Sir W. Coventry come to me, and found me, as God would have it, in my
office, and people about me setting my papers to rights; and there
discoursed about getting an account ready against the Parliament, and
thereby did create me infinite of business, and to be done on a sudden;
which troubled me: but, however, he being gone, I about it late, and to
good purpose. And so home, having this day also got my wine out of the
ground again, and set in my cellar; but with great pain to keep the
porters that carried it in from observing the money-chests there. So to
bed as last night, only my wife and I upon a bedstead with curtains in
that which was Mercer's chamber, and Balty and his wife (who are here and
do us good service), where we lay last night. This day, poor Tom Pepys,
the turner, was with me, and Kate, Joyce, to bespeake places; one for
himself, the other for her husband. She tells me he hath lost L140 per
annum, but have seven houses left.

15th. All the morning at the office, Harman being come to my great
satisfaction to put up my beds and hangings, so I am at rest, and followed
my business all day. Dined with Sir W. Batten, mighty busy about this
account, and while my people were busy, wrote near thirty letters and
orders with my owne hand. At it till eleven at night; and it is strange
to see how clear my head was, being eased of all the matter of all these
letters; whereas one would think that I should have been dazed. I never
did observe so much of myself in my life. In the evening there comes to
me Captain Cocke, and walked a good while in the garden. He says he hath
computed that the rents of houses lost by this fire in the City comes to
L600,000 per annum; that this will make the Parliament, more quiet than
otherwise they would have been, and give the, King a more ready supply;
that the supply must be by excise, as it is in Holland; that the
Parliament will see it necessary to carry on the warr; that the late storm
hindered our beating the Dutch fleete, who were gone out only to satisfy