persevere; and indeed he is a very drudge, and stands by the King's
business. And this he said, that one thing he was good at, that he never
would receive an excuse if the thing was not done; listening to no
reasoning for it, be it good or bad. But then I told him, what he
confessed, that he would however give the man, that he employs, orders for
removing of any obstruction that he thinks he shall meet with in the
world, and instanced in several warrants that he issued for breaking open
of houses and other outrages about the business of prizes, which people
bore with either for affection or fear, which he believes would not have
been borne with from the King, nor Duke, nor any man else in England, and
I thinke he is in the right, but it is not from their love of him, but
from something else I cannot presently say. Sir W. Coventry did further
say concerning Warcupp, his kinsman, that had the simplicity to tell Sir
W. Coventry, that the Duke did intend to go to sea and to leave him his
agent on shore for all things that related to the sea. But, says Sir W.
Coventry, I did believe but the Duke of Yorke would expect to be his agent
on shore for all sea matters. And then he begun to say what a great man
Warcupp was, and something else, and what was that but a great lyer; and
told me a story, how at table he did, they speaking about antipathys, say,
that a rose touching his skin any where, would make it rise and pimple;
and, by and by, the dessert coming, with roses upon it, the Duchesse bid
him try, and they did; but they rubbed and rubbed, but nothing would do in
the world, by which his lie was found at then. He spoke contemptibly of
Holmes and his mermidons, that come to take down the ships from hence, and
have carried them without any necessaries, or any thing almost, that they
will certainly be longer getting ready than if they had staid here. In
fine, I do observe, he hath no esteem nor kindnesse for the Duke's
matters, but, contrarily, do slight him and them; and I pray God the
Kingdom do not pay too dear by this jarring; though this blockheaded Duke
I did never expect better from. At the office all the morning, at noon