assurance of all his scouts that there was no enemy
thereabouts; whereas he used every day to go out with
two or three with him, to make his discoveries, in
greater danger, and yet the man that could not endure
to have anybody else to go a step out of order to
endanger himself. He concludes him to be the
man of the hardest fate to lose so much honour at
one blow that ever was. His relation being done
he parted; and so I home to look after things for
dinner. And anon at noon comes Mr. Creed by
chance, and by and by the three young ladies:—[Lord
Sandwich’s daughters.]—and very merry
we were with our pasty, very well baked; and a good
dish of roasted chickens; pease, lobsters, strawberries.
And after dinner to cards: and about five o’clock,
by water down to Greenwich; and up to the top of the
hill, and there played upon the ground at cards.
And so to the Cherry Garden, and then by water singing
finely to the Bridge, and there landed; and so took
boat again, and to Somersett House. And by this
time, the tide being against us, it was past ten of
the clock; and such a troublesome passage, in regard
of my Lady Paulina’s fearfullness, that in all
my life I never did see any poor wretch in that condition.
Being come hither, there waited for them their coach;
but it being so late, I doubted what to do how to
get them home. After half an hour’s stay
in the street, I sent my wife home by coach with Mr.
Creed’s boy; and myself and Creed in the coach
home with them. But, Lord! the fear that my
Lady Paulina was in every step of the way; and indeed
at this time of the night it was no safe thing to
go that road; so that I was even afeard myself, though
I appeared otherwise.—We came safe, however,
to their house, where all were abed; we knocked them
up, my Lady and all the family being in bed.
So put them into doors; and leaving them with the
mayds, bade them good night, and then into the towne,
Creed and I, it being about twelve o’clock and
past; and to several houses, inns, but could get no
lodging, all being in bed. At the last house,
at last, we found some people drinking and roaring;
and there got in, and after drinking, got an ill bed,
where
16th. I lay in my drawers and stockings and
wastecoate till five of the clock, and so up; and
being well pleased with our frolique, walked to Knightsbridge,
and there eat a messe of creame, and so to St. James’s,
and there walked a little, and so I to White Hall,
and took coach, and found my wife well got home last
night, and now in bed. So I to the office, where
all the morning, and at noon to the ’Change,
so home and to my office, where Mr. Ackworth came
to me (though he knows himself and I know him to be
a very knave), yet he came to me to discover the knavery
of other people like the most honest man in the world.
However, good use I shall make of his discourse,
for in this he is much in the right. He being
gone I to the ’Change, Mr. Creed with me, after
we had been by water to see a vessell we have hired