Up betimes, and though it was a most foggy morning, and cold, yet with a gally down to Eriffe, several times being at a loss whither we went. There I mustered two ships of the King’s, lent by him to the Guiny Company, which are manned better than ours at far less wages. Lay pretty long in bed, and then rose, leaving my wife desirous to sleep, having sat up till four this morning seeing her mayds make mince-pies. I to church, where our parson Mills made a good sermon. Then home, and dined well on some good ribbs of beef roasted and mince pies; only my wife, brother, and Barker, and plenty of good wine of my owne, and my heart full of true joy; and thanks to God Almighty for the goodness of my condition at this day. Early in the morning to the Exchequer, where I told over what money I had of my Lord’s and my own there, which I found to be £970. Thence to Will’s, where Spicer and I eat our dinner of a roasted leg of pork which Will did give us, and after that to the Theatre, where was acted “Beggars’ Bush,” it being very well done; and here the first time that ever I saw women come upon the stage. So my poor wife rose by five o’clock in the morning, before day, and went to market and bought fowls and many other things for dinner, with which I was highly pleased, and the chine of beef was down also before six o’clock, and my own jack, of which I was doubtfull, do carry it very well. Things being put in order, and the cook come, I went to the office, where we sat till noon and then broke up, and I home, whither by and by comes Dr. Clerke and his lady, his sister, and a she-cozen, and Mr. Pierce and his wife, which was all my guests. I had for them, after oysters, at first course, a hash of rabbits, a lamb, and a rare chine of beef. Next a great dish of roasted fowl, cost me about 30s., and a tart, and then fruit and cheese. Drank my morning draft at Harper’s, and was told there that the soldiers were all quiet upon promise of pay. Thence to St. James’s Park, and walked there to my place for my flageolet and then played a little, it being a most pleasant morning and sunshine. All the morning at the office, and at noon home to dinner, and thence with my wife and Deb. to the King’s House, to see “The Virgin Martyr,” the first time it hath been acted a great while: and it is mighty pleasant; not that the play is worth much, but it is finely acted by Becke Marshall. But that which did please me beyond any thing in the whole world was the wind-musique when the angel comes down, which is so sweet that it ravished me, and indeed, in a word, did wrap up my soul so that it made me really sick, just as I have formerly been when in love with my wife; that neither then, nor all the evening going home, and at home, I was able to think of any thing, but remained all night transported, so as I could not believe that ever any musick hath that real command over the soul of a man as this did upon me: and makes me resolve to practice wind-musique, and to make my wife do the like. Up, and abroad, with my own coach, to Auditor Beale’s house, and thence with W. Hewer to his Office, and there with great content spent all the morning looking over the Navy accounts of several years, and the several patents of the Treasurers, which was more than I did hope to have found there. Early Sir G. Carteret, both Sir Williams and I by coach to Deptford, it being very windy and rainy weather, taking a codd and some prawnes in Fish Street with us. We settled to pay the Guernsey, a small ship, but come to a great deal of money, it having been unpaid ever since before the King came in, by which means not only the King pays wages while the ship has lain still, but the poor men have most of them been forced to borrow all the money due for their wages before they receive it, and that at a dear rate, God knows, so that many of them had very little to receive at the table, which grieved me to see it. To dinner, very merry. Then Sir George to London, and we again to the pay, and that done by coach home again and to the office, doing some business, and so home and to bed. About 4 I rose and got to the Abbey, where I followed Sir J. Denham, the Surveyor, with some company that he was leading in. And with much ado, by the favour of Mr. Cooper, his man, did get up into a great scaffold across the North end of the Abbey, where with a great deal of patience I sat from past 4 till 11 before the King came in. And a great pleasure it was to see the Abbey raised in the middle, all covered with red, and a throne (that is a chair) and footstool on the top of it; and all the officers of all kinds, so much as the very fidlers, in red vests. At last comes in the Dean and Prebends of Westminster, with the Bishops (many of them in cloth of gold copes), and after them the Nobility, all in their Parliament robes, which was a most magnificent sight. Up and all the morning at the office. At noon to the ‘Change, where, after business done, Sir W. Rider and Cutler took me to the Old James and there did give me a good