e office after
dinner, and there all the afternoon mighty busy, and at night did take
coach thinking to have gone to Westminster, but it was mighty dark and
foul, and my business not great, only to keep my eyes from reading by
candle, being weary, but being gone part of my way I turned back, and so
home, and there to read, and my wife to read to me out of Sir Robert
Cotton's book about warr, which is very fine, showing how the Kings of
England have raised money by the people heretofore upon the people, and
how they have played upon the kings also. So after supper I to bed. This
morning Sir W. Pen tells me that the House was very hot on Saturday last
upon the business of liberty of speech in the House, and damned the vote
in the beginning of the Long Parliament against it; I so that he fears
that there may be some bad thing which they have a mind to broach, which
they dare not do without more security than they now have. God keep us,
for things look mighty ill!

26th. Up, all the morning at the office, and then home to dinner, where
dined Mr. Clerke, solicitor, with me, to discourse about my Tangier
accounts, which I would fain make up, but I have not time. After dinner,
by coach as far as the Temple, and there saw a new book, in folio, of all
that suffered for the King in the late times, which I will buy, it seems
well writ, and then back to the Old Exchange, and there at my goldsmith's
bought a basin for my wife to give the Parson's child, to which the other
day she was godmother. It cost me; L10 14s. besides graving, which I do
with the cypher of the name, Daniel Mills, and so home to the office, and
then home to supper and hear my wife read, and then to bed. This
afternoon, after dinner, come to me Mr. Warren, and there did tell me that
he come to pay his debt to me for the kindness I did him in getting his
last ship out, which I must also remember was a service to the King,
though I did not tell him so, as appeared by my advising with the board,
and there writing to Sir W. Coventry to get the pass for the ship to go
for it to Genoa. Now that which he had promised me for the courtesy was I
take it 100 pieces or more, I think more, and also for the former courtesy
I had done for the getting of his first ship out for this hemp he did
promise me a consideration upon the return of the goods, but I never did
to this day demand any thing of him, only about a month ago he told me
that now his ship was come, and he wo