very ingeniously did enquire whether I ever did look into the business of the Chest at Chatham; and after my readiness to be informed did appear to him, he did produce a paper, wherein he stated the government of the Chest to me; and upon the whole did tell me how it hath ever been abused, and to this day is; and what a meritorious act it would be to look after it; which I am resolved to do, if God bless me: and do thank him very much for it.

3rd. Dined with the Officers of the Ordnance; where Sir W. Compton, Mr O’Neale, and other great persons, where. After dinner, was brought to Sir W. Compton a gun to discharge seven times; the best of all devices that ever I saw, and very serviceable, and not a bawble; for it is much approved of, and many thereof made.

6th. To supper with my Lady (Sandwich); who tells me, with much trouble, that my Lady Castlemaine is still as great with the King, and that the King comes as often to her as ever he did. Jack Cole, my old friend, found me out at the Wardrobe; and, among other things, he told me that certainly most of the chief ministers of London would fling up their livings; and that, soon or late, the issue thereof would be sad to the King and Court.

8th. To the Wardrobe; where, all alone with my Lord above an hour; and he do seem still to have his old confidence in me; and tells me to boot, that Mr Coventry hath spoke of me to him to great advantage; wherein I am much pleased. By and by comes in Mr Coventry to visit my Lord; and so my Lord and he and I walked together in the great chamber a good while; and I found him a most ingenuous man and good company.

16th. This day I was told that my Lady Castlemaine (being quite fallen out with her husband) did yesterday go away from him, with all her plate, jewels, and other best things; and is gone to Richmond to a brother of hers; which, I am apt to think, was a design to get out of town, that the King might come at her the better.

17th. To my office, and by and by to our sitting; where much business. Mr Coventry took his leave, being to go with the Duke over for the Queene-Mother.

19th. In the afternoon I went upon the river: it raining hard upon the water, I put ashore and sheltered myself, while the King come by in his barge, going down towards the Downes to meet the Queene: the Duke being gone yesterday. But methought it lessened my esteem of a king, that he should not be able to command the rain.

21st. To Woolwich to the Rope-yard; and there looked over several sorts of hemp, and did fall upon my great survey of seeing the working and experiments of the strength and the charge in the dressing of every sort; and I do think have brought it to so great a certainty, as I have done the King some service in it; and do purpose to get it ready against the Duke’s coming to towne to present to him. I see it is impossible for the King to have things done as cheap as other men.

22nd. I had letters from the Downes from Mr Coventry; who tells me of the foul weather they had last Sunday, that drove them back from near Bologne, whither they were going for the Queene, back again to the Downes, with the loss of their cables, sayles, and masts; but are all safe, only my Lord Sandwich, who went before with the yacht: they know not what is become of him, which do trouble me much; but I hope he got ashore before the storm begun; which God grant!

23rd. Much disturbed, by reason of the talk up and downe the towne, that my Lord Sandwich is lost: but I trust in God the contrary.

24th. I hear, to my great content, that my Lord Sandwich is safe landed in France.

26th. I had a letter from Mr Creed, who hath escaped narrowly in the King’s yacht, and got safe to the Downes after the late storm; and he says that there the King do tell him, that he is sure my Lord is landed