24th (Lord's day). Waked, and up and drank, and then to discourse; and
then being about Grayes, and a very calme, curious morning, we took our
wherry, and to the fishermen, and bought a great deal of fine fish, and to
Gravesend to White's, and had part of it dressed; and, in the meantime, we
to walk about a mile from the towne, and so back again; and there, after
breakfast, one of our watermen told us he had heard of a bargain of cloves
for us, and we went to a blind alehouse at the further end wretched dirty
seamen, who, of the towne to a couple of poor wretches, had got together
about 37 lb. of cloves and to 10 of nutmeggs, and we bought them of them,
the first at 5s. 6d. per lb. and the latter at 4s.; and paid them in
gold; but, Lord! to see how silly these men are in the selling of it, and
easily to be persuaded almost to anything, offering a bag to us to pass as
20 lbs. of cloves, which upon weighing proved 25 lbs. But it would never
have been allowed by my conscience to have wronged the poor wretches, who
told us how dangerously they had got some, and dearly paid for the rest of
these goods. This being done we with great content herein on board again
and there Captain Cocke and I to discourse of our business, but he will
not yet be open to me, nor am I to him till I hear what he will say and do
with Sir Roger Cuttance. However, this discourse did do me good, and got
me a copy of the agreement made the other day on board for the parcel of
Mr. Pierce and Sir Roger Cuttance, but this great parcel is of my Lord
Sandwich's. By and by to dinner about 3 o'clock and then I in the cabbin
to writing down my journall for these last seven days to my, great
content, it having pleased God that in this sad time of the plague every
thing else has conspired to my happiness and pleasure more for these last
three months than in all my, life before in so little time. God long
preserve it and make me thankful) for it! After finishing my Journal),
then to discourse and to read, and then to supper and to bed, my mind not
being at full ease, having not fully satisfied myself how Captain Cocke
will deal with me as to the share of the profits.