be a little brisk at the beginning; but when I come to the point to touch
him, which I had all the advantages in the world to do, he become as calm
as a lamb, and owned, as the whole Board did, their satisfaction, and
cried excuse: and so all made friends; and their acknowledgment put into
writing, and delivered into Sir J. Minnes's hand, to be kept there for the
use of the Board, or me, when I shall call for it; they desiring it might
be so, that I might not make use of it to the prejudice of the Surveyor,
whom I had an advantage over, by his extraordinary folly in this matter.
But, besides this, I have no small advantage got by this business, as I
have put several things into my letter which I should otherwise have
wanted an opportunity of saying, which pleases me mightily. So Middleton
desiring to be friends, I forgave him; and all mighty quiet, and fell to
talk of other stories, and there staid, all of us, till nine or ten at
night, more than ever we did in our lives before, together. And so home,
where I have a new fight to fight with my wife, who is under new trouble
by some news she hath heard of Deb.'s being mighty fine, and gives out
that she has a friend that gives her money, and this my wife believes to
be me, and, poor wretch! I cannot blame her, and therefore she run into
mighty extremes; but I did pacify all, and were mighty good friends, and
to bed, and I hope it will be our last struggle from this business, for I
am resolved never to give any new occasion, and great peace I find in my
mind by it. So to supper, she and I to bed.

19th. Up, and to the office, where all the morning, and at noon, eating
very little dinner, my wife and I by hackney to the King's playhouse, and
there, the pit being full, satin a box above, and saw "Catiline's
Conspiracy," yesterday being the first day: a play of much good sense and
words to read, but that do appear the worst upon the stage, I mean, the
least diverting, that ever I saw any, though most fine in clothes; and a
fine scene of the Senate, and of a fight, that ever I saw in my life. But