26th.  Up, and walked all the way (it being a most fine frost), to White Hall, to Sir W. Coventry’s chamber, and thence with him up to the Duke of York, where among other things at our meeting I did offer my assistance to Sir J. Minnes to do the business of his office, relating to the Pursers’ accounts, which was well accepted by the Duke of York, and I think I have and shall do myself good in it, if it be taken, for it will confirm me in the business of the victualling office, which I do now very little for.  Thence home, carrying a barrel of oysters with me.  Anon comes Mr. John Andrews and his wife by invitation from Bow to dine with me, and young Batelier and his wife with her great belly, which has spoiled her looks mightily already.  Here was also Mercer and Creed, whom I met coming home, who tells me of a most bitter lampoone now out against the Court and the management of State from head to foot, mighty witty and mighty severe.  By and by to dinner, a very good one, and merry.  After dinner I put the women into a coach, and they to the Duke’s house, to a play which was acted, “The--------.”  It was indifferently done, but was not pleased with the song, Gosnell not singing, but a new wench, that sings naughtily.  Thence home, all by coach, and there Mr. Andrews to the vyall, who plays most excellently on it, which I did not know before.  Then to dance, here being Pembleton come, by my wife’s direction, and a fiddler; and we got, also, the elder Batelier to-night, and Nan Wright, and mighty merry we were, and I danced; and so till twelve at night, and to supper, and then to cross purposes, mighty merry, and then to bed, my eyes being sore.  Creed lay here in Barker’s bed.

27th.  Up; and called up by the King’s trumpets, which cost me 10s.  So to the office, where we sat all the morning.  At noon, by invitation, my wife, who had not been there these to months, I think, and I, to meet all our families at Sir W. Batten’s at dinner, whither neither a great dinner for so much company nor anything good or handsome.  In the middle of dinner I rose, and my wife, and by coach to the King’s playhouse, and meeting Creed took him up, and there saw “The Scornfull Lady” well acted; Doll Common doing Abigail most excellently, and Knipp the widow very well, and will be an excellent actor, I think.  In other parts the play not so well done as used to be, by the old actors.  Anon to White Hall by coach, thinking to have seen a play there to-night, but found it a mistake, so back again, and missed our coach[man], who was gone, thinking to come time enough three hours hence, and we could not blame him.  So forced to get another coach, and all three home to my house, and there to Sir W. Batten’s, and eat a bit of cold chine of beef, and then staid and talked, and then home and sat and talked a little by the fireside with my wife and Creed, and so to bed, my left eye being very sore.  No business publick or private minded all these two days.  This day a house or two was blown up with powder in the Minorys, and several people spoiled, and many dug out from under the rubbish.