demanding money to go with my Lady Pen to the Exchange to lay out.  I to the office, where all the afternoon and very busy and doing much business; but here I had a most eminent experience of the evil of being behindhand in business.  I was the most backward to begin any thing, and would fain have framed to myself an occasion of going abroad, and should, I doubt, have done it, but some business coming in, one after another, kept me there, and I fell to the ridding away of a great deale of business, and when my hand was in it was so pleasing a sight to [see] my papers disposed of, and letters answered, which troubled my book and table, that I could have continued there with delight all night long, and did till called away by my Lady Pen and Pegg and my wife to their house to eat with them; and there I went, and exceeding merry, there being Nan Wright, now Mrs. Markham, and sits at table with my Lady.  So mighty merry, home and to bed.  This day Sir W. Batten did show us at the table a letter from Sir T. Allen, which says that we have taken ten or twelve’ ships (since the late great expedition of burning their ships and towne), laden with hempe, flax, tarr, deales, &c.  This was good newes; but by and by comes in Sir G. Carteret, and he asked us with full mouth what we would give for good newes.  Says Sir W. Batten, “I have better than you, for a wager.”  They laid sixpence, and we that were by were to give sixpence to him that told the best newes.  So Sir W. Batten told his of the ten or twelve ships Sir G. Carteret did then tell us that upon the newes of the burning of the ships and towne the common people a Amsterdam did besiege De Witt’s house, and he was force to flee to the Prince of Orange, who is gone to Cleve to the marriage of his sister.  This we concluded all the best newest and my Lord Bruncker and myself did give Sir G. Carteret our sixpence a-piece, which he did give Mr. Smith to give the poor.  Thus we made ourselves mighty merry.

17th.  Up and betimes with Captain Erwin down by water to Woolwich, I walking alone from Greenwich thither, making an end of the “Adventures of Five Hours,” which when all is done is the best play that ever I read in my life.  Being come thither I did some business there and at the Rope Yarde, and had a piece of bride-cake sent me by Mrs. Barbary into the boate after me, she being here at her uncle’s, with her husband, Mr. Wood’s son, the mast-maker, and mighty nobly married, they say, she was, very fine, and he very rich, a strange fortune for so odd a looked mayde, though her hands and body be good, and nature very good, I think.  Back with Captain Erwin, discoursing about the East Indys, where he hath often been.  And among other things he tells me how the King of Syam seldom goes out without thirty or forty thousand people with him, and not a word spoke, nor a hum or cough in the whole company to be heard.  He tells me the punishment frequently there for malefactors is cutting off the