ourse with Mr. Deane best part of
the way; there met by appointment Commissioner Pett, and with him to
Deptford, where did also some business, and so home to my office, and at
noon Mrs. Hunt and her cozens child and mayd came and dined with me. My
wife sick ... in bed. I was troubled with it, but, however, could not
help it, but attended them till after dinner, and then to the office and
there sat all the afternoon, and by a letter to me this afternoon from
Mr. Coventry I saw the first appearance of a warr with Holland. So home;
and betimes to bed because of rising to-morrow.

13th. Up before three o'clock, and a little after upon the water, it
being very light as at noon, and a bright sunrising; but by and by a
rainbow appeared, the first that ever in a morning I saw, and then it
fell a-raining a little, but held up again, and I to Woolwich, where
before all the men came to work I with Mr. Deane spent two hours upon
the new ship, informing myself in the names and natures of many parts
of her to my great content, and so back again, without doing any thing
else, and after shifting myself away to Westminster, looking after
Mr. Maes's business and others. In the Painted Chamber I heard a
fine conference between some of the two Houses upon the Bill for
Conventicles. The Lords would be freed from having their houses searched
by any but the Lord Lieutenant of the County; and upon being found
guilty, to be tried only by their peers; and thirdly, would have it
added, that whereas the Bill says, "That that, among other things,
shall be a conventicle wherein any such meeting is found doing any thing
contrary to the Liturgy of the Church of England," they would have it
added, "or practice." The Commons to the Lords said, that they knew not
what might hereafter be found out which might be called the practice of
the Church of England; for there are many things may be said to be the
practice of the Church, which were never established by any law, either
common, statute, or canon; as singing of psalms, binding up prayers at
the end of the Bible, and praying extempore before and after sermon:
and though these are things indifferent, yet things for aught they at
present know may be started, which may be said to be the practice of the
Church which would not be fit to allow. For the Lords' priviledges,
Mr. Walter told them how tender their predecessors had been of the
priviledges of the Lords; but, however, where the peace of the kingdom