; and hath particularly
blemished his master by name among us. I told Sir W. Coventry of my
letter to Sir R. Brookes, and his answer to me. He advises me, in what
I write to him, to be as short as I can, and obscure, saving in things
fully plain; for all that he do is to make mischief; and that the
greatest wisdom in dealing with the Parliament in the world is to say
little, and let them get out what they can by force: which I shall
observe. He declared to me much of his mind to be ruled by his own
measures, and not to go so far as many would have him to the ruin of
my Lord Chancellor, and for which they do endeavour to do what they can
against [Sir] W. Coventry. "But," says he, "I have done my do in helping
to get him out of the administration of things, for which he is not fit;
but for his life or estate I will have nothing to say to it: besides
that, my duty to my master the Duke of York is such, that I will perish
before I will do any thing to displease or disoblige him, where the very
necessity of the kingdom do not in my judgment call me." Thence I home
and to the office, where my Lord Anglesey, and all the discourse was
yesterday's vote in the Commons, wherein he told us that, should the
Lords yield to what the Commons would have in this matter, it were to
make them worse than any justice of Peace (whereas they are the highest
Court in the Kingdom) that they cannot be judges whether an offender be
to be committed or bailed, which every justice of Peace do do, and then
he showed me precedents plain in their defence. At noon home to
dinner, and busy all the afternoon, and at night home, and there met W.
Batelier, who tells me the first great news that my Lord Chancellor is
fled this day. By and by to Sir W. Pen's, where Sir R. Ford and he and
I met, with Mr. Young and Lewes, about our accounts with my Lady Batten,
which prove troublesome, and I doubt will prove to our loss. But here I
hear the whole that my Lord Chancellor is gone, and left a paper behind
him for the House of Lords, telling them the reason of him retiring,
complaining of a design for his ruin. But the paper I must get: only the
thing at present is great, and will put the King and Commons to some new
counsels certainly. So home to supper and to bed. Sir W. Pen I find
in much trouble this evening, having been called to the Committee this
afternoon, about the business of prizes. Sir Richard Ford told us this
evening an odd story of the basenesse of the