ces, and is now come to pay very ill, or run
in debt; the money being spent that she received for leases. He believes
there is not any money laid up in bank, as I told him some did hope;
but he says, from the best informers he can assure me there is no such
thing, nor any body that should look after such a thing; and that there
is not now above L80,000 of the Dunkirke money left in stock. That
Oliver in the year when he spent L1,400,000 in the Navy, did spend in
the whole expence of the kingdom L2,600,000. That all the Court are
mad for a Dutch war; but both he and I did concur, that it was a thing
rather to be dreaded than hoped for; unless by the French King's falling
upon Flanders, they and the Dutch should be divided. That our Embassador
had, it is true, an audience; but in the most dishonourable way
that could be; for the Princes of the Blood (though invited by our
Embassador, which was the greatest absurdity that ever Embassador
committed these 400 years) were not there; and so were not said to give
place to our King's Embassador. And that our King did openly say, the
other day in the Privy Chamber, that he would not be hectored out of his
right and preeminencys by the King of France, as great as he was. That
the Pope is glad to yield to a peace with the French (as the newes-book
says), upon the basest terms that ever was. That the talke which these
people about our King, that I named before, have, is to tell him how
neither privilege of Parliament nor City is any thing; but his will is
all, and ought to be so: and their discourse, it seems, when they
are alone, is so base and sordid, that it makes the eares of the very
gentlemen of the back-stairs (I think he called them) to tingle to hear
it spoke in the King's hearing; and that must be very bad indeed. That
my Lord Digby did send to Lisbon a couple of priests, to search out what
they could against the Chancellor concerning the match, as to the point
of his knowing before-hand that the Queene was not capable of bearing
children; and that something was given her to make her so. But as
private as they were, when they came thither they were clapped up
prisoners. That my Lord Digby endeavours what he can to bring the
business into the House of Commons, hoping there to master the
Chancellor, there being many enemies of his there; but I hope the
contrary. That whereas the late King did mortgage 'Clarendon' to
somebody for L20,000, and this to have given it to the Duke o