business again,
and wrote more of it fair, and then late to bed.

[This document is in the British Museum (Harleian MS. 6287), and is
entitled, "A Letter from Mr. Pepys, dated at Greenwich, 1 Jan.
1665-6, which he calls his New Year's Gift to his hon. friend, Sir
Wm. Coventry, wherein he lays down a method for securing his Majesty
in husbandly execution of the Victualling Part of the Naval
Expence." It consists of nineteen closely written folio pages, and
is a remarkable specimen of Pepys's business habits.--B. There are
copies of several letters on the victualling of the navy, written by
Pepys in 1666, among the Rawlinson MSS. in the Bodleian.]

2nd. Up by candlelight again, and wrote the greatest part of my business
fair, and then to the office, and so home to dinner, and after dinner
up and made an end of my fair writing it, and that being done, set two
entering while to my Lord Bruncker's, and there find Sir J. Minnes and
all his company, and Mr. Boreman and Mrs. Turner, but, above all, my
dear Mrs. Knipp, with whom I sang, and in perfect pleasure I was to hear
her sing, and especially her little Scotch song of "Barbary Allen;"

[The Scottish ballad is entitled, "Sir John Grehme and Barbara
Allan," and the English version, "Barbara Allen's Cruelty." Both
are printed in Percy's "Reliques," Series III.]

and to make our mirthe the completer, Sir J. Minnes was in the highest
pitch of mirthe, and his mimicall tricks, that ever I saw, and most
excellent pleasant company he is, and the best mimique that ever I saw,
and certainly would have made an excellent actor, and now would be an
excellent teacher of actors. Thence, it being post night, against my
will took leave, but before I come to my office, longing for more of her
company, I returned and met them coming home in coaches, so I got into
the coach where Mrs. Knipp was and got her upon my knee (the coach being
full) and played with her breasts and sung, and at last set her at her
house and so good night. So home to my lodgings and there endeavoured to
have finished the examining my papers of Pursers' business to have sent
away to-night, but I was so sleepy with my late early risings and late
goings to bed that I could not do it, but was forced to go to bed and
leave it to send away to-morrow by an Expresse.

3rd. Up, and all the morning till three in the afternoon examining and
fitting up my Pursers' pa