dish of mackerell, the first I have seen this year, very good, and good discourse. My wife again up by four o’clock, to go to gather May-dew; and so back home by seven, to bed, and by and by I up and to the office, where all the morning, and dined at noon at home with my people, and so all the afternoon. In the evening my wife and I all alone, with the boy, by water, up as high as Putney almost, with the tide, and back again, neither staying going nor coming; but talking, and singing, and reading a foolish copy of verses upon my Lord Mayor’s entertaining of all the bachelors, designed in praise to my Lord Mayor, and so home and to the office a little, and then home to bed, my eyes being bad. Up betimes, and comes my flagelette master to set me a new tune, which I played presently, and shall in a month do as much as I desire at it. Up, and this day put on a half shirt first this summer, it being very hot; and yet so ill-tempered I am grown, that I am afeard I shall catch cold, while all the world is ready to melt away. Up betimes yesterday and to-day, the sun rising very bright and glorious; and yet yesterday, as it hath been these two months and more, was a foul day the most part of the day. Up by five o’clock, and after my journall put in order, to my office about my business, which I am resolved to follow, for every day I see what ground I get by it. By and by comes Mr. Cooper, mate of the Royall Charles, of whom I intend to learn mathematiques, and do begin with him to-day, he being a very able man, and no great matter, I suppose, will content him. After an hour’s being with him at arithmetique (my first attempt being to learn the multiplication-table); then we parted till to-morrow. Up pretty betimes, it being mighty hot weather, I lying this night, which I have not done, I believe, since a boy, I am sure not since I had the stone before, with only a rugg and a sheet upon me. Wakened about two o’clock this morning with the noise of thunder, which lasted for an houre, with such continued lightnings, not flashes, but flames, that all the sky and ayre was light; and that for a great while, not a minute’s space between new flames all the time; such a thing as I never did see, nor could have believed had ever been in nature. And being put into a great sweat with it, could not sleep till all was over. And that accompanied with such a storm of rain as I never heard in my life. I expected to find my house in the morning overflowed with the rain breaking in, and that much hurt must needs have been done in the city with this lightning; but I find not one drop of rain in my house, nor any newes of hurt done. Up betimes and to my business of settling my house and papers, and then abroad and met with Hadley, our clerke, who, upon my asking how the plague goes, he told me it encreases much, and much in our parish; for, says he, there died nine this week, though I have returned but six: which is a very ill practice, and makes me think it is so in other places; and therefore the plague much greater than people take it to be. Some of our mayds sitting up late last night to get things ready against our feast to-day, Jane called us up about three in the morning, to tell us of a great fire they saw in the City. So I rose and slipped on my night-gowne, and went to her window, and thought it to be on the backside of Marke-lane at the farthest; but, being unused to such fires as followed, I thought it far enough off; and so went to bed again and to sleep. About seven rose again to dress myself, and there looked out at the window, and saw the fire not so much as it was and further off. To the office, where Sir W. Batten, Colonel Slingsby, and I sat awhile, and Sir R. Ford coming to us about some business, we talked together of the interest of this kingdom to have a peace with Spain and a war with France and Holland; where Sir R. Ford talked like a man of great reason and experience. And afterwards I did send for a cup of tee (a China drink) of which I never had drank before, and went away. Up, and while I staid for the barber, tried to compose a duo of counterpoint, and I think it will do very well, it being by Mr. Berckenshaw’s rule. Up, and W. Batelier’s Frenchman, a perriwigg maker, comes and brings me a new one, which I liked and paid him for: a mighty genteel fellow. So to the office, where sat all the morning, and at noon home to dinner, and thence with wife and Deb. to Crow’s, and there did see some more beds; and we shall, I think, pitch upon a camlott one, when all is done. Up, and after doing some business at the office, I to London, and there, in my way, at my old oyster shop in Gracious Streete, bought two barrels of my fine woman of the shop, who is alive after all the plague, which now is the first observation or inquiry we make at London concerning everybody we knew before it. At my waking, I found the tops of the houses covered with snow, which is a rare sight, that I have not seen these three years.

