12th.  I drink my morning at Harper’s with Mr. Sheply and a seaman, and so to my office, where Captain Holland came to see me, and appointed a meeting in the afternoon.  Then wrote letters to Hinchinbroke and sealed them at Will’s, and after that went home, and thence to the Half Moon, where I found the Captain and Mr. Billingsly and Newman, a barber, where we were very merry, and had the young man that plays so well on the Welsh harp.  Billingsly paid for all.  Thence home, and finding my letters this day not gone by the carrier I new sealed them, but my brother Tom coming we fell into discourse about my intention to feast the Joyces.  I sent for a bit of meat for him from the cook’s, and forgot to send my letters this night.  So I went to bed, and in discourse broke to my wife what my thoughts were concerning my design of getting money by, &c.

13th.  Coming in the morning to my office, I met with Mr. Fage and took him to the Swan?  He told me how high Haselrigge, and Morly, the last night began at my Lord Mayor’s to exclaim against the City of London, saying that they had forfeited their charter.  And how the Chamberlain of the City did take them down, letting them know how much they were formerly beholding to the City, &c.  He also told me that Monk’s letter that came to them by the sword-bearer was a cunning piece, and that which they did not much trust to; but they were resolved to make no more applications to the Parliament, nor to pay any money, unless the secluded members be brought in, or a free Parliament chosen.  Thence to my office, where nothing to do.  So to Will’s with Mr. Pinkney, who invited me to their feast at his Hall the next Monday.  Thence I went home and took my wife and dined at Mr. Wades, and after that we went and visited Catan.  From thence home again, and my wife was very unwilling to let me go forth, but with some discontent would go out if I did, and I going forth towards Whitehall, I saw she followed me, and so I staid and took her round through Whitehall, and so carried her home angry.  Thence I went to Mrs. Jem, and found her up and merry, and that it did not prove the small-pox, but only the swine-pox; so I played a game or two at cards with her.  And so to Mr. Vines, where he and I and Mr. Hudson played half-a-dozen things, there being there Dick’s wife and her sister.  After that I went home and found my wife gone abroad to Mr. Hunt’s, and came in a little after me.—­So to bed.

14th.  Nothing to do at our office.  Thence into the Hall, and just as I was going to dinner from Westminster Hall with Mr. Moore (with whom I had been in the lobby to hear news, and had spoke with Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper about my Lord’s lodgings) to his house, I met with Captain Holland, who told me that he hath brought his wife to my house, so I posted home and got a dish of meat for them.  They staid with me all the afternoon, and went hence in the evening.  Then I went with my wife, and left her at market, and went myself to the Coffee-house, and heard exceeding good argument against Mr. Harrington’s assertion, that overbalance of propriety [i.e., property] was the foundation of government.  Home, and wrote to Hinchinbroke, and sent that and my other letter that missed of going on Thursday last.  So to bed.