of love to him, nor admiration of his prudence and pains heretofore in the
world than now, to see how Tom hath carried himself in his trade; and how
the poor man hath his thoughts going to provide for his younger children
and my mother. But I hope they shall never want. So myself and wife to
bed.

13th. Though late, past 12, before we went to bed, yet I heard my poor
father up, and so I rang up my people, and I rose and got something to eat
and drink for him, and so abroad, it being a mighty foul day, by coach,
setting my father down in Fleet Streete and I to St. James's, where I
found Mr. Coventry (the Duke being now come thither for the summer) with a
goldsmith, sorting out his old plate to change for new; but, Lord! what a
deale he hath! I staid and had two or three hours discourse with him,
talking about the disorders of our office, and I largely to tell him how
things are carried by Sir W. Batten and Sir J. Minnes to my great grief.
He seems much concerned also, and for all the King's matters that are done
after the same rate every where else, and even the Duke's household
matters too, generally with corruption, but most indeed with neglect and
indifferency. I spoke very loud and clear to him my thoughts of Sir J.
Minnes and the other, and trust him with the using of them. Then to talk
of our business with the Dutch; he tells me fully that he believes it will
not come to a warr; for first, he showed me a letter from Sir George
Downing, his own hand, where he assures him that the Dutch themselves do
not desire, but above all things fear it, and that they neither have given
letters of marke against our shipps in Guinny, nor do De Ruyter

[Michael De Ruyter, the Dutch admiral, was born 1607. He served
under Tromp in the war against England in 1653, and was Lieutenant
Admiral General of Holland in 1665. He died April 26th, 1676, of
wounds received in a battle with the French off Syracuse. Among the