Diary, December 1668 | Page 6

sermon, upon Moses's meeknesse, and so home, and my wife and I
alone to dinner, and then she to read a little book concerning speech in
general, a translation late out of French; a most excellent piece as ever I
read, proving a soul in man, and all the ways and secrets by which
nature teaches speech in man, which do please me most infinitely to
read. By and by my wife to church, and I to my Office to complete my
Journall for the last three days, and so home to my chamber to settle
some papers, and so to spend the evening with my wife and W. Hewer
talking over the business of the Office, and particularly my own Office,
how I will make it, and it will become, in a little time, an Office of ease,
and not slavery, as it hath for so many years been. So to supper, and to
bed.

7th. Up by candlelight, the first time I have done so this winter, but I
had lost my labour so often to visit Sir W. Coventry, and not visited
him so long, that I was resolved to get time enough, and so up, and with
W. Hewer, it being the first frosty day we have had this winter, did
walk it very well to W. Coventry's, and there alone with him an hour
talking of the Navy, which he pities, but says he hath no more mind to
be found meddling with the Navy, lest it should do it hurt, as well as
him, to be found to meddle with it. So to talk of general things: and
telling him that, with all these doings, he, I thanked God, stood yet; he
told me, Yes, but that he thought his continuing in, did arise from his
enemies my Lord of Buckingham and Arlington's seeing that he cared
so little if he was out; and he do protest to me that he is as weary of the
Treasury, as ever he was of the Navy. He tells me that he do believe
that their heat is over almost, as to the Navy, there being now none left
of the old stock but my Lord Brouncker, J. Minnes, who is ready to

leave the world, and myself. But he tells me that he do foresee very
great wants and great disorders by reason thereof; insomuch, as he is
represented to the King by his enemies as a melancholy man, and one
that is still prophesying ill events, so as the King called him Visionaire,
which being told him, he said he answered the party, that, whatever he
foresaw, he was not afeard as to himself of any thing, nor particularly
of my Lord Arlington, so much as the Duke of Buckingham hath been,
nor of the Duke of Buckingham, so much as my Lord Arlington at this
time is. But he tells me that he hath been always looked upon as a
melancholy man; whereas, others that would please the King do make
him believe that all is safe: and so he hath heard my Lord Chancellor
openly say to the King, that he was now a glorious prince, and in a
glorious condition, because of some one accident that hath happened,
or some one rub that hath been removed; "when," says W. Coventry,
"they reckoned their one good meal, without considering that there was
nothing left in the cup board for to-morrow." After this and other
discourse of this kind, I away, and walked to my Lord Sandwich's, and
walked with him to White Hall, and took a quarter of an hour's walk in
the garden with him, which I had not done for so much time with him
since his coming into England; and talking of his own condition, and
particularly of the world's talk of his going to Tangier. I find, if his
conditions can be made profitable and safe as to money, he would go,
but not else; but, however, will seem not averse to it, because of
facilitating his other accounts now depending, which he finds hard to
get through, but yet hath some hopes, the King, he says, speaking very
kindly to him. Thence to a Committee of Tangier, and so with W.
Hewer to Westminster to Sir R. Longs office, and so to the Temple, but
did nothing, the Auditor not being within, and so home to dinner, and
after dinner out again with my wife to the Temple, and up and down to
do a little business, and back again, and so to my office, and did a little
business, and so home, and W. Hewer with me, to read and talk, and so
to supper, and then to bed in mighty good humour. This afternoon,
passing through