["Next these a sort of Sots there are,
               Who crave more wine than they can bear,
               Yet hate, when drunk, to pay or spend
               Their equal Club or Dividend,
               But wrangle, when the Bill is brought,
               And think they’re cheated when they’re not.”

The Delights of the Bottle, or the Compleat Vintner, 3rd ed., 1721,
p. 29.]

—­come to 34s. a man, nine of us.  Thence after dinner, to White Hall with Sir W. Berkely in his coach, and so walked to Herbert’s and there spent a little time . . . .  Thence by water to Fox-hall, and there walked an hour alone, observing the several humours of the citizens that were there this holyday, pulling of cherries,—­[The game of bob-cherry]—­and God knows what, and so home to my office, where late, my wife not being come home with my mother, who have been this day all abroad upon the water, my mother being to go out of town speedily.  So I home and to supper and to bed, my wife come home when I come from the office.  This day I informed myself that there died four or five at Westminster of the plague in one alley in several houses upon Sunday last, Bell Alley, over against the Palace-gate; yet people do think that the number will be fewer in the towne than it was the last weeke!  The Dutch are come out again with 20 sail under Bankert; supposed gone to the Northward to meete their East India fleete.

21st.  Up, and very busy all the morning.  At noon with Creed to the Excise Office, where I find our tallys will not be money in less than sixteen months, which is a sad thing for the King to pay all that interest for every penny he spends; and, which is strange, the goldsmiths with whom I spoke, do declare that they will not be moved to part with money upon the increase of their consideration of ten per cent. which they have, and therefore desire I would not move in it, and indeed the consequence would be very ill to the King, and have its ill consequences follow us through all the King’s revenue.  Home, and my uncle Wight and aunt James dined with me, my mother being to go away to-morrow.  So to White Hall, and there before and after Council discoursed with Sir Thomas Ingram about our ill case as to Tangier for money.  He hath got the King to appoint a meeting on Friday, which I hope will put an end one way or other to my pain.  So homewards and to the Cross Keys at Cripplegate, where I find all the towne almost going out of towne, the coaches and waggons being all full of people going into the country.  Here I had some of the company of the tapster’s wife a while, and so home to my office, and then home to supper and to bed.