pley come to dine with me, and there being to return
to Hinchinbroke speedily, I did give him as good account how matters go
here as I could. After dinner, he being gone, I to the office, and there
for want of other of my clerks, sent to Mr. Gibbs, whom I never used
till now, for the writing over of my little pocket Contract-book; and
there I laboured till nine at night with him, in drawing up the history
of all that hath passed concerning tickets, in order to the laying the
whole, and clearing myself and Office, before Sir R. Brookes; and in
this I took great pains, and then sent him away, and proceeded, and
had W. Hewer come to me, and he and I till past twelve at night in
the Office, and he, which was a good service, did so inform me in the
consequences of my writing this report, and that what I said would not
hold water, in denying this Board to have ever ordered the discharging
out of the service whole ships by ticket, that I did alter my whole
counsel, and fall to arme myself with good reasons to justify the Office
in so doing, which hath been but rare, and having done this, I went,
with great quiet in my mind, home, though vexed that so honest a
business should bring me so much trouble; but mightily was pleased to
find myself put out of my former design; and so, after supper, to bed.

25th. Up, and all the morning finishing my letter to Sir Robert Brookes,
which I did with great content, and yet at noon when I come home to
dinner I read it over again after it was sealed and delivered to the
messenger, and read it to my clerks who dined with me, and there I did
resolve upon some alteration, and caused it to be new writ, and so to
the office after dinner, and there all the afternoon mighty busy, and
at night did take coach thinking to have gone to Westminster, but it was
mighty dark and foul, and my business not great, only to keep my eyes
from reading by candle, being weary, but being gone part of my way I
turned back, and so home, and there to read, and my wife to read to me
out of Sir Robert Cotton's book about warr, which is very fine, showing
how the Kings of England have raised money by the people heretofore
upon the people, and how they have played upon the kings also. So after
supper I to bed. This morning Sir W. Pen tells me that the House was
very hot on Saturday last upon the business of liberty of speech in
the House, and damned the vote in the beginning of the Long Parliament
against it; I so that he fe