ar the next post, if not of my father's also,
who by his pain as well as his grief for her is very ill, but on my own
behalf I have cause to be joyful this day, it being my usual feast day,
for my being cut of the stone this day nine years, and through God's
blessing am at this day and have long been in as good condition of
health as ever I was in my life or any man in England is, God make me
thankful for it! But the condition I am in, in reference to my mother,
makes it unfit for me to keep my usual feast. Unless it shall please
God to send her well (which I despair wholly of), and then I will make
amends for it by observing another day in its room. So to the office,
and at the office all the morning, where I had an opportunity to speak
to Sir John Harman about my desire to have my brother Balty go again
with him to sea as he did the last year, which he do seem not only
contented but pleased with, which I was glad of. So at noon home to
dinner, where I find Creed, who dined with us, but I had not any time
to talk with him, my head being busy, and before I had dined was called
away by Sir W. Batten, and both of us in his coach (which I observe his
coachman do always go now from hence towards White Hall through Tower
Street, and it is the best way) to Exeter House, where the judge was
sitting, and after several little causes comes on ours, and while the
several depositions and papers were at large reading (which they call
the preparatory), and being cold by being forced to sit with my hat off
close to a window in the Hall, Sir W. Pen and I to the Castle Tavern
hard by and got a lobster, and he and I staid and eat it, and drank good
wine; I only burnt wine, as my whole custom of late hath been, as an
evasion, God knows, for my drinking of wine (but it is an evasion which
will not serve me now hot weather is coming, that I cannot pretend, as
indeed I really have done, that I drank it for cold), but I will leave
it off, and it is but seldom, as when I am in women's company, that I
must call for wine, for I must be forced to drink to them. Having done
here then we back again to the Court, and there heard our cause pleaded;
Sir [Edward] Turner, Sir W. Walker, and Sir Ellis Layton being our
counsel against only Sir Robert Wiseman on the other. The second of our
three counsel was the best, and indeed did speak admirably, and is a
very shrewd man. Nevertheless, as good as he did make our case, and the
rest, yet when Wiseman come t