e just risen; and met with Sir W. Coventry and
the Lieutenant of the Tower, they having sat all day; and with great
difficulty have got a vote for giving the King L300,000, not to be
raised by any land-tax. The sum is much smaller than I expected,
and than the King needs; but is grounded upon Mr. Wren's reading our
estimates the other day of L270,000, to keep the fleete abroad, wherein
we demanded nothing for setting and fitting of them out, which will cost
almost L200,000, I do verily believe: and do believe that the King hath
no cause to thank Wren for this motion. I home to Sir W. Coventry's
lodgings, with him and the Lieutenant of the Tower, where also was Sir
John Coventry, and Sir John Duncomb, and Sir Job Charleton. And here
a great deal of good discourse: and they seem mighty glad to have this
vote pass, which I did wonder at, to see them so well satisfied with so
small a sum, Sir John Duncomb swearing, as I perceive he will freely
do, that it was as much as the nation could beare. Among other merry
discourse about spending of money, and how much more chargeable a man's
living is now more than it was heretofore, Duncomb did swear that
in France he did live of L100 a year with more plenty, and wine and
wenches, than he believes can be done now for L200, which was pretty
odd for him, being a Committee-man's son, to say. Having done here, and
supped, where I eat very little, we home in Sir John Robinson's coach,
and there to bed.

27th. All the morning at the office, and at noon home to dinner, and
thence with my wife and Deb. to the King's House, to see "The Virgin
Martyr," the first time it hath been acted a great while: and it is
mighty pleasant; not that the play is worth much, but it is finely acted
by Becke Marshall. But that which did please me beyond any thing in, the
whole world was the wind-musique when the angel comes down, which is so
sweet that it ravished me, and indeed, in a word, did wrap up my soul so
that it made me really sick, just as I have formerly been when in love
with my wife; that neither then, nor all the evening going home, and
at home, I was able to think of any thing, but remained all night
transported, so as I could not believe that ever any musick hath that
real command over the soul of a man as this did upon me: and makes me
resolve to practice wind-musique, and to make my wife do the like.

28th. Up, and to the office, where all the morning doing business, and
after dinner with Si