base angry letter that he had newly received from my uncle Robert about my
brother John, at which my father was very sad, but I comforted him and
wrote an answer. My brother John has an exhibition granted him from the
school. My father and I went down to his kitchen, and there we eat and
drank, and about 9 o'clock I went away homewards, and in Fleet Street,
received a great jostle from a man that had a mind to take the wall, which
I could not help?

[This was a constant trouble to the pedestrian until the rule of
passing to the right of the person met was generally accepted. Gay
commences his "Trivia" with an allusion to this--

"When to assert the wall, and when resign--"

and the epigram on the haughty courtier and the scholar is well
known.]

I came home and to bed. Went to bed with my head not well by my too much
drinking to-day, and I had a boil under my chin which troubled me cruelly.

9th. Soon as out of my bed I wrote letters into the country to go by
carrier to-day. Before I was out of my bed, I heard the soldiers very
busy in the morning, getting their horses ready where they lay at
Hilton's, but I knew not then their meaning in so doing: After I had wrote
my letters I went to Westminster up and down the Hall, and with Mr. Swan
walked a good [deal] talking about Mr. Downing's business. I went with
him to Mr. Phelps's house where he had some business to solicit, where we
met Mr. Rogers my neighbour, who did solicit against him and talked very
high, saying that he would not for a L1000 appear in a business that Swan
did, at which Swan was very angry, but I believe he might be guilty