called in; and the first thing was upon the complaint of a dirty slut that
was there, about a ticket which she had lost, and had applied herself to
me for another. . . . I did give them a short and satisfactory answer
to that; and so they sent her away, and were ashamed of their foolery, in
giving occasion to 500 seamen and seamen's wives to come before them, as
there was this afternoon. But then they fell to the business of tickets,
and I did give them the best answer I could, but had not scope to do it in
the methodical manner which I had prepared myself for, but they did ask a
great many broken rude questions about it, and were mightily hot whether
my Lord Bruncker had any order to discharge whole ships by ticket, and
because my answer was with distinction, and not direct, I did perceive
they were not so fully satisfied therewith as I could wish they were. So
my Lord Bruncker was called in, and they could fasten nothing on him that
I could see, nor indeed was there any proper matter for blame, but I do
see, and it was said publicly in the House by Sir T. Clerges that Sir W.
Batten had designed the business of discharging men by ticket and an order
after the thing was done to justify my Lord Bruncker for having done it.
But this I did not owne at all, nor was it just so, though he did indeed
do something like it, yet had contributed as much to it as any man of the
board by sending down of tickets to do it. But, Lord! to see that we
should be brought to justify ourselves in a thing of necessity and profit
to the King, and of no profit or convenience to us, but the contrary. We
being withdrawn, we heard no more of it, but there staid late and do hear
no more, only my cozen Pepys do tell me that he did hear one or two
whisper as if they thought that I do bogle at the business of my Lord
Bruncker, which is a thing I neither did or have reason to do in his
favour, but I do not think it fit to make him suffer for a thing that
deserves well. But this do trouble me a little that anything should stick
to my prejudice in any of them, and did trouble me so much that all the
way home with Sir W. Pen I was not at good ease, nor all night, though