2nd Up very early, and to get all my things and my boy’s packed up Great concourse of commanders here this morning to take leave of my Lord upon his going into the Nazeby This morning comes Mr Ed Pickering,⁵⁸ he tells me that the King will come in, but that Monk did resolve to have the doing of it himself, or else to hinder it.

3rd There come many merchants to get convoy to the Baltique, which a course was taken for They dined with my Lord, and one of them by name Alderman Wood talked much to my Lord of the hopes that he had now to be settled, (under the King he meant), but my Lord took no notice of it This day come the Lieutenant of the Surftsure (who was sent by my lord to Hastings, one of the Cinque Ports, to have got Mr Edward Montagu to have been one of their burgesses, but could not, for they were all promised before).

4th This morning come Colonel Thomson with the wooden leg, and G Pen, and dined with my Lord and Mr Blackburne, who told me that it was certain now that the King must of necessity come in, and that one of the Council told him there is something doing in order to a treaty already among them And it was strange to hear how Mr Blackburne did already begin to commend him for a sober man, and how quiet he would be under his government, &c. The Commissioners come to-day, only to consult about a further reducement of the Fleet, and to pay them as fast as they can At night, my Lord resolved to send the Captain of our ship to Waymouth and promote his being chosen there, which he did put himself into readiness to do the next morning.

9th This afternoon I first saw France and Calais, with which I was much pleased though it was at a distance.

11th A Gentleman came from my Lord of Manchester to my Lord for a pass for Mr Boyle,⁵⁹ which was made him All the news from London is that things go on further towards a King That the Skinners’ Company the other day at their entertaining General Monk had took down the Parliament Arms in their Hall, and set up the King’s My Lord and I had a great deal of discourse about the several Captains of the Fleet and his interest among them, and had his mind clear to bring in the King. He confessed to me that he was not sure of his own Captain, to be true to him, and that he did not like Capt Stokes.

14th This day I was informed that my Lord Lambert is got out of the Tower, and that there is £100 proffered to whoever shall bring him forth to the Council of State My Lord is chosen at Waymouth this morning, my Lord had his freedom brought him by Capt Tiddiman of the port of Dover, by which he is capable of being elected for them. This day I heard that the Army had in general declared to stand by what the next Parliament shall do.

15th (Lord s day) To sermon, and then to dinner, where my Lord told us that the University of Cambridge had a mind to choose him for their burgess, which he pleased himself with, to think that they do look upon him as a thriving man, and said so openly at table At dinner-time Mr Cooke came back from London with a packet which caused my Lord to be full of thoughts all day, and at night he bid me privately to get two commissions ready, one for Capt Robert Blake to be captain of the Worcester, in the room of Capt Dekings, an anabaptist, and one that had witnessed a great deal of discontent with the present proceedings. The other for Capt Coppin to come out of that into the Newbury in the room of Blake, whereby I perceive that General Monk do resolve to make a thorough change, to make way for the King From London I hear that since Lambert got out of the Tower, the Fanatiques had held up their heads high, but I hope all that will come to nothing.

17th All the morning getting ready commissions for the Vice-Admiral and the R Admiral, wherein my Lord was very careful to express the utmost of his own power, commanding them to obey what orders they should receive from the Parliament, &c, or both or either of the Generals My Lord told me clearly his thoughts that the King would carry it, and that he did not think himself very happy that he was now at sea, as well for his own sake, as that he thought he might do his country some service in keeping things quiet.