Diary, March 1663/64 | Page 8

to the
'Change, and so home to dinner, and after a little chat with my wife to
the office, where all the afternoon till very late at the office busy, and
so home to supper and to bed, hoping in God that my diligence, as it is
really very useful for the King, so it will end in profit to myself. In the
meantime I have good content in mind to see myself improve every day
in knowledge and being known.

12th. Lay long pleasantly entertaining myself with my wife, and then
up and to the office, where busy till noon, vexed to see how Sir J.
Minnes deserves rather to be pitied for his dotage and folly than
employed at a great salary to ruin the King's business. At noon to the
'Change, and thence home to dinner, and then down to Deptford, where
busy a while, and then walking home it fell hard a raining. So at
Halfway house put in, and there meeting Mr. Stacy with some company
of pretty women, I took him aside to a room by ourselves, and there
talked with him about the several sorts of tarrs, and so by and by parted,
and I walked home and there late at the office, and so home to supper
and to bed.

13th (Lord's day). Lay long in bed talking with my wife, and then up in
great doubt whether I should not go see Mr. Coventry or no, who hath
not been well these two or three days, but it being foul weather I staid
within, and so to my office, and there all the morning reading some
Common Law, to which I will allot a little time now and then, for I
much want it. At noon home to dinner, and then after some discourse
with my wife, to the office again, and by and by Sir W. Pen came to me
after sermon and walked with me in the garden and then one comes to
tell me that Anthony and Will Joyce were come to see me, so I in to
them and made mighty much of them, and very pleasant we were, and
most of their business I find to be to advise about getting some woman
to attend my brother Tom, whom they say is very ill and seems much to
want one. To which I agreed, and desired them to get their wives to
enquire out one. By and by they bid me good night, but immediately as
they were gone out of doors comes Mrs. Turner's boy with a note to me
to tell me that my brother Tom was so ill as they feared he would not
long live, and that it would be fit I should come and see him. So I sent

for them back, and they came, and Will Joyce desiring to speak with
me alone I took him up, and there he did plainly tell me to my great
astonishment that my brother is deadly ill, and that their chief business
of coming was to tell me so, and what is worst that his disease is the
pox, which he hath heretofore got, and hath not been cured, but is come
to this, and that this is certain, though a secret told his father Fenner by
the Doctor which he helped my brother to. This troubled me mightily,
but however I thought fit to go see him for speech of people's sake, and
so walked along with them, and in our way called on my uncle Fenner
(where I have not been these 12 months and more) and advised with
him, and then to my brother, who lies in bed talking idle. He could only
say that he knew me, and then fell to other discourse, and his face like a
dying man, which Mrs. Turner, who was here, and others conclude he
is. The company being gone, I took the mayde, which seems a very
grave and serious woman, and in W. Joyce's company' did inquire how
things are with her master. She told me many things very discreetly,
and said she had all his papers and books, and key of his cutting house,
and showed me a bag which I and Wm. Joyce told, coming to L5 14s.
0d., which we left with her again, after giving her good counsel, and the
boys, and seeing a nurse there of Mrs. Holden's choosing, I left them,
and so walked home greatly troubled to think of my brother's condition,
and the trouble that would arise to me by his death or continuing sick.
So at home, my mind troubled, to bed.

14th. Up, and walked to my brother's, where I find he hath continued
talking idly all night, and now