9th. Up, and to the office, where all the morning drawing up an answer
to the Report of the Committee for miscarriages to the Parliament touching
our paying men by tickets, which I did do in a very good manner I think.
Dined with my clerks at home, where much good discourse of our business of
the Navy, and the trouble now upon us, more than we expected. After dinner
my wife out with Deb., to buy some things against my sister's wedding, and
I to the office to write fair my business I did in the morning, and in the
evening to White Hall, where I find Sir W. Coventry all alone, a great
while with the Duke of York, in the King's drawing-room, they two talking
together all alone, which did mightily please me. Then I did get Sir W.
Coventry (the Duke of York being gone) aside, and there read over my
paper, which he liked and corrected, and tells me it will be hard to
escape, though the thing be never so fair, to have it voted a miscarriage;
but did advise me and my Lord Brouncker, who coming by did join with us,
to prepare some members in it, which we shall do. Here I do hear how La
Roche, a French captain, who was once prisoner here, being with his ship
at Plymouth, hath played some freakes there, for which his men being beat
out of the town, he hath put up his flag of defiance, and also, somewhere
thereabout, did land with his men, and go a mile into the country, and did
some pranks, which sounds pretty odd, to our disgrace, but we are in
condition now to bear any thing. But, blessed be God! all the Court is
full of the good news of my Lord Sandwich's having made a peace between
Spain and Portugall, which is mighty great news, and, above all, to my
Lord's honour, more than any thing he ever did; and yet I do fear it will
not prevail to secure him in Parliament against incivilities there.
Thence, took up my wife at Unthanke's, and so home, and there my mind
being full of preparing my paper against to-morrow for the House, with an
address from the office to the House, I to the office, very late, and then
home to supper and to bed.

20th. Up, and to the office a while, and thence to White Hall by coach
with Mr. Batelier with me, whom I took up in the street. I thence by
water to Westminster Hall, and there with Lord Brouncker, Sir T. Harvy,
Sir J. Minnes, did wait all the morning to speak to members about our
business, thinking our business of tickets would come before the House
to-day, but we did alter our minds about the