till night,
we met to discourse upon the alterations which are propounded to be made
in the draft of the victualler's contract which we did lately make, and
then we being up comes Mr. Child, Papillion and Littleton, his partners,
to discourse upon the matter with me, which I did, and spent all the
evening with them at the office, and so, they being gone, I to supper and
talk with my wife, and so to bed.

25th. Up, and by water to St. James's, and there, with Mr. Wren, did
discourse about my great letter, which the Duke of York hath given him:
and he hath set it to be transcribed by Billings, his man, whom, as he
tells me, he can most confide in for secresy, and is much pleased with it,
and earnest to have it be; and he and I are like to be much together in
the considering how to reform the Office, and that by the Duke of York's
command. Thence I, mightily pleased with this success, away to the
Office, where all the morning, my head full of this business. And it is
pretty how Lord Brouncker this day did tell me how he hears that a design
is on foot to remove us out of the Office: and proposes that we two do
agree to draw up a form of a new constitution of the Office, there to
provide remedies for the evils we are now under, so that we may be
beforehand with the world, which I agreed to, saying nothing of my design;
and, the truth is, he is the best man of them all, and I would be glad,
next myself, to save him; for, as he deserves best, so I doubt he needs
his place most. So home to dinner at noon, and all the afternoon busy at
the office till night, and then with my mind full of business now in my
head, I to supper and to bed.

26th. Up, and to the office, where all the morning almost, busy about
business against the afternoon, and we met a little to sign two or three
things at the Board of moment, and thence at noon home to dinner, and so
away to White Hall by water. In my way to the Old Swan, finding a great
many people gathered together in Cannon Street about a man that was
working in the ruins, and the ground did sink under him, and he sunk in,
and was forced to be dug out again, but without hurt. Thence to White
Hall, and it is strange to say with what speed the people employed do pull
down Paul's steeple, and with what ease: it is said that it, and the choir
are to be taken down this year, and another church begun in the room
thereof, the next. At White Hall we met at the Treasury chamber, and
there befo