met Mr. Gawden, and he and I to
the Pope's Head Taverne, and there he did give me alone a very pretty
dinner. Our business to talk of his matters and his supply of money,
which was necessary for us to talk on before the Duke of Albemarle this
afternoon and Sir G. Carteret. After that I offered now to pay him
the L4000 remaining of his L8000 for Tangier, which he took with great
kindnesse, and prayed me most frankly to give him a note for L3500 and
accept the other L500 for myself, which in good earnest was against my
judgement to do, for [I] expected about L100 and no more, but however he
would have me do it, and ownes very great obligations to me, and the man
indeed I love, and he deserves it. This put me into great joy, though
with a little stay to it till we have time to settle it, for for so
great a sum I was fearfull any accident might by death or otherwise
defeate me, having not now time to change papers. So we rose, and by
water to White Hall, where we found Sir G. Carteret with the Duke,
and also Sir G. Downing, whom I had not seen in many years before. He
greeted me very kindly, and I him; though methinks I am touched, that it
should be said that he was my master heretofore, as doubtless he will.
So to talk of our Navy business, and particularly money business, of
which there is little hopes of any present supply upon this new Act, the
goldsmiths being here (and Alderman Backewell newly come from Flanders),
and none offering any. So we rose without doing more than my stating
the case of the Victualler, that whereas there is due to him on the last
year's declaration L80,000, and the charge of this year's amounts
to L420,000 and odd, he must be supplied between this and the end of
January with L150,000, and the remainder in 40 weeks by weekly payments,
or else he cannot go through his business. Thence after some discourse
with Sir G. Carteret, who, though he tells me that he is glad of my
Lord's being made Embassador, and that it is the greatest courtesy his
enemies could do him; yet I find he is not heartily merry upon it, and
that it was no design of my Lord's friends, but the prevalence of his
enemies, and that the Duke of Albemarle and Prince Rupert are like to go
to sea together the next year. I pray God, when my Lord is gone, they do
not fall hard upon the Vice-Chamberlain, being alone, and in so envious
a place, though by this late Act and the instructions now a brewing for
our office as to method of paymen