al Club or Dividend,
But wrangle, when the Bill is brought,
And think they're cheated when they're not."

The Delights of the Bottle, or the Compleat Vintner, 3rd ed., 1721,
p. 29.]

--come to 34s. a man, nine of us. Thence after dinner, to White Hall
with Sir W. Berkely in his coach, and so walked to Herbert's and there
spent a little time.... Thence by water to Fox-hall, and there walked
an hour alone, observing the several humours of the citizens that were
there this holyday, pulling of cherries,--[The game of bob-cherry]--and
God knows what, and so home to my office, where late, my wife not being
come home with my mother, who have been this day all abroad upon the
water, my mother being to go out of town speedily. So I home and to
supper and to bed, my wife come home when I come from the office. This
day I informed myself that there died four or five at Westminster of the
plague in one alley in several houses upon Sunday last, Bell Alley, over
against the Palace-gate; yet people do think that the number will be
fewer in the towne than it was the last weeke! The Dutch are come out
again with 20 sail under Bankert; supposed gone to the Northward to
meete their East India fleete.

21st. Up, and very busy all the morning. At noon with Creed to the
Excise Office, where I find our tallys will not be money in less than
sixteen months, which is a sad thing for the King to pay all that
interest for every penny he spends; and, which is strange, the
goldsmiths with whom I spoke, do declare that they will not be moved
to part with money upon the increase of their consideration of ten per
cent. which they have, and therefore desire I would not move in it, and
indeed the consequence would be very ill to the King, and have its ill
consequences follow us through all the King's revenue. Home, and my
uncle Wight and aunt James dined with me, my mother being to go
away to-morrow. So to White Hall, and there before and after Council
discoursed with Sir Thomas Ingram about our ill case as to Tangier for
money. He hath got the King to appoint a meeting on Friday, which I hope
will put an end one way or other to my pain. So homewards and to the
Cross Keys at Cripplegate, where I find all the towne almost going out
of towne, the coaches and waggons being all full of people going into
the country. Here I had some of the company of the tapster's wife a
while, and so home to my office, and then home