came down to see along with me) very bad, and some
others, and with much content (God forgive me) I did hear by the Clerk
of the Ropeyard how it was by Sir W. Batten's private letter that one
parcel of Alderman Barker's' was received. At two o'clock to dinner to
the Hill-house, and after dinner dispatched many people's business,
and then to the yard again, and looked over Mr. Gregory's and Barrow's
houses to see the matter of difference between them concerning an
alteration that Barrow would make, which I shall report to the board,
but both their houses very pretty, and deserve to be so, being well
kept. Then to a trial of several sorts of hemp, but could not perform it
here so well as at Woolwich, but we did do it pretty well. So took barge
at the dock and to Rochester, and there Captain Cocke and I and our two
men took coach about 8 at night and to Gravesend, where it was very dark
before we got thither to the Swan; and there, meeting with Doncaster,
an old waterman of mine above bridge, we eat a short supper, being very
merry with the drolling, drunken coachman that brought us, and so
took water. It being very dark, and the wind rising, and our waterman
unacquainted with this part of the river, so that we presently cast upon
the Essex shore, but got off again, and so, as well as we could, went
on, but I in such fear that I could not sleep till we came to Erith,
and there it begun to be calm, and the stars to shine, and so I began
to take heart again, and the rest too, and so made shift to slumber a
little. Above Woolwich we lost our way, and went back to Blackwall, and
up and down, being guided by nothing but the barking of a dog, which we
had observed in passing by Blackwall, and so,

5th. Got right again with much ado, after two or three circles and so
on, and at Greenwich set in Captain Cocke, and I set forward, hailing to
all the King's ships at Deptford, but could not wake any man: so that we
could have done what we would with their ships. At last waked one man;
but it was a merchant ship, the Royall Catharine: so to the Towerdock
and home, where the girl sat up for me. It was about three o'clock,
and putting Mr. Boddam out of my bed, went to bed, and lay till nine
o'clock, and so to the office, where we sat all the morning, and I did
give some accounts of my service. Dined alone at home, and was glad my
house is begun tiling. And to the office again all the afternoon, till
it was so dark that I could not see ha