wife made me drink some tea, and so he and I by water together to London.
Here at a taverne in Cornhill he and I did agree upon my delivering up to
him a bill of Captain Cocke's, put into my hand for Pierce's use upon
evening of reckonings about the prize goods, and so away to the 'Change,
and there hear the ill news, to my great and all our great trouble, that
the plague is encreased again this week, notwithstanding there hath been a
day or two great frosts; but we hope it is only the effects of the late
close warm weather, and if the frosts continue the next week, may fall
again; but the town do thicken so much with people, that it is much if the
plague do not grow again upon us. Off the 'Change invited by Sheriff
Hooker, who keeps the poorest, mean, dirty table in a dirty house that
ever I did see any Sheriff of London; and a plain, ordinary, silly man I
think he is, but rich; only his son, Mr. Lethulier, I like, for a pretty,
civil, understanding merchant; and the more by much, because he happens to
be husband to our noble, fat, brave lady in our parish, that I and my wife
admire so. Thence away to the Pope's Head Taverne, and there met first
with Captain Cocke, and dispatched my business with him to my content, he
being ready to sign his bill of imprest of L2,000, and gives it me in part
of his payment to me, which glads my heart. He being gone, comes Sir W.
Warren, who advised with me about several things about getting money, and
L100 I shall presently have of him. We advised about a business of
insurance, wherein something may be saved to him and got to me, and to
that end he and I did take a coach at night and to the Cockepitt, there to
get the Duke of Albemarle's advice for our insuring some of our Sounde
goods coming home under Harman's convoy, but he proved shy of doing it
without knowledge of the Duke of Yorke, so we back again and calling at my
house to see my wife, who is well; though my great trouble is that our
poor little parish is the greatest number this weeke in all the city
within the walls, having six, from one the last weeke; and so by water to
Greenwich leaving Sir W. Warren at home, and I straight to my Lord