of poor people about him, and be liable to satisfy
the demands of every one of them. He told me
that to his knowledge (being present at every meeting
at the Treaty at the Isle of Wight), that the old
King did confess himself overruled and convinced in
his judgement against the Bishopps, and would have
suffered and did agree to exclude the service out of
the churches, nay his own chappell; and that he did
always say, that this he did not by force, for that
he would never abate one inch by any vyolence; but
what he did was out of his reason and judgement.
He tells me that the King by name, with all his dignities,
is prayed for by them that they call Fanatiques, as
heartily and powerfully as in any of the other churches
that are thought better: and that, let the King
think what he will, it is them that must helpe him
in the day of warr. For as they are the most,
so generally they are the most substantial sort of
people, and the soberest; and did desire me to observe
it to my Lord Sandwich, among other things, that of
all the old army now you cannot see a man begging about
the street; but what? You shall have this captain
turned a shoemaker; the lieutenant, a baker; this
a brewer; that a haberdasher; this common soldier,
a porter; and every man in his apron and frock, &c.,
as if they never had done anything else: whereas
the others go with their belts and swords, swearing
and cursing, and stealing; running into people’s
houses, by force oftentimes, to carry away something;
and this is the difference between the temper of one
and the other; and concludes (and I think with some
reason,) that the spirits of the old parliament soldiers
are so quiett and contented with God’s providences,
that the King is safer from any evil meant him by
them one thousand times more than from his own discontented
Cavalier. And then to the publique management
of business: it is done, as he observes, so loosely
and so carelessly, that the kingdom can never be happy
with it, every man looking after himself, and his owne
lust and luxury; among other things he instanced in
the business of money, he do believe that half of
what money the Parliament gives the King is not so
much as gathered. And to the purpose he told
me how the Bellamys (who had some of the Northern
counties assigned them for their debt for the petty
warrant victualling) have often complained to him that
they cannot get it collected, for that nobody minds,
or, if they do, they won’t pay it in. Whereas
(which is a very remarkable thing,) he hath been told
by some of the Treasurers at Warr here of late, to
whom the most of the L120,000 monthly was paid, that
for most months the payments were gathered so duly,
that they seldom had so much or more than 40s., or
the like, short in the whole collection; whereas now
the very Commissioners for Assessments and other publique
payments are such persons, and those that they choose
in the country so like themselves, that from top to
bottom there is not a man carefull of any thing, or