expecting to have our business in the House; but did now a third time wait
to no purpose, they being all this morning upon the business of Barker's
petition about the making void the Act of Settlement in Ireland, which
makes a great deal of hot work: and, at last, finding that by all men's
opinion they could not come to our matter today, I with Sir W. Pen home,
and there to dinner, where I find, by Willet's crying, that her mistress
had been angry with her: but I would take no notice of it. Busy all the
afternoon at the office, and then by coach to the Excize Office, but lost
my labour, there being nobody there, and so back again home, and after a
little at the office I home, and there spent the evening with my wife
talking and singing, and so to bed with my mind pretty well at ease. This
evening W. Pen and Sir R. Ford and I met at the first's house to talk of
our prize that is now at last come safe over from Holland, by which I hope
to receive some if not all the benefit of my bargain with W. Batten for my
share in it, which if she had miscarried I should have doubted of my Lady
Batten being left little able to have paid me.

17th. Up betimes and to the office, where all the morning busy, and then
at noon home to dinner, and so again to the office awhile, and then abroad
to the Excize-Office, where I met Mr. Ball, and did receive the paper I
went for; and there fell in talk with him, who, being an old cavalier, do
swear and curse at the present state of things, that we should be brought
to this, that we must be undone and cannot be saved; that the Parliament
is sitting now, and will till midnight, to find how to raise this
L300,000, and he doubts they will not do it so as to be seasonable for the
King: but do cry out against our great men at Court; how it is a fine
thing for a Secretary of State to dance a jigg, and that it was not so
heretofore; and, above all, do curse my Lord of Bristoll, saying the worst
news that ever he heard in his life, or that the Devil could ever bring
us, was this Lord's coming to prayers the other day in the House of Lords,