are we fain to come away answered, when, God knows, it will undo the
King's business to have matters of this moment put off in this manner.
The King did prevent my offering anything by and by as Treasurer for
Tangier, telling me that he had ordered us L30,000 on the same tax; but
that is not what we would have to bring our payments to come within a
year. So we gone out, in went others; viz., one after another, Sir
Stephen Fox for the army, Captain Cocke for sick and wounded, Mr.
Ashburnham for the household. Thence [Sir] W. Batten, [Sir] W. Pen, and
I, back again; I mightily pleased with what I had said and done, and the
success thereof. But, it being a fine clear day, I did, 'en gayete de
coeur', propose going to Bow for ayre sake, and dine there, which they
embraced, and so [Sir] W. Batten and I (setting [Sir] W. Pen down at Mark
Lane end) straight to Bow, to the Queen's Head, and there bespoke our
dinner, carrying meat with us from London; and anon comes [Sir] W. Pen
with my wife and Lady Batten, and then Mr. Lowder with his mother and
wife. While [Sir] W. Batten and I were alone, we had much friendly
discourse, though I will never trust him far; but we do propose getting
"The Flying Greyhound," our privateer, to us and [Sir] W. Pen at the end
of the year when we call her home, by begging her of the King, and I do
not think we shall be denied her. They being come, we to oysters and so
to talk, very pleasant I was all day, and anon to dinner, and I made very
good company. Here till the evening, so as it was dark almost before we
got home (back again in the same method, I think, we went), and spent the
night talking at Sir W. Batten's, only a little at my office, to look over
the Victualler's contract, and draw up some arguments for him to plead for
his charges in transportation of goods beyond the ports which the letter
of one article in his contract do lay upon him. This done I home to
supper and to bed. Troubled a little at my fear that my Lord Bruncker
should tell Sir W. Coventry of our neglecting the office this afternoon
(which was intended) to look after our pleasures, but nothing will fall