been forced to answer the whole bill; and this, which I do do, I hope
to secure out of the plate, which was delivered into my custody of my
Lord's the other day by Mr. Cooke, and which I did get Mr. Stokes,
the goldsmith, last night to weigh at my house, and there is enough to
secure L100. Thence home to the office, and there all the morning by
particular appointment with Sir W. Pen, Sir R. Ford, and those that are
concerned for my Lady Batten (Mr. Wood, Young, and Lewes), to even the
accounts of our prize business, and at noon broke up, and to dinner,
every man to his own home, and to it till late at night again, and
we did come to some end, and I am mightily put to it how to order
the business of my bargaine, but my industry is to keep it off from
discourse till the ship be brought home safe, and this I did do, and so
we broke up, she appearing in our debts about L1500, and so we parted,
and I to my business, and home to my wife, who is troubled with the
tooth ake, and there however I got her to read to me the History of
Algiers, which I find a very pretty book, and so to supper with much
pleasure talking, and to bed. The Parliament not adjourned yet.

19th. Up, and to the Office, where Commissioner Middleton first took
place at the Board as Surveyor of the Navy; and indeed I think will be
an excellent officer; I am sure much beyond what his predecessor was. At
noon, to avoid being forced to invite him to dinner, it being his first
day, and nobody inviting him, I did go to the 'Change with Sir W. Pen in
his coach, who first went to Guildhall, whither I went with him, he to
speak with Sheriff Gawden--I only for company; and did here look up and
down this place, where I have not been before since the fire; and I see
that the city are got a pace on in the rebuilding of Guildhall. Thence
to the 'Change, where I stayed very little, and so home to dinner, and
there find my wife mightily out of order with her teeth. At the office
all the afternoon, and at night by coach to Westminster, to the Hall,
where I met nobody, and do find that this evening the King by message
(which he never did before) hath passed several bills, among others
that for the Accounts, and for banishing my Lord Chancellor, and hath
adjourned the House to February; at which I am glad, hoping in this time
to get leisure to state my Tangier Accounts, and to prepare better for
the Parliament's enquiries. Here I hear how the House of Lords, with
great severity