office to my business hard, being sorry
to have made this scape without my wife, but I have a good salvo to my
oath in doing it. By and by, in the evening, comes Sir W. Batten's Mingo
to me to pray me to come to his master and Sir Richard Ford, who have very
ill news to tell me. I knew what it was, it was about our trial for a
good prize to-day, "The Phoenix,"

[There are references to the "Phoenix," a Dutch ship taken as a
prize, among the State Papers (see "Calendar," 1666-67, p. 404).
Pepys appears to have got into trouble at a later date in respect to
this same ship, for among the Rawlinson MSS. (A. 170) are "Papers
relating to the charge brought against him in the House of Commons
in 1689 with reference to the ship Phoenix and the East India
Company in 1681-86."]

a worth two or L3000. I went to them, where they told me with much
trouble how they had sped, being cast and sentenced to make great
reparation for what we had embezzled, and they did it so well that I was
much troubled at it, when by and by Sir W. Batten asked me whether I was
mortified enough, and told me we had got the day, which was mighty welcome
news to me and us all. But it is pretty to see what money will do.
Yesterday, Walker was mighty cold on our behalf, till Sir W. Batten
promised him, if we sped in this business of the goods, a coach; and if at
the next trial we sped for the ship, we would give him a pair of horses.
And he hath strove for us today like a prince, though the Swedes' Agent
was there with all the vehemence he could to save the goods, but yet we
carried it against him. This put me in mighty good heart, and then we go
to Sir W. Pen, who is come back to-night from Chatham, and did put him
into the same condition, and then comforted him. So back to my office, and
wrote an affectionate and sad letter to my father about his and my
mother's illness, and so home to supper and to bed late.

22nd. Up and by coach to Sir Ph. Warwicke about business for Tangier
about money, and then to Sir Stephen Fox to give him account of a little
service I have done him about money coming to him from our office, and
then to Lovett's and saw a few baubling things of their doing which are
very pretty, but the quality of the people, living only by shifts, do not
please me, that it makes me I do no more care for them, nor shall have
more acquaintance with them after I have got my Lady Castlemayne's picture
home. So