get copper plates shut up in silver it shall never
be discovered, at least not in his age. Thence
Cocke and I by water, he home and I home, and there
sat with Mr. Hill and my wife supping, talking and
singing till midnight, and then to bed. [That I may
remember it the more particularly, I thought fit to
insert this additional memorandum of Temple’s
discourse this night with me, which I took in writing
from his mouth. Before the Harp and Crosse money
was cried down, he and his fellow goldsmiths did make
some particular trials what proportion that money
bore to the old King’s money, and they found
that generally it come to, one with another, about
L25 in every L100. Of this money there was,
upon the calling of it in, L650,000 at least brought
into the Tower; and from thence he computes that the
whole money of England must be full L6,250,000.
But for all this believes that there is above L30,000,000;
he supposing that about the King’s coming in
(when he begun to observe the quantity of the new money)
people begun to be fearfull of this money’s
being cried down, and so picked it out and set it
a-going as fast as they could, to be rid of it; and
he thinks L30,000,000 the rather, because if there
were but L16,250,000 the King having L2,000,000 every
year, would have the whole money of the kingdom in
his hands in eight years. He tells me about L350,000
sterling was coined out of the French money, the proceeds
of Dunkirke; so that, with what was coined of the
Crosse money, there is new coined about L1,000,000
besides the gold, which is guessed at L500,000.
He tells me, that, though the King did deposit the
French money in pawn all the while for the L350,000
he was forced to borrow thereupon till the tools could
be made for the new Minting in the present form, yet
the interest he paid for that time came to L35,000,
Viner having to his knowledge L10,000 for the use of
L100,000 of it.]—(The passage between brackets
is from a piece of paper inserted in this place.)
12th. Up, and to the office, where my Lord Bruncker
met, and among other things did finish a contract
with Cocke for hemp, by which I hope to get my money
due from him paid presently. At noon home to
dinner, only eating a bit, and with much kindness
taking leave of Mr. Hill who goes away to-day, and
so I by water saving the tide through Bridge and to
Sir G. Downing by appointment at Charing Crosse, who
did at first mightily please me with informing me
thoroughly the virtue and force of this Act, and indeed
it is ten times better than ever I thought could have
been said of it, but when he come to impose upon me
that without more ado I must get by my credit people
to serve in goods and lend money upon it and none could
do it better than I, and the King should give me thanks
particularly in it, and I could not get him to excuse
me, but I must come to him though to no purpose on
Saturday, and that he is sure I will bring him some
bargains or other made upon this Act, it vexed me
more than all the pleasure I took before, for I find
he will be troublesome to me in it, if I will let him
have as much of my time as he would have. So
late I took leave and in the cold (the weather setting
in cold) home to the office and, after my letters
being wrote, home to supper and to bed, my wife being
also gone to London.