Yeabsly dined with me (my wife gone to dine with Mrs. Pierce and see a
play with her), and after dinner in comes Mr. Turner, of Eynsbury, lately
come to town, and also after him Captain Hill of the "Coventry," who lost
her at Barbadoes, and is come out of France, where he hath been long
prisoner. After a great deal of mixed discourse, and then Mr. Turner and
I alone a little in my closet, talking about my Lord Sandwich (who I hear
is now ordered by the King to come home again), we all parted, and I by
water, calling at Michell's, and saw and once kissed su wife, but I do
think that he is jealous of her, and so she dares not stand out of his
sight; so could not do more, but away by water to the Temple, and there,
after spending a little time in my bookseller's shop, I to Westminster;
and there at the lobby do hear by Commissioner Pett, to my great
amazement, that he is in worse condition than before, by the coming in of
the Duke of Albemarle's and Prince Rupert's Narratives' this day; wherein
the former do most severely lay matters upon him, so as the House this day
have, I think, ordered him to the Tower again, or something like it; so
that the poor man is likely to be overthrown, I doubt, right or wrong, so
infinite fond they are of any thing the Duke of Albemarle says or writes
to them! I did then go down, and there met with Colonel Reames and cozen
Roger Pepys; and there they do tell me how the Duke of Albemarle and the
Prince have laid blame on a great many, and particularly on our Office in
general; and particularly for want of provision, wherein I shall come to
be questioned again in that business myself; which do trouble me. But my
cozen Pepys and I had much discourse alone: and he do bewail the
constitution of this House, and says there is a direct caball and faction,
as much as is possible between those for and those against the Chancellor,
and so in other factions, that there is nothing almost done honestly and
with integrity; only some few, he says, there are, that do keep out of all
plots and combinations, and when their time comes will speak and see right
done, if possible; and that he himself is looked upon to be a man that
will be of no faction, and so they do shun to make him; and I am glad of
it. He tells me that he thanks God he never knew what it was to be
tempted to be a knave in his life; till he did come into the House of
Commons, where there is nothing done but by passion, and faction, and
private interest. Reames did tell me of a fellow last night (one Kelsy, a
commander of a fire-ship, who complained for want of his money paid him)
did say that he did see one of the Commissioners of the Navy bring in
three waggon-loads of prize-goods into Greenwich one night; but that the
House did take no notice of it, nor enquire; but this is me, and I must
expect to be called to account, and answer what I did as well as I can.
So thence away home, and in Holborne, going round, it being dark, I espied
Sir D. Gawden's coach, and so went out of mine into his; and there had
opportunity to talk of the business of victuals, which the Duke of
Albemarle and Prince did complain that they were in want of the last year:
but we do conclude we shall be able to show quite the contrary of that;
only it troubles me that we must come to contend with these great persons,
which will overrun us. So with some disquiet in my mind on this account I
home, and there comes Mr. Yeabsly, and he and I to even some accounts,
wherein I shall be a gainer about L200, which is a seasonable profit, for
I have got nothing a great while; and he being gone, I to bed.
ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS:
Commons, where there is nothing done but by passion, and faction
Disquiet all night, telling of the clock till it was daylight
Painful to keep money, as well as to get it
Sorry thing to be a poor King
Spares not to blame another to defend himself
Wise man's not being wise at all times