re, Taming of the Shrew, act v., sc. i.-M. B.]

But I am well prepared for it to bear it, being not clear whether it
will be more for my profit to have it, or go without it, as my profits
of the Navy are likely now to be. All the afternoon till late hard
at the office. Then to supper and to bed. This night William Hewer is
returned from Harwich, where he hath been paying off of some ships this
fortnight, and went to sea a good way with the fleete, which was 96
in company then, men of warr, besides some come in, and following them
since, which makes now above 100, whom God bless!

28th. Up by 5 o'clock, and by appointment with Creed by 6 at his
chamber, expecting Povy, who come not. Thence he and I out to Sir Philip
Warwicke's, but being not up we took a turn in the garden hard by, and
thither comes Povy to us. After some discourse of the reason of the
difficulty that Sir Philip Warwicke makes in issuing a warrant for my
striking of tallys, namely, the having a clear account of the L26,000
saved by my Lord of Peterborough, we parted, and I to Sir P. Warwicke,
who did give me an account of his demurr, which I applied myself to
remove by taking Creed with me to my Lord Ashly, from whom, contrary to
all expectation, I received a very kind answer, just as we could have
wished it, that he would satisfy my Lord Treasurer. Thence very well
satisfied I home, and down the River to visit the victualling-ships,
where I find all out of order. And come home to dinner, and then to
write a letter to the Duke of Albemarle about the victualling-ships, and
carried it myself to the Council-chamber, where it was read; and when
they rose, my Lord Chancellor passing by stroked me on the head, and
told me that the Board had read my letter, and taken order for the
punishing of the watermen for not appearing on board the ships.

[Among the State Papers are lists of watermen impressed and put on
board the victualling ships. Attached to one of these is a "note of
their unfitness and refractory conduct; also that many go ashore to
sleep, and are discontent that they, as masters of families, are
pressed, while single men are excused on giving money to the
pressmen" ("Calendar," Domestic, 1664-65, p. 323).]

And so did the King afterwards, who do now know me so well, that he
never sees me but he speaks to me about our Navy business. Thence got my
Lord Ashly to my Lord Treasurer below in his chamber, and there removed