such impudence, maintain the quarrel against the
Commons and some of the Lords, in the business of my Lord Clarendon, that
he believes there are enough would be glad but of this occasion to be
revenged of him. He tells me that he hears some of the Thomsons are like
to be of the Commission for the Accounts, and Wildman, which he much
wonders at, as having been a false fellow to every body, and in prison
most of the time since the King's coming in. But he do tell me that the
House is in such a condition that nobody can tell what to make of them,
and, he thinks, they were never in before; that every body leads, and
nobody follows; and that he do now think that, since a great many are
defeated in their expectation of being of the Commission, now they would
put it into such hands as it shall get no credit from: for, if they do
look to the bottom and see the King's case, they think they are then bound
to give the King money; whereas, they would be excused from that, and
therefore endeavour to make this business of the Accounts to signify
little. I spoke with him about my Lord Sandwich's business, in which he
is very friendly, and do say that the unhappy business of the prizes is it
that hath brought all this trouble upon him, and the only thing that made
any thing else mentioned, and it is true. So having discoursed with him,
I spent some time with Sir Stephen Fox about the business of our adjusting
the new method of the Excise between the Guards household and Tangier, the
Lords Commissioners of the Treasury being now resolved to bring all their
management into a course of payment by orders, and not by tallies, and I
am glad of it, and so by water home late, and very dark, and when come
home there I got my wife to read, and then come Captain Cocke to me; and
there he tells me, to my great satisfaction, that Sir Robert Brookes did
dine with him today; and that he told him, speaking of me, that he would
make me the darling of the House of Commons, so much he is satisfied
concerning me. And this Cocke did tell me that I might give him thanks for
it; and I do think it may do me good, for he do happen to be held a
considerable person, of a young man, both for sobriety and ability. Then
to discourse of business of his own about some hemp of his that is come
home to receive it into the King's stores, and then parted, and by and by
my wife and I to supper, she not being well, her flux being great upon
her, and so to bed.

9th.