he
whole this week but 1,300 and odd, for which the Lord be praised!

_December 25 (Christmas Day)._ To church in the morning, and there saw a
wedding in the church, which I have not seen many a day, and the young
people so merry with one another, and strange to see what delight we
married people have to see these poor fools decoyed into our condition,
every man and woman gazing and smiling at them.

_December 31._ Thus ends this year, to my great joy, in this manner. I
have raised my estate from L1,300 in this year to L4,400. I have got
myself greater interest, I think, by my diligence, and my employments
increased by that of treasurer for Tangier and surveyor of the victuals.
It is true we have gone through great melancholy because of the plague,
and I put to great charges by it, by keeping my family long at Woolwich,
and myself and my clerks at Greenwich, and a maid at London; but I hope
the king will give us some satisfaction for that. But now the plague is
abated almost to nothing, and I intending to get to London as fast as I
can. To our great joy the town fills apace, and shops begin to be open
again.

_III.--The Great Fire_

_September 2, 1666._ Some of our maids sitting up late last night to get
things ready against our feast to-day, Jane called us up about three in
the morning to tell us of a great fire they saw in the City. So I rose,
and slipped on my nightgown, and went to her window, and thought it to
be on the back side of Mark Lane at the farthest, and so went to bed
again. About seven rose again to dress myself, and there looked out at
the window, and saw the fire not so much as it was, and further off.
By-and-by Jane comes and tells me that above 300 houses have been burned
down, and that it is now burning down all Fish Street, by London Bridge.
So I made myself ready, and walked to the Tower, and there got up upon
one of the high places; and there I did see the houses at that end of
the bridge all on fire, and an infinite great fire on this and the other
side of the bridge. So down with my heart full of trouble to the
lieutenant of the Tower, who tells me that it begun this morning in the
king's baker's house in Pudding Lane.

So I down to the waterside, and there got a boat, and through bridge,
and there saw a lamentable fire. Everybody endeavouring to remove their
goods, and flinging into the river, or bringing them into lighters that
lay off; poor people staying in their houses till the ve