in mind that, this afternoon,
Billing, the Quaker, meeting me in the Hall, come to me, and after a
little discourse did say, "Well," says he, "now you will be all called
to an account;" meaning the Parliament is drawing near. This done I took
coach and took up my wife, and so home, and after a little at the office
I home to my chamber a while, and then to supper and to bed.

23rd: Up betimes and to the office, doing something towards our great
account to the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, and anon the office
sat, and all the morning doing business. At noon home to dinner, and
then close to my business all the afternoon. In the evening Sir R. Ford
is come back from the Prince and tells Sir W. Batten and me how basely
Sir W. Pen received our letter we sent him about the prizes at Hull, and
slily answered him about the Prince's leaving all his concerns to him,
but the Prince did it afterward by letter brought by Sir R. Ford to us,
which Sir W. Pen knows not of, but a very rogue he is. By and by comes
sudden news to me by letter from the Clerke of the Cheque at Gravesend,
that there were thirty sail of Dutch men-of-war coming up into the Hope
this last tide: which I told Sir W. Pen of; but he would not believe it,
but laughed, and said it was a fleete of Billanders,

["Bilander. A small merchant vessel with two masts, particularly
distinguished from other vessels with two masts by the form of her
mainsail, which is bent to the whole length of her yard, hanging
fore and aft, and inclined to the horizon at an angle of about 45
deg. Few vessels are now rigged in this manner, and the name is
rather indiscriminately used."--Smyth's Sailor's Word-Book.]

and that the guns that were heard was the salutation of the Swede's
Ambassador that comes over with them. But within half an hour comes
another letter from Captain Proud, that eight of them were come into
the Hope, and thirty more following them, at ten this morning. By and
by comes an order from White Hall to send down one of our number to
Chatham, fearing that, as they did before, they may make a show first up
hither, but then go to Chatham: so my Lord Bruncker do go, and we here
are ordered to give notice to the merchant men-of-war, gone below the
barricado at Woolwich, to come up again. So with much trouble to supper,
home and to bed.

24th. Betimes this morning comes a letter from the Clerke of the Cheque
at Gravesend to me, to tell