them, and who did give them; where Sir W. Coventry laid open to them the
consequences of doing that, that the King would never have any honest
and wise men ever to be of his Council. They did here in the House talk
boldly of the King's bad counsellors, and how they must be all turned
out, and many of them, and better; brought in: and the proceedings of
the Long-Parliament in the beginning of the war were called to memory:
and the King's bad intelligence was mentioned, wherein they were bitter
against my Lord Arlington, saying, among other things, that whatever
Morrice's was, who declared he had but L750 a-year allowed him for
intelligence, the King paid too dear for my Lord Arlington's, in giving
him L10,000 and a barony for it. Sir W. Coventry did here come to his
defence, in the business of the letter that was sent to call back Prince
Rupert, after he was divided from the fleete, wherein great delay was
objected; but he did show that he sent it at one in the morning, when
the Duke of York did give him the instructions after supper that night,
and did clear himself well of it: only it was laid as a fault, which
I know not how he removes, of not sending it by an express, but by
the ordinary post; but I think I have heard he did send it to my Lord
Arlington's; and that there it lay for some hours; it coming not to Sir
Philip Honiwood's hand at Portsmouth till four in the afternoon that
day, being about fifteen or sixteen hours in going; and about this,
I think, I have heard of a falling out between my Lord Arlington,
heretofore, and W. Coventry. Some mutterings I did hear of a design of
dissolving the Parliament; but I think there is no ground for it
yet, though Oliver would have dissolved them for half the trouble and
contempt these have put upon the King and his councils. The dividing
of the fleete, however, is, I hear, voted a miscarriage, and the not
building a fortification at Sheernesse: and I have reason every hour to
expect that they will vote the like of our paying men off by ticket; and
what the consequence of that will be I know not, but I am put thereby
into great trouble of mind. I did spend a little time at the Swan, and
there did kiss the maid, Sarah. At noon home, and there up to my wife,
who is still ill, and supped with her, my mind being mighty full of
trouble for the office and my concernments therein, and so to supper
and talking with W. Hewer in her chamber about business of the office,
wherein he d