Diary, Jan/Feb 1665/66 | Page 9

to my office about my
letters, and so home to supper and to bed.

12th. By coach to the Duke of Albemarle, where Sir W. Batten and I
only met. Troubled at my heart to see how things are ordered there
without consideration or understanding. Thence back by coach and
called at Wotton's, my shoemaker, lately come to towne, and bespoke
shoes, as also got him to find me a taylor to make me some clothes, my
owne being not yet in towne, nor Pym, my Lord Sandwich's taylor. So
he helped me to a pretty man, one Mr. Penny, against St. Dunstan's
Church. Thence to the 'Change and there met Mr. Moore, newly come
to towne, and took him home to dinner with me and after dinner to

talke, and he and I do conclude my Lord's case to be very bad and may
be worse, if he do not get a pardon for his doings about the prizes and
his business at Bergen, and other things done by him at sea, before he
goes for Spayne. I do use all the art I can to get him to get my Lord to
pay my cozen Pepys, for it is a great burden to my mind my being
bound for my Lord in L1000 to him. Having done discourse with him
and directed him to go with my advice to my Lord expresse to-morrow
to get his pardon perfected before his going, because of what I read the
other night in Sir W. Coventry's letter, I to the office, and there had an
extraordinary meeting of Sir J. Minnes, Sir W. Batten, and Sir W. Pen,
and my Lord Bruncker and I to hear my paper read about pursers,
which they did all of them with great good will and great approbation
of my method and pains in all, only Sir W. Pen, who must except
against every thing and remedy nothing, did except against my
proposal for some reasons, which I could not understand, I confess, nor
my Lord Bruncker neither, but he did detect indeed a failure or two of
mine in my report about the ill condition of the present pursers, which I
did magnify in one or two little things, to which, I think, he did with
reason except, but at last with all respect did declare the best thing he
ever heard of this kind, but when Sir W. Batten did say, "Let us that do
know the practical part of the Victualling meet Sir J. Minnes, Sir W.
Pen and I and see what we can do to mend all," he was so far from
offering or furthering it, that he declined it and said, he must be out of
towne. So as I ever knew him never did in his life ever attempt to mend
any thing, but suffer all things to go on in the way they are, though
never so bad, rather than improve his experience to the King's
advantage. So we broke up, however, they promising to meet to offer
some thing in it of their opinions, and so we rose, and I and my Lord
Bruncker by coach a little way for discourse sake, till our coach broke,
and tumbled me over him quite down the side of the coach, falling on
the ground about the Stockes, but up again, and thinking it fit to have
for my honour some thing reported in writing to the Duke in favour of
my pains in this, lest it should be thought to be rejected as frivolous, I
did move it to my Lord, and he will see it done to-morrow. So we
parted, and I to the office and thence home to my poor wife, who works
all day at home like a horse, at the making of her hangings for our
chamber and the bed. So to supper and to bed.

13th. At the office all the morning, where my Lord Bruncker moved to
have something wrote in my matter as I desired him last night, and it
was ordered and will be done next sitting. Home with his Lordship to
Mrs. Williams's, in Covent-Garden, to dinner (the first time I ever was
there), and there met Captain Cocke; and pretty merry, though not
perfectly so, because of the fear that there is of a great encrease again
of the plague this week. And again my Lord Bruncker do tell us, that he
hath it from Sir John Baber; who is related to my Lord Craven, that my
Lord Craven do look after Sir G. Carteret's place, and do reckon
himself sure of it. After dinner Cocke and I together by coach to the
Exchange, in our way talking of our matters, and do conclude that
every thing must breake