they had taken, and all their men; though they refused afterwards to make him restitution for the goods which they had taken out of them.  Thence to my uncle Wight’s, and he not being at home I went with Mr. Norbury near hand to the Fleece, a mum house in Leadenhall, and there drunk mum and by and by broke up, it being about 11 o’clock at night, and so leaving them also at home, went home myself and to bed.

4th.  Up, and my new Taylor, Langford, comes and takes measure of me for a new black cloth suit and cloake, and I think he will prove a very carefull fellow and will please me well.  Thence to attend my Lord Peterborough in bed and give him an account of yesterday’s proceeding with Povy.  I perceive I labour in a business will bring me little pleasure; but no matter, I shall do the King some service.  To my Lord’s lodgings, where during my Lady’s sickness he is, there spoke with him about the same business.  Back and by water to my cozen Scott’s.  There condoled with him the loss of my cozen, his wife, and talked about his matters, as atturney to my father, in his administering to my brother Tom.  He tells me we are like to receive some shame about the business of his bastarde with Jack Noble; but no matter, so it cost us no money.  Thence to the Coffee-house and to the ’Change a while.  News uncertain how the Dutch proceed.  Some say for, some against a war.  The plague increases at Amsterdam.  So home to dinner, and after dinner to my office, where very late, till my eyes (which begin to fail me nowadays by candlelight) begin to trouble me.  Only in the afternoon comes Mr. Peter Honiwood to see me and gives me 20s., his and his friends’ pence for my brother John, which, God forgive my pride, methinks I think myself too high to take of him; but it is an ungratefull pitch of pride in me, which God forgive.  Home at night to supper and to bed.

5th.  Up betimes to my office, busy, and so abroad to change some plate for my father to send to-day by the carrier to Brampton, but I observe and do fear it may be to my wrong that I change spoons of my uncle Robert’s into new and set a P upon them that thereby I cannot claim them hereafter, as it was my brother Tom’s practice.  However, the matter of this is not great, and so I did it.  So to the ’Change, and meeting Sir W. Warren, with him to a taverne, and there talked, as we used to do, of the evils the King suffers in our ordering of business in the Navy, as Sir W. Batten now forces us by his knavery.  So home to dinner, and to the office, where all the afternoon, and thence betimes home, my eyes beginning every day to grow less and less able to bear with long reading or writing, though it be by daylight; which I never observed till now.  So home to my wife, and after supper to bed.

6th.  This morning up and to my office, where Sympson my joyner came to work upon altering my closet, which I alter by setting the door in another place, and several other things to my great content.  Busy at it all day, only in the afternoon home, and there, my books at the office being out of order, wrote letters and other businesses.  So at night with my head full of the business of my closet home to bed, and strange it is to think how building do fill my mind and put out all other things out of my thoughts.