ing, and having beaten the English: in confidence
whereof (it coming to Bourdeaux), all the fleete comes out, and so falls
into our hands.

18th (Lord's day). To church, where, God forgive me! I spent most of my
time in looking [on] my new Morena--[a brunette]--at the other side of
the church, an acquaintance of Pegg Pen's. So home to dinner, and then
to my chamber to read Ben Johnson's Cataline, a very excellent piece,
and so to church again, and thence we met at the office to hire ships,
being in great haste and having sent for several masters of ships to
come to us. Then home, and there Mr. Andrews and Hill come and we sung
finely, and by and by Mr. Fuller, the Parson, and supped with me, he and
a friend of his, but my musique friends would not stay supper. At
and after supper Mr. Fuller and I told many storys of apparitions and
delusions thereby, and I out with my storys of Tom Mallard. He gone, I a
little to my office, and then to prayers and to bed.

19th. Going to bed betimes last night we waked betimes, and from our
people's being forced to take the key to go out to light a candle, I was
very angry and begun to find fault with my wife for not commanding her
servants as she ought. Thereupon she giving me some cross answer I did
strike her over her left eye such a blow as the poor wretch did cry out
and was in great pain, but yet her spirit was such as to endeavour to
bite and scratch me. But I coying--[stroking or caressing]--with her
made her leave crying, and sent for butter and parsley, and friends
presently one with another, and I up, vexed at my heart to think what I
had done, for she was forced to lay a poultice or something to her eye
all day, and is black, and the people of the house observed it. But I
was forced to rise, and up and with Sir J. Minnes to White Hall, and
there we waited on the Duke. And among other things Mr. Coventry took
occasion to vindicate himself before the Duke and us, being all there,
about the choosing of Taylor for Harwich. Upon which the Duke did clear
him, and did tell us that he did expect, that, after he had named a man,
none of us shall then oppose or find fault with the man; but if we had
anything to say, we ought to say it before he had chose him. Sir G.
Carteret thought himself concerned, and endeavoured to clear himself:
and by and by Sir W. Batten did speak, knowing himself guilty, and did
confess, that being pressed by the Council he did say what he did, that
he was a