bed, my wife asking me to-night about a letter of hers
I should find, which indeed Mary did the other day give me as if she had
found it in my bed, thinking it had been mine, brought to her from a
man without name owning great kindness to her and I know not what. But
looking it over seriously, and seeing it bad sense and ill writ, I did
believe it to be her brother's and so had flung it away, but finding her
now concerned at it and vexed with Mary about it, it did trouble me, but
I would take no notice of it to-night, but fell to sleep as if angry.

7th. Up by 5 of the clock, mighty full of fear of an ague, but was
obliged to go, and so by water, wrapping myself up warm, to the Tower,
and there sent for the Weekely Bill, and find 8,252 dead in all, and of
them 6,878 of the plague; which is a most dreadfull number, and shows
reason to fear that the plague hath got that hold that it will yet
continue among us. Thence to Brainford, reading "The Villaine," a pretty
good play, all the way. There a coach of Mr. Povy's stood ready for
me, and he at his house ready to come in, and so we together merrily
to Swakely, Sir R. Viner's. A very pleasant place, bought by him of Sir
James Harrington's lady. He took us up and down with great respect, and
showed us all his house and grounds; and it is a place not very moderne
in the garden nor house, but the most uniforme in all that ever I saw;
and some things to excess. Pretty to see over the screene of the hall
(put up by Sir J. Harrington, a Long Parliamentman) the King's head,
and my Lord of Essex on one side, and Fairfax on the other; and upon the
other side of the screene, the parson of the parish, and the lord of the
manor and his sisters. The window-cases, door-cases, and chimnys of all
the house are marble. He showed me a black boy that he had, that died of
a consumption, and being dead, he caused him to be dried in an oven, and
lies there entire in a box. By and by to dinner, where his lady I find
yet handsome, but hath been a very handsome woman; now is old. Hath
brought him near L100,000 and now he lives, no man in England in greater
plenty, and commands both King and Council with his credit he gives
them. Here was a fine lady a merchant's wife at dinner with us, and who
should be here in the quality of a woman but Mrs. Worship's daughter,
Dr. Clerke's niece, and after dinner Sir Robert led us up to his long
gallery, very fine, above stairs (and better, or such, furniture I nev