, which she spoils. Here met with Sir W. Pen,
and sat by him, and home by coach with him, and there to my office a
while, and then home to supper and to bed. I hear this day that Mrs.
Stewart do at this day keep a great court at Somerset House, with her
husband the Duke of Richmond, she being visited for her beauty's sake by
people, as the Queen is, at nights; and they say also that she is likely
to go to Court again, and there put my Lady Castlemayne's nose out of
joynt. God knows that would make a great turn. This day I was invited to
have gone to my cozen Mary Pepys' burial, my uncle Thomas' daughter, but
could not.

27th. Up, and by water to White Hall, and there walked with Creed in the
Matted gallery till by and by a Committee for Tangier met: the Duke of
York there; and there I did discourse over to them their condition as to
money, which they were all mightily, as I could desire, satisfied with,
but the Duke of Albemarle, who takes the part of the Guards against
us in our supplies of money, which is an odd consideration for a dull,
heavy blockhead as he is, understanding no more of either than a goose:
but the ability and integrity of Sir W. Coventry, in all the King's
concernments, I do and must admire. After the Committee up, I and Sir
W. Coventry walked an hour in the gallery, talking over many businesses,
and he tells me that there are so many things concur to make him and
his Fellow Commissioners unable to go through the King's work that he
do despair of it, every body becoming an enemy to them in their
retrenchments, and the King unstable, the debts great and the King's
present occasions for money great and many and pressing, the bankers
broke and every body keeping in their money, while the times are
doubtful what will stand. But he says had they come in two years ago
they doubt not to have done what the King would by this time, or were
the King in the condition as heretofore, when the Chancellor was great,
to be able to have what sums of money they pleased of the Parliament,
and then the ill administration was such that instead of making good use
of this power and money he suffered all to go to ruin. But one such
sum now would put all upon their legs, and now the King would have the
Parliament give him money when they are in an ill humour and will not be
willing to give any, nor are very able, and besides every body distrusts
what they give the King will be lost; whereas six months hence, when
they see t