it most excellently. At it till past midnight, and
then broke up and to bed. Hill and I together again, and being very
sleepy we had little discourse as we had the other night. Thus we end
the month merrily; and the more for that, after some fears that the
plague would have increased again this week, I hear for certain that
there is above 400 [less], the whole number being 1,388, and of them
of the plague, 1,031. Want of money in the Navy puts everything out of
order. Men grow mutinous; and nobody here to mind the business of the
Navy but myself. At least Sir W. Batten for the few days he has been
here do nothing. I in great hopes of my place of Surveyor-Generall of
the Victualling, which will bring me L300 per annum.

NOVEMBER 1665

November 1st. Lay very long in bed discoursing with Mr. Hill of most
things of a man's life, and how little merit do prevail in the world,
but only favour; and that, for myself, chance without merit brought me
in; and that diligence only keeps me so, and will, living as I do among
so many lazy people that the diligent man becomes necessary, that they
cannot do anything without him, and so told him of my late business of
the victualling, and what cares I am in to keepe myself having to do
with people of so different factions at Court, and yet must be fair with
them all, which was very pleasant discourse for me to tell, as well as
he seemed to take it, for him to hear. At last up, and it being a very
foule day for raine and a hideous wind, yet having promised I would go
by water to Erith, and bearing sayle was in danger of oversetting, but
ordered them take down their sayle, and so cold and wet got thither, as
they had ended their dinner. How[ever], I dined well, and after dinner
all on shore, my Lord Bruncker with us to Mrs. Williams's lodgings,
and Sir W. Batten, Sir Edmund Pooly, and others; and there, it being
my Lord's birth-day, had every one a green riband tied in our hats very
foolishly; and methinks mighty disgracefully for my Lord to have his
folly so open to all the world with this woman. But by and by Sir W.
Batten and I took coach, and home to Boreman, and so going home by the
backside I saw Captain Cocke 'lighting out of his coach (having been at
Erith also with her but not on board) and so he would come along with me
to my lodging, and there sat and supped and talked with us, but we were
angry a little a while about our message to him the other day about
bidding him kee