Up early, and though it was a very foggy morning, and cold, [I went] down to Erith in a galley, not knowing several times where we were going. There I mustered two of the King’s ships, lent by him to the Guinea Company, which are better manned than ours at far lower wages. Lay rather long in bed, and then rose, leaving my wife wanting to sleep, since she had sat up till four this morning watching her maids make mince pies. I [went] to church, where our parson Mills preached a good sermon. Then home, and dined well on some good roast ribs of beef and mince pies; only my wife, brother, and Barker [with me], and plenty of good wine of my own, and my heart full of true joy; and thanks to God Almighty for the goodness of my condition at this day. Early in the morning [I went] to the Exchequer, where I counted over the money of my Lord’s and my own that I had there, which I found to be £970. From there to Will’s, where Spicer and I ate our dinner of a roast leg of pork that Will gave us, and after that to the Theater, where Beggars’ Bush was acted, and very well done. And here, for the first time ever, I saw women come upon the stage. So my poor wife rose by five o’clock in the morning, before daylight, and went to market and bought fowls and many other things for dinner, which pleased me greatly. And the chine of beef was down [at the fire] before six o’clock too, and my own jack, which I had doubts about, turns it very well. Things being put in order, and the cook come, I went to the office, where we sat till noon and then broke up. And I [went] home, where by and by came Dr. Clerke and his lady, his sister, and a she-cousin, and Mr. Pierce and his wife; these were all my guests. I had for them, after oysters, at the first course, a hash of rabbits, a lamb, and a fine chine of beef. Next, a great dish of roasted fowl, which cost me about 30 shillings, and a tart, and then fruit and cheese. [I] drank my morning drink at Harper’s, and was told there that the soldiers were all quiet upon the promise of pay. From there to St. James’s Park, and walked there to my spot for my flageolet, and then played a little, it being a most pleasant, sunny morning. All the morning at the office, and at noon home to dinner, and from there with my wife and Deb. to the King’s House, to see The Virgin Martyr, the first time it has been acted in a long while. And it is very pleasant; not that the play is worth much, but it is finely acted by Beck Marshall. But what pleased me beyond anything in the whole world was the wind music when the angel comes down. It is so sweet that it ravished me, and indeed, in a word, it wrapped up my soul so that it made me really sick, just as I have been before when in love with my wife. Neither then, nor all the evening going home and at home, was I able to think of anything, but [I] remained all night transported. I could not believe that any music ever had such real command over the soul of a man as this had over me. And it makes me resolve to practice wind music, and to make my wife do the same. Up, and out in my own coach to Auditor Beale’s house, and from there with W. Hewer to his office. There, with great contentment, [I] spent all the morning looking over the Navy accounts of several years, and the patents of the various Treasurers, which was more than I had hoped to find there. Early, Sir G. Carteret, both Sir Williams and I [went] by coach to Deptford, it being very windy and rainy weather, taking a cod and some prawns from Fish Street with us. We settled to pay [the crew of] the Guernsey, a small ship, but it came to a great deal of money, having been unpaid ever since before the King came in. Because of this, not only does the King pay wages while the ship has lain idle, but the poor men have most of them been forced to borrow all the money due for their wages before they receive it, and that at a high rate, God knows. So many of them had very little to receive at the table, which grieved me to see. To dinner, very merry. Then Sir George [went] to London, and we [went] back to the pay. When that was done, [we went] home again by coach and to the office, doing some business, and so home and to bed. About four I rose and got to the Abbey, where I followed Sir J. Denham, the Surveyor, with some company that he was leading in. And with much trouble, thanks to Mr. Cooper, his man, [I] got up onto a great scaffold across the north end of the Abbey, where with a great deal of patience I sat from past four till eleven before the King came in. And it was a great pleasure to see the Abbey raised in the middle, all covered with red, and a throne (that is, a chair) and footstool on top of it; and all the officers of every kind, even the very fiddlers, in red vests. At last in came the Dean and Prebends of Westminster, with the Bishops (many of them in copes of cloth of gold), and after them the Nobility, all in their Parliament robes, which was a most magnificent sight. Up, and all the morning at the office. At noon to the ’Change, where, after business was done, Sir W. Rider and Cutler took