riffe; and so home, and to the
office a while. In the evening comes W. Batelier and his sister, and
my wife, and fair Mrs. Turner into the garden, and there we walked, and
then with my Lady Pen and Pegg in a-doors, and eat and were merry, and
so pretty late broke up, and to bed. The guns of the Tower going
off, and there being bonefires also in the street for this late good
successe.

16th. Up, having slept well, and after entering my journal, to the
office, where all the morning, but of late Sir W. Coventry hath not come
to us, he being discouraged from the little we have to do but to answer
the clamours of people for money. At noon home, and there dined with
me my Lady Pen only and W. Hewer at a haunch of venison boiled, where
pretty merry, only my wife vexed me a little about demanding money to go
with my Lady Pen to the Exchange to lay out. I to the office, where all
the afternoon and very busy and doing much business; but here I had a
most eminent experience of the evil of being behindhand in business. I
was the most backward to begin any thing, and would fain have framed to
myself an occasion of going abroad, and should, I doubt, have done it,
but some business coming in, one after another, kept me there, and I
fell to the ridding away of a great deale of business, and when my hand
was in it was so pleasing a sight to [see] my papers disposed of, and
letters answered, which troubled my book and table, that I could have
continued there with delight all night long, and did till called away
by my Lady Pen and Pegg and my wife to their house to eat with them;
and there I went, and exceeding merry, there being Nan Wright, now Mrs.
Markham, and sits at table with my Lady. So mighty merry, home and to
bed. This day Sir W. Batten did show us at the table a letter from Sir
T. Allen, which says that we have taken ten or twelve' ships (since
the late great expedition of burning their ships and towne), laden with
hempe, flax, tarr, deales, &c. This was good newes; but by and by comes
in Sir G. Carteret, and he asked us with full mouth what we would give
for good newes. Says Sir W. Batten, "I have better than you, for a
wager." They laid sixpence, and we that were by were to give sixpence
to him that told the best newes. So Sir W. Batten told his of the ten or
twelve ships Sir G. Carteret did then tell us that upon the newes of the
burning of the ships and towne the common people a Amsterdam did besiege
De Witt's house, and he