (taking Mr. Stapely the rope-maker
by the way), to his rope-ground and to Limehouse, there to see the
manner of stoves and did excellently inform myself therein, and coming
home did go on board Sir W. Petty's "Experiment," which is a brave roomy
vessel, and I hope may do well. So went on shore to a Dutch [house] to
drink some mum, and there light upon some Dutchmen, with whom we had
good discourse touching stoveing

[Stoveing, in sail-making, is the heating of the bolt-ropes, so as
to make them pliable.--B.]

and making of cables. But to see how despicably they speak of us for
our using so many hands more to do anything than they do, they closing
a cable with 20, that we use 60 men upon. Thence home and eat something,
and then to my office, where very late, and then to supper and to bed.
Captain Stokes, it seems, is at last dead at Portsmouth.

14th (St. Valentine). This morning comes betimes Dicke Pen, to be my
wife's Valentine, and come to our bedside. By the same token, I had him
brought to my side, thinking to have made him kiss me; but he perceived
me, and would not; so went to his Valentine: a notable, stout, witty
boy. I up about business, and, opening the door, there was Bagwell's
wife, with whom I talked afterwards, and she had the confidence to say
she came with a hope to be time enough to be my Valentine, and so indeed
she did, but my oath preserved me from loosing any time with her, and
so I and my boy abroad by coach to Westminster, where did two or three
businesses, and then home to the 'Change, and did much business there.
My Lord Sandwich is, it seems, with his fleete at Alborough Bay. So home
to dinner and then to the office, where till 12 almost at night, and
then home to supper and to bed.

15th. Up and to my office, where busy all the morning. At noon with
Creed to dinner to Trinity-house, where a very good dinner among the old
sokers, where an extraordinary discourse of the manner of the loss of
the "Royall Oake" coming home from Bantam, upon the rocks of Scilly,
many passages therein very extraordinary, and if I can I will get it in
writing. Thence with Creed to Gresham College, where I had been by Mr.
Povy the last week proposed to be admitted a member;

[According to the minutes of the Royal Society for February 15th,
1664-65, "Mr. Pepys was unanimously elected and admitted." Notes of
the experiments shown by Hooke and