ing up by him; and Sir George Ascue is carried up down the Hague for people to see.

and

17th. To Christ Church, and there heard a silly sermon. To Joyce's, where William Joyce and his wife were, and had a good dinner; but, Lord! how sick was I of the company, only hope I shall have no more of it a good while: but am invited to Will's this week; and his wife, poor, unhappy woman! cried to hear me say that I could not be there, she thinking that I slight her: so they got me to promise to come. Down to the milke-house, and drank three glasses of whey, and then up into the Strand again.

18th. To the office, and so to Lumbard Streete, to borrow a little money upon a tally, but cannot. To my Lord Bellassis, by invitation, and there dined with him, and his lady and daughter; and at dinner there played to us a young boy, lately come from France, where he had been learning a year or two on the viallin, and plays finely. But it was pretty to see how passionately my Lord's daughter loves musick. Sir W. Coventry is returned this night from the fleet; he being the activest man in the world, and we all, myself particularly, more afraid of him than of the King, or his service, for aught I see; God forgive us! This day the great news is come of the French, their taking the island of St. Christopher's from us; and it is to be feared they have done the like of all those islands thereabouts: this makes me mad.

19th. I to Sir G. Carteret's by appointment; where, I perceive by him, the King is going to borrow some money of the City; but I fear it will do no good, but hurt. He tells me how the General is displeased, and there have

been some high words between the General and Sir W. Coventry. And it may be so; for I do not find Sir W. Coventry so highly commending the Duke as he used to be, but letting fall, now and then, some little jerkes as this day, speaking of news from Holland, he says, "I find their victory begins to shrinke there, as well as ours here." Here I met with Captain Cocke, and he tells me, that the first thing the Prince said to the King, upon his coming, was complaining of the Commissioners of the Navy; that they could have been abroad in three or four days but for us; that we do not take care of them: which I am troubled at, and do fear may, , in violence, break out upon this office some time or other; for we shall not be able to carry on the business.

20th. Up, but in some pain of the collique. I have of late taken too much cold by washing my feet, and going in a thin silk waistcoat, without any other coat over it, and open-breasted. I did this morning give my father some money to buy him a horse, and for other things to himself and my mother and sister, among them £20, which the poor man takes with infinite kindness.

21st. Up, and at the office all the morning; where, by several circumstances, I find Sir W. Coventry and the Duke of Albemarle do not agree as they used to do; Sir W. Coventry commending Aylett, in some reproach to the Duke, whom the Duke hath put out for want of courage; and found fault with Steward, whom the Duke keeps in, though as much in fault as any commander in the fleet. At noon home to dinner -my father, sister, and wife dining at Sarah Giles's, poor woman! where I should have been; but my pride would not suffer me. At Mr. Debasty's I saw, in a

gold frame, a picture of a fluter playing on his flute, which, for a good while, I took for painting, but at last observed it was a piece of tapestry, and is the finest that ever I saw in my life for figures, and good natural colours, and a very fine thing it is indeed. Sir George Smith tells me that this day my Lord Chancellor, and some of the Court, have been with the City, and that the City have voted to lend the King £100,000; which, if soon paid, as he says he believes it will, will be a greater service than I did ever expect at this time from the City.

22d. Up, and before I went out Mr. Peter Barr sent me a tierce of claret, which is very welcome. All day upon my Tangier accounts; my father, wife, and sister, late abroad on the water.

23d. My father and sister very betimes took their leave; and my wife, with all possible kindness, went with them to the coach, I being mightily pleased with their company so long, and my father with his being here, and it rejoices my heart that I am in a condition to do anything to comfort him, he is such innocent company. To Tower Wharfe, but could get no watermen; they being now so scarce, by reason of the great press; so to the Custome House, and there, with great threats, got a couple to ferry me down to Deptford-all the way reading Pompey the Great,1 a play translated from the French by several noble persons; among others, my Lord Buckhurst, that to me is but a mean play, and the words and sense not very extraordinary. From Deptford, I walked to Red

1 Corneille's play, one act of which had been translated by Edmund Waller, and the rest by Lord Buckhurst, Sir C. Sedley, and Mr. Godolphin.

riffe, and in my way was overtaken by Bagwell, lately come from sea in the Providence, who did give me an account of several particulars in the late fight, and how his ship was deserted basely by the York, Captain Swanly, commander.

24th. To White Hall. There I hear that Sir Francis Prujean is dead, after being married to a widow about a year, or thereabouts. He died very rich, and had, for the last year, lived very handsomely-his lady bringing him to it. He was no great pains-taker in person, yet died very rich; and, as Dr. Clerke says, was of a very great judgment, but hath writ nothing to leave his name to posterity. In the gallery, among others, met with Major Halsey, a great creature of the Duke of Albemarle's; who tells me that the Duke, by name, hath said that he expected to have the work here up in the River done, having left Sir W. Batten and Mr. Phipps there. He says that the Duke of Albemarle do say that this is a victory we have had, having, as he was sure, killed them 8000 men, and sunk about fourteen of their ships; but nothing like this appears true. He lays much of the little success we have had, however, upon the fleet's being divided by order from above, and the want of spirit in the commanders; and that he was commanded, by order, to go out of the Downes to the Gun-fleete, and in the way meeting the Dutch fleet, what should he do? should he not fight them? especially having beat them heretofore at a great disadvantage. He tells me further, that, having been downe with the Duke of Albemarle, he finds that Holmes and Spragge do govern most business of the Navy; and by others I understand that Sir Thomas Allen is offended

thereat, that he is not so much advised with as he ought to be. He tells me, also, as he says, of his own knowledge, that several people, before the Duke went out, did offer to supply the King with £100,000, provided he would be treasurer of it, to see it laid out for the Navy; which he refused, and so it died; but I believe none of this. This day I saw my Lady Falmouth,' with whom I remember now I have dined at my Lord Barkeley's heretofore, a pretty woman; she was now in her second or third mourning, and pretty pleasant in her looks. By and by the Council rises, and Sir W. Coventry come out; and he and I went aside, and discoursed of much business of the Navy; and afterwards took his coach, and to Hide Parke he and I alone there we had much talk. First, he started a discourse of a talk he hears about the town, which, says he, is a very bad one, and fit to be suppressed, if we knew how: which is, the comparing of the success of the last year with that of this; saying that, that was good, and that bad. I was as sparing in speaking as I could, being jealous of him and myself also, but wished it could be stopped; but said I doubted it could not otherwise than by the fleet's being abroad again, and so finding other work for men's minds and discourse. Then to discourse of himself, saying, that he heard that he was under the lash of people's discourse about the Prince's not having notice of the Dutch being

:

1 Elizabeth, daughter of Hervey Bagot, and widow of Charles Barkeley, Earl of Falmouth, for whom she still wore mourning, married secondly, Charles first Duke of Dorset, and died in childbed, in 1679; leaving an only daughter. She had been Maid of Honour to the Duchess of York.