, and full of good information to-day, but
I perceive the corruptions of the Navy are of so many kinds that it is
endless to look after them, especially while such a one as Sir W. Batten
discourages every man that is honest. So home to my office, there very
late, and then to supper and to bed mightily troubled in my mind to hear
how Sir W. Batten and Sir J. Minnes do labour all they can to abuse or
enable others to abuse the King.

18th. From morning till 11 at night (only a little at dinner at home)
at my office very busy, setting many businesses in order to my great
trouble, but great content in the end. So home to supper and to bed.
Strange to see how pert Sir W. Pen is to-day newly come from Portsmouth
with his head full of great reports of his service and the state of the
ships there. When that is over he will be just as another man again or
worse. But I wonder whence Mr. Coventry should take all this care for
him, to send for him up only to look after his Irish business with my
Lord Ormond and to get the Duke's leave for him to come with so much
officiousness, when I am sure he knows him as well as I do as to his
little service he do.

19th (Lord's day). Up, and all the morning and afternoon (only at dinner
at home) at my office doing many businesses for want of time on the week
days. In the afternoon the greatest shower of rain of a sudden and the
greatest and most continued thunder that ever I heard I think in my
life. In the evening home to my wife, and there talked seriously of
several of our family concernments, and among others of bringing Pall
out of the country to us here to try to put her off, which I am very
desirous, and my wife also of. So to supper, prayers, which I have of
late too much omitted. So to bed.

20th. It having been a very cold night last night I had got some cold,
and so in pain by wind, and a sure precursor of pain is sudden letting
off farts, and when that stops, then my passages stop and my pain
begins. Up and did several businesses, and so with my wife by water to
White Hall, she to her father's, I to the Duke, where we did our usual
business. And among other discourse of the Dutch, he was merrily saying
how they print that Prince Rupert, Duke of Albemarle, and my Lord
Sandwich, are to be Generalls; and soon after is to follow them "Vieux
Pen;" and so the Duke called him in mirth Old Pen. They have, it seems,
lately wrote to the King, to assure him that their setting-out ships
wer