t clean, and in the mean time, having staid for him a good
while, did go away by water to the Castle Taverne, by Exeter House, and
there met Sir W. Batten, [Sir] W. Pen, and several others, among the
rest Sir Ellis Layton, who do apply himself to discourse with me, and
I think by his discourse, out of his opinion of my interest in Sir W.
Coventry, the man I find a wonderful witty, ready man for sudden answers
and little tales, and sayings very extraordinary witty, but in the
bottom I doubt he is not so. Yet he pretends to have studied men, and
the truth is in several that I do know he did give me a very inward
account of them. But above all things he did give me a full account,
upon my demand, of this judge of the Admiralty, Judge Jenkins; who, he
says, is a man never practised in this Court, but taken merely for his
merit and ability's sake from Trinity Hall, where he had always lived;
only by accident the business of the want of a Judge being proposed to
the present Archbishop of Canterbury that now is, he did think of this
man and sent for him up: and here he is, against the 'gre' and content
of the old Doctors, made judge, but is a very excellent man both for
judgment and temper, yet majesty enough, and by all men's report, not to
be corrupted. After dinner to the Court, where Sir Ellis Layton did make
a very silly motion in our behalf, but did neither hurt nor good. After
him Walker and Wiseman; and then the judge did pronounce his sentence;
for some part of the goods and ship, and the freight of the whole, to
be free, and returned and paid by us; and the remaining, which was the
greater part, to be ours. The loss of so much troubles us, but we have
got a pretty good part, thanks be to God! So we are not displeased nor
yet have cause to triumph, as we did once expect. Having seen the end
of this, I being desirous to be at home to see the issue of any country
letters about my mother, which I expect shall give me tidings of her
death, I directly home and there to the office, where I find no letter
from my father or brother, but by and by the boy tells me that his
mistress sends me word that she hath opened my letter, and that she is
loth to send me any more news. So I home, and there up to my wife in
our chamber, and there received from my brother the newes of my mother's
dying on Monday, about five or six o'clock in the afternoon, and that
the last time she spoke of her children was on Friday last, and her
last words