away, walked to Redriffe, and there took boat and away home, and upon
Tower Hill, near the ticket office, meeting with my old acquaintance Mr.
Chaplin, the cheesemonger, and there fell to talk of news, and he tells
me that for certain the King of France is denied passage with his army
through Flanders, and that he hears that the Dutch do stand upon high
terms with us, and will have a promise of not being obliged to strike
the flag to us before they will treat with us, and other high things,
which I am ashamed of and do hope will never be yielded to. That they do
make all imaginable preparations, but that he believes they will be in
mighty want of men; that the King of France do court us mightily. He
tells me too that our Lord-Treasurer is going to lay down, and that Lord
Arlington is to be Lord Treasurer, but I believe nothing of it, for he
is not yet of estate visible enough to have the charge I suppose upon
him. So being parted from him I home to the office, and after having
done business there I home to supper, and there mightily pleased with my
wife's beginning the flagellette, believing that she will come to very
well thereon. This day in the barge I took Berckenshaw's translation of
Alsted his Templum, but the most ridiculous book, as he has translated
it, that ever I saw in my life, I declaring that I understood not three
lines together from one end of the book to the other.

5th. Up, and to the office, where met and sat all the morning, doing
little for want of money, but only bear the countenance of an office.
At noon home to dinner, and then to the office again, and there comes
Martin my purser, and I walked with him awhile in the garden, I giving
him good advice to beware of coming any more with high demands for
supernumeraries or other things, for now Sir W. Pen is come to mind the
business, the passing of his accounts will not be so easy as the last.
He tells me he will never need it again, it being as easy, and to as
much purpose to do the same thing otherwise, and how he do keep his
Captain's table, and by that means hath the command of his Captains,
and do not fear in a 5th-rate ship constantly employed to get a L1000 in
five years time, and this year, besides all his spendings, which are I
fear high, he hath got at this day clear above L150 in a voyage of about
five or six months, which is a brave trade. He gone I to the office, and
there all the afternoon late doing much business, and then to see Sir W.