25th. Up betimes and to my vyall and song book a pretty while, and so to
my office, and there we sat all the morning. Among other things Sir W.
Batten had a mind to cause Butler (our chief witness in the business of
Field, whom we did force back from an employment going to sea to come back
to attend our law sute) to be borne as a mate on the Rainbow in the Downes
in compensation for his loss for our sakes. This he orders an order to be
drawn by Mr. Turner for, and after Sir J. Minnes, Sir W. Batten, and Sir
W. Pen had signed it, it came to me and I was going to put it up into my
book, thinking to consider of it and give them my opinion upon it before I
parted with it, but Sir W. Pen told me I must sign it or give it him
again, for it should not go without my hand. I told him what I meant to
do, whereupon Sir W. Batten was very angry, and in a great heat (which
will bring out any thing which he has in his mind, and I am glad of it,
though it is base in him to have a thing so long in his mind without
speaking of it, though I am glad this is the worst, for if he had worse it
would out as well as this some time or other) told me that I should not
think as I have heretofore done, make them sign orders and not sign them
myself. Which what ignorance or worse it implies is easy to judge, when
he shall sign to things (and the rest of the board too as appears in this
business) for company and not out of their judgment for. After some
discourse I did convince them that it was not fit to have it go, and Sir
W. Batten first, and then the rest, did willingly cancel all their hands
and tear the order, for I told them, Butler being such a rogue as I know
him, and we have all signed him to be to the Duke, it will be in his power
to publish this to our great reproach, that we should take such a course
as this to serve ourselves in wronging the King by putting him into a
place he is no wise capable of, and that in an Admiral ship. At noon we
rose, Sir W. Batten ashamed and vexed, and so home to dinner, and after
dinner walked to the old Exchange and so all along to Westminster Hall,