practice of the Church, which were never established by any law, either common, statute, or canon, as singing of psalms, binding up prayers at the end of the Bible, and praying extempore before and after sermon and though these are things indifferent, yet things for aught they at present know may be started, which may be said to be the practice of the Church which would not be fit to allow For the Lords’ priviledges, Mr Waller told them how tender their predecessors had been of the priviledges of the Lords, but, however, where the peace of the kingdom stands in competition with them, they apprehend those priviledges must give place He told them that he thought, if they should own all to be the priviledges of the Lords which might be demanded, they should be led like the man (who granted leave to his neighbour to pull off his horse’s tail, meaning that he could not do it at once,) that hair by hair had his horse’s tail pulled off indeed so the Commons, by granting one thing after another, might be served by the Lords Mr Vaughan whom I could not to my grief perfectly hear, did say, if that they should be obliged in this manner to exempt the Lords from every thing, it would in time come to pass that whatever (be it ever so great) should be voted by the Commons as a thing penall for a commoner, the contrary should be thought a priviledge to the Lords that also in this business, the work of a conventicle being but the work of an hour, the cause of a search would be over before a Lord Lieutenant, who may be many miles off, can be sent for, and that all this dispute is but about £100 for it is said in the Act, that it shall be banishment or payment of £100 I thereupon heard the Duke of Lennox say, that there might be Lords who could not always be ready to lose £100, or some such thing They broke up without coming to any end in it There was also in the Commons’ House a great quarrel about Mr Prin, and it was believed that he should have been sent to the Tower, for adding something to a Bill (after it was ordered to be engrossed) of his own head -- a Bill for measures for wine and other things of that sort and a Bill of his own bringing in, but it appeared he could not mean any hurt in it But, however, the King was fain to write in his behalf, and all was passed over But it is worth my remembrance, that I saw old Ryly the Herald, and his son, and spoke to his son, who told me in very bad words concerning Mr Prin, that the King had given him an office of keeping the Records, but that he never comes thither, nor had been there these six months so that I perceive they expect to get his employment from him.

19th To a Committee of Tangier, where God forgive how our Report of my Lord Peterborough’s accounts was read over and agreed to by the Lords, without one of them understanding it! And had it been what it would, it had gone and, besides, not one thing touching the King’s profit in it minded or hit upon.

20th Mr Edward Montagu is turned out of the Court, not to return again His fault, I perceive, was his pride, and most of all his affecting to be great with the Queene and it seems indeed he had more of her eare than every body else, and would be with her talking alone two or three hours together, insomuch that the Lords about the King, when he would be jesting with them about their wives, would tell the King that he must have a care of his wife too, for she hath now the gallant and they say the King himself did once ask Montagu how his mistress (meaning the Queene) did He grew so proud and despised every body, besides suffering nobody he or she to get or do any thing about the Queene, that they all laboured to do him a good turn They all say that he did give some affront to the Duke of Monmouth, which the King himself did speak to him of So he is gone, nobody pitying, but laughing at him and he pretends only that he is gone to his father that is sick in the country.

23rd The King is gone down with the Duke and a great crew this morning by break of day to Chatham.

29th Mr Coventry and I did long discourse together of the business of the office, and the war with the Dutch, and he seemed to argue mightily with the little reason that there is for all this For first, as to the wrong we pretend they have done us, that of the East Indys, for their not delivering of Poleron, it is not yet known whether they have failed or no, that of their hindering the Leopard cannot amount to above £3000 if true, that of the Guinny Company, all they had done us did not amount to above 2 or £300 he told me truly, and that now, from what Holmes, without any commission, hath done in taking an island and two forts, hath set us much in debt to them and he believes that Holmes will have been so puffed up with this, that he by this time hath been enforced with more strength than he had then, hath, I say, done a great deal more wrong to them He do, as to the effect of the war, tell me clearly that it is not any skill of the Dutch that can hinder our trade if we will, we having so many advantages over them,