eye.  So home, and with my wife and Mercer spent our evening upon our new leads by our bedchamber singing, while Mrs. Mary Batelier looked out of the window to us, and we talked together, and at last bid good night.  However, my wife and I staid there talking of several things with great pleasure till eleven o’clock at night, and it is a convenience I would not want for any thing in the world, it being, methinks, better than almost any roome in my house.  So having, supped upon the leads, to bed.  The plague, blessed be God! is decreased sixteen this week.

26th.  To the office, where all the morning.  At noon home to dinner, and in the afternoon to my office again, where very busy all the afternoon and particularly about fitting of Mr. Yeabsly’s accounts for the view of the Lords Commissioners for Tangier.  At night home to supper and to bed.

27th.  Up (taking Balty with me, who lay at my house last [night] in order to his going away to-day to sea with the pursers of the Henery, whom I appointed to call him), abroad to many several places about several businesses, to my Lord Treasurer’s, Westminster, and I know not where.  At noon to the ’Change a little, and there bespoke some maps to hang in my new roome (my boy’s roome) which will be very-pretty.  Home to dinner, and after dinner to the hanging up of maps, and other things for the fitting of the roome, and now it will certainly be one of the handsomest and most usefull roomes in my house.  So that what with this room and the room on my leads my house is half as good again as it was.  All this afternoon about this till I was so weary and it was late I could do no more but finished the room.  So I did not get out to the office all the day long.  At night spent a good deale of time with my wife and Mercer teaching them a song, and so after supper to bed.

28th.  Up and to the office.  At noon dined at home.  After dinner abroad with my wife to Hales’s to see only our pictures and Mrs. Pierce’s, which I do not think so fine as I might have expected it.  My wife to her father’s, to carry him some ruling work, which I have advised her to let him do.  It will get him some money.  She also is to look out again for another little girle, the last we had being also gone home the very same day she came.  She was also to look after a necklace of pearle, which she is mighty busy about, I being contented to lay out L80 in one for her.  I home to my business.  By and by comes my wife and presently after, the tide serving, Balty took leave of us, going to sea, and upon very good terms, to be Muster-Master of a squadron, which will be worth L100 this yeare to him, besides keeping him the benefit of his pay in the Guards.  He gone, I very busy all the afternoon till night, among other things, writing a letter to my brother John, the first I have done since my being angry with him, and that so sharpe a one too that I was sorry almost to send it when I had wrote it, but it is preparatory to my being kind to him, and sending for him up hither when he hath passed his degree of Master of Arts.  So home to supper and to bed.