t helpe him in the day of warr. For as
they are the most, so generally they are the most substantial sort of
people, and the soberest; and did desire me to observe it to my Lord
Sandwich, among other things, that of all the old army now you cannot
see a man begging about the street; but what? You shall have this
captain turned a shoemaker; the lieutenant, a baker; this a brewer; that
a haberdasher; this common soldier, a porter; and every man in his apron
and frock, &c., as if they never had done anything else: whereas
the others go with their belts and swords, swearing and cursing, and
stealing; running into people's houses, by force oftentimes, to carry
away something; and this is the difference between the temper of one
and the other; and concludes (and I think with some reason,) that the
spirits of the old parliament soldiers are so quiett and contented with
God's providences, that the King is safer from any evil meant him by
them one thousand times more than from his own discontented Cavalier.
And then to the publique management of business: it is done, as he
observes, so loosely and so carelessly, that the kingdom can never be
happy with it, every man looking after himself, and his owne lust and
luxury; among other things he instanced in the business of money, he do
believe that half of what money the Parliament gives the King is not so
much as gathered. And to the purpose he told me how the Bellamys (who
had some of the Northern counties assigned them for their debt for the
petty warrant victualling) have often complained to him that they cannot
get it collected, for that nobody minds, or, if they do, they won't pay
it in. Whereas (which is a very remarkable thing,) he hath been told
by some of the Treasurers at Warr here of late, to whom the most of
the L120,000 monthly was paid, that for most months the payments were
gathered so duly, that they seldom had so much or more than 40s., or the
like, short in the whole collection; whereas now the very Commissioners
for Assessments and other publique payments are such persons, and those
that they choose in the country so like themselves, that from top to
bottom there is not a man carefull of any thing, or if he be, he is not
solvent; that what between the beggar and the knave, the King is abused
the best part of all his revenue. From thence we began to talk of the
Navy, and particularly of Sir W. Pen, of whose rise to be a general I
had a mind to be informed. He told me