thence back again home, by the way meeting Mr. Weaver, of Huntingdon, and
did discourse our business of law together, which did ease my mind, for I
was afeard I have omitted doing what I in prudence ought to have done. So
home and to dinner, and after dinner to the office, where je had Mrs.
Burrows all sola a my closet, and did there 'baiser and toucher ses
mamelles' . . . . Thence away, and with my wife by coach to the Duke
of York's play-house, expecting a new play, and so stayed not no more than
other people, but to the King's house, to "The Mayd's Tragedy;" but vexed
all the while with two talking ladies and Sir Charles Sedley; yet pleased
to hear their discourse, he being a stranger. And one of the ladies
would, and did sit with her mask on, all the play, and, being exceeding
witty as ever I heard woman, did talk most pleasantly with him; but was, I
believe, a virtuous woman, and of quality. He would fain know who she
was, but she would not tell; yet did give him many pleasant hints of her
knowledge of him, by that means setting his brains at work to find, out
who she was, and did give him leave to use all means to find out who she
was, but pulling off her mask. He was mighty witty, and she also making
sport with him very inoffensively, that a more pleasant 'rencontre' I
never heard. But by that means lost the pleasure of the play wholly, to
which now and then Sir Charles Sedley's exceptions against both words and
pronouncing were very pretty. So home and to the office, did much
business, then home, to supper, and to bed.

19th. Up, and to the office, where all the morning doing little business,
our want of money being so infinite great. At noon home, and there find
old Mr. Michell and Howlett come to desire mine and my wife's company to
dinner to their son's, and so away by coach with them, it being Betty's
wedding-day a year, as also Shrove Tuesday. Here I made myself mighty
merry, the two old women being there also, and a mighty pretty dinner we
had in this little house, to my exceeding great content, and my wife's,