24th.  Up and with Creed in Sir W. Batten’s coach to White Hall.  Sir W. Batten and I to the Duke of Albemarle, where very busy.  Then I to Creed’s chamber, where I received with much ado my two orders about receiving Povy’s monies and answering his credits, and it is strange how he will preserve his constant humour of delaying all business that comes before him.  Thence he and I to London to my office, and back again to my Lady Sandwich’s to dinner, where my wife by agreement.  After dinner alone, my Lady told me, with the prettiest kind of doubtfullnesse, whether it would be fit for her with respect to Creed to do it, that is, in the world, that Creed had broke his desire to her of being a servant to Mrs. Betty Pickering, and placed it upon encouragement which he had from some discourse of her ladyship, commending of her virtues to him, which, poor lady, she meant most innocently.  She did give him a cold answer, but not so severe as it ought to have been; and, it seems, as the lady since to my Lady confesses, he had wrote a letter to her, which she answered slightly, and was resolved to contemn any motion of his therein.  My Lady takes the thing very ill, as it is fit she should; but I advise her to stop all future occasions of the world’s taking notice of his coming thither so often as of late he hath done.  But to think that he should have this devilish presumption to aime at a lady so near to my Lord is strange, both for his modesty and discretion.  Thence to the Cockepitt, and there walked an houre with my Lord Duke of Albemarle alone in his garden, where he expressed in great words his opinion of me; that I was the right hand of the Navy here, nobody but I taking any care of any thing therein; so that he should not know what could be done without me.  At which I was (from him) not a little proud.  Thence to a Committee of Tangier, where because not a quorum little was done, and so away to my wife (Creed with me) at Mrs. Pierce’s, who continues very pretty and is now great with child.  I had not seen her a great while.  Thence by coach to my Lord Treasurer’s, but could not speak with Sir Ph.  Warwicke.  So by coach with my wife and Mercer to the Parke; but the King being there, and I now-a-days being doubtfull of being seen in any pleasure, did part from the tour, and away out of the Parke to Knightsbridge, and there eat and drank in the coach, and so home, and after a while at my office, home to supper and to bed, having got a great cold I think by my pulling off my periwigg so often.

25th.  At the office all the morning, and the like after dinner, at home all the afternoon till very late, and then to bed, being very hoarse with a cold I did lately get with leaving off my periwigg.  This afternoon W. Pen, lately come from his father in the fleete, did give me an account how the fleete did sayle, about 103 in all, besides small catches, they being in sight of six or seven Dutch scouts, and sent ships in chase of them.