ome, and there shifted
myself into my black silke suit, and having promised Harman yesterday,
I to his house, which I find very mean, and mean company. His wife very
ill; I could not see her. Here I, with her father and Kate Joyce, who
was also very ill, were godfathers and godmother to his boy, and was
christened Will. Mr. Meriton christened him. The most observable thing I
found there to my content, was to hear him and his clerk tell me that in
this parish of Michell's, Cornhill, one of the middlemost parishes and
a great one of the towne, there hath, notwithstanding this sickliness,
been buried of any disease, man, woman, or child, not one for thirteen
months last past; which [is] very strange. And the like in a good degree
in most other parishes, I hear, saving only of the plague in them, but
in this neither the plague nor any other disease. So back again home and
reshifted myself, and so down to my Lady Carteret's, where mighty merry
and great pleasantnesse between my Lady Sandwich and the young ladies
and me, and all of us mighty merry, there never having been in the world
sure a greater business of general content than this match proposed
between Mr. Carteret and my Lady Jemimah. But withal it is mighty pretty
to think how my poor Lady Sandwich, between her and me, is doubtfull
whether her daughter will like of it or no, and how troubled she is for
fear of it, which I do not fear at all, and desire her not to do it, but
her fear is the most discreet and pretty that ever I did see. Late here,
and then my wife and I, with most hearty kindnesse from my Lady Carteret
by boat to Woolwich, come thither about 12 at night, and so to bed.

10th. Up, and with great pleasure looking over a nest of puppies of Mr.
Shelden's, with which my wife is most extraordinary pleased, and one
of them is promised her. Anon I took my leave, and away by water to the
Duke of Albemarle's, where he tells me that I must be at Hampton Court
anon. So I home to look over my Tangier papers, and having a coach of
Mr. Povy's attending me, by appointment, in order to my coming to dine
at his country house at Brainford, where he and his family is, I went
and Mr. Tasbrough with me therein, it being a pretty chariot, but most
inconvenient as to the horses throwing dust and dirt into one's eyes
and upon one's clothes. There I staid a quarter of an houre, Creed being
there, and being able to do little business (but the less the better).
Creed rode before,