for them; and both before and after dinner had
excellent discourse; and shewed them my closet and my Office, and the
method of it to their great content; and more extraordinary, manly
discourse and opportunity of shewing myself, and learning from others, I
have not, in ordinary discourse, had in my life, they being all persons
of worth, but especially Sir H. Capell, whose being a Parliament-man,
and hearing my discourse in the Parliament-house, hath, as May tells me,
given him along desire to know and discourse with me. In the afternoon
we walked to the Old Artillery-Ground' near the Spitalfields, where I
never was before, but now, by Captain Deane's invitation, did go to
see his new gun tryed, this being the place where the Officers of the
Ordnance do try all their great guns; and when we come, did find that
the trial had been made; and they going away with extraordinary report
of the proof of his gun, which, from the shortness and bigness, they do
call Punchinello. But I desired Colonel Legg to stay and give us a sight
of her performance, which he did, and there, in short, against a gun
more than as long and as heavy again, and charged with as much powder
again, she carried the same bullet as strong to the mark, and nearer and
above the mark at a point blank than theirs, and is more easily managed,
and recoyles no more than that, which is a thing so extraordinary as to
be admired for the happiness of his invention, and to the great regret
of the old Gunners and Officers of the Ordnance that were there, only
Colonel Legg did do her much right in his report of her. And so, having
seen this great and first experiment, we all parted, I seeing my guests
into a hackney coach, and myself, with Captain Deane, taking a hackney
coach, did go out towards Bow, and went as far as Stratford, and all the
way talking of this invention, and he offering me a third of the profit
of the invention; which, for aught I know, or do at present think, may
prove matter considerable to us: for either the King will give him a
reward for it, if he keeps it to himself, or he will give us a patent
to make our profit of it: and no doubt but it will be of profit to
merchantmen and others, to have guns of the same force at half the
charge. This was our talk: and then to talk of other things, of the Navy
in general: and, among other things, he did tell me that he do hear
how the Duke of Buckingham hath a spite at me, which I knew before, but
value it not: