ix or seven others, and very good prizes and that he is in search of
the rest of the fleet, which he hopes to find upon the Wellbancke,
with the loss only of the Hector, poor Captain Cuttle. This newes do
so overjoy me that I know not what to say enough to express it, but
the better to do it I did walk to Greenwich, and there sending away Mr.
Andrews, I to Captain Cocke's, where I find my Lord Bruncker and his
mistress, and Sir J. Minnes. Where we supped (there was also Sir W.
Doyly and Mr. Evelyn); but the receipt of this newes did put us all
into such an extacy of joy, that it inspired into Sir J. Minnes and Mr.
Evelyn such a spirit of mirth, that in all my life I never met with so
merry a two hours as our company this night was. Among other humours,
Mr. Evelyn's repeating of some verses made up of nothing but the various
acceptations of may and can, and doing it so aptly upon occasion of
something of that nature, and so fast, did make us all die almost with
laughing, and did so stop the mouth of Sir J. Minnes in the middle of
all his mirth (and in a thing agreeing with his own manner of genius),
that I never saw any man so out-done in all my life; and Sir J. Minnes's
mirth too to see himself out-done, was the crown of all our mirth.
In this humour we sat till about ten at night, and so my Lord and his
mistress home, and we to bed, it being one of the times of my life
wherein I was the fullest of true sense of joy.

11th. Up and walked to the office, there to do some business till ten of
the clock, and then by agreement my Lord, Sir J. Minnes, Sir W. Doyly,
and I took boat and over to the ferry, where Sir W. Batten's coach
was ready for us, and to Walthamstow drove merrily, excellent merry
discourse in the way, and most upon our last night's revells; there come
we were very merry, and a good plain venison dinner. After dinner to
billiards, where I won an angel,

[A gold coin, so called because it bore the image of an angel,
varying in value from six shillings and eightpence to ten
shillings.]

and among other sports we were merry with my pretending to have a
warrant to Sir W. Hickes (who was there, and was out of humour with Sir
W. Doyly's having lately got a warrant for a leash of buckes, of which
we were now eating one) which vexed him, and at last would compound with
me to give my Lord Bruncker half a buck now, and me a Doe for it a while
hence when the season comes in, which we agreed to and had h