a sad condition like to be, there being the very beginnings of the late
troubles. He gone, I at the office all the morning. At noon home to
dinner, where Mrs. Pierce and her boy and Knipp, who sings as well, and
is the best company in the world, dined with us, and infinite merry. The
playhouses begin to play next week. Towards evening I took them out to
the New Exchange, and there my wife bought things, and I did give each
of them a pair of Jesimy

[Jessemin (Jasminum), the flowers of which are of a delicate sweet
smell, and often used to perfume gloves. Edmund Howes, Stows
continuator, informs us that sweet or perfumed gloves were first
brought into England by the Earl of Oxford on his return from Italy,
in the fifteenth year of Queen Elizabeth, during whose reign, and
long afterwards, they were very fashionable. They are frequently
mentioned by Shakespeare. Autolyctis, in the "Winter's Tale," has
among his wares--"Gloves as sweet as damask roses."--B.]

plain gloves, and another of white. Here Knipp and I walked up and down
to see handsome faces, and did see several. Then carried each of them
home, and with great pleasure and content, home myself, where, having
writ several letters, I home, and there, upon some serious discourse
between my wife and I upon the business, I called to us my brother, and
there broke to him our design to send him into the country with some
part of our money, and so did seriously discourse the whole thing,
and then away to supper and to bed. I pray God give a blessing to our
resolution, for I do much fear we shall meet with speedy distractions
for want of money.

28th (Lord's day). Up, and to church with my wife, and then home, and
there is come little Michell and his wife, I sent for them, and also
tomes Captain Guy to dine with me, and he and I much talk together. He
cries out of the discipline of the fleete, and confesses really that the
true English valour we talk of is almost spent and worn out; few of
the commanders doing what they should do, and he much fears we shall
therefore be beaten the next year. He assures me we were beaten home the
last June fight, and that the whole fleete was ashamed to hear of our
bonefires. He commends Smith, and cries out of Holmes for an idle,
proud, conceited, though stout fellow. He tells me we are to owe the
losse of so many ships on the sands, not to any fault of the pilots,
but to the weather; but in thi