bore to the old King’s money, and they found that generally it come to, one with another, about £25 in every £100. Of this money there was upon the calling of it in, £650,000 at least brought into the Tower; and from thence he computes that the whole money of England must be full £16,250,000. But for all this believes that there is about £30,000,000; he supposing that about the King’s coming in (when he begun to observe the quantity of the new money) people begun to be fearful of this money’s being cried down, and so picked it out and set it a-going as fast as they could, to be rid of it; and he thinks £30,000,000 the rather, because if there were but £16,250,000 the King having £2,000,000 every year, would have the whole money of the kingdom in his hands in eight years. He tells me about £350,000 sterling was coined out of the French money, the proceeds of Dunkirke; so that, with what was coined of the Cross money, there is new coined about £1,000,000 besides the gold, which is guessed at £500,000. He tells me, that, though the King did deposit the French money in pawn all the while for the £350,000 he was forced to borrow thereupon till the tools could be made for the new Minting in the present form. Yet the interest he paid for that time come to £35,000. Viner having to his knowledge £10,000 for the use of £100,000 of it.

13th. Away to the ’Change, and there hear the ill news, to my great and all our great trouble, that the plague is encreased again this week, notwithstanding there hath been a long day or two great frosts; but we hope it is only the effects of the late close warm weather, and if the frost continue the next week, may fall again; but the towne do thicken so much with people, that it is much if the plague do not grow again upon us.

15th. Met with Sir James Bunch;⁶⁶ ‘This is the time for you,’ says he, ‘that were for Oliver heretofore; you are full of employment, and we poor Cavaliers sit still and can get nothing;’ which was a pretty reproach I thought, but answered nothing to it, for fear of making it worse.

22nd. I to my Lord Brouncker’s, and there spent the evening by my desire in seeing his Lordship open to pieces and make up again his watch, thereby being taught what I never knew before; and it is a thing very well worth my having seen, and am mightily pleased and satisfied with it.

25th (Christmas day). To church in the morning, and there saw a wedding in the church, which I have not seen many a day; and the young people so merry one with another, and strange to see what delight we married people have to see these poor fools decoyed into our condition, every man and woman gazing and smiling at them.

26th. Saw some fine writing work and flourishing of Mr Hore, with one that I knew long ago, an acquaintance of Mr Tomson’s, at Westminster, that is this man’s clerk. It is the story of the several Archbishops of Canterbury engrossed in vellum, to hang up in Canterbury Cathedrall in tables, in lieu of the old ones, which are almost worn out.

30th. All the afternoon to my accounts; and there find myself, to my great joy, a great deal worth above £4000 for which the Lord be praised! and is principally occasioned by my getting £500 of Cocke, for my profit in his bargains of prize goods, and from Mr Gauden’s making me a present of £500 more, when I paid him £800 for Tangier.

31st. Thus ends this year, to my great joy, in this manner. I have raised my estate from £1300 in this year to £4400. I have got myself greater interest I think by my diligence, and my imployments encreased by that of Treasurer for Tangier, and Surveyor of the Victualls. It is true we have gone through great melancholy because of the great plague, and I put to great charges by it, by keeping my family long at Woolwich, and myself and another part of my family, my clerks, at my charge at Greenwich, and a maid at London; but I hope the King will give us some satisfaction for that. But now the plague is abated almost to nothing, and I intending to get to London as fast as I can. The Dutch war goes on very ill, by reason of lack of money; having none to hope for, all being put into disorder by a new Act that is made as an experiment to bring credit to the Exchequer, for goods and money to be advanced upon the credit of that Act. The great evil of this year, and the only one indeed, is the fall of my Lord of Sandwich, whose mistake about the prizes hath undone him, I believe, as to interest at Court; though sent (for a little palliating