doubtfull whether I shall be much the worse for it or no, if it should
come to be so. Dined at home and thence to White Hall again (where I lose
most of my time now-a-days to my great trouble, charge, and loss of time
and benefit), and there, after the Council rose, Sir G. Carteret, my Lord
Brunkard, Sir Thomas Harvy, and myself, down to my Lord Treasurer's
chamber to him and the Chancellor, and the Duke of Albemarle; and there I
did give them a large account of the charge of the Navy, and want of
money. But strange to see how they held up their hands crying, "What
shall we do?" Says my Lord Treasurer, "Why, what means all this, Mr.
Pepys? This is true, you say; but what would you have me to do? I have
given all I can for my life. Why will not people lend their money? Why
will they not trust the King as well as Oliver? Why do our prizes come to
nothing, that yielded so much heretofore?" And this was all we could get,
and went away without other answer, which is one of the saddest things
that, at such a time as this, with the greatest action on foot that ever
was in England, nothing should be minded, but let things go on of
themselves do as well as they can. So home, vexed, and going to my Lady
Batten's, there found a great many women with her, in her chamber merry,
my Lady Pen and her daughter, among others; where my Lady Pen flung me
down upon the bed, and herself and others, one after another, upon me, and
very merry we were, and thence I home and called my wife with my Lady Pen
to supper, and very merry as I could be, being vexed as I was. So home to
bed.

13th. Lay long in bed, troubled a little with wind, but not much. So to
the office, and there all the morning. At noon to Sheriff Waterman's to
dinner, all of us men of the office in towne, and our wives, my Lady
Carteret and daughters, and Ladies Batten, Pen, and my wife, &c., and very
good cheer we had and merry; musique at and after dinner, and a fellow
danced a jigg; but when the company begun to dance, I came away lest I