tour by coach to Bow, and there drank and back again, and so a little at
the office, and home to read a little, and to supper and bed mightily
refreshed with this evening's tour, but troubled that it hath hindered my
doing some business which I would have done at the office. This day the
newes is come that the fleete of the Dutch, of about 20 ships, which come
upon our coasts upon design to have intercepted our colliers, but by good
luck failed, is gone to the Frith,--[Frith of Forth. See 5th of this
month.]--and there lies, perhaps to trouble the Scotch privateers, which
have galled them of late very much, it may be more than all our last
year's fleete.

4th. Up and to the office, where sat all the morning, among other things
a great conflict I had with Sir W. Warren, he bringing a letter to the
Board, flatly in words charging them with their delays in passing his
accounts, which have been with them these two years, part of which I said
was not true, and the other undecent. The whole Board was concerned to
take notice of it, as well as myself, but none of them had the honour to
do it, but suffered me to do it alone, only Sir W. Batten, who did what he
did out of common spite to him. So I writ in the margin of the letter,
"Returned as untrue," and, by consent of the Board, did give it him again,
and so parted. Home to dinner, and there came a woman whose husband I
sent for, one Fisher, about the business of Perkins and Carcasse, and I do
think by her I shall find the business as bad as ever it was, and that we
shall find Commissioner Pett a rogue, using foul play on behalf of
Carcasse. After dinner to the office again, and there late all the
afternoon, doing much business, and with great content home to supper and
to bed.

5th (Lord's day). Up, and going down to the water side, I met Sir John
Robinson, and so with him by coach to White Hall, still a vain, prating,