n
Stradwick,--[Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Pepys, Lord Chief Justice of
Ireland, and wife of Thomas Stradwick.]--and went to Westminster to Mr.
Vines, where George and I fiddled a good while, Dick and his wife (who
was lately brought to bed) and her sister being there, but Mr. Hudson
not coming according to his promise, I went away, and calling at my
house on the wench, I took her and the lanthorn with me to my cosen
Stradwick, where, after a good supper, there being there my father,
mother, brothers, and sister, my cosen Scott and his wife, Mr. Drawwater
and his wife, and her brother, Mr. Stradwick, we had a brave cake
brought us, and in the choosing, Pall was Queen and Mr. Stradwick was
King. After that my wife and I bid adieu and came home, it being still a
great frost.

7th. At my office as I was receiving money of the probate of wills, in
came Mrs. Turner, Theoph., Madame Morrice, and Joyce, and after I had
done I took them home to my house and Mr. Hawly came after, and I got a
dish of steaks and a rabbit for them, while they were playing a game or
two at cards. In the middle of our dinner a messenger from Mr. Downing
came to fetch me to him, so leaving Mr. Hawly there, I went and was
forced to stay till night in expectation of the French Embassador, who
at last came, and I had a great deal of good discourse with one of his
gentlemen concerning the reason of the difference between the zeal of
the French and the Spaniard. After he was gone I went home, and found
my friends still at cards, and after that I went along with them to Dr.
Whores (sending my wife to Mrs. Jem's to a sack-posset), where I
heard some symphony and songs of his own making, performed by Mr. May,
Harding, and Mallard. Afterwards I put my friends into a coach, and went
to Mrs. Jem's, where I wrote a letter to my Lord by the post, and had my
part of the posset which was saved for me, and so we went home, and put
in at my Lord's lodgings, where we staid late, eating of part of his
turkey-pie, and reading of Quarles' Emblems. So home and to bed.

8th (Sunday). In the morning I went to Mr. Gunning's, where a good
sermon, wherein he showed the life of Christ, and told us good authority
for us to believe that Christ did follow his father's trade, and was
a carpenter till thirty years of age. From thence to my father's to
dinner, where I found my wife, who was forced to dine there, we not
having one coal of fire in the house, and it being very hard f