Parliament to make bad construction of their thrift, if any trouble should
happen. Thus wary the world is grown! Thence back again presently home,
and did business till noon: and then to Sir G. Carteret's to dinner, with
much good company, it being the King's birthday, and many healths drunk:
and here I did receive another letter from my Lord Sandwich, which
troubles me to see how I have neglected him, in not writing, or but once,
all this time of his being abroad; and I see he takes notice, but yet
gently, of it, that it puts me to great trouble, and I know not how to get
out of it, having no good excuse, and too late now to mend, he being
coming home. Thence home, whither, by agreement, by and by comes Mercer
and Gayet, and two gentlemen with them, Mr. Monteith and Pelham, the
former a swaggering young handsome gentleman, the latter a sober citizen
merchant. Both sing, but the latter with great skill-the other, no skill,
but a good voice, and a good basse, but used to sing only tavern tunes;
and so I spent all this evening till eleven at night singing with them,
till I was tired of them, because of the swaggering fellow with the base,
though the girl Mercer did mightily commend him before to me. This night
je had agreed par' alter at Deptford, there par' avoir lain con the moher
de Bagwell, but this company did hinder me.

30th. Up, and put on a new summer black bombazin suit, and so to the
office; and being come now to an agreement with my barber, to keep my
perriwig in good order at 20s. a-year, I am like to go very spruce, more
than I used to do. All the morning at the office and at noon home to
dinner, and so to the King's playhouse, and there saw "Philaster;" where
it is pretty to see how I could remember almost all along, ever since I
was a boy, Arethusa, the part which I was to have acted at Sir Robert
Cooke's; and it was very pleasant to me, but more to think what a
ridiculous thing it would have been for me to have acted a beautiful
woman. Thence to Mr. Pierces, and there saw Knepp also, and were merry;