Mr. Cades, and there went up into his warehouse to look for a map or two,
and there finding great plenty of good pictures, God forgive me! how my
mind run upon them, and bought a little one for my wife's closett
presently, and concluded presently of buying L10 worth, upon condition he
would give me the buying of them. Now it is true I did still within me
resolve to make the King one way or other pay for them, though I saved it
to him another way, yet I find myself too forward to fix upon the expense,
and came away with a resolution of buying them, but do hope that I shall
not upon second thoughts do it without a way made out before I buy them to
myself how to do [it] without charge to my main stock. Thence to the
Coffee-house, and sat long in good discourse with some gentlemen
concerning the Roman Empire. So home and found Mr. Hollyard there, and he
stayed and dined with us, we having a pheasant to dinner. He gone, I all
the afternoon with my wife to cards, and, God forgive me! to see how the
very discourse of plays, which I shall be at liberty to see after New
Year's Day next, do set my mind upon them, but I must be forced to stint
myself very strictly before I begin, or else I fear I shall spoil all. In
the evening came my aunt Wight's kinswoman to see how my wife do, with a
compliment from my aunt, which I take kindly as it is unusual for her to
do it, but I do perceive my uncle is very kind to me of late. So to my
office writing letters, and then to read and make an end of Rushworth,
which I did, and do say that it is a book the most worth reading for a man
of my condition or any man that hopes to come to any publique condition in
the world that I do know. So home to supper and to bed.

27th. Up and to church alone and so home to dinner with my wife very
pleasant and pleased with one another's company, and in our general
enjoyment one of another, better we think than most other couples do. So
after dinner to the French church, but came too late, and so back to our
owne church, where I slept all the sermon the Scott preaching, and so