er unnecessarily orders it that he is called in to give opportunity
to present his report of the state of the business of paying by ticket,
which I do not think will do him any right, though he was made believe
that it did operate mightily, and that Sir Fresh. Hollis did make a mighty
harangue and to much purpose in his defence, but I believe no such effects
of it, for going in afterward I did hear them speak with prejudice of it,
and that his pleading of the Admiral's warrant for it now was only an
evasion, if not an aspersion upon the Admirall, and therefore they would
not admit of this his report, but go on with their report as they had
resolved before. The orders they sent for this day was the first order
that I have yet met with about this business, and was of my own single
hand warranting, but I do think it will do me no harm, and therefore do
not much trouble myself with it, more than to see how much trouble I am
brought to who have best deported myself in all the King's business.
Thence with Lord Brouncker, and set him down at Bow Streete, and so to the
Duke of York's playhouse, and there saw the last act for nothing, where I
never saw such good acting of any creature as Smith's part of Zanger; and
I do also, though it was excellently acted by---------, do yet want
Betterton mightily. Thence to the Temple, to Porter's chamber, where
Cocke met me, and after a stay there some time, they two and I to
Pemberton's chamber, and there did read over the Act of calling people to
account, and did discourse all our business of the prizes; and, upon the
whole, he do make it plainly appear, that there is no avoiding to give
these Commissioners satisfaction in everything they will ask; and that
there is fear lest they may find reason to make us refund for all the
extraordinary profit made by those bargains; and do make me resolve rather
to declare plainly, and, once for all, the truth of the whole, and what my
profit hath been, than be forced at last to do it, and in the meantime
live in gain, as I must always do: and with this resolution on my part I
departed, with some more satisfaction of mind, though with less hopes of
profit than I expected. It was pretty here to see the heaps of money upon
this lawyer's table; and more to see how he had not since last night spent
any time upon our business, but begun with telling us that we were not at
all concerned in that Act; which was a total mistake, by his not having
read over the