the gallows there, which was very fine of stone; but nobody could be got
to mend it till the Burgomaster, or Mayor of the town, with all the
companies of those trades which were necessary to be used about those
repairs, did go in their habits with flags, in solemn procession to the
place, and there the Burgomaster did give the first blow with the hammer
upon the wooden work; and the rest of the Masters of the Companys upon the
works belonging to their trades; that so workmen might not be ashamed to
be employed upon doing of the gallows' works.

4th. Up by four o'clock in the morning and walked to the Dock, where
Commissioner Pett and I took barge and went to the guardships and mustered
them, finding them but badly manned; thence to the Sovereign, which we
found kept in good order and very clean, which pleased us well, but few of
the officers on board. Thence to the Charles, and were troubled to see
her kept so neglectedly by the boatswain Clements, who I always took for a
very good officer; it is a very brave ship. Thence to Upnor Castle, and
there went up to the top, where there is a fine prospect, but of very
small force; so to the yard, and there mustered the whole ordinary, where
great disorder by multitude of servants and old decrepid men, which must
be remedied. So to all the storehouses and viewed the stores of all sorts
and the hemp, where we found Captain Cocke's (which he came down to see
along with me) very bad, and some others, and with much content (God
forgive me) I did hear by the Clerk of the Ropeyard how it was by Sir W.
Batten's private letter that one parcel of Alderman Barker's' was
received. At two o'clock to dinner to the Hill-house, and after dinner
dispatched many people's business, and then to the yard again, and looked
over Mr. Gregory's and Barrow's houses to see the matter of difference
between them concerning an alteration that Barrow would make, which I
shall report to the board, but both their houses very pretty, and deserve
to be so, being well kept. Then to a trial of several sorts of hemp, but