and till very lately bakers made
gingerbread Welshmen, called taffies, on St. David's day, which were
made to represent a man skewered" (vol. i., pp. 60,61).]

Being returned home, I find Greeting, the flageolet-master, come, and
teaching my wife; and I do think my wife will take pleasure in it, and
it will be easy for her, and pleasant. So I, as I am well content with
the charge it will occasion me. So to the office till dinner-time, and
then home to dinner, and before dinner making my wife to sing. Poor
wretch! her ear is so bad that it made me angry, till the poor wretch
cried to see me so vexed at her, that I think I shall not discourage her
so much again, but will endeavour to make her understand sounds, and do
her good that way; for she hath a great mind to learn, only to please
me; and, therefore, I am mighty unjust to her in discouraging her so
much, but we were good friends, and to dinner, and had she not been ill
with those and that it were not Friday (on which in Lent there are no
plays) I had carried her to a play, but she not being fit to go abroad,
I to the office, where all the afternoon close examining the collection
of my papers of the accounts of the Navy since this war to my great
content, and so at night home to talk and sing with my-wife, and then to
supper and so to bed with great pleasure. But I cannot but remember that
just before dinner one of my people come up to me, and told me a man
come from Huntingdon would speak with me, how my heart come into my
mouth doubting that my father, who has been long sicke, was dead. It put
me into a trembling, but, blessed be [God]! it was no such thing, but a
countryman come about ordinary business to me, to receive L50 paid to my
father in the country for the Perkins's for their legacy, upon the death
of their mother, by my uncle's will. So though I get nothing at present,
at least by the estate, I am fain to pay this money rather than rob my
father, and much good may it do them that I may have no more further
trouble from them. I hear to-day that Tom Woodall, the known chyrurgeon,
is killed at Somerset House by a Frenchman, but the occasion Sir W.
Batten could not tell me.

2nd. Up, and to the office, where sitting all the morning, and among
other things did agree upon a distribution of L30,000 and odd, which is
the only sum we hear of like to come out of all the Poll Bill for the
use of this office for buying of goods. I did herein some few courte