19th. Up, and called on Mr. Pierce, who tells me that after all this ado
Ward is come to town, and hath appeared to the Commissioners of Accounts
and given such answers as he thinks will do every body right, and let the
world see that their great expectations and jealousies have been vain in
this matter of the prizes. The Commissioners were mighty inquisitive
whether he was not instructed by letters or otherwise from hence from my
Lord Sandwich's friends what to say and do, and particularly from me,
which he did wholly deny, as it was true, I not knowing the man that I
know of. He tells me also that, for certain, Mr. Vaughan is made Lord
Chief justice, which I am glad of. He tells me, too; that since my Lord
of Ormond's coming over, the King begins to be mightily reclaimed, and
sups every night with great pleasure with the Queene: and yet, it seems,
he is mighty hot upon the Duchess of Richmond; insomuch that, upon Sunday
was se'nnight, at night, after he had ordered his Guards and coach to be
ready to carry him to the Park, he did, on a sudden, take a pair of oars
or sculler, and all alone, or but one with him, go to Somersett House, and
there, the garden-door not being open, himself clamber over the walls to
make a visit to her, which is a horrid shame. He gone, I to the office,
where we sat all the morning, Sir W. Pen sick of the gout comes not out.
After dinner at home, to White Hall, it being a very rainy day, and there
a Committee for Tangier, where I was mightily pleased to see Sir W.
Coventry fall upon my Lord Bellasses' business of the 3d. in every piece
of it which he would get to himself, making the King pay 4s. 9d, while he
puts them off for 4s. 6d., so that Sir W. Coventry continues still the
same man for the King's good. But here Creed did vex me with saying that
I ought first to have my account past by the Commissioners of Tangier
before in the Exchequer. Thence W. Coventry and I in the Matted gallery,
and there he did talk very well to me about the way to save the credit of
the officers of the Navy, and their places too, by making use of this
interval of Parliament to be found to be mending of matters in the Navy,