irst business before the House, been very kindly used
beyond expectation, the matter being laid by, till his coming home and old
Mr. Vaughan did speak for my Lord, which I am mighty glad of. The
business of the prizes is the worst that can be said, and therein I do
fear something may lie hard upon him; but, against this, we must prepare
the best we can for his defence. Thence with G. Carteret to White Hall,
where I, finding a meeting of the Committee of the Council for the Navy,
his Royal Highness there, and Sir W. Pen, and, some of the Brethren of the
Trinity House to attend, I did go in with them; and it was to be informed
of the practice heretofore, for all foreign nations, at enmity one with
another, to forbear any acts of hostility to one another, in the presence
of any of the King of England's ships, of which several instances were
given: and it is referred to their further enquiry, in order to the giving
instructions accordingly to our ships now, during the war between Spain
and France. Would to God we were in the same condition as heretofore, to
challenge and maintain this our dominion! Thence with W. Pen homeward,
and quite through to Mile End, for a little ayre; the days being now
pretty long, but the ways mighty dirty, and here we drank at the Rose, the
old house, and so back again, talking of the Parliament and our trouble
with them and what passed yesterday. Going back again, Sir R. Brookes
overtook us coming to town; who hath played the jacke with us all, and is
a fellow that I must trust no more, he quoting me for all he hath said in
this business of tickets; though I have told him nothing that either is
not true, or I afeard to own. But here talking, he did discourse in this
stile: "We,"--and "We" all along,--"will not give any money, be the
pretence never so great, nay, though the enemy was in the River of Thames
again, till we know what is become of the last money given;" and I do
believe he do speak the mind of his fellows, and so let them, if the King
will suffer it. He gone, we home, and there I to read, and my belly being
full of my dinner to-day, I anon to bed, and there, as I have for many
days, slept not an hour quietly, but full of dreams of our defence to the
Parliament and giving an account of our doings. This evening, my wife did
with great pleasure shew me her stock of jewells, encreased by the ring
she hath made lately as my Valentine's gift this year, a Turky stone' set
with diamonds