ople to-day, and so to cards, and then
to bed, being the first day that I have spent so much to my pleasure a
great while.

25th. Up betimes and to my vyall and song book a pretty while, and so to
my office, and there we sat all the morning. Among other things Sir W.
Batten had a mind to cause Butler (our chief witness in the business of
Field, whom we did force back from an employment going to sea to come
back to attend our law sute) to be borne as a mate on the Rainbow in
the Downes in compensation for his loss for our sakes. This he orders
an order to be drawn by Mr. Turner for, and after Sir J. Minnes, Sir W.
Batten, and Sir W. Pen had signed it, it came to me and I was going
to put it up into my book, thinking to consider of it and give them my
opinion upon it before I parted with it, but Sir W. Pen told me I must
sign it or give it him again, for it should not go without my hand. I
told him what I meant to do, whereupon Sir W. Batten was very angry,
and in a great heat (which will bring out any thing which he has in his
mind, and I am glad of it, though it is base in him to have a thing so
long in his mind without speaking of it, though I am glad this is the
worst, for if he had worse it would out as well as this some time or
other) told me that I should not think as I have heretofore done, make
them sign orders and not sign them myself. Which what ignorance or worse
it implies is easy to judge, when he shall sign to things (and the rest
of the board too as appears in this business) for company and not out of
their judgment for. After some discourse I did convince them that it was
not fit to have it go, and Sir W. Batten first, and then the rest, did
willingly cancel all their hands and tear the order, for I told them,
Butler being such a rogue as I know him, and we have all signed him to
be to the Duke, it will be in his power to publish this to our great
reproach, that we should take such a course as this to serve ourselves
in wronging the King by putting him into a place he is no wise capable
of, and that in an Admiral ship. At noon we rose, Sir W. Batten ashamed
and vexed, and so home to dinner, and after dinner walked to the old
Exchange and so all along to Westminster Hall, White Hall, my Lord
Sandwich's lodgings, and going by water back to the Temple did pay my
debts in several places in order to my examining my accounts tomorrow to
my great content. So in the evening home, and after supper (my father at
my