19th.  All the morning almost at home, seeing my stairs finished by the painters, which pleases me well.  So with Mr. Moore to Westminster Hall, it being term, and then by water to the Wardrobe, where very merry, and so home to the office all the afternoon, and at night to the Exchange to my uncle Wight about my intention of purchasing at Brampton.  So back again home and at night to bed.  Thanks be to God I am very well again of my late pain, and to-morrow hope to be out of my pain of dirt and trouble in my house, of which I am now become very weary.  One thing I must observe here while I think of it, that I am now become the most negligent man in the world as to matters of news, insomuch that, now-a-days, I neither can tell any, nor ask any of others.

20th.  At home the greatest part of the day to see my workmen make an end, which this night they did to my great content.

21st.  This morning going to my father’s I met him, and so he and I went and drank our morning draft at the Samson in Paul’s Churchyard, and eat some gammon of bacon, &c., and then parted, having bought some green Say—­[A woollen cloth.  “Saye clothe serge.”—­Palsgrave.]—­for curtains in my parler.  Home, and so to the Exchequer, where I met with my uncle Wight, and home with him to dinner, where among others (my aunt being out of town), Mr. Norbury and I did discourse of his wife’s house and land at Brampton, which I find too much for me to buy.  Home, and in the afternoon to the office, and much pleased at night to see my house begin to be clean after all the dirt.

22nd.  Abroad all the morning about several businesses.  At noon went and dined with my Lord Crew, where very much made of by him and his lady.  Then to the Theatre, “The Alchymist,”—­[Comedy by Ben Jonson, first printed in 1612.]—­which is a most incomparable play.  And that being done I met with little Luellin and Blirton, who took me to a friend’s of theirs in Lincoln’s Inn fields, one Mr. Hodges, where we drank great store of Rhenish wine and were very merry.  So I went home, where I found my house now very clean, which was great content to me.

23rd (Lord’s day).  In the morning to church, and my wife not being well, I went with Sir W. Batten home to dinner, my Lady being out of town, where there was Sir W. Pen, Captain Allen and his daughter Rebecca, and Mr. Hempson and his wife.  After dinner to church all of us and had a very good sermon of a stranger, and so I and the young company to walk first to Graye’s Inn Walks, where great store of gallants, but above all the ladies that I there saw, or ever did see, Mrs. Frances Butler (Monsieur L’Impertinent’s sister) is the greatest beauty.  Then we went to Islington, where at the great house I entertained them as well as I could, and so home with them, and so to my own home and to bed.  Pall, who went this day to a child’s christening of Kate Joyce’s, staid out all night at my father’s, she not being well.