reement at my bookseller's shop
met Mercer and Gayet, and took them by water, first to one of the
Neat-houses, where walked in the garden, but nothing but a bottle of wine
to be had, though pleased with seeing the garden; and so to Fox Hall,
where with great pleasure we walked, and then to the upper end of the
further retired walk, and there sat and sang, and brought great many
gallants and fine people about us, and, upon the bench, we did by and by
eat and drink what we had, and very merry: and so with much pleasure to
the Old Swan, and walked with them home, and there left them, and so I
home to my business at the office a little, and so to bed.

29th. Betimes up, and up to my Tangier accounts, and then by water to the
Council Chamber, and there received some directions from the Duke of York
and the Committee of the Navy there about casting up the charge of the
present summer's fleete, that so they may come within the bounds of the
sum given by the Parliament. But it is pretty to see how Prince Rupert
and other mad, silly people, are for setting out but a little fleete,
there being no occasion for it; and say it will be best to save the money
for better uses. But Sir W. Coventry did declare that, in wisdom, it was
better to do so; but that, in obedience to the Parliament, he was [for]
setting out the fifty sail talked on, though it spent all the money, and
to little purpose; and that this was better than to leave it to the
Parliament to make bad construction of their thrift, if any trouble should
happen. Thus wary the world is grown! Thence back again presently home,
and did business till noon: and then to Sir G. Carteret's to dinner, with
much good company, it being the King's birthday, and many healths drunk:
and here I did receive another letter from my Lord Sandwich, which
troubles me to see how I have neglected him, in not writing, or but once,
all this time of his being abroad; and I see he takes notice, but yet
gently, of it, that it puts me to great trouble, and I know not how to get
out of it, having no good excuse, and too late now to mend, he being
coming home. Thence home, whither, by agreement, by and by comes Mercer
and Gayet, and two gentlemen with them, Mr. Monteith and Pelham, the
former a swaggering young handsome gentleman, the latter a sober citizen
merchant. Both sing, but the latter with great skill-the other, no skill,
but a good voice, and a good basse, but used to sing only tavern tunes;