saw him dress himself, and try on
his vest, which is the King's new fashion, and will be in it for good
and all on Monday next, and the whole Court: it is a fashion, the King
says; he will never change. He being ready, he and my Lord Chancellor,
and Duke of Albemarle, and Prince Rupert, Lord Bellasses, Sir H.
Cholmly, Povy, and myself, met at a Committee for Tangier. My Lord
Bellasses's propositions were read and discoursed of, about reducing
the garrison to less charge; and indeed I am mad in love with my Lord
Chancellor, for he do comprehend and speak out well, and with the
greatest easinesse and authority that ever I saw man in my life. I
did never observe how much easier a man do speak when he knows all
the company to be below him, than in him; for though he spoke, indeed,
excellent welt, yet his manner and freedom of doing it, as if he played
with it, and was informing only all the rest of the company, was mighty
pretty. He did call again and again upon Mr. Povy for his accounts. I
did think fit to make the solemn tender of my accounts that I intended.
I said something that was liked, touching the want of money, and the bad
credit of our tallys. My Lord Chancellor moved, that without any trouble
to any of the rest of the Lords, I might alone attend the King, when he
was with his private Council; and open the state of the garrison's want
of credit; and all that could be done, should. Most things moved were
referred to Committees, and so we broke up. And at the end Sir W.
Coventry come; so I away with him, and he discoursed with me something
of the Parliament's business. They have voted giving the [King] for next
year L1,800,000; which, were it not for his debts, were a great sum.
He says, he thinks the House may say no more to us for the present, but
that we must mend our manners against the next tryall, and mend them
we will. But he thinks it not a fit time to be found making of trouble
among ourselves, meaning about Sir J. Minnes, who most certainly must be
removed, or made a Commissioner, and somebody else Comptroller. But he
tells me that the House has a great envy at Sir G. Carteret, and that
had he ever thought fit in all his discourse to have touched upon the
point of our want of money and badness of payment, it would have been
laid hold on to Sir G. Carteret's hurt; but he hath avoided it, though
without much reason for it, most studiously, and in short did end thus,
that he has never shewn so much of the pig