29th.  At the office all the morning, where Mr. Wren first tells us of the order from the King, came last night to the Duke of York, for signifying his pleasure to the Sollicitor-General for drawing up a Commission for suspending of my Lord Anglesey, and putting in Sir Thomas.  Littleton and Sir Thomas Osborne, the former a creature of Arlington’s, and the latter of the Duke of Buckingham’s, during the suspension.  The Duke of York was forced to obey, and did grant it, he being to go to Newmarket this day with the King, and so the King pressed for it.  But Mr. Wren do own that the Duke of York is the most wounded in this, in the world, for it is done and concluded without his privity, after his appearing for Lord Anglesey, and that it is plain that they do ayme to bring the Admiralty into Commission too, and lessen the Duke of York.  This do put strange apprehensions into all our Board; only I think I am the least troubled at it, for I care not at all for it:  but my Lord Brouncker and Pen do seem to think much of it.  So home to dinner, full of this news, and after dinner to the office, and so home all the afternoon to do business towards my drawing up an account for the Duke of York of the answers of this office to his late great letter, and late at it, and so to bed, with great peace from my wife and quiet, I bless God.

30th.  Up betimes; and Mr. Povy comes to even accounts with me, which we did, and then fell to other talk.  He tells, in short, how the King is made a child of, by Buckingham and Arlington, to the lessening of the Duke of York, whom they cannot suffer to be great, for fear of my Lord Chancellor’s return, which, therefore, they make the King violent against.  That he believes it is impossible these two great men can hold together long:  or, at least, that the ambition of the former is so great, that he will endeavour to master all, and bring into play as many as he can.  That Anglesey will not lose his place easily, but will contend in law with whoever comes to execute it.  That the Duke of York, in all things but in his cod-piece, is led by the nose by his wife.  That W. Coventry is now, by the Duke of York, made friends with the Duchess; and that he is often there, and waits on her.  That he do believe that these present great men will break in time, and that W. Coventry will be a great man again; for he do labour to have nothing to do in matters of the State, and is so usefull to the side that he is on, that he will stand, though at present he is quite out of play.  That my Lady Castlemayne hates the Duke of Buckingham.  That the Duke of York hath expressed himself very kind to my Lord Sandwich, which I am mighty glad of.  That we are to expect more changes if these men stand.  This done, he and I to talk of my coach, and I got him to go see it, where he finds most infinite fault with it, both as to being out of fashion and heavy, with so good reason that I am mightily glad of his having corrected me in it; and so I do resolve to have