Allen, and I made him dine with me, and very friendly he is, and a good
man, I think, but one that professes he loves to get and to save. He
dined with my wife and me and Mrs. Barbary, whom my wife brings along with
her from Woolwich for as long as she stays here. In the afternoon to the
office, and there very late writing letters and then home, my wife and
people sitting up for me, and after supper to bed. Great joy we have this
week in the weekly Bill, it being come to 544 in all, and but 333 of the
plague; so that we are encouraged to get to London soon as we can. And my
father writes as great news of joy to them, that he saw Yorke's waggon go
again this week to London, and was full of passengers; and tells me that
my aunt Bell hath been dead of the plague these seven weeks.

DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS.
DECEMBER
1665

December 1st. This morning to the office, full of resolution to spend the
whole day at business, and there, among other things, I did agree with
Poynter to be my clerke for my Victualling business, and so all alone all
the day long shut up in my little closett at my office, drawing up
instructions, which I should long since have done for my Surveyours of the
Ports, Sir W. Coventry desiring much to have them, and he might well have
expected them long since. After dinner to it again, and at night had long
discourse with Gibson, who is for Yarmouth, who makes me understand so
much of the victualling business and the pursers' trade, that I am ashamed
I should go about the concerning myself in a business which I understand
so very very little of, and made me distrust all I had been doing to-day.
So I did lay it by till to-morrow morning to think of it afresh, and so
home by promise to my wife, to have mirth there. So we had our
neighbours, little Miss Tooker and Mrs. Daniels, to dance, and after