place,
and how the Basha there do live like a prisoner, being at the mercy
of the soldiers and officers, so that there is nothing but a great
confusion there. After dinner came Sir W. Batten, and I left him to pay
off another ship, and I walked home again reading of a little book
of new poems of Cowley's, given me by his brother. Abraham do lie, it
seems, very sicke, still, but like to recover. At my office till late,
and then came Mr. Hollyard so full of discourse and Latin that I think
he hath got a cupp, but I do not know; but full of talke he is in
defence of Calvin and Luther. He begun this night the fomentation to
my wife, and I hope it will do well with her. He gone, I to the office
again a little, and so to bed. This morning I sent Will with my great
letter of reproof to my Lord Sandwich, who did give it into his owne
hand. I pray God give a blessing to it, but confess I am afeard what
the consequence may be to me of good or bad, which is according to the
ingenuity that he do receive it with. However, I am satisfied that it
will do him good, and that he needs it:

MY LORD,

I do verily hope that neither the manner nor matter of this advice
will be condemned by your Lordship, when for my defence in the first
I shall alledge my double attempt, since your return from
Hinchinbroke, of doing it personally, in both of which your
Lordship's occasions, no doubtfulnesse of mine, prevented me, and
that being now fearful of a sudden summons to Portsmouth, for the
discharge of some ships there, I judge it very unbecoming the duty
which every bit of bread I eat tells me I owe to your Lordship to
expose the safety of your honour to the uncertainty of my return.
For the matter, my Lord, it is such as could I in any measure think
safe to conceal from, or likely to be discovered to you by any other
hand, I should not have dared so far to owne what from my heart I
believe is false, as to make myself but the relater of other's
discourse; but, sir, your Lordship's honour being such as I ought to
value it to be, and finding both in city and court that discourses
pass to your prejudice, too generally for mine or any man's
controllings but your Lordship's, I shall, my Lord, without the
least greatening or lessening the matter, do my duty in laying it
shortly before you.

People of all conditions, my Lord, raise matter of wonder