had nothing to do with at all: and she calling
him fool; and told him if he was not a fool, he would
not suffer his businesses to be carried on by fellows
that did not understand them, and cause his best subjects,
and those best able to serve him, to be imprisoned;
meaning the Duke of Buckingham. And it seems
she was not only for his liberty, but to be restored
to all his places; which, it is thought, he will never
be. While we were at the Excise office talking
with Mr. Ball, it was computed that the Parliament
had given the King for this war only, besides all
prizes, and besides the L200,000 which he was to spend
of his own revenue, to guard the sea above L5,000,000
and odd L100,000; which is a most prodigious sum.
Sir H. Cholmly, as a true English gentleman, do decry
the King’s expenses of his Privy-purse, which
in King James’s time did not rise to above L5000
a year, and in King Charles’s to L10,000, do
now cost us above L100,000, besides the great charge
of the monarchy, as the Duke of York L100,000 of it,
and other limbs of the Royal family, and the guards,
which, for his part, says he, “I would have
all disbanded, for the King is not the better by them,
and would be as safe without them; for we have had
no rebellions to make him fear anything.”
But, contrarily, he is now raising of a land-army,
which this Parliament and kingdom will never bear;
besides, the commanders they put over them are such
as will never be able to raise or command them; but
the design is, and the Duke of York, he says, is hot
for it, to have a land-army, and so to make the government
like that of France, but our princes have not brains,
or at least care and forecast enough to do that.
It is strange how he and every body do now-a-days reflect
upon Oliver, and commend him, what brave things he
did, and made all the neighbour princes fear him;
while here a prince, come in with all the love and
prayers and good liking of his people, who have given
greater signs of loyalty and willingness to serve
him with their estates than ever was done by any people,
hath lost all so soon, that it is a miracle what way
a man could devise to lose so much in so little time.
Thence he set me down at my Lord Crew’s and
away, and I up to my Lord, where Sir Thomas Crew was,
and by and by comes Mr. Caesar, who teaches my Lady’s
page upon the lute, and here Mr. Caesar did play some
very fine things indeed, to my great liking.
Here was my Lord Hinchingbroke also, newly come from
Hinchingbroke, where all well, but methinks I knowing
in what case he stands for money by his demands to
me and the report Mr. Moore gives of the management
of the family, makes me, God forgive me! to contemn
him, though I do really honour and pity them, though
they deserve it not, that have so good an estate and
will live beyond it. To dinner, and very good
discourse with my Lord. And after dinner Sir
Thomas Crew and I alone, and he tells me how I am
mightily in esteem with the Parliament; there being
harangues made in the House to the Speaker, of Mr.