noon, and staid at home discoursing and doing things in my chamber,
altering chairs in my chamber, and set them above in the red room, they
being Turkey work, and so put their green covers upon those that were
above, not so handsome. At night fell to reading in the Church History of
Fuller's, and particularly Cranmer's letter to Queen Elizabeth, which
pleases me mightily for his zeal, obedience, and boldness in a cause of
religion. After supper to bed as I use to be, in pain . . . . .

12th. Up (though slept well) and made some water in the morning [as] I
used to do, and a little pain returned to me, and some fears, but being
forced to go to the Duke at St. James's, I took coach and in my way called
upon Mr. Hollyard and had his advice to take a glyster. At St. James's we
attended the Duke all of us. And there, after my discourse, Mr. Coventry
of his own accord begun to tell the Duke how he found that discourse
abroad did run to his prejudice about the fees that he took, and how he
sold places and other things; wherein he desired to appeal to his
Highness, whether he did any thing more than what his predecessors did,
and appealed to us all. So Sir G. Carteret did answer that some fees were
heretofore taken, but what he knows not; only that selling of places never
was nor ought to be countenanced. So Mr. Coventry very hotly answered to
Sir G. Carteret, and appealed to himself whether he was not one of the
first that put him upon looking after this taking of fees, and that he
told him that Mr. Smith should say that he made L5000 the first year, and
he believed he made L7000. This Sir G. Carteret denied, and said, that if
he did say so he told a lie, for he could not, nor did know, that ever he
did make that profit of his place; but that he believes he might say L2500
the first year. Mr. Coventry instanced in another thing, particularly
wherein Sir G. Carteret did advise with him about the selling of the
Auditor's place of the stores, when in the beginning there was an
intention of creating such an office. This he confessed, but with some