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Diary of Samuel Pepys — Volume 46: October 1666 by Samuel Pepys
page 10 of 46 (21%)
think her fit to come.

7th (Lord's day). Up, and after visiting my father in his chamber, to
church, and then home to dinner. Little Michell and his wife come to dine
with us, which they did, and then presently after dinner I with Sir J.
Minnes to White Hall, where met by Sir W. Batten and Lord Bruncker, to
attend the King and Duke of York at the Cabinet; but nobody had determined
what to speak of, but only in general to ask for money. So I was forced
immediately to prepare in my mind a method of discoursing. And anon we
were called in to the Green Room, where the King, Duke of York, Prince
Rupert, Lord Chancellor, Lord Treasurer, Duke of Albemarle, [Sirs] G.
Carteret, W. Coventry, Morrice. Nobody beginning, I did, and made a
current, and I thought a good speech, laying open the ill state of the
Navy: by the greatness of the debt; greatness of work to do against next
yeare; the time and materials it would take; and our incapacity, through a
total want of money. I had no sooner done, but Prince Rupert rose up and
told the King in a heat, that whatever the gentleman had said, he had
brought home his fleete in as good a condition as ever any fleete was
brought home; that twenty boats would be as many as the fleete would want:
and all the anchors and cables left in the storm might be taken up again.
This arose from my saying, among other things we had to do, that the
fleete was come in--the greatest fleete that ever his Majesty had yet
together, and that in as bad condition as the enemy or weather could put
it; and to use Sir W. Pen's words, who is upon the place taking a survey,
he dreads the reports he is to receive from the Surveyors of its defects.
I therefore did only answer, that I was sorry for his Highness's offence,
but that what I said was but the report we received from those entrusted
in the fleete to inform us. He muttered and repeated what he had said;
and so, after a long silence on all hands, nobody, not so much as the Duke
of Albemarle, seconding the Prince, nor taking notice of what he said, we
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