in clothes for her. And so I to the ’Change,
where a while, and so home and to dinner, and thither
came W. Bowyer and dined with us; but strange to see
how he could not endure onyons in sauce to lamb, but
was overcome with the sight of it, and so-was forced
to make his dinner of an egg or two. He tells
us how Mrs. Lane is undone, by her marrying so bad,
and desires to speak with me, which I know is wholly
to get me to do something for her to get her husband
a place, which he is in no wise fit for. After
dinner down to Woolwich with a gaily, and then to Deptford,
and so home, all the way reading Sir J. Suck[l]ing’s
“Aglaura,” which, methinks, is but a mean
play; nothing of design in it. Coming home it
is strange to see how I was troubled to find my wife,
but in a necessary compliment, expecting Mr. Pen to
see her, who had been there and was by her people
denied, which, he having been three times, she thought
not fit he should be any more. But yet even
this did raise my jealousy presently and much vex
me. However, he did not come, which pleased me,
and I to supper, and to the office till 9 o’clock
or thereabouts, and so home to bed. My aunt
James had been here to-day with Kate Joyce twice to
see us. The second time my wife was at home,
and they it seems are going down to Brampton, which
I am sorry for, for the charge that my father will
be put to. But it must be borne with, and my
mother has a mind to see them, but I do condemn myself
mightily for my pride and contempt of my aunt and
kindred that are not so high as myself, that I have
not seen her all this while, nor invited her all this
while.
6th. Up and to the office, where we sat all
the morning. At noon home to dinner, then to
my office and there waited, thinking to have had Bagwell’s
wife come to me about business, that I might have talked
with her, but she came not. So I to White Hall
by coach with Mr. Andrews, and there I got his contract
for the victualling of Tangier signed and sealed by
us there, so that all the business is well over, and
I hope to have made a good business of it and to receive
L100 by it the next weeke, for which God be praised!
Thence to W. Joyce’s and Anthony’s, to
invite them to dinner to meet my aunt James at my
house, and the rather because they are all to go down
to my father the next weeke, and so I would be a little
kind to them before they go. So home, having
called upon Doll, our pretty ’Change woman,
for a pair of gloves trimmed with yellow ribbon, to
[match the] petticoate my wife bought yesterday, which
cost me 20s.; but she is so pretty, that, God forgive
me! I could not think it too much—which
is a strange slavery that I stand in to beauty, that
I value nothing near it. So going home, and my
coach stopping in Newgate Market over against a poulterer’s
shop, I took occasion to buy a rabbit, but it proved
a deadly old one when I came to eat it, as I did do
after an hour being at my office, and after supper
again there till past 11 at night. So home,,