ote this morning
to him about a maid of his that my wife had hired, and she sent us word
that she was hired to stay longer with her master, which mistake he came
to clear himself of; and I took it very kindly. So I having appointed
the young ladies at the Wardrobe to go with them to a play to-day, I
left him and my brother Tom who came along with him to dine, and my wife
and I took them to the Theatre, where we seated ourselves close by the
King, and Duke of York, and Madame Palmer, which was great content; and,
indeed, I can never enough admire her beauty. And here was "Bartholomew
Fayre," with the puppet-show, acted to-day, which had not been these
forty years (it being so satyricall against Puritanism, they durst not
till now, which is strange they should already dare to do it, and the
King do countenance it), but I do never a whit like it the better for
the puppets, but rather the worse. Thence home with the ladies, it being
by reason of our staying a great while for the King's coming, and the
length of the play, near nine o'clock before it was done, and so in
their coach home, and still in discontent with my wife, to bed, and rose
so this morning also.

8th (Lord's day). To church, it being a very wet night last night
and to-day, dined at home, and so to church again with my wife in the
afternoon, and coming home again found our new maid Doll asleep, that
she could not hear to let us in, so that we were fain to send the boy in
at a window to open the door to us. So up to my chamber all alone, and
troubled in mind to think how much of late I have addicted myself to
expense and pleasure, that now I can hardly reclaim myself to look after
my great business of settling Gravely business, until now almost too
late. I pray God give me grace to begin now to look after my business,
but it always was, and I fear will ever be, my foible that after I am
once got behind-hand with business, I am hard to set to it again to
recover it. In the evening I begun to look over my accounts and upon
the whole I do find myself, by what I can yet see, worth near L600, for
which God be blessed, which put me into great comfort. So to supper and
to bed.

9th. To the Privy Seal in the morning, but my Lord did not come, so I
went with Captain Morrice at his desire into the King's Privy Kitchen
to Mr. Sayres, the Master Cook, and there we had a good slice of beef
or two to our breakfast, and from thence he took us into the wine cellar
where, by