ffee houses to be the four sacrifices that must be made to
atone the people. Then we to talk of the loss of all affection and
obedience, now in the seamen, so that all power is lost. He told us that
he do concur in thinking that want of money do do the most of it, but that
that is not all, but the having of gentlemen Captains, who discourage all
Tarpaulins, and have given out that they would in a little time bring it
to that pass that a Tarpaulin should not dare to aspire to more than to be
a Boatswain or a gunner. That this makes the Sea Captains to lose their
own good affections to the service, and to instil it into the seamen also,
and that the seamen do see it themselves and resent it; and tells us that
it is notorious, even to his bearing of great ill will at Court, that he
hath been the opposer of gentlemen Captains; and Sir W. Pen did put in,
and said that he was esteemed to have been the man that did instil it into
Sir W. Coventry, which Sir W. Coventry did owne also, and says that he
hath always told the Gentlemen Captains his opinion of them, and that
himself who had now served to the business of the sea 6 or 7 years should
know a little, and as much as them that had never almost been at sea, and
that yet he found himself fitter to be a Bishop or Pope than to be a
Sea-Commander, and so indeed he is. I begun to tell him of the experience
I had of the great brags made by Sir F. Hollis the other day, and the
little proof either of the command or interest he had in his men, which
Sir W. Pen seconded by saying Sir Fr. Hollis had told him that there was
not a pilot to be got the other day for his fire-ships, and so was forced
to carry them down himself, which Sir W. Coventry says, in my conscience,
he knows no more to do and understand the River no more than he do Tiber
or Ganges. Thence I away with Sir W. Pen to White Hall, to the Treasury
Chamber, but to no purpose, and so by coach home, and there to my office
to business, and then home to dinner, and to pipe with my wife, and so to
the office again, having taken a resolution to take a turn to Chatham
to-morrow, indeed to do business of the King's, but also to give myself
the satisfaction of seeing the place after the Dutch have been here. I
have sent to and got Creed to go with me by coach betimes to-morrow
morning. After having done my business at the office I home, and there I
found Coleman come again to my house, and with my wife in our great
chamber, which v