espairing of seeing my Lady Newcastle; and so back the same way, and to
St. James's, thinking to have met my Lady Newcastle before she got home,
but we staying by the way to drink, she got home a little before us: so
we lost our labours, and then home; where we find the two young ladies
come home, and their patches off, I suppose Sir W. Pen do not allow
of them in his sight, and going out of town to-night, though late, to
Walthamstow. So to talk a little at Sir W. Batten's, and then home to
supper, where I find Mrs. Hewer and her son, who have been abroad with
my wife in the Park, and so after supper to read and then to bed. Sir
W. Pen did give me an account this afternoon of his design of buying Sir
Robert Brooke's fine house at Wansted; which I so wondered at, and did
give him reasons against it, which he allowed of: and told me that he
did intend to pull down the house and build a less, and that he should
get L1500 by the old house, and I know not what fooleries. But I
will never believe he ever intended to buy it, for my part; though he
troubled Mr. Gawden to go and look upon it, and advise him in it.

2nd. To the office, where all the morning. At noon home to dinner, and
then abroad to my Lord Treasurer's, who continues so ill as not to be
troubled with business. So Mr. Gawden and I to my Lord Ashly's and spoke
with him, and then straight home, and there I did much business at the
office, and then to my own chamber and did the like there, to my great
content, but to the pain of my eyes, and then to supper and to bed,
having a song with my wife with great pleasure, she doing it well.

3rd. Up, and with Sir J. Minnes, [Sir] W. Batten, and [Sir] W. Pen in
the last man's coach to St. James's, and thence up to the Duke of York's
chamber, which, as it is now fretted at the top, and the chimney-piece
made handsome, is one of the noblest and best-proportioned rooms that
ever, I think, I saw in my life, and when ready, into his closet and
did our business, where, among other things, we had a proposition of
Mr. Pierces, for being continued in pay, or something done for him, in
reward of his pains as Chyrurgeon-Generall; forasmuch as Troutbecke,
that was never a doctor before, hath got L200 a year settled on him for
nothing but that one voyage with the Duke of Albemarle. The Duke of York
and the whole company did shew most particular kindness to Mr. Pierce,
every body moving for him, and the Duke himself most, that he is likel