Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
Up, and to the office all the morning. At noon my wife being gone to her father’s I dined with Sir W. Batten, he inviting me. After dinner to my office close, and did very much business, and so late home to supper and to bed. The plague increased four this week, which troubles me, though but one in the whole.
Friday 23 March 1665/66Wednesday 21 March 1665/66
Pity Sam never tells us if Bess eats supper with him on these late nights. I assume it’s a case of sometimes yes, many times no, which given Sam’s dinner habits (or lack thereof) might suggest that it’s likely that breakfast is the meal they’re mostly likely to share on a regular basis.
“though but one in the whole City’
is the reading given by L&M. This makes sense. The city parish concerned was St. Mary Mounthaw.