to bed.

25th. Up, and Sir D. Gawden with me betimes to confer again about this
business, and he gone I all the morning finishing our answer, which I did
by noon, and so to dinner, and W. Batelier with me, who is lately come
from Impington, beyond which I perceive he went not, whatever his pretence
at first was; and so he tells me how well and merry all are there, and how
nobly used by my cozen. He gone, after dinner I to work again, and Gibson
having wrote our answer fair and got Brouncker and the rest to sign it, I
by coach to White Hall to the Committee of the Council, which met late,
and Brouncker and J. Minnes with me, and there the Duke of York present
(but not W. Coventry, who I perceive do wholly avoid to have to do
publickly in this business, being shy of appearing in any Navy business,
which I telling him the other day that I thought the King might suffer by
it, he told me that the occasion is now so small that it cannot be fatal
to the service, and for the present it is better for him not to appear,
saying that it may fare the worse for his appearing in it as things are
now governed), where our answer was read and debated, and some hot words
between the Duke of York and Sir T. Clifford, the first for and the latter
against Gawden, but the whole put off to to-morrow's Council, for till the
King goes out of town the next week the Council sits every day. So with
the Duke of York and some others to his closet, and Alderman Backewell
about a Committee of Tangier, and there did agree upon a price for pieces
of eight at 4s. 6d. Present the Duke of York, Arlington, Berkeley, Sir J.
Minnes, and myself. They gone, the Duke of York did tell me how hot
Clifford is for Child, and for removing of old Officers, he saying plainly
to-night, that though D. Gawden was a man that had done the best service
that he believed any man, or any ten men, could have done, yet that it was
for the King's interest not to let it lie too long in one hand, lest
nobody should be able to serve him but one. But the Duke of York did