ed me into the Tower to Mr. Hore's and there we
staid talking an houre, but at last we found no boats yet could go,
so we to the office, where we met upon an occasion extraordinary
of examining abuses of our clerkes in taking money for examining of
tickets, but nothing done in it. Thence my Lord and I, the weather being
a little fairer, by water to Deptford to Sir G. Carteret's house, where
W. Howe met us, and there we opened the chests, and saw the poor sorry
rubys which have caused all this ado to the undoing of W. Howe; though I
am not much sorry for it, because of his pride and ill nature. About 200
of these very small stones, and a cod of muske (which it is strange I
was not able to smell) is all we could find; so locked them up again,
and my Lord and I, the wind being again very furious, so as we durst not
go by water, walked to London quite round the bridge, no boat being able
to stirre; and, Lord! what a dirty walk we had, and so strong the wind,
that in the fields we many times could not carry our bodies against it,
but were driven backwards. We went through Horsydowne, where I never was
since a little boy, that I went to enquire after my father, whom we did
give over for lost coming from Holland. It was dangerous to walk the
streets, the bricks and tiles falling from the houses that the whole
streets were covered with them; and whole chimneys, nay, whole houses
in two or three places, blowed down. But, above all, the pales on
London-bridge on both sides were blown away, so that we were fain to
stoop very low for fear of blowing off of the bridge. We could see
no boats in the Thames afloat, but what were broke loose, and carried
through the bridge, it being ebbing water. And the greatest sight of
all was, among other parcels of ships driven here and there in clusters
together, one was quite overset and lay with her masts all along in the
water, and keel above water. So walked home, my Lord away to his house
and I to dinner, Mr. Creed being come to towne and to dine with me,
though now it was three o'clock. After dinner he and I to our accounts
and very troublesome he is and with tricks which I found plainly and
was vexed at; while we were together comes Sir G. Downing with Colonell
Norwood, Rumball, and Warrupp to visit me. I made them drink good wine
and discoursed above alone a good while with Sir G. Downing, who is very
troublesome, and then with Colonell Norwood, who hath a great mind to
have me concerned wit