will not signify much if no more come. This day in the
morning come Mr. Chichly to Sir W. Coventry, to tell him the ill
successe of the guns made for the Loyall London; which is, that in the
trial every one of the great guns, the whole cannon of seven (as I take
it), broke in pieces, which is a strange mishap, and that which will
give more occasion to people's discourse of the King's business being
done ill. This night Mary my cookemayde, that hath been with us about
three months, but find herself not able to do my worke, so is gone with
great kindnesse away, and another (Luce) come, very ugly and plaine, but
may be a good servant for all that.

27th. Up, and to my office awhile, and then down the river a little way
to see vessels ready for the carrying down of 400 land soldiers to the
fleete. Then back to the office for my papers, and so to St. James's,
where we did our usual attendance on the Duke. Having done with him, we
all of us down to Sir W. Coventry's chamber (where I saw his father
my Lord Coventry's picture hung up, done by Stone, who then brought it
home. It is a good picture, drawn in his judge's robes, and the great
seale by him. And while it was hanging up, "This," says Sir W. Coventry,
merrily, "is the use we make of our fathers,") to discourse about the
proposition of serving us with hempe, delivered in by my Lord Brouncker
as from an unknown person, though I know it to be Captain Cocke's. My
Lord and Sir William Coventry had some earnest words about it, the one
promoting it for his private ends, being, as Cocke tells me himself,
to have L500 if the bargain goes on, and I am to have as much, and the
other opposing it for the unseasonableness of it, not knowing at all
whose the proposition is, which seems the more ingenious of the two.
I sat by and said nothing, being no great friend to the proposition,
though Cocke intends me a convenience by it. But what I observed most
from the discourse was this of Sir W. Coventry, that he do look upon
ourselves in a desperate condition. The issue of all standing upon this
one point, that by the next fight, if we beat, the Dutch will certainly
be content to take eggs for their money (that was his expression); or
if we be beaten, we must be contented to make peace, and glad if we can
have it without paying too dear for it. And withall we do rely wholly
upon the Parliament's giving us more money the next sitting, or else we
are undone. Being gone hence, I took coach to