house; and there I made them drink, and upstairs we went, and then fell into dancing (W.  Batelier dancing well), and dressing, him and I and one Mr. Banister (who with his wife come over also with us) like women; and Mercer put on a suit of Tom’s, like a boy, and mighty mirth we had, and Mercer danced a jigg; and Nan Wright and my wife and Pegg Pen put on perriwigs.  Thus we spent till three or four in the morning, mighty merry; and then parted, and to bed.

15th.  Mighty sleepy; slept till past eight of the clock, and was called up by a letter from Sir W. Coventry, which, among other things, tells me how we have burned one hundred and sixty ships of the enemy within the Fly.

[On the 8th August the Duke of Albemarle reported to Lord Arlington that he had “sent 1000 good men under Sir R. Holmes and Sir William Jennings to destroy the islands of Vlie and Schelling.”  On the 10th James Hayes wrote to Williamson:  “On the 9th at noon smoke was seen rising from several places in the island of Vlie, and the 10th brought news that Sir Robert had burned in the enemy’s harbour 160 outward bound valuable merchant men and three men-of-war, and taken a little pleasure boat and eight guns in four hours.  The loss is computed at a million sterling, and will make great confusion when the people see themselves in the power of the English at their very doors.  Sir Robert then landed his forces, and is burning the houses in Vlie and Schelling as bonfires for his good success at sea” ("Calendar of State Papers,” 1666-67, pp. 21,27).]

I up, and with all possible haste, and in pain for fear of coming late, it being our day of attending the Duke of Yorke, to St. James’s, where they are full of the particulars; how they are generally good merchant ships, some of them laden and supposed rich ships.  We spent five fire-ships upon them.  We landed on the Schelling (Sir Philip Howard with some men, and Holmes, I think; with others, about 1000 in all), and burned a town; and so come away.  By and by the Duke of Yorke with his books showed us the very place and manner, and that it was not our design or expectation to have done this, but only to have landed on the Fly, and burned some of their store; but being come in, we spied those ships, and with our long boats, one by one, fired them, our ships running all aground, it being so shoal water.  We were led to this by, it seems, a renegado captain of the Hollanders, who found himself ill used by De Ruyter for his good service, and so come over to us, and hath done us good service; so that now we trust him, and he himself did go on this expedition.  The service is very great, and our joys as great for it.  All this will make the Duke of Albemarle in repute again, I doubt, though there is nothing of his in this.  But, Lord! to see what successe do, whether with or without reason, and making a man seem wise, notwithstanding never so late demonstration of the profoundest folly in the world.  Thence