ther occasion, which, by the by,
intimates my Lord Hinchingbroke's intention to come and dine with me
to-morrow. This put me into a great surprise, and therefore endeavoured
all I could to hasten over our business at the office, and so home at noon
and to dinner, and then away by coach, it being a very foul day, to White
Hall, and there at Sir G. Carteret's find my Lord Hinchingbroke, who
promises to dine with me to-morrow, and bring Mr. Carteret along with him.
Here I staid a little while talking with him and the ladies, and then away
to my Lord Crew's, and then did by the by make a visit to my Lord Crew,
and had some good discourse with him, he doubting that all will break in
pieces in the kingdom; and that the taxes now coming out, which will tax
the same man in three or four several capacities, as for lands, office,
profession, and money at interest, will be the hardest that ever come out;
and do think that we owe it, and the lateness of its being given, wholly
to the unpreparedness of the King's own party, to make their demand and
choice; for they have obstructed the giving it by land-tax, which had been
done long since. Having ended my visit, I spoke to Sir Thomas Crew, to
invite him and his brother John to dinner tomorrow, at my house, to meet
Lord Hinchingbroke; and so homewards, calling at the cook's, who is to
dress it, to bespeak him, and then home, and there set things in order for
a very fine dinner, and then to the office, where late very busy and to
good purpose as to dispatch of business, and then home. To bed, my people
sitting up to get things in order against to-morrow. This evening was
brought me what Griffin had, as he says, taken this evening off of the
table in the office, a letter sealed and directed to the Principal
Officers and Commissioners of the Navy. It is a serious and just libel
against our disorder in paying of our money, making ten times more people
wait than we have money for, and complaining by name of Sir W. Batten for
paying away great sums to particular people, which is true. I was sorry
to see this way of reproach taken against us, but more sorry that there is
true ground for it.

28th. Up, and with Sir W. Pen to White Hall (setting his lady and
daughter down by the way at a mercer's in the Strand, where they are going
to lay out some money), where, though it blows hard and rains hard, yet
the Duke of York is gone a-hunting. We therefore lost our labour, and so
back again,