22nd. Up, and all the morning at the office busy. At noon home with my
people to dinner, where good discourse and merry. After dinner comes Mr.
Martin, the purser, and brings me his wife's starling, which was formerly
the King's bird, that do speak and whistle finely, which I am mighty proud
of and shall take pleasure in it. Thence to the Duke of York's house to a
play, and saw Sir Martin Marr-all, where the house is full; and though I
have seen it, I think, ten times, yet the pleasure I have is yet as great
as ever, and is undoubtedly the best comedy ever was wrote. Thence to my
tailor's and a mercer's for patterns to carry my wife of cloth and silk
for a bed, which I think will please her and me, and so home, and fitted
myself for my journey to-morrow, which I fear will not be pleasant,
because of the wet weather, it raining very hard all this day; but the
less it troubles me because the King and Duke of York and Court are at
this day at Newmarket, at a great horse-race, and proposed great pleasure
for two or three days, but are in the same wet. So from the office home
to supper, and betimes to bed.

23rd. Up by four o'clock; and, getting my things ready, and recommending
the care of my house to W. Hewer, I with my boy Tom, whom I take with me,
to the Bull, in Bishopsgate Street, and there, about six, took coach, he
and I, and a gentleman and his man, there being another coach also, with
as many more, I think, in it; and so away to Bishop's Stafford, and there
dined, and changed horses and coach, at Mrs. Aynsworth's; but I took no
knowledge of her. Here the gentleman and I to dinner, and in comes
Captain Forster, an acquaintance of his, he that do belong to my Lord
Anglesey, who had been at the late horse-races at Newmarket, where the
King now is, and says that they had fair weather there yesterday, though
we here, and at London, had nothing but rain, insomuch that the ways are
mighty full of water, so as hardly to be passed. Here I hear Mrs.
Aynsworth is going to live at London: but I believe will be mistaken in