he do please himself much with. After dinner to the office
again, and there till night. And that being done the Comptroller and
I to the Mitre to a glass of wine, when we fell into a discourse of
poetry, and he did repeat some verses of his own making which were very
good. Home, there hear that my Lady Batten had given my wife a visit
(the first that ever she made her), which pleased me exceedingly. So
after supper to bed.

27th. To Whitehall, where I found my Lord gone abroad to the Wardrobe,
whither he do now go every other morning, and do seem to resolve
to understand and look after the business himself. From thence to
Westminster Hall, and in King Street there being a great stop of
coaches, there was a falling out between a drayman and my Lord
Chesterfield's coachman, and one of his footmen killed. At the Hall I
met with Mr. Creed, and he and I to Hell to drink our morning draught,
and so to my Lord's again, where I found my wife, and she and I dined
with him and my Lady, and great company of my Lord's friends, and my
Lord did show us great respect. Soon as dinner was done my wife took
her leave, and went with Mr. Blackburne and his wife to London to a
christening of a Brother's child of his on Tower Hill, and I to a play,
"The Scorn-full Lady," and that being done, I went homewards, and met
Mr. Moore, who had been at my house, and took him to my father's, and we
three to Standing's to drink. Here Mr. Moore told me how the House had
this day voted the King to have all the Excise for ever. This day I do
also hear that the Queen's going to France is stopt, which do like, me
well, because then the King will be in town the next month, which is my
month again at the Privy Seal. From thence home, where when I come I
do remember that I did leave my boy Waineman at Whitehall with order to
stay there for me in the court, at which I was much troubled, but about
11 o'clock at night the boy came home well, and so we all to bed.

28th. This morning went to Whitehall to my Lord's, where Major Hart did
pay me; L23 14s. 9d., due to me upon my pay in my Lord's troop at the
time of our disbanding, which is a great blessing to have without taking
any law in the world for. But now I must put an end to any hopes of
getting any more, so that I bless God for this. From thence with Mr.
Shepley and Pinkney to the Sun, and did give them a glass of wine and a
peck of oysters for joy of my getting this money. So home, where I
found that Mr. C