6th (Lord’s day).  To church.  Home, and after dinner walked to White Hall, thinking to have seen Mr. Coventry, but failed, and therefore walked clear on foot back again.  Busy till night in fitting my Victualling papers in order, which I through my multitude of business and pleasure have not examined these several months.  Walked back again home, and so to the Victualling Office, where I met Mr. Gawden, and have received some satisfaction, though it be short of what I expected, and what might be expected from me.  So after evened I have gone, and so to supper and to bed.

7th.  Up betimes to set my Victualling papers in order against Sir W. Coventry comes, which indeed makes me very melancholy, being conscious that I am much to seeke in giving a good answer to his queries about the Victualling business.  At the office mighty busy, and brought myself into a pretty plausible condition before Sir W. Coventry come, and did give him a pretty tolerable account of every thing and went with him into the Victualling office, where we sat and examined his businesses and state of the victualling of the fleete, which made me in my heart blushe that I could say no more to it than I did or could.  But I trust in God I shall never be in that condition again.  We parted, and I with pretty good grace, and so home to dinner, where my wife troubled more and more with her swollen cheek.  So to dinner, my sister-in-law with us, who I find more and more a witty woman; and then I to my Lord Treasurer’s and the Exchequer about my Tangier businesses, and with my content passed by all things and persons without so much as desiring any stay or loss of time with them, being by strong vowe obliged on no occasion to stay abroad but my publique offices.  So home again, where I find Mrs. Pierce and Mrs. Ferrers come to see my wife.  I staid a little with them, being full of business, and so to the office, where busy till late at night and so weary and a little conscious of my failures to-day, yet proud that the day is over without more observation on Sir W. Coventry’s part, and so to bed and to sleepe soundly.

8th.  Up, and to the office all the morning.  At noon dined at home, my wife’s cheek bad still.  After dinner to the office again and thither comes Mr. Downing, the anchor-smith, who had given me 50 pieces in gold the last month to speake for him to Sir W. Coventry, for his being smith at Deptford; but after I had got it granted to him, he finds himself not fit to go on with it, so lets it fall.  So has no benefit of my motion.  I therefore in honour and conscience took him home the money, and, though much to my grief, did yet willingly and forcibly force him to take it again, the poor man having no mind to have it.  However, I made him take it, and away he went, and I glad to have given him so much cause to speake well of me.  So to my office again late, and then home to supper to a good lobster with my wife, and then a little to my office again, and so to bed.