all, and the tale was right, and there I spent all the morning seeing this
done. At which Fisher was vexed that I would not let it be done by any
body else for the merchant, and that I must needs be concerned therein,
which I did not think fit to owne. So that being done, I left the goods
to be watched by men on their part and ours, and so to the office by noon,
whither by and by comes Captain Cocke, whom I had with great care sent for
by expresse the last night, and so I with him to his house and there eat a
bit, and so by coach to Lambeth, and I took occasion first to go to the
Duke of Albemarle to acquaint him with some thing of what had been done
this morning in behalf of a friend absent, which did give a good entrance
and prevented their possessing the Duke with anything of evil of me by
their report, and by and by in comes. Captain Cocke and tells his whole
story. So an order was made for the putting him in possession upon giving
security to, be accountable for the goods, which for the present did
satisfy us, and so away, giving Locke that drew the order a piece. (Lord!
to see how unhappily a man may fall into a necessity of bribing people to
do him right in a thing, wherein he hath done nothing but fair, and bought
dear.) So to the office, there to write my letters, and Cocke comes to
tell me that Fisher is come to him, and that he doubts not to cajole
Fisher and his companion and make them friends with drink and a bribe.
This night comes Sir Christopher Mings to towne, and I went to see him,
and by and by he being then out of the town comes to see me. He is newly
come from Court, and carries direction for the making a show of getting
out the fleete again to go fight the Dutch, but that it will end in a
fleete of 20 good sayling frigates to go to the Northward or Southward,
and that will be all. I enquired, but he would not be to know that he had
heard any thing at Oxford about the business of the prize goods, which I
did suspect, but he being gone, anon comes Cocke and tells me that he hath
been with him a great while, and that he finds him sullen and speaking
very high what disrespect he had received of my Lord, saying that he hath