at this day, and I hear for certain
they give but twelve guilders at most, which is not full 24s., a thing I
wonder at. At home to dinner, and then in Sir J. Minnes's coach, my wife
and I with him, and also Mercer, abroad, he and I to White Hall, and he
would have his coach to wait upon my wife on her visits, it being the
first time my wife hath been out of doors (but the other day to bathe
her) several weeks. We to a Committee of the Council to discourse
concerning pressing of men; but, Lord! how they meet; never sit down:
one comes, now another goes, then comes another; one complaining that
nothing is done, another swearing that he hath been there these two
hours and nobody come. At last it come to this, my Lord Annesly,
says he, "I think we must be forced to get the King to come to every
committee; for I do not see that we do any thing at any time but when he
is here." And I believe he said the truth and very constant he is at the
council table on council-days; which his predecessors, it seems, very
rarely did; but thus I perceive the greatest affair in the world at this
day is likely to be managed by us. But to hear how my Lord Barkeley and
others of them do cry up the discipline of the late times here, and in
the former Dutch warr is strange, wishing with all their hearts that the
business of religion were not so severely carried on as to discourage
the sober people to come among us, and wishing that the same law and
severity were used against drunkennesse as there was then, saying that
our evil living will call the hand of God upon us again. Thence to
walk alone a good while in St. James's Parke with Mr. Coventry, who I
perceive is grown a little melancholy and displeased to see things go
as they do so carelessly. Thence I by coach to Ratcliffe highway, to the
plate-maker's, and he has begun my Lord Sandwich's plate very neatly,
and so back again. Coming back I met Colonell Atkins, who in other
discourse did offer to give me a piece to receive of me 20 when he
proves the late news of the Dutch, their drowning our men, at Guinny,
and the truth is I find the generality of the world to fear that there
is something of truth in it, and I do fear it too. Thence back by coach
to Sir Philip Warwicke's; and there he did contract with me a kind of
friendship and freedom of communication, wherein he assures me to make
me understand the whole business of the Treasurer's business of the
Navy, that I shall know as well as Sir G.