gh not of the colour of our hangings, my
wife forebore to make herself clean to-day, but continued in a sluttish
condition till to-morrow. I after the old passe, all the day within
doors,.... the effect of my electuary last night, and the greatest of my
pain I find to come by my straining.... For all this I eat with a very
good stomach, and as much as I use to do, and so I did this noon, and
staid at home discoursing and doing things in my chamber, altering
chairs in my chamber, and set them above in the red room, they being
Turkey work, and so put their green covers upon those that were above,
not so handsome. At night fell to reading in the Church History of
Fuller's, and particularly Cranmer's letter to Queen Elizabeth, which
pleases me mightily for his zeal, obedience, and boldness in a cause of
religion. After supper to bed as I use to be, in pain.....

12th. Up (though slept well) and made some water in the morning [as] I
used to do, and a little pain returned to me, and some fears, but being
forced to go to the Duke at St. James's, I took coach and in my way
called upon Mr. Hollyard and had his advice to take a glyster. At St.
James's we attended the Duke all of us. And there, after my discourse,
Mr. Coventry of his own accord begun to tell the Duke how he found that
discourse abroad did run to his prejudice about the fees that he took,
and how he sold places and other things; wherein he desired to appeal to
his Highness, whether he did any thing more than what his predecessors
did, and appealed to us all. So Sir G. Carteret did answer that some
fees were heretofore taken, but what he knows not; only that selling
of places never was nor ought to be countenanced. So Mr. Coventry very
hotly answered to Sir G. Carteret, and appealed to himself whether he
was not one of the first that put him upon looking after this taking of
fees, and that he told him that Mr. Smith should say that he made L5000
the first year, and he believed he made L7000. This Sir G. Carteret
denied, and said, that if he did say so he told a lie, for he could not,
nor did know, that ever he did make that profit of his place; but that
he believes he might say L2500 the first year. Mr. Coventry instanced in
another thing, particularly wherein Sir G. Carteret did advise with
him about the selling of the Auditor's place of the stores, when in the
beginning there was an intention of creating such an office. This he
confessed, but with some lessening of