He told me then he would do me right to the King,
for he had been told so, which I desired him to do,
and by and by he called me to him again and asked me
whether I had no friend about the Duke, asking me
(I making a stand) whether Mr. Coventry was not my
friend. I told him I had received many friendships
from him. He then advised me to procure that
the Duke would in his next letter write to him to
continue me in my place and remove any obstruction;
which I told him I would, and thanked him. So
parted, vexed at the first and amazed at this business
of my Lord Arlington’s. Thence to the Exchequer,
and there got my tallys for L17,500, the first payment
I ever had out of the Exchequer, and at the Legg spent
14s. upon my old acquaintance, some of them the clerks,
and away home with my tallys in a coach, fearful every
step of having one of them fall out, or snatched from
me. Being come home, I much troubled out again
by coach (for company taking Sir W. Warren with me),
intending to have spoke to my Lord Arlington to have
known the bottom of it, but missed him, and afterwards
discoursing the thing as a confidant to Sir W. Warren,
he did give me several good hints and principles not
to do anything suddenly, but consult my pillow upon
that and every great thing of my life, before I resolve
anything in it. Away back home, and not being
fit for business I took my wife and Mercer down by
water to Greenwich at 8 at night, it being very fine
and cool and moonshine afterward. Mighty pleasant
passage it was; there eat a cake or two, and so home
by 10 or 11 at night, and then to bed, my mind not
settled what to think.
20th. Up, and to my office, where busy all the
morning. At noon dined at home, and to my office,
very busy.
21st. Till past one, Lord’s day, in the
morning writing letters to the fleete and elsewhere,
and my mind eased of much business, home to bed and
slept till 8. So up, and this day is brought
home one of my new silk suits, the plain one, but
very rich camelott and noble. I tried it and
it pleases me, but did not wear it, being I would
not go out today to church. So laid it by, and
my mind changed, thinking to go see my Lady Sandwich,
and I did go a little way, but stopped and returned
home to dinner, after dinner up to my chamber to settle
my Tangier accounts, and then to my office, there
to do the like with other papers. In the evening
home to supper and to bed.
22nd. Up, and down to the ships, which now are
hindered from going down to the fleete (to our great
sorrow and shame) with their provisions, the wind
being against them. So to the Duke of Albemarle,
and thence down by water to Deptford, it being Trinity
Monday, and so the day of choosing the Master of Trinity
House for the next yeare, where, to my great content,
I find that, contrary to the practice and design of
Sir W. Batten, to breake the rule and custom of the
Company in choosing their Masters by succession, he
would have brought in Sir W. Rider or Sir W. Pen, over