all, to hear that the plague is come very low; that is, the whole under 1,000, and the plague 600 and odd:  and great hopes of a further decrease, because of this day’s being a very exceeding hard frost, and continues freezing.  This day the first of the Oxford Gazettes come out, which is very pretty, full of newes, and no folly in it.  Wrote by Williamson.  Fear that our Hambro’ ships at last cannot go, because of the great frost, which we believe it is there, nor are our ships cleared at the Pillow [Pillau], which will keepe them there too all this winter, I fear.  From the ’Change, which is pretty full again, I to my office and there took some things, and so by water to my lodging at Greenwich and dined, and then to the office awhile and at night home to my lodgings, and took T. Willson and T. Hater with me, and there spent the evening till midnight discoursing and settling of our Victualling business, that thereby I might draw up instructions for the Surveyours and that we might be doing something to earne our money.  This done I late to bed.  Among other things it pleased me to have it demonstrated, that a Purser without professed cheating is a professed loser, twice as much as he gets.

23rd.  Up betimes, and so, being trimmed, I to get papers ready against Sir H. Cholmly come to me by appointment, he being newly come over from Tangier.  He did by and by come, and we settled all matters about his money, and he is a most satisfied man in me, and do declare his resolution to give me 200 per annum.  It continuing to be a great frost, which gives us hope for a perfect cure of the plague, he and I to walk in the parke, and there discoursed with grief of the calamity of the times; how the King’s service is performed, and how Tangier is governed by a man, who, though honourable, yet do mind his ways of getting and little else compared, which will never make the place flourish.  I brought him and had a good dinner for him, and there come by chance Captain Cuttance, who tells me how W. Howe is laid by the heels, and confined to the Royall Katharine, and his things all seized and how, also, for a quarrel, which indeed the other night my Lord told me, Captain Ferrers, having cut all over the back of another of my Lord’s servants, is parted from my Lord.  I sent for little Mrs. Frances Tooker, and after they were gone I sat dallying with her an hour, doing what I would with my hands about her.  And a very pretty creature it is.  So in the evening to the office, where late writing letters, and at my lodging later writing for the last twelve days my Journall and so to bed.  Great expectation what mischief more the French will do us, for we must fall out.  We in extraordinary lacke of money and everything else to go to sea next year.  My Lord Sandwich is gone from the fleete yesterday toward Oxford.