with Sir W. Pen, walking with whom in the garden I am of late mighty
great, and it is wisdom to continue myself so, for he is of all the men of
the office at present most manifestly usefull and best thought of. He and
I supped together upon the seat in the garden, and thence, he gone, my
wife and Mercer come and walked and sang late, and then home to bed.

21st. Up and to the office, where all the morning sitting. At noon walked
in the garden with Commissioner Pett (newly come to towne), who tells me
how infinite the disorders are among the commanders and all officers of
the fleete. No discipline: nothing but swearing and cursing, and every
body doing what they please; and the Generalls, understanding no better,
suffer it, to the reproaching of this Board, or whoever it will be. He
himself hath been challenged twice to the field, or something as good, by
Sir Edward Spragge and Captain Seymour. He tells me that captains carry,
for all the late orders, what men they please; demand and consume what
provisions they please. So that he fears, and I do no less, that God
Almighty cannot bless us while we keep in this disorder that we are in: he
observing to me too, that there is no man of counsel or advice in the
fleete; and the truth is, the gentlemen captains will undo us, for they
are not to be kept in order, their friends about the King and Duke, and
their own house, is so free, that it is not for any person but the Duke
himself to have any command over them. He gone I to dinner, and then to
the office, where busy all the afternoon. At night walked in the garden
with my wife, and so I home to supper and to bed. Sir W. Pen is gone down
to Sheernesse to-day to see things made ready against the fleete shall
come in again, which makes Pett mad, and calls him dissembling knave, and
that himself takes all the pains and is blamed, while he do nothing but
hinder business and takes all the honour of it to himself, and tells me
plainly he will fling, up his commission rather than bear it.