I lose most of my time now-a-days to my great trouble, charge,
and loss of time and benefit), and there, after the Council rose, Sir
G. Carteret, my Lord Brunkard, Sir Thomas Harvy, and myself, down to
my Lord Treasurer's chamber to him and the Chancellor, and the Duke of
Albemarle; and there I did give them a large account of the charge of
the Navy, and want of money. But strange to see how they held up their
hands crying, "What shall we do?" Says my Lord Treasurer, "Why, what
means all this, Mr. Pepys? This is true, you say; but what would you
have me to do? I have given all I can for my life. Why will not people
lend their money? Why will they not trust the King as well as Oliver?
Why do our prizes come to nothing, that yielded so much heretofore?" And
this was all we could get, and went away without other answer, which
is one of the saddest things that, at such a time as this, with the
greatest action on foot that ever was in England, nothing should be
minded, but let things go on of themselves do as well as they can. So
home, vexed, and going to my Lady Batten's, there found a great many
women with her, in her chamber merry, my Lady Pen and her daughter,
among others; where my Lady Pen flung me down upon the bed, and herself
and others, one after another, upon me, and very merry we were, and
thence I home and called my wife with my Lady Pen to supper, and very
merry as I could be, being vexed as I was. So home to bed.

13th. Lay long in bed, troubled a little with wind, but not much. So to
the office, and there all the morning. At noon to Sheriff Waterman's
to dinner, all of us men of the office in towne, and our wives, my Lady
Carteret and daughters, and Ladies Batten, Pen, and my wife, &c., and
very good cheer we had and merry; musique at and after dinner, and a
fellow danced a jigg; but when the company begun to dance, I came away
lest I should be taken out; and God knows how my wife carried herself,
but I left her to try her fortune. So home, and late at the office, and
then home to supper and to bed.

14th. Up, and betimes to Mr. Povy, being desirous to have an end of my
trouble of mind touching my Tangier business, whether he hath any desire
of accepting what my Lord Ashly offered, of his becoming Treasurer
again; and there I did, with a seeming most generous spirit, offer him
to take it back again upon his owne terms; but he did answer to me
that he would not above all things in the world, at which I was for