Diary, December 1667 | Page 7

of warr, which is excellent reading, and particularly I was
mightily pleased this night in what we read about the little profit or
honour this kingdom ever gained by the greatest of its conquests abroad
in France. This evening come Mr. Mills and sat with us a while, who is
mighty kind and good company, and so, he gone, I to supper and to bed.
My wife an unquiet night. This day Gilsthrop is buried, who hath made

all the late discourse of the great discovery of L65,000, of which the
King bath been wronged.

5th. At the office all the morning, do hear that Will Pen, Sir W. Pen's
son, is come from Ireland, but I have not seen him yet. At noon to the
'Change, where did little, but so home again and to dinner with my
clerks with me, and very good discourse and company they give me,
and so to the office all the afternoon till late, and so home to supper and
to bed. This day, not for want, but for good husbandry, I sent my father,
by his desire, six pair of my old shoes, which fit him, and are good; yet,
methought, it was a thing against my mind to have him wear my old
things.

6th. Up, and with Sir J. Minnes to the Duke of York, the first time that I
have seen him, or we waited on him, since his sickness; and, blessed be
God! he is not at all the worse for the smallpox, but is only a little weak
yet. We did much business with him, and so parted. My Lord Anglesey
told me how my Lord Northampton brought in a Bill into the House of
Lords yesterday, under the name of a Bill for the Honour and Privilege
of the House, and Mercy to my Lord Clarendon: which, he told me, he
opposed, saying that he was a man accused of treason by the House of
Commons; and mercy was not proper for him, having not been tried yet,
and so no mercy needful for him. However, the Duke of Buckingham
and others did desire that the Bill might be read; and it, was for
banishing my Lord Clarendon from all his Majesty's dominions, and
that it should be treason to have him found in any of them: the thing is
only a thing of vanity, and to insult over him, which is mighty poor I
think, and so do every body else, and ended in nothing, I think. By and
by home with Sir J. Minnes, who tells me that my Lord Clarendon did
go away in a Custom-house boat, and is now at Callis (Calais): and, I
confess, nothing seems to hang more heavy than his leaving of this
unfortunate paper behind him, that hath angered both Houses, and hath,
I think, reconciled them in that which otherwise would have broke
them in pieces; so that I do hence, and from Sir W. Coventry's late
example and doctrine to me, learn that on these sorts of occasions there
is nothing like silence; it being seldom any wrong to a man to say
nothing, but, for the most part, it is to say anything. This day, in

coming home, Sir J. Minnes told me a pretty story of Sir Lewes Dives,
whom I saw this morning speaking with him, that having escaped once
out of prison through a house of office, and another time in woman's
apparel, and leaping over a broad canal, a soldier swore, says he, this is
a strange jade . . . . He told me also a story of my Lord Cottington, who,
wanting a son, intended to make his nephew his heir, a country boy; but
did alter his mind upon the boy's being persuaded by another young
heir, in roguery, to crow like a cock at my Lord's table, much company
being there, and the boy having a great trick at doing that perfectly. My
Lord bade them take away that fool from the table, and so gave over the
thoughts of making him his heir, from this piece of folly. So home, and
there to dinner, and after dinner abroad with my wife and girle, set
them down at Unthanke's, and I to White Hall to the Council chamber,
where I was summoned about the business of paying of the seamen,
where I heard my Lord Anglesey put to it by Sir W. Coventry before
the King for altering the course set by the Council; which he like a wise
man did answer in few words, that he had already sent to alter it
according to the Council's method, and so stopped it, whereas many
words would have set the Commissioners of the Treasury on fire, who,
I