needs have me home to his house by the Dutch Church, and there in an old
but good house, with his wife and mother, a couple of plain old women, I
dined a good plain dinner, and his discourse after dinner with me upon
matters of the navy victualling very good and worth my hearing, and so
home to my office in the afternoon with my mind full of business, and
there at it late, and so home to supper to my poor wife, and to bed,
myself being in a little pain. . . . . by a stroke . . . . in
pulling up my breeches yesterday over eagerly, but I will lay nothing to
it till I see whether it will cease of itself or no. The plague, it
seems, grows more and more at Amsterdam; and we are going upon making of
all ships coming from thence and Hambrough, or any other infected places,
to perform their Quarantine (for thirty days as Sir Rd. Browne expressed
it in the order of the Council, contrary to the import of the word, though
in the general acceptation it signifies now the thing, not the time spent
in doing it) in Holehaven, a thing never done by us before.

27th. Up and to my office, where busy with great delight all the morning,
and at noon to the 'Change, and so home to dinner with my poor wife, and
with great content to my office again, and there hard at work upon stating
the account of the freights due to the King from the East India Company
till late at night, and so home to supper and to bed. My wife mightily
pleased with my late discourse of getting a trip over to Calais, or some
other port of France, the next summer, in one of the yachts, and I believe
I shall do it, and it makes good sport that my mayde Jane dares not go,
and Besse is wild to go, and is mad for joy, but yet will be willing to
stay if Jane hath a mind, which is the best temper in this and all other
things that ever I knew in my life.

28th. Up and at the office sat all the morning, and at noon by Mr.
Coventry's coach to the 'Change, and after a little while there where I