inued though I heard the clock strike, till noon, and
would not believe that it was so late as it truly was. I was hardly ever
so mistaken in my life before. Up and to Sir G. Carteret at his house,
and spoke to him about business, but he being in a bad humour I had no
mind to stay with him, but walked, drinking my morning draft of whay, by
the way, to York House, where the Russia Embassador do lie; and there
I saw his people go up and down louseing themselves: they are all in a
great hurry, being to be gone the beginning of next week. But that that
pleased me best, was the remains of the noble soul of the late Duke of
Buckingham appearing in his house, in every place, in the doorcases and
the windows. By and by comes Sir John Hebden, the Russia Resident, to
me, and he and I in his coach to White Hall, to Secretary Morrice's,
to see the orders about the Russia hemp that is to be fetched from
Archangel for our King, and that being done, to coach again, and he
brought me into the City and so I home; and after dinner abroad by
water, and met by appointment Mr. Deane in the Temple Church, and he and
I over to Mr. Blackbury's yard, and thence to other places, and after
that to a drinking house, in all which places I did so practise and
improve my measuring of timber, that I can now do it with great ease
and perfection, which do please me mightily. This fellow Deane is a
conceited fellow, and one that means the King a great deal of service,
more of disservice to other people that go away with the profits
which he cannot make; but, however, I learn much of him, and he is, I
perceive, of great use to the King in his place, and so I shall give him
all the encouragement I can. Home by water, and having wrote a letter
for my wife to my Lady Sandwich to copy out to send this night's post,
I to the office, and wrote there myself several things, and so home to
supper and bed. My mind being troubled to think into what a temper of
neglect I have myself flung my wife into by my letting her learn to
dance, that it will require time to cure her of, and I fear her going
into the country will but make her worse; but only I do hope in the
meantime to spend my time well in my office, with more leisure than
while she is here. Hebden, to-day in the coach, did tell me how he is
vexed to see things at Court ordered as they are by nobody that attends
to business, but every man himself or his pleasures. He cries up my Lord
Ashley to be almost the only