very much, about the
business of the East India Company and one Skinner; to the latter of which
the Lords have awarded L5000 from the former, for some wrong done him
heretofore; and the former appealing to the Commons, the Lords vote their
petition a libell; and so there is like to follow very hot work. Thence
by water, not being able to get a coach, nor boat but a sculler, and that
with company, is being so foul a day, to the Old Swan, and so home, and
there spent the evening, making Balty read to me, and so to supper and to
bed.

2nd. Up, and at the office all the morning. At noon with Lord Brouncker
in his coach as far as the Temple, and there 'light and to Hercules
Pillars, and there dined, and thence to the Duke of York's playhouse, at a
little past twelve, to get a good place in the pit, against the new play,
and there setting a poor man to keep my place, I out, and spent an hour at
Martin's, my bookseller's, and so back again, where I find the house quite
full. But I had my place, and by and by the King comes and the Duke of
York; and then the play begins, called "The Sullen Lovers; or, The
Impertinents," having many good humours in it, but the play tedious, and
no design at all in it. But a little boy, for a farce, do dance
Polichinelli, the best that ever anything was done in the world, by all
men's report: most pleased with that, beyond anything in the world, and
much beyond all the play. Thence to the King's house to see Knepp, but
the play done; and so I took a hackney alone, and to the park, and there
spent the evening, and to the lodge, and drank new milk. And so home to
the Office, ended my letters, and, to spare my eyes, home, and played on
my pipes, and so to bed.

3rd (Lord's day). Up, and to church, where I saw Sir A. Rickard, though
he be under the Black Rod, by order of the Lords' House, upon the quarrel
between the East India Company and Skinner, which is like to come to a
very great heat between the two Houses. At noon comes Mr. Mills and his
wife, and Mr. Turner and his wife, by invitation to dinner, and we were
mighty merry, and a very pretty dinner, of my Bridget and Nell's dressing,
very handsome. After dinner to church again . . . . So home and with
Sir W. Pen took a hackney, and he and I to Old Street, to a brew-house
there, to see Sir Thomas Teddiman, who is very ill in bed of a fever, got,
I believe, by the fright the Parliament have put him into, of late. But
he is a good