t me hereafter, and the rather because this morning Jacke Fen come
and shewed me an order from the Commissioners of Accounts, wherein they
demand of him an account upon oath of all the sums of money that have
been by him defalked or taken from any man since their time, of enquiry
upon any payments, and if this should, as it is to be feared, come to
be done to us, I know not what I shall then do, but I shall take
counsel upon it. At noon by coach towards Westminster, and met my Lord
Brouncker, and W. Pen, and Sir T. Harvey, in King's Street, coming away
from the Parliament House; and so I to them, and to the French ordinary,
at the Blue Bells, in Lincolne's Inn Fields, and there dined and talked.
And, among other things, they tell me how the House this day is still
as backward for giving any money as ever, and do declare they will
first have an account of the disposals of the last Poll-bill, and eleven
months' tax: and it is pretty odde that the very first sum mentioned
in the account brought in by Sir Robert Long, of the disposal of the
Poll-bill money, is L5000 to my Lord Arlington for intelligence; which
was mighty unseasonable, so soon after they had so much cried out
against his want of intelligence. The King do also own but L250,000,
or thereabouts, yet paid on the Poll-bill, and that he hath charged
L350,000 upon it. This makes them mad; for that the former Poll-bill,
that was so much less in its extent than the last, which took in all
sexes and qualities, did come to L350,000. Upon the whole, I perceive
they are like to do nothing in this matter to please the King, or
relieve the State, be the case never so pressing; and, therefore, it
is thought by a great many that the King cannot be worse if he should
dissolve them: but there is nobody dares advise it, nor do he consider
any thing himself. Thence, having dined for 20s., we to the Duke of York
at White Hall, and there had our usual audience, and did little but talk
of the proceedings of the Parliament, wherein he is as much troubled as
we; for he is not without fears that they do ayme at doing him hurt;
but yet he declares that he will never deny to owne what orders he hath
given to any man to justify him, notwithstanding their having sent to
him to desire his being tender to take upon him the doing any thing of
that kind. Thence with Brouncker and T. Harvey to Westminster Hall, and
there met with Colonel Birch and Sir John Lowther, and did there in the
lobby rea