but going of guns almost all
this day. In the evening we began to remove cabins; I to the carpenter's
cabin, and Dr. Clerke with me, who came on board this afternoon, having
been twice ducked in the sea to-day coming from shore, and Mr. North
and John Pickering the like. Many of the King's servants came on board
to-night; and so many Dutch of all sorts came to see the ship till it
was quite dark, that we could not pass by one another, which was a
great trouble to us all. This afternoon Mr. Downing (who was knighted
yesterday by the King') was here on board, and had a ship for his
passage into England, with his lady and servants.

["About midnight arrived there Mr. Downing, who did the affairs of
England to the Lords the Estates, in quality of Resident under
Oliver Cromwell, and afterward under the pretended Parliament, which
having changed the form of the government, after having cast forth
the last Protector, had continued him in his imploiment, under the
quality of Extraordinary Envoy. He began to have respect for the
King's person, when he knew that all England declared for a free
parliament, and departed from Holland without order, as soon as he
understood that there was nothing that could longer oppose the re-
establishment of monarchal government, with a design to crave
letters of recommendation to General Monk. This lord considered
him, as well because of the birth of his wife, which is illustrious,
as because Downing had expressed some respect for him in a time when
that eminent person could not yet discover his intentions. He had
his letters when he arrived at midnight at the house of the Spanish
Embassador, as we have said. He presented them forthwith to the
King, who arose from table a while after, read the letters, receiv'd
the submissions of Downing, and granted him the pardon and grace
which he asked for him to whom he could deny nothing. Some daies
after the King knighted him, and would it should be believed, that
the strong aversions which this minister of the Protector had made
appear against him on all occasions, and with all sorts of persons
indifferently, even a few daies before the publick and general
declaration of all England, proceeded not from any evil intention,
but only from a deep dissimulation, wherewith he was constrained to
cover his true sentiments, for fea