and yet every body believes that he do it most honestly. I
am troubled for him very much. He gone, I hard at the office till night,
then home to supper and to bed.

10th. Up, and to the office, where busy all the morning, sitting, and
there presented Sir W. Coventry with my little book made up of Lovett's
varnished paper, which he and the whole board liked very well. At noon
home to dinner and then to the office; the yarde being very full of women
(I believe above three hundred) coming to get money for their husbands and
friends that are prisoners in Holland; and they lay clamouring and
swearing and cursing us, that my wife and I were afeard to send a
venison-pasty that we have for supper to-night to the cook's to be baked,
for fear of their offering violence to it: but it went, and no hurt done.
Then I took an opportunity, when they were all gone into the foreyarde,
and slipt into the office and there busy all the afternoon, but by and by
the women got into the garden, and come all to my closett window, and
there tormented me, and I confess their cries were so sad for money, and
laying down the condition of their families and their husbands, and what
they have done and suffered for the King, and how ill they are used by us,
and how well the Dutch are used here by the allowance of their masters,
and what their husbands are offered to serve the Dutch abroad, that I do
most heartily pity them, and was ready to cry to hear them, but cannot
helpe them. However, when the rest were gone, I did call one to me that I
heard complaine only and pity her husband and did give her some money, and
she blessed me and went away. Anon my business at the office being done I
to the Tower to speak with Sir John Robinson about business, principally
the bad condition of the pressed men for want of clothes, so it is
represented from the fleete, and so to provide them shirts and stockings
and drawers. Having done with him about that, I home and there find my
wife and the two Mrs. Bateliers walking in the garden. I with them till
almost 9 at night, and then they and we and Mrs. Mercer, the mother, and
her daughter Anne, and our Mercer, to supper to a good venison-pasty and
other good things, and had a good supper, and very merry, Mistresses
Bateliers being both very good-humoured. We sang and talked, and then led
them home, and there they made us drink; and, among other things, did show
us, in cages, some birds brought from about Bourdeaux