the Duke’s chamber, where I saw him and the Duchess at supper; and thence into the room where the ball was to be, crammed with fine ladies, the greatest of the Court.  By and by comes the King and Queen, the Duke and Duchess, and all the great ones:  and after seating themselves, the King takes out the Duchess of York; and the Duke, the Duchess of Buckingham; the Duke of Monmouth, my Lady Castlemaine; and so other lords other ladies:  and they danced the Bransle.

“Branle.  Espece de danse de plusieurs personnes, qui se tiennent par la main, et qui se menent tour-a-tour.  “Dictionnaire de l’Academie.  A country dance mentioned by Shakespeare and other dramatists under the form of brawl, which word continued to be used in the eighteenth century.

                    “My grave Lord Keeper led the brawls;
                    The seals and maces danced before him.” 
                                             Gray, ‘A Long Story.’

After that, the King led a lady a single Coranto—­[swift and lively]—­and then the rest of the lords, one after another, other ladies very noble it was, and great pleasure to see.  Then to country dances; the King leading the first, which he called for; which was, says he, “Cuckolds all awry,” the old dance of England.  Of the ladies that danced, the Duke of Monmouth’s mistress, and my Lady Castlemaine, and a daughter of Sir Harry de Vicke’s, were the best.  The manner was, when the King dances, all the ladies in the room, and the Queen herself, stand up:  and indeed he dances rarely, and much better that the Duke of York.  Having staid here as long as I thought fit, to my infinite content, it being the greatest pleasure I could wish now to see at Court, I went out, leaving them dancing, and to Mrs. Pierces, where I found the company had staid very long for my coming, but all gone but my wife, and so I took her home by coach and so to my Lord’s again, where after some supper to bed, very weary and in a little pain from my riding a little uneasily to-night in the coach.

Thus ends this year with great mirth to me and my wife:  Our condition being thus:—­we are at present spending a night or two at my Lord’s lodgings at White Hall.  Our home at the Navy-office, which is and hath a pretty while been in good condition, finished and made very convenient.  My purse is worth about L650, besides my goods of all sorts, which yet might have been more but for my late layings out upon my house and public assessment, and yet would not have been so much if I had not lived a very orderly life all this year by virtue of the oaths that God put into my heart to take against wine, plays, and other expenses, and to observe for these last twelve months, and which I am now going to renew, I under God owing my present content thereunto.  My family is myself and wife, William, my clerk; Jane, my wife’s upper mayde, but, I think, growing proud and negligent upon it:  we must part, which troubles me; Susan,