bles, and ships that lie dry, which might
otherwise in the night be liable to be robbed. And these doggs are set
out every night, and called together in every morning by a man with a
home, and they go in very orderly. Thence home, and there find Knipp at
dinner with my wife, now very big, and within a fortnight of lying down.
But my head was full of business and so could have no sport. So I left
them, promising to return and take them out at night, and so to the
Excise Office, where a meeting was appointed of Sir Stephen Fox, the
Cofferer, and myself, to settle the business of our tallys, and it was
so pretty well against another meeting. Thence away home to the office
and out again to Captain Cocke (Mr. Moore for company walking with me
and discoursing and admiring of the learning of Dr. Spencer), and there
he and I discoursed a little more of our matters, and so home, and
(Knipp being gone) took out my wife and Mercer to take the ayre a
little, and so as far as Hackney and back again, and then to bed.

26th. Up betimes and to the office, where all the morning. At noon dined
at home. So to the office again, and a while at the Victualling Office
to understand matters there a little, and thence to the office and
despatched much business, to my great content, and so home to supper and
to bed.

27th (Lord's day). Rose betimes, and to my office till church time to
write two copies of my Will fair, bearing date this day, wherein I
have given my sister Pall L500, my father for his owne and my mother's
support L2,000, to my wife the rest of my estate, but to have L2500
secured to her, though by deducting out of what I have given my father
and my sister. I dispatched all before church time and then to church,
my wife with me. Thence home to dinner, whither come my uncle Wight, and
aunt and uncle Norbury, and Mr. Shepley. A good dinner and very merry.
After dinner we broke up and I by water to Westminster to Mrs. Martin's,
and there sat with her and her husband and Mrs. Burrows, the pretty, an
hour or two, then to the Swan a while, and so home by water, and with my
wife by and by by water as low as Greenwich, for ayre only, and so back
again home to supper and to bed with great pleasure.

28th. Up and to my chamber to do some business there, and then to the
office, where a while, and then by agreement to the Excise Office, where
I waited all the morning for the Cofferer and Sir St. Foxe's coming,
but they did not, so I and the