20th.  Up and to the office, where all the morning, and then towards the ’Change, at noon, in my way observing my mistake yesterday in Mark Lane, that the woman I saw was not the pretty woman I meant, the line-maker’s wife, but a new-married woman, very pretty, a strong-water seller:  and in going by, to my content, I find that the very pretty daughter at the Ship tavern, at the end of Billiter Lane, is there still, and in the bar:  and, I believe, is married to him that is new come, and hath new trimmed the house.  Home to dinner, and then to the office, we having dispatched away Mr. Oviatt to Hull, about our prizes there; and I have wrote a letter of thanks by him to Lord Bellasses, who had writ to me to offer all his service for my interest there, but I dare not trust him.  In the evening late walking in the garden with my wife, and then to bed.

21st (Lord’s day).  Up betimes, and all the morning, and then to dinner with my wife alone, and then all the afternoon in like manner, in my chamber, making up my Tangier accounts and drawing a letter, which I have done at last to my full content, to present to the Lords Commissioners for Tangier tomorrow; and about seven at night, when finished my letter and weary, I and my wife and Mercer up by water to Barne Elmes, where we walked by moonshine, and called at Lambeth, and drank and had cold meat in the boat, and did eat, and sang, and down home, by almost twelve at night, very fine and pleasant, only could not sing ordinary songs with the freedom that otherwise I would.  Here Mercer tells me that the pretty maid of the Ship tavern I spoke of yesterday is married there, which I am glad of.  So having spent this night, with much serious pleasure to consider that I am in a condition to fling away an angell

[The angel coin was so called from the figure of the Archangel Michael in conflict with the dragon on the obverse.  On the reverse was a representation of a ship with a large cross as a mast.  The last angel coined was in Charles I.’s reign, and the value varied from 6s. 8d. to 10s.]

in such a refreshment to myself and family, we home and to bed, leaving Mercer, by the way, at her own door.

22nd.  Up, and with Sir W. Batten and [Sir] J. Minnes to St. James’s, where the first time I have been there since the enemy’s being with us, where little business but lack of money, which now is so professed by Sir W. Coventry as nothing is more, and the King’s whole business owned to be at a stand for want of it.  So up to my Lord Chancellor’s, where was a Committee of Tangier in my Lord’s roome, where he is to hear causes, where all the judges’ pictures hang up, very fine.  Here I read my letter to them, which was well received, and they did fall seriously to discourse the want of money and other particulars, and to some pretty good purpose.  But to see how Sir W. Coventry did oppose both my Lord Chancellor and the Duke of York himself, about the Order of the