h I do not grudge
it her, but to incline her to have Mercer again, which I believe I shall
do, but the girle, I hear, has no mind to come to us again, which vexes
me. Being come home, I to Sir W. Batten, and there hear our business was
tendered to the House to-day, and a Committee of the whole House chosen
to examine our accounts, and a great many Hotspurs enquiring into it,
and likely to give us much trouble and blame, and perhaps (which I am
afeard of) will find faults enow to demand better officers. This I truly
fear. Away with Sir W. Pen, who was there, and he and I walked in
the garden by moonlight, and he proposes his and my looking out into
Scotland about timber, and to use Pett there; for timber will be a good
commodity this time of building the City; and I like the motion, and
doubt not that we may do good in it. We did also discourse about our
Privateer, and hope well of that also, without much hazard, as, if God
blesses us, I hope we shall do pretty well toward getting a penny. I was
mightily pleased with our discourse, and so parted, and to the office to
finish my journall for three or four days, and so home to supper, and to
bed. Our fleete abroad, and the Dutch too, for all we know; the weather
very bad; and under the command of an unlucky man, I fear. God bless
him, and the fleete under him!

27th. A very furious blowing night all the night; and my mind still
mightily perplexed with dreams, and burning the rest of the town, and
waking in much pain for the fleete. Up, and with my wife by coach as far
as the Temple, and there she to the mercer's again, and I to look out
Penny, my tailor, to speak for a cloak and cassock for my brother, who
is coming to town; and I will have him in a canonical dress, that he may
be the fitter to go abroad with me. I then to the Exchequer, and there,
among other things, spoke to Mr. Falconbridge about his girle I heard
sing at Nonsuch, and took him and some other 'Chequer men to the Sun
Taverne, and there spent 2s. 6d. upon them, and he sent for the girle,
and she hath a pretty way of singing, but hath almost forgot for want of
practice. She is poor in clothes, and not bred to any carriage, but will
be soon taught all, and if Mercer do not come again, I think we may have
her upon better terms, and breed her to what we please. Thence to Sir W.
Coventry's, and there dined with him and Sir W. Batten, the Lieutenant
of the Tower, and Mr. Thin, a pretty gentleman, going to Gottenbu