pass that a
Tarpaulin should not dare to aspire to more than to be a Boatswain or
a gunner. That this makes the Sea Captains to lose their own good
affections to the service, and to instil it into the seamen also, and
that the seamen do see it themselves and resent it; and tells us that
it is notorious, even to his bearing of great ill will at Court, that he
hath been the opposer of gentlemen Captains; and Sir W. Pen did put in,
and said that he was esteemed to have been the man that did instil it
into Sir W. Coventry, which Sir W. Coventry did owne also, and says that
he hath always told the Gentlemen Captains his opinion of them, and
that himself who had now served to the business of the sea 6 or 7 years
should know a little, and as much as them that had never almost been at
sea, and that yet he found himself fitter to be a Bishop or Pope than
to be a Sea-Commander, and so indeed he is. I begun to tell him of the
experience I had of the great brags made by Sir F. Hollis the other day,
and the little proof either of the command or interest he had in his
men, which Sir W. Pen seconded by saying Sir Fr. Hollis had told him
that there was not a pilot to be got the other day for his fire-ships,
and so was forced to carry them down himself, which Sir W. Coventry
says, in my conscience, he knows no more to do and understand the River
no more than he do Tiber or Ganges. Thence I away with Sir W. Pen to
White Hall, to the Treasury Chamber, but to no purpose, and so by coach
home, and there to my office to business, and then home to dinner,
and to pipe with my wife, and so to the office again, having taken a
resolution to take a turn to Chatham to-morrow, indeed to do business of
the King's, but also to give myself the satisfaction of seeing the place
after the Dutch have been here. I have sent to and got Creed to go with
me by coach betimes to-morrow morning. After having done my business at
the office I home, and there I found Coleman come again to my house,
and with my wife in our great chamber, which vexed me, there being a bed
therein. I staid there awhile, and then to my study vexed, showing no
civility to the man. But he comes on a compliment to receive my wife's
commands into the country, whither he is going, and it being Saturday
my wife told me there was no other room for her to bring him in, and so
much is truth. But I staid vexed in my closet till by and by my cozen
Thomas Pepys, of Hatcham, come to see me, and he up