that which shall make the Treasurers ashamed. But the Duke of York is
horrid angry against them; and he hath cause, for they do all they can to
bring dishonour upon his management, as do vainly appear in all they do.
Having done with the Duke of York, who do repose all in me, I with Mr.
Wren to his, chamber, to talk; where he observed, that these people are
all of them a broken sort of people, that have not much to lose, and
therefore will venture all to make their fortunes better: that Sir Thomas
Osborne is a beggar, having 11 of L1200 a-year, but owes above L10,000.
The Duke of Buckingham's condition is shortly this: that he hath about
L19,600 a-year, of which he pays away about L7,000 a-year in interest,
about L2000 in fee-farm rents to the King, about L6000 wages and pensions,
and the rest to live upon, and pay taxes for the whole. Wren says, that
for the Duke of York to stir in this matter, as his quality might justify,
would but make all things worse, and that therefore he must bend, and
suffer all, till time works it out: that he fears they will sacrifice the
Church, and that the King will take anything, and so he will hold up his
head a little longer, and then break in pieces. But Sir W. Coventry did
today mightily magnify my late Lord Treasurer, for a wise and solid,
though infirm man: and, among other things, that when he hath said it was
impossible in nature to find this or that sum of money, and my Lord
Chancellor hath made sport of it, and tell the King that when my Lord hath
said it [was] impossible, yet he hath made shift to find it, and that was
by Sir G. Carteret's getting credit, my Lord did once in his hearing say
thus, which he magnifies as a great saying--that impossible would be found
impossible at last; meaning that the King would run himself out, beyond
all his credit and funds, and then we should too late find it impossible;
which is, he says, now come to pass. For that Sir W. Coventry says they
could borrow what money they would, if they had assignments, and funds to
secure it with, which before they had enough of, and then must spend it as
if it would never have an end. From White Hall to my cozen Turner's, and