upper
and to bed.

10th. Up, and to the office, where busy all the morning, sitting, and
there presented Sir W. Coventry with my little book made up of Lovett's
varnished paper, which he and the whole board liked very well. At noon
home to dinner and then to the office; the yarde being very full of
women (I believe above three hundred) coming to get money for their
husbands and friends that are prisoners in Holland; and they lay
clamouring and swearing and cursing us, that my wife and I were afeard
to send a venison-pasty that we have for supper to-night to the cook's
to be baked, for fear of their offering violence to it: but it went, and
no hurt done. Then I took an opportunity, when they were all gone
into the foreyarde, and slipt into the office and there busy all the
afternoon, but by and by the women got into the garden, and come all
to my closett window, and there tormented me, and I confess their cries
were so sad for money, and laying down the condition of their families
and their husbands, and what they have done and suffered for the King,
and how ill they are used by us, and how well the Dutch are used here by
the allowance of their masters, and what their husbands are offered to
serve the Dutch abroad, that I do most heartily pity them, and was ready
to cry to hear them, but cannot helpe them. However, when the rest were
gone, I did call one to me that I heard complaine only and pity her
husband and did give her some money, and she blessed me and went away.
Anon my business at the office being done I to the Tower to speak with
Sir John Robinson about business, principally the bad condition of the
pressed men for want of clothes, so it is represented from the fleete,
and so to provide them shirts and stockings and drawers. Having done
with him about that, I home and there find my wife and the two Mrs.
Bateliers walking in the garden. I with them till almost 9 at night, and
then they and we and Mrs. Mercer, the mother, and her daughter Anne, and
our Mercer, to supper to a good venison-pasty and other good things, and
had a good supper, and very merry, Mistresses Bateliers being both very
good-humoured. We sang and talked, and then led them home, and there
they made us drink; and, among other things, did show us, in cages, some
birds brought from about Bourdeaux, that are all fat, and, examining one
of them, they are so, almost all fat. Their name is [Ortolans], which
are brought over to the King for him to eat