Thence, after long staying to speak with my Lord Sandwich, at last he
coming out to me and speaking with me about business of my Lord
Peterborough, I by coach home to the office, where all the afternoon, only
stept home to eat one bit and to the office again, having eaten nothing
before to-day. My wife abroad with my aunt Wight and Norbury. I in the
evening to my uncle Wight's, and not finding them come home, they being
gone to the Parke and the Mulberry garden, I went to the 'Change, and
there meeting with Mr. Hempson, whom Sir W. Batten has lately turned out
of his place, merely because of his coming to me when he came to town
before he went to him, and there he told me many rogueries of Sir W.
Batten, how he knows and is able to prove that Captain Cox of Chatham did
give him L10 in gold to get him to certify for him at the King's coming
in, and that Tom Newborne did make [the] poor men give him L3 to get Sir
W. Batten to cause them to be entered in the yard, and that Sir W. Batten
had oftentimes said: "by God, Tom, you shall get something and I will have
some on't." His present clerk that is come in Norman's' room has given
him something for his place; that they live high and (as Sir Francis
Clerk's lady told his wife) do lack money as well as other people, and
have bribes of a piece of sattin and cabinetts and other things from
people that deal with him, and that hardly any body goes to see or hath
anything done by Sir W. Batten but it comes with a bribe, and that this is
publickly true that his wife was a whore, and that he had libells flung
within his doors for a cuckold as soon as he was married; that he received
L100 in money and in other things to the value of L50 more of Hempson, and
that he intends to give him back but L50; that he hath abused the Chest
and hath now some L1000 by him of it. I met also upon the 'Change with Mr.
Cutler, and he told me how for certain Lawson hath proclaimed warr again
with Argier, though they had at his first coming given back the ships
which they had taken, and all their men; though they refused afterwards to
make him restitution for the goods which they had taken out of them.