Commissioners of Excise, but they did not meet me, he being abroad.
However Mr. Finch, one of the Commissioners, I met there, and he and I
walked two houres together in the garden, talking of many things;
sometimes of Mr. Povy, whose vanity, prodigality, neglect of his business,
and committing it to unfit hands hath undone him and outed him of all his
publique employments, and the thing set on foot by an accidental revivall
of a business, wherein he had three or fours years ago, by surprize, got
the Duke of Yorke to sign to the having a sum of money paid out of the
Excise, before some that was due to him, and now the money is fallen
short, and the Duke never likely to be paid. This being revived hath
undone Povy. Then we fell to discourse of the Parliament, and the great
men there: and among others, Mr. Vaughan, whom he reports as a man of
excellent judgement and learning, but most passionate and 'opiniastre'.
He had done himself the most wrong (though he values it not), that is, the
displeasure of the King in his standing so long against the breaking of
the Act for a trienniall parliament; but yet do believe him to be a most
loyall gentleman. He told me Mr. Prin's character; that he is a man of
mighty labour and reading and memory, but the worst judge of matters, or
layer together of what he hath read, in the world; which I do not,
however, believe him in; that he believes him very true to the King in his
heart, but can never be reconciled to episcopacy; that the House do not
lay much weight upon him, or any thing he says. He told me many fine
things, and so we parted, and I home and hard to work a while at the
office and then home and till midnight about settling my last month's
accounts wherein I have been interrupted by public business, that I did
not state them two or three days ago, but I do now to my great joy find
myself worth above L5600, for which the Lord's name be praised! So with
my heart full of content to bed. Newes come yesterday from Harwich, that
the Dutch had appeared upon our coast with their fleete, and we believe
did go to the Gun-fleete, and they are supposed to be there now; but I