14th. Up and to White Hall, where long waited in the Duke's chamber for a
Committee intended for Tangier, but none met, and so I home and to the
office, where we met a little, and then to the 'Change, where our late ill
newes confirmed in loss of two ships in the Straights, but are now the
Phoenix and Nonsuch! Home to dinner, thence with my wife to the King's
house, there to see "Vulpone," a most excellent play; the best I think I
ever saw, and well, acted. So with Sir W. Pen home in his coach, and then
to the office. So home, to supper, and bed, resolving by the grace of God
from this day to fall hard to my business again, after some weeke or
fortnight's neglect.

15th (Lord's day). Up, and after a little at my office to prepare a fresh
draught of my vowes for the next yeare, I to church, where a most insipid
young coxcomb preached. Then home to dinner, and after dinner to read in
"Rushworth's Collections" about the charge against the late Duke of
Buckingham, in order to the fitting me to speak and understand the
discourse anon before the King about the suffering the Turkey merchants to
send out their fleete at this dangerous time, when we can neither spare
them ships to go, nor men, nor King's ships to convoy them. At four
o'clock with Sir W. Pen in his coach to my Lord Chancellor's, where by and
by Mr. Coventry, Sir W. Pen, Sir J. Lawson, Sir G. Ascue, and myself were
called in to the King, there being several of the Privy Council, and my
Lord Chancellor lying at length upon a couch (of the goute I suppose); and
there Sir W. Pen begun, and he had prepared heads in a paper, and spoke
pretty well to purpose, but with so much leisure and gravity as was
tiresome; besides, the things he said were but very poor to a man in his
trade after a great consideration, but it was to purpose, indeed to
dissuade the King from letting these Turkey ships to go out: saying (in
short) the King having resolved to have 130 ships out by the spring, he
must have above 20 of them merchantmen. Towards which, he in the whole