o be done, returned, and in the Lobby
staid till almost noon expecting to hear Barker's business, but it was not
called, so I come away. Here I met with Sir G. Downing, who tells me of
Sir W. Pen's offering to lend L500; and I tell him of my L300, which he
would have me to lend upon the credit of the latter part of the Act;
saying, that by that means my 10 per cent. will continue to me the longer.
But I understand better, and will do it upon the L380,000, which will come
to be paid the sooner; there being no delight in lending money now, to be
paid by the King two years hence. But here he and Sir William Doyly were
attending the Council as Commissioners for sick and wounded, and
prisoners: and they told me their business, which was to know how we shall
do to release our prisoners; for it seems the Dutch have got us to agree
in the treaty, as they fool us in anything, that the dyet of the prisoners
on both sides shall be paid for, before they be released; which they have
done, knowing ours to run high, they having more prisoners of ours than we
have of theirs; so that they are able and most ready to discharge the debt
of theirs, but we are neither able nor willing to do that for ours, the
debt of those in Zealand only, amounting to above L5000 for men taken in
the King's own ships, besides others taken in merchantmen, which expect,
as is usual, that the King should redeem them; but I think he will not, by
what Sir G. Downing says. This our prisoners complain of there; and say
in their letters, which Sir G. Downing shewed me, that they have made a
good feat that they should be taken in the service of the King, and the
King not pay for their victuals while prisoners for him. But so far they
are from doing thus with their men, as we do to discourage ours, that I
find in the letters of some of our prisoners there, which he shewed me,
that they have with money got our men, that they took, to work and carry
their ships home for them; and they have been well rewarded, and released
when they come into Holland: which is done like a noble, brave, and wise
people. Having staid out my time that I thought fit for me to return
home, I home and there took coach and with my wife to Walthamstow; to Sir
W. Pen's, by invitation, the first time I have been there, and there find
him and all their guests (of our office only) at dinner, which was a very
bad dinner, and everything suitable, that I never knew people in my life
that make their f