ere never
in before; that every body leads, and nobody follows; and that he do
now think that, since a great many are defeated in their expectation
of being of the Commission, now they would put it into such hands as it
shall get no credit from: for, if they do look to the bottom and see
the King's case, they think they are then bound to give the King money;
whereas, they would be excused from that, and therefore endeavour to
make this business of the Accounts to signify little. I spoke with him
about my Lord Sandwich's business, in which he is very friendly, and do
say that the unhappy business of the prizes is it that hath brought
all this trouble upon him, and the only thing that made any thing else
mentioned, and it is true. So having discoursed with him, I spent some
time with Sir Stephen Fox about the business of our adjusting the new
method of the Excise between the Guards household and Tangier, the Lords
Commissioners of the Treasury being now resolved to bring all their
management into a course of payment by orders, and not by tallies, and
I am glad of it, and so by water home late, and very dark, and when come
home there I got my wife to read, and then come Captain Cocke to me; and
there he tells me, to my great satisfaction, that Sir Robert Brookes did
dine with him today; and that he told him, speaking of me, that he would
make me the darling of the House of Commons, so much he is satisfied
concerning me. And this Cocke did tell me that I might give him thanks
for it; and I do think it may do me good, for he do happen to be held a
considerable person, of a young man, both for sobriety and ability. Then
to discourse of business of his own about some hemp of his that is come
home to receive it into the King's stores, and then parted, and by and
by my wife and I to supper, she not being well, her flux being great
upon her, and so to bed.

9th. All the morning busy at the office, doing very considerable
business, and thither comes Sir G. Carteret to talk with me; who seems
to think himself safe as to his particular, but do doubt what will
become of the whole kingdom, things being so broke in pieces. He tells
me that the King himself did the other day very particularly tell the
whole story of my Lord Sandwich's not following the Dutch ships, with
which he is charged; and shews the reasons of it to be the only good
course he could have taken, and do discourse it very knowingly. This
I am glad of, though, as the Ki