6th.  In the morning with Sir W. Batten and Pen by water to Westminster, where at my Lord’s I met with Mr. Creed.  With him to see my Lord’s picture (now almost done), and thence to Westminster Hall, where we found the Parliament met to-day, and thence meeting with Mr. Chetwind, I took them to the Sun, and did give them a barrel of oysters, and had good discourse; among other things Mr. Chetwind told me how he did fear that this late business of the Duke of York’s would prove fatal to my Lord Chancellor.  From thence Mr. Creed and I to Wilkinson’s, and dined together, and in great haste thence to our office, where we met all, for the sale of two ships by an inch of candle

     [The old-fashioned custom of sale by auction by inch of candle was
     continued in sales by the Admiralty to a somewhat late date.  See
     September 3rd, 1662.]

(the first time that ever I saw any of this kind), where I observed how they do invite one another, and at last how they all do cry,—­[To cry was to bid.]—­and we have much to do to tell who did cry last.  The ships were the Indian, sold for L1,300, and the Half-moon, sold for L830.  Home, and fell a-reading of the tryalls of the late men that were hanged for the King’s death, and found good satisfaction in reading thereof.  At night to bed, and my wife and I did fall out about the dog’s being put down into the cellar, which I had a mind to have done because of his fouling the house, and I would have my will, and so we went to bed and lay all night in a quarrel.  This night I was troubled all night with a dream that my wife was dead, which made me that I slept ill all night.

7th (Office day).  This day my father came to dine at my house, but being sent for in the morning I could not stay, but went by water to my Lord, where I dined with him, and he in a very merry humour (present Mr. Borfett and Childe) at dinner:  he, in discourse of the great opinion of the virtue—­gratitude (which he did account the greatest thing in the world to him, and had, therefore, in his mind been often troubled in the late times how to answer his gratitude to the King, who raised his father), did say it was that did bring him to his obedience to the King; and did also bless himself with his good fortune, in comparison to what it was when I was with him in the Sound, when he durst not own his correspondence with the King; which is a thing that I never did hear of to this day before; and I do from this raise an opinion of him, to be one of the most secret men in the world, which I was not so convinced of before.  After dinner he bid all go out of the room, and did tell me how the King had promised him L4000 per annum for ever, and had already given him a bill under his hand (which he showed me) for L4000 that Mr. Fox is to pay him.  My Lord did advise with me how to get this received, and to put out L3000 into safe hands at use, and the other he will make use of for his present occasion.