before the men could drag their boat through the lock, and which they could not do till another was called to help them.  Being through bridge I found the Thames full of boats and gallys, and upon inquiry found that there was a wager to be run this morning.  So spying of Payne in a gully, I went into him, and there staid, thinking to have gone to Chelsy with them.  But upon, the start, the wager boats fell foul one of another, till at last one of them gives over, pretending foul play, and so the other row away alone, and all our sport lost.  So, I went ashore, at Westminster; and to the Hall I went, where it was very pleasant to see the Hall in the condition it is now with the judges on the benches at the further end of it, which I had not seen all this term till now.  Thence with Mr. Spicer, Creed and some others to drink.  And so away homewards by water with Mr. Creed, whom I left in London going about business and I home, where I staid all the afternoon in the garden reading “Faber Fortunae” with great pleasure.  So home to bed.

19th. (Lord’s day) I walked in the morning towards Westminster, and seeing many people at York House, I went down and found them at mass, it being the Spanish ambassodors; and so I go into one of the gallerys, and there heard two masses done, I think, not in so much state as I have seen them heretofore.  After that into the garden, and walked a turn or two, but found it not so fine a place as I always took it for by the outside.  Thence to my Lord’s and there spake with him about business, and then he went to Whitehall to dinner, and Capt.  Ferrers and Mr. Howe and myself to Mr. Wilkinson’s at the Crown, and though he had no meat of his own, yet we happened to find our cook Mr. Robinson there, who had a dinner for himself and some friends, and so he did give us a very fine dinner.  Then to my Lord’s, where we went and sat talking and laughing in the drawing-room a great while.  All our talk about their going to sea this voyage, which Capt.  Ferrers is in some doubt whether he shall go or no, but swears that he would go, if he were sure never to come back again; and I, giving him some hopes, he grew so mad with joy that he fell a-dancing and leaping like a madman.  Now it fell out so that the balcone windows were open, and he went to the rayle and made an offer to leap over, and asked what if he should leap over there.  I told him I would give him L40 if he did not go to sea.  With that thought I shut the doors, and W. Howe hindered him all we could; yet he opened them again, and, with a vault, leaps down into the garden:—­the greatest and most desperate frolic that ever I saw in my life.  I run to see what was become of him, and we found him crawled upon his knees, but could not rise; so we went down into the garden and dragged him to the bench, where he looked like a dead man, but could not stir; and, though he had broke nothing, yet his pain in his back was such as he could not endure.  With this, my Lord (who was in the