walked over the Parke with Sir W. Coventry, in our
way talking of the unhappy state of our office; and
I took an opportunity to let him know, that though
the backwardnesses of all our matters of the office
may be well imputed to the known want of money, yet,
perhaps, there might be personal and particular failings;
and that I did, therefore, depend still upon his promise
of telling me whenever he finds any ground to believe
any defect or neglect on my part, which he promised
me still to do; and that there was none he saw, nor,
indeed, says he, is there room now-a-days to find
fault with any particular man, while we are in this
condition for money. This, methought, did not
so well please me; but, however, I am glad I have
said this, thereby giving myself good grounds to believe
that at this time he did not want an occasion to have
said what he pleased to me, if he had had anything
in his mind, which by his late distance and silence
I have feared. But then again I am to consider
he is grown a very great man, much greater than he
was, and so must keep more distance; and, next, that
the condition of our office will not afford me occasion
of shewing myself so active and deserving as heretofore;
and, lastly, the muchness of his business cannot suffer
him to mind it, or give him leisure to reflect on
anything, or shew the freedom and kindnesse that he
used to do. But I think I have done something
considerable to my satisfaction in doing this; and
that if I do but my duty remarkably from this time
forward, and not neglect it, as I have of late done,
and minded my pleasures, I may be as well as ever I
was. Thence to the Exchequer, but did nothing,
they being all gone from their offices; and so to
the Old Exchange, where the towne full of the good
newes, but I did not stay to tell or hear any, but
home, my head akeing and drowsy, and to dinner, and
then lay down upon the couch, thinking to get a little
rest, but could not. So down the river, reading
“The Adventures of Five Houres,” which
the more I read the more I admire. So down below
Greenwich, but the wind and tide being against us,
I back again to Deptford, and did a little business
there, and thence walked to Redriffe; and so home,
and to the office a while. In the evening comes
W. Batelier and his sister, and my wife, and fair
Mrs. Turner into the garden, and there we walked,
and then with my Lady Pen and Pegg in a-doors, and
eat and were merry, and so pretty late broke up, and
to bed. The guns of the Tower going off, and
there being bonefires also in the street for this
late good successe.
16th. Up, having slept well, and after entering my journal, to the office, where all the morning, but of late Sir W. Coventry hath not come to us, he being discouraged from the little we have to do but to answer the clamours of people for money. At noon home, and there dined with me my Lady Pen only and W. Hewer at a haunch of venison boiled, where pretty merry, only my wife vexed me a little about