ne night, but
very cold. Home to my office awhile, it being past 12 at night; and so
to supper and to bed.

22nd. At the office all the morning. Sir G. Carteret, upon a motion of
Sir W. Batten's, did promise, if we would write a letter to him, to shew
it to the King on our behalf touching our desire of being Commissioners
of the Prize office. I wrote a letter to my mind and, after eating a bit
at home (Mr. Sheply dining and taking his leave of me), abroad and
to Sir G. Carteret with the letter and thence to my Lord Treasurer's;
wherewith Sir Philip Warwicke long studying all we could to make the
last year swell as high as we could. And it is much to see how he do
study for the King, to do it to get all the money from the Parliament
all he can: and I shall be serviceable to him therein, to help him to
heads upon which to enlarge the report of the expense. He did observe to
me how obedient this Parliament was for awhile, and the last sitting how
they begun to differ, and to carp at the King's officers; and what they
will do now, he says, is to make agreement for the money, for there is
no guess to be made of it. He told me he was prepared to convince the
Parliament that the Subsidys are a most ridiculous tax (the four last
not rising to L40,000), and unequall. He talks of a tax of Assessment of
L70,000 for five years; the people to be secured that it shall continue
no longer than there is really a warr; and the charges thereof to be
paid. He told me, that one year of the late Dutch warr cost L1,623,000.
Thence to my Lord Chancellor's, and there staid long with Sir W.
Batten and Sir J. Minnes, to speak with my lord about our Prize Office
business; but, being sicke and full of visitants, we could not speak
with him, and so away home. Where Sir Richard Ford did meet us with
letters from Holland this day, that it is likely the Dutch fleete will
not come out this year; they have not victuals to keep them out, and it
is likely they will be frozen before they can get back. Captain Cocke
is made Steward for sick and wounded seamen. So home to supper, where
troubled to hear my poor boy Tom has a fit of the stone, or some other
pain like it. I must consult Mr. Holliard for him. So at one in the
morning home to bed.

23rd. Up and to my office, where close all the morning about my Lord
Treasurer's accounts, and at noon home to dinner, and then to the office
all the afternoon very busy till very late at night, and then to supper
and