June 1st. Being prevented yesterday in meeting by reason of the fast
day, we met to-day all the morning. At noon I and my father, wife and
sister, dined at Aunt Wight’s here hard by at Mr. Woolly’s, upon sudden
warning, they being to go out of town to-morrow. Here dined the faire
Mrs. Margaret Wight, who is a very fine lady, but the cast of her eye,
got only by an ill habit, do her much wrong and her hands are bad;
but she hath the face of a noble Roman lady. After dinner my uncle
and Woolly and I out into their yarde, to talke about what may be done
hereafter to all our profits by prizegoods, which did give us reason to
lament the losse of the opportunity of the last yeare, which, if we were
as wise as we are now, and at the peaceable end of all those troubles
that we met with, all might have been such a hit as will never come
again in this age, and so I do really believe it. Thence home to my
office and there did much business, and at night home to my father to
supper and to bed.
2nd. Up, and to the office, where certain newes is brought us of a
letter come to the King this morning from the Duke of Albemarle, dated
yesterday at eleven o’clock, as they were sailing to the Gunfleete, that
they were in sight of the Dutch fleete, and were fitting themselves
to fight them; so that they are, ere this, certainly engaged; besides,
several do averr they heard the guns all yesterday in the afternoon.
This put us at the Board into a tosse. Presently come orders for our
sending away to the fleete a recruite of 200 soldiers. So I rose from
the table, and to the Victualling office, and thence upon the River
among several vessels, to consider of the sending them away; and lastly,
down to Greenwich, and there appointed two yachts to be ready for them;
and did order the soldiers to march to Blackewall. Having set all things
in order against the next flood, I went on shore with Captain Erwin at
Greenwich, and into the Parke, and there we could hear the guns from
the fleete most plainly. Thence he and I to the King’s Head and there
bespoke a dish of steaks for our dinner about four o’clock. While that
was doing, we walked to the water-side, and there seeing the King and
Duke come down in their barge to Greenwich-house, I to them, and did
give them an account [of] what I was doing. They went up to the Parke
to hear the guns of the fleete go off. All our hopes now are that Prince
Rupert with his fleete is coming back and will be with the fleete this
even: a message being sent to him to that purpose on Wednesday last; and
a return is come from him this morning, that he did intend to sail from
St. Ellen’s point about four in the afternoon on Wednesday [Friday],
which was yesterday; which gives us great hopes, the wind being very
fair, that he is with them this even, and the fresh going off of the
guns makes us believe the same. After dinner, having nothing else to do
till flood, I went and saw Mrs. Daniel, to whom I did not tell that the
fleets were engaged, because of her husband, who is in the R. Charles.
Very pleasant with her half an hour, and so away and down to Blackewall,
and there saw the soldiers (who were by this time gotten most of them
drunk) shipped off. But, Lord! to see how the poor fellows kissed their
wives and sweethearts in that simple manner at their going off, and
shouted, and let off their guns, was strange sport. In the evening come
up the River the Katharine yacht, Captain Fazeby, who hath brought over
my Lord of Alesbury and Sir Thomas Liddall (with a very pretty daughter,
and in a pretty travelling-dress) from Flanders, who saw the Dutch
fleete on Thursday, and ran from them; but from that houre to this hath
not heard one gun, nor any newes of any fight. Having put the soldiers
on board, I home and wrote what I had to write by the post, and so home
to supper and to bed, it being late.
3rd (Lord’s-day; Whit-sunday). Up, and by water to White Hall, and there
met with Mr. Coventry, who tells me the only news from the fleete is
brought by Captain Elliott, of The Portland, which, by being run on
board by The Guernsey, was disabled from staying abroad; so is come in
to Aldbrough. That he saw one of the Dutch great ships blown up, and
three on fire. That they begun to fight on Friday; and at his coming
into port, he could make another ship of the King’s coming in, which he
judged to be the Rupert: that he knows of no other hurt to our ships.
With this good newes I home by water again, and to church in the
sermon-time, and with great joy told it my fellows in the pew. So home
after church time to dinner, and after dinner my father, wife, sister,
and Mercer by water to Woolwich, while I walked by land, and saw the
Exchange as full of people, and hath been all this noon as of any other
day, only for newes. I to St. Margaret’s, Westminster, and there saw at
church my pretty Betty Michell, and thence to the Abbey, and so to Mrs.
