my office, and there did promise to drink no more wine but one glass a
meal till Whitsuntide next upon any score. Mrs. Bowyer and her daughters
being at my house I forbore to go to them, having business and my head
disturbed, but staid at my office till night, and then to walk upon the
leads with my wife, and so to my chamber and thence to bed. The great
talk is, that the Spaniards and the Hollanders do intend to set upon the
Portuguese by sea, at Lisbon, as soon as our fleet is come away; and by
that means our fleet is not likely to come yet these two months or three;
which I hope is not true.

8th. Up very early and to my office, and there continued till noon. So
to dinner, and in comes uncle Fenner and the two Joyces. I sent for a
barrel of oysters and a breast of veal roasted, and were very merry; but I
cannot down with their dull company and impertinent. After dinner to the
office again. So at night by coach to Whitehall, and Mr. Coventry not
being there I brought my business of the office to him, it being almost
dark, and so came away and took up my wife. By the way home and on
Ludgate Hill there being a stop I bought two cakes, and they were our
supper at home.

9th. Sir George Carteret, Sir Williams both and myself all the morning at
the office passing the Victualler's accounts, and at noon to dinner at the
Dolphin, where a good chine of beef and other good cheer. At dinner Sir
George showed me an account in French of the great famine, which is to the
greatest extremity in some part of France at this day, which is very
strange.

[On the 5th of June following, Louis, notwithstanding the scarcity,
gave that splendid carousal in the court before the Tuileries, from
which the place has ever since taken its name.--B.]