he evening, and
very merry all the way. So to Greenwich, where when come I find my
Lord Rutherford and Creed come from Court, and among other things have
brought me several orders for money to pay for Tangier; and, among
the rest L7000 and more, to this Lord, which is an excellent thing to
consider, that, though they can do nothing else, they can give away
the King's money upon their progresse. I did give him the best answer I
could to pay him with tallys, and that is all they could get from me.
I was not in humour to spend much time with them, but walked a little
before Sir J. Minnes's door and then took leave, and I by water to
Woolwich, where with my wife to a game at tables,

[The old name for backgammon, used by Shakespeare and others. The
following lines are from an epitaph entirely made up of puns on
backgammon

"Man's life's a game at tables, and he may
Mend his bad fortune by his wiser play."

Wit's Recre., i. 250, reprint, 1817.]

and to bed.

12th. Up, and walked to the office, where we sat late, and thence to
dinner home with Sir J. Minnes, and so to the office, where writing
letters, and home in the evening, where my wife shews me a letter from
her brother speaking of their father's being ill, like to die, which,
God forgive me! did not trouble me so much as it should, though I was
indeed sorry for it. I did presently resolve to send him something in a
letter from my wife, viz. 20s. So to bed.

13th. Up, and walked to Greenwich, taking pleasure to walk with my
minute watch in my hand, by which I am come now to see the distances of
my way from Woolwich to Greenwich, and do find myself to come within two
minutes constantly to the same place at the end of each quarter of an
houre. Here we rendezvoused at Captain Cocke's, and there eat oysters,
and so my Lord Bruncker, Sir J. Minnes, and I took boat, and in my
Lord's coach to Sir W. Hickes's, whither by and by my Lady Batten and
Sir William comes. It is a good seat, with a fair grove of trees by it,
and the remains of a good garden; but so let to run to ruine, both house
and every thing in and about it, so ill furnished and miserably looked
after, I never did see in all my life. Not so much as a latch to his
dining-room door; which saved him nothing, for the wind blowing into the
room for want thereof, flung down a great bow pott that stood upon
the side-table, and that fell upon