s days; where, in 88, she had but 36
sail great and small, in the world; and ten rounds of powder was their
allowance at that time against the Spaniard. After Sir W. Compton and
Mr. Coventry, and some of the best of the rest were gone, I grew weary
of staying with Sir Williams both, and the more for that my Lady Batten
and her crew, at least half a score, come into the room, and I believe
we shall pay size for it; but 'tis very pleasant to see her in her
hair under her hood, and how by little and little she would fain be a
gallant; but, Lord! the company she keeps about her are like herself,
that she may be known by them what she is. Being quite weary I stole
from them and to my office, where I did business till 9 at night, and so
to my lodgings to bed.

5th. Up by break of day at 5 o'clock, and down by water to Woolwich: in
my way saw the yacht lately built by our virtuosoes (my Lord Brunkard
and others, with the help of Commissioner Pett also) set out from
Greenwich with the little Dutch bezan, to try for mastery; and before
they got to Woolwich the Dutch beat them half-a-mile (and I hear this
afternoon, that, in coming home, it got above three miles); which all
our people are glad of. Here I staid and mustered the yard and looked
into the storehouses; and so walked all alone to Greenwich, and thence
by water to Deptford, and there examined some stores, and did some of
my own business in hastening my work there, and so walked to Redriffe,
being by this time pretty weary and all in a sweat; took boat there
for the Tower, which made me a little fearful, it being a cold, windy
morning. So to my lodgings and there rubbed myself clean, and so to Mr.
Bland's, the merchant, by invitation, I alone of all our company of this
office; where I found all the officers of the Customs, very grave fine
gentlemen, and I am very glad to know them; viz.--Sir Job Harvy,
Sir John Wolstenholme, Sir John Jacob, Sir Nicholas Crisp, Sir John
Harrison, and Sir John Shaw: very good company. And among other pretty
discourse, some was of Sir Jerom Bowes, Embassador from Queene Elizabeth
to the Emperor of Russia;

[In 1583; the object of his mission being to persuade the Muscovite
(Ivan IV. the Terrible) to a peace with John, King of Sweden. He
was also employed to confirm the trade of the English with Russia,
and having incurred some personal danger, was received with favour
on his return by the Queen. He died in 1616.]