e night at any time. Thence with him
to the Parke, and there met the Queene coming from Chappell, with her
Mayds of Honour, all in silver-lace gowns again: which is new to me, and
that which I did not think would have been brought up again. Thence he
carried me to the King's closett: where such variety of pictures, and
other things of value and rarity, that I was properly confounded and
enjoyed no pleasure in the sight of them; which is the only time in my
life that ever I was so at a loss for pleasure, in the greatest plenty
of objects to give it me. Thence home, calling in many places and doing
abundance of errands to my great content, and at night weary home, where
Mr. Creed waited for me, and he and I walked in the garden, where
he told me he is now in a hurry fitting himself for sea, and that it
remains that he deals as an ingenuous man with me in the business I wot
of, which he will do before he goes. But I perceive he will have me do
many good turns for him first, both as to his bills coming to him in
this office, and also in his absence at the Committee of Tangier, which
I promise, and as he acquits himself to me I will willingly do. I would
I knew the worst of it, what it is he intends, that so I may either quit
my hands of him or continue my kindness still to him.

25th. We staid late, and he lay with me all night and rose very merry
talking, and excellent company he is, that is the truth of it, and a
most cunning man. He being gone I to the office, where we sat all the
morning. At noon to dinner, and then to my office busy, and by and by
home with Mr. Deane to a lesson upon raising a Bend of Timbers,

[This seems to refer to knee timber, of which there was not a
sufficient supply. A proposal was made to produce this bent wood
artificially: "June 22, 1664. Sir William Petty intimated that it
seemed by the scarcity and greater rate of knee timber that nature
did not furnish crooked wood enough for building: wherefore he
thought it would be fit to raise by art, so much of it in
proportion, as to reduce it to an equal rate with strait timber"
(Birch's "History of the Royal Society,")]

and he being gone I to the office, and there came Captain Taylor, and he
and I home, and I have done all very well with him as to the business of
the last trouble, so that come what will come my name will be clear of
any false dealing with him. So to my office again late, and then to bed.