my wife, “Polichinello,” which I like the more I see it; and so home with great content, she being a mighty good-natured, pretty woman, and thence I to the Victualling office, and there with Mr. Lewes and Willson upon our Victualling matters till ten at night, and so I home and there late writing a letter to Sir W. Coventry, and so home to supper and to bed.  No newes where the Dutch are.  We begin to think they will steale through the Channel to meet Beaufort.  We think our fleete sayled yesterday, but we have no newes of it.

30th.  Up and all the morning at the office, dined at home, and in the afternoon, and at night till two in the morning, framing my great letter to Mr. Hayes about the victualling of the fleete, about which there has been so much ado and exceptions taken by the Generalls.

31st.  To bed at 2 or 3 in the morning and up again at 6 to go by appointment to my Lord Bellasses, but he out of town, which vexed me.  So back and got Mr. Poynter to enter into, my book while I read from my last night’s notes the letter, and that being done to writing it fair.  At noon home to dinner, and then the boy and I to the office, and there he read while I writ it fair, which done I sent it to Sir W. Coventry to peruse and send to the fleete by the first opportunity; and so pretty betimes to bed.  Much pleased to-day with thoughts of gilding the backs of all my books alike in my new presses.

Diaryof Samuel Pepys. 
September
1666

September 1st.  Up and at the office all the morning, and then dined at home.  Got my new closet made mighty clean against to-morrow.  Sir W. Pen and my wife and Mercer and I to “Polichinelly,” but were there horribly frighted to see Young Killigrew come in with a great many more young sparks; but we hid ourselves, so as we think they did not see us.  By and by, they went away, and then we were at rest again; and so, the play being done, we to Islington, and there eat and drank and mighty merry; and so home singing, and, after a letter or two at the office, to bed.

2nd (Lord’s day).  Some of our mayds sitting up late last night to get things ready against our feast to-day, Jane called us up about three in the morning, to tell us of a great fire they saw in the City.  So I rose and slipped on my nightgowne, and went to her window, and thought it to be on the backside of Marke-lane at the farthest; but, being unused to such fires as followed, I thought it far enough off; and so went to bed again and to sleep.  About seven rose again to dress myself, and there looked out at the window, and saw the fire not so much as it was and further off.  So to my closett to set things to rights after yesterday’s cleaning.  By and by Jane comes and tells me that she hears that above 300 houses have been burned down to-night by the fire we saw, and that it is now burning down all Fish-street, by London Bridge.  So I made myself ready presently, and walked to the Tower, and