of a lady that lies at her house, to get the King to be godfather to the young lady that she is in childbed now of; but to see in what a manner my Lady told it me, protesting that she sweat in the very telling of it, was the greatest pleasure to me in the world to see the simplicity and harmlessness of a lady.  Then down to supper with the ladies, and so home, Mr. Moore (as he and I cannot easily part) leading me as far as Fenchurch Street to the Mitre, where we drank a glass of wine and so parted, and I home and to bed.

Thus ends the month.  My maid Jane newly gone, and Pall left now to do all the work till another maid comes, which shall not be till she goes away into the country with my mother.  Myself and wife in good health.  My Lord Sandwich in the Straits and newly recovered of a great sickness at Alicante.  My father gone to settle at Brampton, and myself under much business and trouble for to settle things in the estate to our content.  But what is worst, I find myself lately too much given to seeing of plays, and expense, and pleasure, which makes me forget my business, which I must labour to amend.  No money comes in, so that I have been forced to borrow a great deal for my own expenses, and to furnish my father, to leave things in order.  I have some trouble about my brother Tom, who is now left to keep my father’s trade, in which I have great fears that he will miscarry for want of brains and care.  At Court things are in very ill condition, there being so much emulacion, poverty, and the vices of drinking, swearing, and loose amours, that I know not what will be the end of it, but confusion.  And the Clergy so high, that all people that I meet with do protest against their practice.  In short, I see no content or satisfaction any where, in any one sort of people.  The Benevolence

     [A voluntary contribution made by the subjects to their sovereign. 
     Upon this occasion the clergy alone gave L33,743:  See May 31st,
     1661.—­B]

proves so little, and an occasion of so much discontent every where; that it had better it had never been set up.  I think to subscribe L20.  We are at our Office quiet, only for lack of money all things go to rack.  Our very bills offered to be sold upon the Exchange at 10 per cent. loss.  We are upon getting Sir R. Ford’s house added to our Office.  But I see so many difficulties will follow in pleasing of one another in the dividing of it, and in becoming bound personally to pay the rent of L200 per annum, that I do believe it will yet scarce come to pass.  The season very sickly every where of strange and fatal fevers.

     ETEXT editor’s bookmarks: 

     A great baboon, but so much like a man in most things
     A play not very good, though commended much
     Begun to smell, and so I caused it to be set forth (corpse)
     Bleeding behind by leeches will cure him
     By chewing of tobacco