Lord invited me to dinner
to-day to dine with Sir W. Batten and his Lady there, who were invited
before, but lest he should thinke so little an invitation would serve
my turne I refused and parted, and to Westminster about business, and
so back to the 'Change, and there met Mr. Hill, newly come to town,
and with him the Houblands, preparing for their ship's and his going to
Tangier, and agreed that I must sup with them to-night. So home and eat
a bit, and then to White Hall to a Committee for Tangier, but it did
not meet but was put off to to-morrow, so I did some little business and
visited my Lord Sandwich, and so, it raining, went directly to the Sun,
behind the Exchange, about seven o'clock, where I find all the five
brothers Houblons, and mighty fine gentlemen they are all, and used me
mighty respectfully. We were mighty civilly merry, and their discourses,
having been all abroad, very fine. Here late and at last accompanied
home with Mr. J. Houblon and Hill, whom I invited to sup with me on
Friday, and so parted and I home to bed.

6th. Up, and to the office, where very busy all the morning. We met
upon a report to the Duke of Yorke of the debts of the Navy, which we
finished by three o'clock, and having eat one little bit of meate, I by
water before the rest to White Hall (and they to come after me) because
of a Committee for Tangier, where I did my business of stating my
accounts perfectly well, and to good liking, and do not discern, but
the Duke of Albemarle is my friend in his intentions notwithstanding my
general fears. After that to our Navy business, where my fellow officers
were called in, and did that also very well, and then broke up, and I
home by coach, Tooker with me, and staid in Lumbard Streete at Viner's,
and sent home for the plate which my wife and I had a mind to change,
and there changed it, about L50 worth, into things more usefull, whereby
we shall now have a very handsome cupboard of plate. So home to the
office, wrote my letters by the post, and to bed.

7th. It being fast day I staid at home all day long to set things to
rights in my chamber by taking out all my books, and putting my chamber
in the same condition it was before the plague. But in the morning doing
of it, and knocking up a nail I did bruise my left thumb so as broke
a great deal of my flesh off, that it hung by a little. It was a sight
frighted my wife, but I put some balsam of Mrs. Turner's to it, and
though in great pai