apers into this book, which did
please me mightily when done, I, writing till my eyes were almost blind
therewith to make an end of it. Then all the rest of the morning, and,
after a mouthful of dinner, all the afternoon in my closet till night,
sorting all my papers, which have lain unsorted for all the time we were
at Greenwich during the plague, which did please me also, I drawing
on to put my office into a good posture, though much is behind. This
morning come Captain. Cocke to me, and tells me that the King comes to
the House this day to pass the poll Bill and the Irish Bill; he tells me
too that, though the Faction is very froward in the House, yet all will
end well there. But he says that one had got a Bill ready to present in
the House against Sir W. Coventry, for selling of places, and says he is
certain of it, and how he was withheld from doing it. He says, that the
Vice-chamberlaine is now one of the greatest men in England again, and
was he that did prevail with the King to let the Irish Bill go with
the word "Nuisance." He told me, that Sir G. Carteret's declaration of
giving double to any man that will prove that any of his people have
demanded or taken any thing for forwarding the payment of the wages of
any man (of which he sent us a copy yesterday, which we approved of) is
set up, among other places, upon the House of Lords' door. I do not know
how wisely this is done. This morning, also, there come to the office a
letter from the Duke of York, commanding our payment of no wages to
any of the muster-masters of the fleete the last year, but only two, my
brother Balty, taking notice that he had taken pains therein, and one
Ward, who, though he had not taken so much as the other, yet had done
more than the rest. This I was exceeding glad of for my own sake and
his. At night I, by appointment, home, where W. Batelier and his sister
Mary, and the two Mercers, to play at cards and sup, and did cut our
great cake lately given us by Russell: a very good one. Here very merry
late. Sir W. Pen told me this night how the King did make them a very
sharp speech in the House of Lords to-day, saying that he did expect to
have had more Bills;

[On this day "An Act for raising Money by a Poll and otherwise
towards the maintenance of the present War," and "An Act prohibiting
the Importation of Cattle from Ireland and other parts beyond the
Sea, and Fish taken by Foreigners," were passed. The king.