old schoolfellow Elborough is parson, taken fire in the very top, and there burned till it fell down; I to
White Hall (with a gentleman with me, who desired to go off from the Tower, to see the fire, in my boat): and
there up to the Kings closet in the Chapel, where people come about me, and I did give them an account
dismayed them all, and word was carried in to the King. So I was called for, and did tell the King and
Duke of York what I saw, and that unless his Majesty did command houses to be pulled down, nothing
could stop the fire. They seemed much troubled, and the King commanded me to go to my Lord Mayor55
from him, and command him to spare no houses, but to pull down before the fire every way. The Duke
of York bid me tell him, that if he would have any more soldiers, he shall: and so did my Lord Arlington
afterwards, as a great secret. Here meeting with Captain Cocke, I in his coach, which he lent me, and
Creed with me to Pauls, and there walked along Watling-street, as well as I could, every creature coming
away loaded with goods to save, and here and there sick people carried away in beds. Extraordinary
good goods carried in carts and on backs. At last met my Lord Mayor in Canning-street, like a man
spent, with a handkercher about his neck. To the Kings message, he cried, like a fainting woman, Lord!
what can I do? I am spent: people will not obey me. I have been pulling down houses; but the fire overtakes
us faster than we can do it. That he needed no more soldiers; and that, for himself, he must go and
refresh himself, having been up all night. So he left me, and I him, and walked home; seeing people
all almost distracted, and no manner of means used to quench the fire. The houses too so very thick
thereabouts, and full of matter for burning, as pitch and tar, in Thames-street; and warehouses of oyle,
and wines, and brandy, and other things. Here I saw Mr Isaac Houblon, the handsome man, prettily
dressed and dirty at his door at Dowgate, receiving some of his brothers things, whose houses were
on fire; and, as he says, have been removed twice already; and he doubts (as it soon proved) that they
must be in a little time removed from his house also, which was a sad consideration. And to see the
churches all filling with goods by people, who themselves should have been quietly there at this time.
By this time it was about twelve oclock; and so home, and there find my guests, who were Mr Wood
and his wife Barbary Shelden, and also Mr Moone; she mighty fine, and her husband for aught I see, a
likely man. But Mr Moones design and mine, which was to look over my closet, and please him with
the sight thereof, which he hath long desired, was wholly disappointed; for we were in great trouble and
disturbance at this fire, not knowing what to think of it. However, we had an extraordinary good dinner,
and as merry as at this time we could be. While at dinner Mrs Batelier come to enquire after Mr Woolfe
and Stanes, (who it seems are related to them,) whose houses in Fish-street are all burned, and they
in a sad condition. She would not stay in the fright. Soon as dined, I and Moone away, and walked
through the City, the streets full of nothing but people, and horses and carts loaden with goods, ready
to run over one another, and removing goods from one burned house to another. They now removing
out of Canning-street (which received goods in the morning) into Lumbard-street, and further: and among
others I now saw my little goldsmith Stokes receiving some friends goods, whose house itself was burned
the day after. We parted at Pauls; he home, and I to Pauls Wharf, where I had appointed a boat to
attend me, and took in Mr Carcasse and his brother, whom I met in the street, and carried them below
and above bridge too. And again to see the fire, which was now got further, both below and above,
and no likelihood of stopping it. Met with the King and Duke of York in their barge, and with them to
Queenhith, and there called Sir Richard Browne to them. Their order was only to pull down houses
apace, and so below bridge at the water-side; but little was or could be done, the fire coming upon them
so fast. Good hopes there was of stopping it at the Three Cranes above, and at Buttolphs Wharf below
bridge, if care be used; but the wind carries it into the City, so as we know not by the water-side what it
do there. River full of lighters and boats taking in goods, and good goods swimming in the water, and
only I observed that hardly one lighter or boat in three that had the goods of a house in, but there was a
pair of Virginalls56 in it. Having seen as much as I could now, I away to White Hall by appointment, and
there walked to St Jamess Park, and there met my wife and Creed and Wood and his wife, and walked
to my boat; and there upon the water again, and to the fire up and down, it still encreasing, and the wind
great. So near the fire as we could for smoke; and all over the Thames, with ones faces in the wind,
you were almost burned with a shower of fire-drops. This is very true: so as houses were burned by
these drops and flakes of fire, three or four, nay, five or six houses, one from another. When we could
endure no more upon the water, we to a little alehouse on the Bankside, over against the Three Cranes,
and there staid till it was dark almost, and saw the fire grow, and as it grew darker, appeared more and