not employed, he looked over the list of them now in the service, and of
the twenty-seven that are employed, thirteen have been heretofore always
under the King; two neutralls, and the other twelve men of great courage,
and such as had either the King's particular commands, or great
recommendation to put them in, and none by himself. Besides that, he says
it is not the King's nor Duke's opinion that the whole party of the late
officers should be rendered desperate. And lastly, he confesses that the
more of the Cavaliers are put in, the less of discipline hath followed in
the fleet; and that, whenever there comes occasion, it must be the old
ones that must do any good, there being only, he says, but Captain Allen
good for anything of them all. He tells me, that he cannot guess whom all
this should come from; but he suspects Sir G. Carteret, as I also do, at
least that he is pleased with it. But he tells me that he will bring Sir
G. Carteret to be the first adviser and instructor of him what to make his
place of benefit to him; telling him that Smith did make his place worth
L5000 and he believed L7000 to him the first year; besides something else
greater than all this, which he forbore to tell me. It seems one Sir
Thomas Tomkins of the House, that makes many mad motions, did bring it
into the House, saying that a letter was left at his lodgings, subscribed
by one Benson (which is a feigned name, for there is no such man in the
Navy), telling him how many places in the Navy have been sold. And by
another letter, left in the same manner since, nobody appearing, he writes
him that there is one Hughes and another Butler (both rogues, that have
for their roguery been turned out of their places), that will swear that
Mr. Coventry did sell their places and other things. I offered him my
service, and will with all my heart serve him; but he tells me he do not
think it convenient to meddle, or to any purpose, but is sensible of my
love therein. So I bade him good morrow, he being out of order to speak
anything of our office business, and so away to Westminster Hall, where I
hear more of the plot from Ireland; which it seems hath been hatching, and