Martin, and there did what ‘je voudrais avec her.... So by and by he
come in, and after some discourse with him I away to White Hall, and
there met with this bad newes farther, that the Prince come to Dover but
at ten o’clock last night, and there heard nothing of a fight; so that
we are defeated of all our hopes of his helpe to the fleete. It is also
reported by some Victuallers that the Duke of Albemarle and Holmes their
flags were shot down, and both fain to come to anchor to renew their
rigging and sails. A letter is also come this afternoon, from Harman
in the Henery; which is she [that] was taken by Elliott for the Rupert;
that being fallen into the body of the Dutch fleete, he made his way
through them, was set on by three fire-ships one after another, got two
of them off, and disabled the third; was set on fire himself; upon
which many of his men leapt into the sea and perished; among others, the
parson first. Have lost above 100 men, and a good many women (God knows
what is become of Balty), and at last quenched his own fire and got to
Aldbrough; being, as all say, the greatest hazard that ever any ship
escaped, and as bravely managed by him. The mast of the third fire-ship
fell into their ship on fire, and hurt Harman’s leg, which makes him
lame now, but not dangerous. I to Sir G. Carteret, who told me there
hath been great bad management in all this; that the King’s orders
that went on Friday for calling back the Prince, were sent but by the
ordinary post on Wednesday; and come to the Prince his hands but on
Friday; and then, instead of sailing presently, he stays till four in
the evening. And that which is worst of all, the Hampshire, laden with
merchants’ money, come from the Straights, set out with or but just
before the fleete, and was in the Downes by five in the clock yesterday
morning; and the Prince with his fleete come to Dover but at ten of the
clock at night. This is hard to answer, if it be true. This puts great
astonishment into the King, and Duke, and Court, every body being out of
countenance. So meeting Creed, he and I by coach to Hide Parke alone to
talke of these things, and do blesse God that my Lord Sandwich was
not here at this time to be concerned in a business like to be so
misfortunate. It was a pleasant thing to consider how fearfull I was of
being seen with Creed all this afternoon, for fear of people’s thinking
that by our relation to my Lord Sandwich we should be making ill
construction of the Prince’s failure. But, God knows, I am heartily
sorry for the sake of the whole nation, though, if it were not for that,
it would not be amisse to have these high blades find some checke to
their presumption and their disparaging of as good men. Thence set him
down in Covent Guarden and so home by the ‘Change, which is full of
people still, and all talk highly of the failure of the Prince in
not making more haste after his instructions did come, and of our
managements here in not giving it sooner and with more care and oftener.
Thence. After supper to bed.
4th. Up, and with Sir J. Minnes and Sir W. Pen to White Hall in the
latter’s coach, where, when we come, we find the Duke at St. James’s,
whither he is lately gone to lodge. So walking through the Parke we saw
hundreds of people listening at the Gravel-pits,--[Kensington]--and to
and again in the Parke to hear the guns, and I saw a letter, dated last
night, from Strowd, Governor of Dover Castle, which says that the Prince
come thither the night before with his fleete, but that for the guns
which we writ that we heard, it is only a mistake for thunder;
[Evelyn was in his garden when he heard the guns, and be at once set
off to Rochester and the coast, but he found that nothing had been
heard at Deal (see his “Diary,” June 1st, 1666).]
and so far as to yesterday it is a miraculous thing that we all Friday,
and Saturday and yesterday, did hear every where most plainly the guns
go off, and yet at Deale and Dover to last night they did not hear one
word of a fight, nor think they heard one gun. This, added to what I
have set down before the other day about the Katharine, makes room for
a great dispute in philosophy, how we should hear it and they not, the
same wind that brought it to us being the same that should bring it to
them: but so it is. Major Halsey, however (he was sent down on purpose
to hear newes), did bring newes this morning that he did see the Prince
and his fleete at nine of the clock yesterday morning, four or five
leagues to sea behind the Goodwin, so that by the hearing of the guns
this morning we conclude he is come to the fleete. After wayting upon
the Duke, Sir W. Pen (who was commanded to go to-night by water down to
Harwich, to dispatch away all the ships he can) and I home, drinking
two bottles of Cocke ale in the streete in his new fine coach, where no
sooner come, but newes is brought me of a couple of men come to speak
with me from the fleete; so I down, and who should it be but Mr. Daniel,
all muffled up, and his face as black as the chimney, and covered with
dirt, pitch, and tarr, and powder, and muffled with dirty clouts, and
his right eye stopped with okum. He is come last night at five o’clock
from the fleete, with a comrade of his that hath endangered another eye.
They were set on shore at Harwich this morning, and at two o’clock, in
a catch with about twenty more wounded men from the Royall Charles. They
being able to ride, took post about three this morning, and were here
between eleven and twelve. I went presently into the coach with them,
and carried them to Somerset-House-stairs, and there took water (all the
world gazing upon us, and concluding it to be newes from the fleete, and
every body’s face appeared expecting of newes) to the Privy-stairs, and
left them at Mr. Coventry’s lodging (he, though, not being there); and
so I into the Parke to the King, and told him my Lord Generall was well
the last night at five o’clock, and the Prince come with his fleete and
joyned with his about seven. The King was mightily pleased with this
newes, and so took me by the hand and talked a little of it. Giving him
the best account I could; and then he bid me to fetch the two seamen to
him, he walking into the house. So I went and fetched the seamen into
the Vane room to him, and there he heard the whole account.