k, and there discoursed to my
great content so far with him that I think I shall agree with him for
Bewpers to serve the Navy with. So with great content home and to my
office, where late, and having got a great cold in my head yesterday
home to supper and to bed.

28th. Slept ill all night, having got a very great cold the other day at
Woolwich in [my] head, which makes me full of snot. Up in the morning,
and my tailor brings me home my fine, new, coloured cloth suit, my
cloake lined with plush, as good a suit as ever I wore in my life,
and mighty neat, to my great content. To my office, and there all
the morning. At noon to Nellson's, and there bought 20 pieces more of
Bewpers, and hope to go on with him to a contract. Thence to the 'Change
a little, and thence home with Luellin to dinner, where Mr. Deane met
me by appointment, and after dinner he and I up to my chamber, and
there hard at discourse, and advising him what to do in his business at
Harwich, and then to discourse of our old business of ships and taking
new rules of him to my great pleasure, and he being gone I to my office
a little, and then to see Sir W. Batten, who is sick of a greater cold
than I, and thither comes to me Mr. Holliard, and into the chamber to
me, and, poor man (beyond all I ever saw of him), was a little drunk,
and there sat talking and finding acquaintance with Sir W. Batten and my
Lady by relations on both sides, that there we staid very long. At last
broke up, and he home much overcome with drink, but well enough to get
well home. So I home to supper and to bed.

29th. Up, and it being my Lord Mayor's show, my boy and three mayds went
out; but it being a very foule, rainy day, from morning till night, I
was sorry my wife let them go out. All the morning at the office.
At dinner at home. In the afternoon to the office again, and about 9
o'clock by appointment to the King's Head tavern upon Fish Street Hill,
whither Mr. Wolfe (and Parham by his means) met me to discourse about
the Fishery, and great light I had by Parham, who is a little conceited,
but a very knowing man in his way, and in the general fishing trade of
England. Here I staid three hours, and eat a barrel of very fine oysters
of Wolfe's giving me, and so, it raining hard, home and to my office,
and then home to bed. All the talke is that De Ruyter is come over-land
home with six or eight of his captaines to command here at home, and
their ships kept abroad in the Straigh