first fight, wherein he had no right done him, which, methinks, is a poor
occasion, for, in my conscience, that was no design of Coventry's. But,
however, when I asked my Lord whether it were not best, though with some
condescension, to be friends with him, he told me it was not possible, and
so I stopped. He tells me, as very private, that there are great factions
at the Court between the King's party and the Duke of Yorke's, and that
the King, which is a strange difficulty, do favour my Lord in opposition
to the Duke's party; that my Lord Chancellor, being, to be sure, the
patron of the Duke's, it is a mystery whence it should be that Mr.
Coventry is looked upon by him [Clarendon] as an enemy to him; that if he
had a mind himself to be out of this employment, as Mr. Coventry, he
believes, wishes, and himself and I do incline to wish it also, in many
respects, yet he believes he shall not be able, because of the King, who
will keepe him in on purpose, in opposition to the other party; that
Prince Rupert and he are all possible friends in the world; that Coventry
hath aggravated this business of the prizes, though never so great
plundering in the world as while the Duke and he were at sea; and in Sir
John Lawson's time he could take and pillage, and then sink a whole ship
in the Streights, and Coventry say nothing to it; that my Lord Arlington
is his fast friend; that the Chancellor is cold to him, and though I told
him that I and the world do take my Lord Chancellor, in his speech the
other day, to have said as much as could be wished, yet he thinks he did
not. That my Lord Chancellor do from hence begin to be cold to him,
because of his seeing him and Arlington so great: that nothing at Court is
minded but faction and pleasure, and nothing intended of general good to
the kingdom by anybody heartily; so that he believes with me, in a little
time confusion will certainly come over all the nation. He told me how a
design was carried on a while ago, for the Duke of Yorke to raise an army
in the North, and to be the Generall of it, and all this without the
knowledge or advice of the Duke of Albemarle, which when he come to know,