us down, and there to wait on the Duke of York, with the rest of us, at
the Robes, where the Duke of York did tell us that the King would have us
prepare a draught of the present administration of the Navy, and what it
was in the late times, in order to his being able to distinguish between
the good and the bad, which I shall do, but to do it well will give me a
great deal of trouble. Here we shewed him Sir J. Minnes's propositions
about balancing Storekeeper's accounts; and I did shew him Hosier's, which
did please him mightily, and he will have it shewed the Council and King
anon, to be put in practice. Thence to the Treasurer's; and I and Sir J.
Minnes and Mr. Tippets down to the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury,
and there had a hot debate from Sir Thomas Clifford and my Lord Ashly (the
latter of which, I hear, is turning about as fast as he can to the Duke of
Buckingham's side, being in danger, it seems, of being otherwise out of
play, which would not be convenient for him), against Sir W. Coventry and
Sir J. Duncomb, who did uphold our Office against an accusation of our
Treasurers, who told the Lords that they found that we had run the King in
debt L50,000 or more, more than the money appointed for the year would
defray, which they declared like fools, and with design to hurt us, though
the thing is in itself ridiculous. But my Lord Ashly and Clifford did
most horribly cry out against the want of method in the Office. At last
it come that it should be put in writing what they had to object; but I
was devilish mad at it, to see us thus wounded by our own members, and so
away vexed, and called my wife, and to Hercules Pillars, Tom and I, there
dined; and here there coming a Frenchman by with his Shew, we did make him
shew it us, which he did just as Lacy acts it, which made it mighty
pleasant to me. So after dinner we away and to Dancre's, and there saw
our picture of Greenwich in doing, which is mighty pretty, and so to White
Hall, my wife to Unthank's, and I attended with Lord Brouncker the King
and Council, about the proposition of balancing Storekeeper's accounts and
there presented Hosier's book, and it was mighty well resented and