then home to bed, where I have not lain these 3 or 4 nights. I received
yesterday a letter from my Lord Sandwich, giving me thanks for my care
about their marriage business, and desiring it to be dispatched, that no
disappointment may happen therein, which I will help on all I can. This
afternoon I waited on the Duke of Albemarle, and so to Mrs. Croft's, where
I found and saluted Mrs. Burrows, who is a very pretty woman for a mother
of so many children. But, Lord! to see how the plague spreads. It being
now all over King's Streete, at the Axe, and next door to it, and in other
places.

21st. Up and abroad to the goldsmiths, to see what money I could get upon
my present tallys upon the advance of the Excise, and I hope I shall get
L10,000. I went also and had them entered at the Excise Office. Alderman
Backewell is at sea. Sir R. Viner come to towne but this morning. So
Colvill was the only man I could yet speak withal to get any money of.
Met with Mr. Povy, and I with him and dined at the Custom House Taverne,
there to talk of our Tangier business, and Stockedale and Hewet with us.
So abroad to several places, among others to Anthony Joyce's, and there
broke to him my desire to have Pall married to Harman, whose wife, poor
woman, is lately dead, to my trouble, I loving her very much, and he will
consider it. So home and late at my chamber, setting some papers in
order; the plague growing very raging, and my apprehensions of it great.
So very late to bed.

22nd. As soon as up I among my goldsmiths, Sir Robert Viner and Colvill,
and there got L10,000 of my new tallys accepted, and so I made it my work
to find out Mr. Mervin and sent for others to come with their bills of
Exchange, as Captain Hewett, &c., and sent for Mr. Jackson, but he was not
in town. So all the morning at the office, and after dinner, which was
very late, I to Sir R. Viner's, by his invitation in the morning, and got