d Admiral for the regulating of the officers of the Navy, in which he
hath taken much pains, only he do seem to have too good opinion of them
himself. From thence in his coach to Mercer's Chappell, and so up to the
great hall, where we met with the King's Councell for Trade, upon some
proposals of theirs for settling convoys for the whole English trade,
and that by having 33 ships (four fourth-rates, nineteen fifths, ten
sixths) settled by the King for that purpose, which indeed was argued
very finely by many persons of honour and merchants that were there. It
pleased me much now to come in this condition to this place, where I was
once a petitioner for my exhibition in Paul's School; and also where Sir
G. Downing (my late master) was chairman, and so but equally concerned
with me. From thence home, and after a little dinner my wife and I by
coach into London, and bought some glasses, and then to Whitehall to
see Mrs. Fox, but she not within, my wife to my mother Bowyer, and I met
with Dr. Thomas Fuller, and took him to the Dog, where he tells me of
his last and great book that is coming out: that is, his History of all
the Families in England;' and could tell me more of my own, than I
knew myself. And also to what perfection he hath now brought the art
of memory; that he did lately to four eminently great scholars dictate
together in Latin, upon different subjects of their proposing, faster
than they were able to write, till they were tired; and by the way in
discourse tells me that the best way of beginning a sentence, if a man
should be out and forget his last sentence (which he never was), that
then his last refuge is to begin with an Utcunque. From thence I to Mr.
Bowyer's, and there sat a while, and so to Mr. Fox's, and sat with them
a very little while, and then by coach home, and so to see Sir Win. Pen,
where we found Mrs. Martha Batten and two handsome ladies more, and so
we staid supper and were very merry, and so home to bed.

23rd. To the office all the morning. My wife and people at home busy to
get things ready for tomorrow's dinner. At noon, without dinner, went
into the City, and there meeting with Greatorex, we went and drank a pot
of ale. He told me that he was upon a design to go to Teneriffe to try
experiments there. With him to Gresham Colledge

[Gresham College occupied the house of Sir Thomas Gresham, in
Bishopsgate Street, from 1596, when Lady Gresham, Sir Thomas's
widow, died. Th