ingenious gentleman, and sat and talked with him a great while. He gone,
to my workmen again, and in the evening comes Captain Ferrers, and sat and
talked a great while, and told me the story of his receiving his cut in
the hand by falling out with one of my Lord's footmen. He told me also of
the impertinence and mischief that Ned Pickering has made in the country
between my Lord and all his servants almost by his finding of faults,
which I am vexed to hear, it being a great disgrace to my Lord to have the
fellow seen to be so great still with him. He brought me a letter from my
father, that appoints the day for the Court at Brampton to be the 13th of
this month; but I perceive he has kept the letter in his pocket these
three days, so that if the day had been sooner, I might have been spilt.
So that it is a great folly to send letters of business by any friend that
require haste. He being gone I to my office all the evening, doing
business there till bedtime, it being now my manner since my wife is come
to spend too much of my daytime with her and the workmen and do my office
business at night, which must not be after the work of the house is done.
This night late I had notice that Dekins, the merchant, is dead this
afternoon suddenly, for grief that his daughter, my Morena, who has long
been ill, is given over by the Doctors. For both which I am very sorry.
So home and to bed.

4th. To my office all the morning, after I was up (my wife beginning to
make me lie long a mornings), where we sat till noon, and then dined at
home, and after a little with my workmen to my office till 9 at night,
among other things examining the particulars of the miscarriage of the
Satisfaction, sunk the other day on the Dutch coast through the negligence
of the pilott.

5th (Lord's day). Lay long in bed talking with my wife, and among other
things fell out about my maid Sarah, whom my wife would fain put away,