26th. Up, and, leaving my guests to make themselves ready, I to the
office, and thither comes Sir Jer. Smith and Sir Christopher Mings to see
me, being just come from Portsmouth and going down to the Fleete. Here I
sat and talked with them a good while and then parted, only Sir
Christopher Mings and I together by water to the Tower; and I find him a
very witty well-spoken fellow, and mighty free to tell his parentage,
being a shoemaker's son, to whom he is now going, and I to the 'Change,
where I hear how the French have taken two and sunk one of our
merchant-men in the Streights, and carried the ships to Toulon; so that
there is no expectation but we must fall out with them. The 'Change
pretty full, and the town begins to be lively again, though the streets
very empty, and most shops shut. So back again I and took boat and called
for Sir Christopher Mings at St. Katharine's, who was followed with some
ordinary friends, of which, he says, he is proud, and so down to
Greenwich, the wind furious high, and we with our sail up till I made it
be taken down. I took him, it being 3 o'clock, to my lodgings and did give
him a good dinner and so parted, he being pretty close to me as to any
business of the fleete, knowing me to be a servant of my Lord Sandwich's.
He gone I to the office till night, and then they come and tell me my wife
is come to towne, so I to her vexed at her coming, but it was upon
innocent business, so I was pleased and made her stay, Captain Ferrers and
his lady being yet there, and so I left them to dance, and I to the office
till past nine at night, and so to them and there saw them dance very
prettily, the Captain and his wife, my wife and Mrs. Barbary, and Mercer
and my landlady's daughter, and then little Mistress Frances Tooker and
her mother, a pretty woman come to see my wife. Anon to supper, and then
to dance again (Golding being our fiddler, who plays very well and all
tunes) till past twelve at night, and then we broke up and every one to
bed, we make shift for all our company, Mrs. Tooker being gone.