ked. He is weary of anything to do, he
says, in the Navy. He tells us this Committee of Accounts will enquire
sharply into our office. And, speaking of Sir J. Minnes, he says he will
not bear any body's faults but his own. He discoursed as bad of Sir W.
Batten almost, and cries out upon the discipline of the fleete, which is
lost, and that there is not in any of the fourth rates and under scarce
left one Sea Commander, but all young gentlemen; and what troubles
him, he hears that the gentlemen give out that in two or three years a
Tarpaulin shall not dare to look after being better than a Boatswain.
Which he is troubled at, and with good reason, and at this day Sir
Robert Holmes is mighty troubled that his brother do not command in
chief, but is commanded by Captain Hannum, who, Sir W. Coventry says,
he believes to be at least of as good blood, is a longer bred seaman, an
elder officer, and an elder commander, but such is Sir R. Holmes's pride
as never to be stopt, he being greatly troubled at my Lord Bruncker's
late discharging all his men and officers but the standing officers at
Chatham, and so are all other Commanders, and a very great cry hath been
to the King from them all in my Lord's absence. But Sir W. Coventry do
undertake to defend it, and my Lord Bruncker got ground I believe by it,
who is angry at Sir W. Batten's and Sir W. Pen's bad words concerning
it, and I have made it worse by telling him that they refuse to sign to
a paper which he and I signed on Saturday to declare the reason of his
actions, which Sir W. Coventry likes and would have it sent him and
he will sign it, which pleases me well. So we parted, and I with Lord
Bruncker to Sir P. Neale's chamber, and there sat and talked awhile,
Sir Edward Walker being there, and telling us how he hath lost many fine
rowles of antiquity in heraldry by the late fire, but hath saved the
most of his papers. Here was also Dr. Wallis, the famous scholar and
mathematician; but he promises little. Left them, and in the dark and
cold home by water, and so to supper and to read and so to bed, my eyes
being better to-day, and I cannot impute it to anything but by my being
much in the dark to-night, for I plainly find that it is only excess
of light that makes my eyes sore. This after noon I walked with Lord
Bruncker into the Park and there talked of the times, and he do think
that the King sees that he cannot never have much more money or good
from this Parliament, and t