this month, viz. near 0250, than ever I did in half a year before in my life, I think.  Thence to White Hall with him, and so walked to the old Exchange and back to Povy’s to dinner, where great and good company; among others Sir John Skeffington, whom I knew at Magdalen College, a fellow-commoner, my fellow-pupil, but one with whom I had no great acquaintance, he being then, God knows, much above me.  Here I was afresh delighted with Mr. Povy’s house and pictures of perspective, being strange things to think how they do delude one’s eye, that methinks it would make a man doubtful of swearing that ever he saw any thing.  Thence with him to St. James’s, and so to White Hall to a Tangier Committee, and hope I have light of another opportunity of getting a little money if Sir W. Warren will use me kindly for deales to Tangier, and with the hopes went joyfully home, and there received Captain Tayler’s money, received by Will to-day, out of which (as I said above) I shall get above L30.  So with great comfort to bed, after supper.  By discourse this day I have great hopes from Mr. Coventry that the Dutch and we shall not fall out.

22nd.  Up and at the office all the morning.  To the ’Change at noon, and among other things discoursed with Sir William Warren what I might do to get a little money by carrying of deales to Tangier, and told him the opportunity I have there of doing it, and he did give me some advice, though not so good as he would have done at any other time of the year, but such as I hope to make good use of, and get a little money by.  So to Sir G. Carteret’s to dinner, and he and I and Captain Cocke all alone, and good discourse, and thence to a Committee of Tangier at White Hall, and so home, where I found my wife not well, and she tells me she thinks she is with child, but I neither believe nor desire it.  But God’s will be done!  So to my office late, and home to supper and to bed; having got a strange cold in my head, by flinging off my hat at dinner, and sitting with the wind in my neck.

     [In Lord Clarendon’s Essay, “On the decay of respect paid to Age,”
     he says that in his younger days he never kept his hat on before
     those older than himself, except at dinner.—­B.]

23rd.  My cold and pain in my head increasing, and the palate of my mouth falling, I was in great pain all night.  My wife also was not well, so that a mayd was fain to sit up by her all night.  Lay long in the morning, at last up, and amongst others comes Mr. Fuller, that was the wit of Cambridge, and Praevaricator

[At the Commencement (Comitia Majora) in July, the Praevaricator, or Varier, held a similar position to the Tripos at the Comitia Minora.  He was so named from varying the question which he proposed, either by a play upon the words or by the transposition of the terms in which it was expressed.  Under the pretence of maintaining some philosophical question, he poured out a