the Barber came, in
reading in my chamber part of Osborne's Advice to his Son (which I shall
not never enough admire for sense and language), and being by and
by trimmed, to Church, myself, wife, Ashwell, &c. Home to dinner, it
raining, while that was prepared to my office to read over my vows with
great affection and to very good purpose. So to dinner, and very well
pleased with it. Then to church again, where a simple bawling young Scot
preached. So home to my office alone till dark, reading some papers of
my old navy precedents, and so home to supper, and, after some pleasant
talk, my wife, Ashwell, and I to bed.
6th. Up very betimes and to my office, and there made an end of reading
my book that I have of Mr. Barlow's of the Journal of the Commissioners
of the Navy, who begun to act in the year 1628 and continued six years,
wherein is fine observations and precedents out of which I do purpose
to make a good collection. By and by, much against my will, being twice
sent for, to Sir G. Carteret's to pass his accounts there, upon which
Sir J. Minnes, Sir W. Batten, Sir W. Pen, and myself all the morning,
and again after dinner to it, being vexed at my heart to see a thing
of that importance done so slightly and with that neglect for which God
pardon us, and I would I could mend it. Thence leaving them I made an
excuse and away home, and took my wife by coach and left her at Madam
Clerk's, to make a visit there, and I to the Committee of Tangier, where
I found, to my great joy, my Lord Sandwich, the first time I have seen
him abroad these some months, and by and by he rose and took leave,
being, it seems, this night to go to Kensington or Chelsey, where he
hath taken a lodging for a while to take the ayre. We staid, and after
business done I got Mr. Coventry into the Matted Gallery and told him
my whole mind concerning matters of our office, all my discontent to
see things of so great trust carried so neglectfully, and what pitiful
service the Controller and Surveyor make of their duties, and I
disburdened my mind wholly to him and he to me his own, many things,
telling me that he is much discouraged by seeing things not to grow
better and better as he did well hope they would have done. Upon the
whole, after a full hour's private discourse, telling one another our
minds, we with great content parted, and with very great satisfaction
for my [having] thus cleared my conscience, went to Dr. Clerk's and
thence fetched my w
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