nd challenging him to fight, which
comes not within any article of the laws martiall. But upon discourse
the other day with Sir W. Coventry, I did advise Middleton, and he and
I did forbear to give judgment, but after the debate did withdraw into
another cabin, the Court being held in one of the yachts, which was on
purpose brought up over against St. Katharine's, it being to be feared
that this precedent of our being made Captains, in order to the trying
of the loss of "The Defyance," wherein we are the proper persons to
enquire into the want of instructions while ships do lie in harbour,
evil use might be hereafter made of the precedent by putting the Duke of
Buckingham, or any of these rude fellows that now are uppermost, to make
packed Courts, by Captains made on purpose to serve their turns. The
other cause was of the loss of "The Providence" at Tangier, where the
Captain's being by chance on shore may prove very inconvenient to him,
for example's sake, though the man be a good man, and one whom, for
Norwood's sake, I would be kind to; but I will not offer any thing to
the excusing such a miscarriage. He is at present confined, till he can
bring better proofs on his behalf of the reasons of his being on shore.
So Middleton and I away to the Office; and there I late busy, making my
people, as I have done lately, to read Mr. Holland's' Discourse of the
Navy, and what other things I can get to inform me fully in all; and
here late, about eight at night, comes Mr. Wren to me, who had been at
the Tower to Coventry. He come only to see how matters go, and tells me,
as a secret, that last night the Duke of York's closet was broken open,
and his cabinets, and shut again, one of them that the rogue that did it
hath left plate and a watch behind him, and therefore they fear that
it was only for papers, which looks like a very malicious business in
design, to hurt the Duke of York; but they cannot know that till the
Duke of York comes to town about the papers, and therefore make no words
of it. He gone, I to work again, and then to supper at home, and to bed.

20th. Up, and to the Tower, to W. Coventry, and there walked with him
alone, on the Stone Walk, till company come to him; and there about the
business of the Navy discoursed with him, and about my Lord Chancellor
and Treasurer; that they were against the war [with the Dutch] at first,
declaring, as wise men and statesmen, at first to the King, that they
thought it fit to