me to the Old James and gave me a good dish of mackerel there, the first I have seen this year, very good; and good conversation. My wife [was] up again by four o’clock, to go to gather May dew, and so back home by seven, to bed. And by and by I [got] up and [went] to the office, where [I was] all the morning, and dined at noon at home with my household, and so all the afternoon. In the evening my wife and I, all alone with the boy, [went] by water almost as far up as Putney with the tide, and back again, not stopping going or coming, but talking and singing, and reading a foolish set of verses on my Lord Mayor’s entertaining all the bachelors, written in praise of my Lord Mayor. And so home and to the office a little, and then home to bed, my eyes being bad. Up early, and my flageolet master comes to set me a new tune, which I played at once, and in a month I shall be able to do as much at it as I want. Up, and today [I] put on a half shirt for the first time this summer, it being very hot. And yet I have grown so out of sorts that I am afraid I shall catch cold, while all the world is ready to melt away. Up early yesterday and today, the sun rising very bright and glorious; and yet yesterday, as it has been these two months and more, was a foul day most of the day. Up by five o’clock, and after putting my journal in order, to my office about my business, which I am resolved to follow, for every day I see what ground I gain by it. By and by Mr. Cooper comes, mate of the Royal Charles, from whom I intend to learn mathematics, and I begin with him today. He is a very able man, and no great sum, I suppose, will content him. After an hour with him at arithmetic (my first attempt being to learn the multiplication table), we parted till tomorrow. Up fairly early, it being very hot weather. Last night I lay with only a rug and a sheet over me, which I have not done, I believe, since I was a boy, and I am sure not since I had the stone before. Woken about two o’clock this morning by the noise of thunder, which lasted for an hour, with such continuous lightning, not flashes but flames, that all the sky and air was lit up. And that went on for a great while, not a minute between new flames all the time: such a thing as I never saw, nor could have believed had ever been in nature. And being put into a great sweat by it, [I] could not sleep till it was all over. And with it came such a storm of rain as I never heard in my life. I expected to find my house flooded in the morning with the rain breaking in, and that much harm must have been done in the city by this lightning. But I find not one drop of rain in my house, nor any news of harm done. Up early and to my business of settling my house and papers, and then out, and met Hadley, our [parish] clerk. When I asked him how the plague goes, he told me it is growing much worse, and much worse in our parish. “For,” he says, “nine died this week, though I have reported only six.” This is a very bad practice, and makes me think it is the same in other places, and therefore that the plague is much greater than people take it to be. Some of our maids sat up late last night to get things ready for our feast today, and Jane called us up about three in the morning to tell us of a great fire they saw in the City. So I rose and slipped on my nightgown, and went to her window, and thought it was at the back of Mark Lane at the farthest. But, being unused to such fires as followed, I thought it far enough off, and so went to bed again and to sleep. About seven [I] rose again to dress, and looked out of the window there, and saw the fire not so big as it had been, and farther off. To the office, where Sir W. Batten, Colonel Slingsby, and I sat awhile. And Sir R. Ford coming to us about some business, we talked together of its being in this kingdom’s interest to have peace with Spain and war with France and Holland, and Sir R. Ford talked like a man of great reason and experience. And afterwards I sent for a cup of tea (a China drink), which I had never drunk before, and went away. Up, and while I waited for the barber, [I] tried to compose a duet in counterpoint, and I think it will do very well, it being by Mr. Berkenshaw’s rule. Up, and W. Batelier’s Frenchman, a periwig maker, comes and brings me a new one, which I liked and paid him for: a very genteel fellow. So to the office, where [we] sat all the morning, and at noon home to dinner, and from there with my wife and Deb. to Crow’s, and there [we] saw some more beds; and I think we shall settle on a camlet one, when all is done. Up, and after doing some business at the office, I [went] to London. There, on my way, at my old oyster shop in Gracious Street, [I] bought two barrels from my fine woman of the shop, who is alive after all the plague. That is now the first thing we notice or ask about in London concerning everybody we knew before it. When I woke, I found the tops of the houses covered with snow, which is a rare sight, one I have not seen these three years.