Diary, October 1666 | Page 6

give him an
account of yesterday's work, which do give him good content. He did
then tell me his speech lately to the House in his owne vindication
about the report of his selling of places, he having a small occasion
offered him by chance, which he did desire, and took, and did it to his
content, and, he says, to the House's seeming to approve of it by their
hum. He confessed how long he had done it, and how he desired to
have something else; and, since then, he had taken nothing, and
challenged all the world. I was glad of this also. Thence up to the Duke
of York, by appointment, with fellow officers, to complaine, but to no
purpose, of want of money, and so away. I to Sir G. Carteret, to his
lodging, and here discoursed much of the want of money and our being
designed for destruction. How the King hath lost his power, by
submitting himself to this way of examining his accounts, and is
become but as a private man. He says the King is troubled at it, but
they talk an entry shall be made, that it is not to be brought into
example; that the King must, if they do not agree presently, make them
a courageous speech, which he says he may do, the City of London
being now burned, and himself master of an army, better than any
prince before him, and so I believe. Thence home, about noon, to
dinner. After dinner the book binder come, and I sent by him some

more books to gild. I to the office all day, and spent most of it with Sir
W. Warren, whom I have had no discourse with a great while, and
when all is done I do find him a mighty wise man as any I know, and
his counsel as much to be followed. Late with Mr. Hater upon
comparing the charge and husbandry of the last Dutch war with ours
now, and do find good roome to think we have done little worse than
they, whereof good use may and will be made. So home to supper, and
to bed.

5th. Up, and with my father talking awhile, then to the office, and there
troubled with a message from Lord Peterborough about money; but I
did give as kind answer as I could, though I hate him. Then to Sir G.
Carteret to discourse about paying of part of the great ships come in,
and so home again to compare the comparison of the two Dutch wars'
charges for [Sir] W. Coventry, and then by water (and saw old Mr.
Michell digging like a painfull father for his son) to him, and find him
at dinner. After dinner to look over my papers, and comparing them
with some notes of his and brought me, the sight of some good Navy
notes of his which I shall get. Then examined and liked well my notes,
and away together to White Hall, in the way discoursing the
inconvenience of the King's being thus subject to an account, but it will
be remedied for the time to come, he thinks, if we can get this over, and
I find he will have the Comptroller's business better done, swearing he
will never be for a wit to be employed on business again. Thence I
home, and back again to White Hall, and meeting Sir H. Cholmly to
White Hall; there walked till night that the Committee come down, and
there Sir W. Coventry tells me that the Subcommittee have made their
report to the Grand Committee, and in pretty kind terms, and have
agreed upon allowing us L4 per head, which I am sure will do the
business, but he had endeavoured to have got more, but this do well,
and he and I are both mighty glad it is come to this, and the heat of the
present business seems almost over. But I have more worke cut out for
me, to prepare a list of the extraordinaries, not to be included within the
L4, against Monday. So I away from him, and met with the
Vice-Chamberlain, and I told him when I had this evening in coming
hither met with Captain Cocke, and he told me of a wild motion made
in the House of Lords by the Duke of Buckingham for all men that had

cheated the King to be declared traitors and felons, and that my Lord
Sandwich was named. This put me into a great pain, so the
Vice-Chamberlain, who had heard nothing of it, having been all day in
the City, away with me to White Hall; and there come to me and told
me that, upon Lord Ashly's asking their direction whether,