leaving them to finish the
writing it fair, which they did by sitting up most of the night, and so
home to bed.

18th. All the morning at the office about Sir W. Warren's accounts, my
mind full of my business, having before we met gone to Lord Brouncker,
and got him to read over my paper, who owns most absolute content in it,
and the advantage I have in it, and the folly of the Surveyor. At noon
home to dinner; and then again to the office a while, and so by hackney
coach to Brooke House, and there spoke with Colonel Thomson, I by order
carrying them [the Commissioners of Accounts] our Contract-books, from
the beginning to the end of the late war. I found him finding of errors
in a ship's book, where he shewed me many, which must end in the ruin, I
doubt, of the Controller, who found them not out in the pay of the ship,
or the whole Office. But I took little notice of them to concern myself
in them, but so leaving my books I home to the Office, where the
office met, and after some other business done, fell to mine, which the
Surveyor begun to be a little brisk at the beginning; but when I come to
the point to touch him, which I had all the advantages in the world
to do, he become as calm as a lamb, and owned, as the whole Board did,
their satisfaction, and cried excuse: and so all made friends; and their
acknowledgment put into writing, and delivered into Sir J. Minnes's
hand, to be kept there for the use of the Board, or me, when I shall
call for it; they desiring it might be so, that I might not make use of
it to the prejudice of the Surveyor, whom I had an advantage over, by
his extraordinary folly in this matter. But, besides this, I have no
small advantage got by this business, as I have put several things into
my letter which I should otherwise have wanted an opportunity of saying,
which pleases me mightily. So Middleton desiring to be friends, I
forgave him; and all mighty quiet, and fell to talk of other stories,
and there staid, all of us, till nine or ten at night, more than ever we
did in our lives before, together. And so home, where I have a new fight
to fight with my wife, who is under new trouble by some news she hath
heard of Deb.'s being mighty fine, and gives out that she has a friend
that gives her money, and this my wife believes to be me, and, poor
wretch! I cannot blame her, and therefore she run into mighty extremes;
but I did pacify all, and were mighty good friends, and to bed, and I
hope it wi