with mighty joy on both sides, and the King, Duke,
Lord Chancellor, and all mightily pleased. Thence
to newes, wherein I find that Sir G. Carteret do now
take all my Lord Sandwich’s business to heart,
and makes it the same with his owne. He tells
me how at Chatham it was proposed to my Lord Sandwich
to be joined with the Prince in the command of the
fleete, which he was most willing to; but when it come
to the Prince, he was quite against it; saying, there
could be no government, but that it would be better
to have two fleetes, and neither under the command
of the other, which he would not agree to. So
the King was not pleased; but, without any unkindnesse,
did order the fleete to be ordered as above, as to
the Admirals and commands: so the Prince is come
up; and Sir G. Carteret, I remember, had this word
thence, that, says he, by this means, though the King
told him that it would be but for this expedition,
yet I believe we shall keepe him out for altogether.
He tells me how my Lord was much troubled at Sir
W. Pen’s being ordered forth (as it seems he
is, to go to Solebay, and with the best fleete he
can, to go forth), and no notice taken of my Lord
Sandwich going after him, and having the command over
him. But after some discourse Mr. Coventry did
satisfy, as he says, my Lord, so as they parted friends
both in that point and upon the other wherein I know
my Lord was troubled, and which Mr. Coventry did speak
to him of first thinking that my Lord might justly
take offence at, his not being mentioned in the relation
of the fight in the news book, and did clear all to
my Lord how little he was concerned in it, and therewith
my Lord also satisfied, which I am mightily glad of,
because I should take it a very great misfortune to
me to have them two to differ above all the persons
in the world. Being come to Deptford, my Lady
not being within, we parted, and I by water to Woolwich,
where I found my wife come, and her two mayds, and
very prettily accommodated they will be; and I left
them going to supper, grieved in my heart to part
with my wife, being worse by much without her, though
some trouble there is in having the care of a family
at home in this plague time, and so took leave, and
I in one boat and W. Hewer in another home very late,
first against tide, we having walked in the dark to
Greenwich. Late home and to bed, very lonely.
6th. Up and forth to give order to my pretty grocer’s wife’s house, who, her husband tells me, is going this day for the summer into the country. I bespoke some sugar, &c., for my father, and so home to the office, where all the morning. At noon dined at home, and then by water to White Hall to Sir G. Carteret about money for the office, a sad thought, for in a little while all must go to wracke, winter coming on apace, when a great sum must be ready to pay part of the fleete, and so far we are from it that we have not enough to stop the mouths of poor people and their hands from falling about