ice of it, but after dinner to the office,
and there with Mr. Harper did another good piece of work about my late
collection of the accounts of the Navy presented to the Parliament at
their last session, which was left unfinished, and now I have done it
which sets my mind at my ease, and so, having tired myself, I took a
pair of oares about five o'clock, which I made a gally at Redriffe,
and so with very much pleasure down to Gravesend, all the way with
extraordinary content reading of Boyle's Hydrostatickes, which the more
I read and understand, the more I admire, as a most excellent piece of
philosophy; as we come nearer Gravesend, we hear the Dutch fleete and
ours a-firing their guns most distinctly and loud. But before we got to
Gravesend they ceased, and it grew darkish, and so I landed only (and
the flood being come) and went up to the Ship and discoursed with the
landlord of the house, who undeceives me in what I heard this morning
about the Dutch having lost two men-of-war, for it is not so, but
several of their fire-ships. He do say, that this afternoon they did
force our ships to retreat, but that now they are gone down as far as
Shield-haven: but what the event hath been of this evening's guns they
know not, but suppose not much, for they have all this while shot at
good distance one from another. They seem confident of the security of
this town and the River above it, if the enemy should come up so high;
their fortifications being so good, and guns many. But he do say
that people do complain of Sir Edward Spragg, that he hath not done
extraordinary; and more of Sir W. Jenings, that he come up with his
tamkins

[Tamkin, or tampion, the wooden stopper of a cannon placed in the
muzzle to exclude water or dust.]

in his guns. Having discoursed this a little with him, and eat a bit
of cold venison and drank, I away, took boat, and homeward again, with
great pleasure, the moon shining, and it being a fine pleasant cool
evening, and got home by half-past twelve at night, and so to bed.

25th. Up, and to the office, where we sat all the morning. At noon home
to dinner, and there sang with much pleasure with my wife, and so to the
office again, and busy all the afternoon. At night Sir W. Batten, [Sir]
W. Pen, and myself, and Sir R. Ford, did meet in the garden to discourse
about our prizes at Hull. It appears that Hogg is the eeriest rogue, the
most observable embezzler, that ever was known. This vexes us