h" ("Calendar
of State Papers," 1667, p. 430)]

did do that in my way, and went down to Gravesend, where I find the Duke
of Albemarle just come, with a great many idle lords and gentlemen, with
their pistols and fooleries; and the bulwarke not able to have stood
half an hour had they come up; but the Dutch are fallen down from the
Hope and Shell-haven as low as Sheernesse, and we do plainly at this
time hear the guns play. Yet I do not find the Duke of Albemarle intends
to go thither, but stays here to-night, and hath, though the Dutch
are gone, ordered our frigates to be brought to a line between the two
blockhouses; which I took then to be a ridiculous thing. So I away into
the town and took a captain or two of our ships (who did give me an
account of the proceedings of the Dutch fleete in the river) to the
taverne, and there eat and drank, and I find the townsmen had removed
most of their goods out of the town, for fear of the Dutch coming up to
them; and from Sir John Griffen, that last night there was not twelve
men to be got in the town to defend it: which the master of the house
tells me is not true, but that the men of the town did intend to stay,
though they did indeed, and so had he, at the Ship, removed their goods.
Thence went off to an Ostend man-of-war, just now come up, who met the
Dutch fleete, who took three ships that he come convoying hither from
him says they are as low as the Nore, or thereabouts. So I homeward, as
long as it was light reading Mr. Boyle's book of Hydrostatics, which
is a most excellent book as ever I read, and I will take much pains to
understand him through if I can, the doctrine being very useful. When
it grew too dark to read I lay down and took a nap, it being a most
excellent fine evening, and about one o'clock got home, and after having
wrote to Sir W. Coventry an account of what I had done and seen (which
is entered in my letter-book), I to bed.

11th. Up, and more letters still from Sir W. Coventry about more
fire-ships, and so Sir W. Batten and I to the office, where Bruncker
come to us, who is just now going to Chatham upon a desire of
Commissioner Pett's, who is in a very fearful stink for fear of the
Dutch, and desires help for God and the King and kingdom's sake. So
Bruncker goes down, and Sir J. Minnes also, from Gravesend. This morning
Pett writes us word that Sheernesse is lost last night, after two or
three hours' dispute. The enemy hath possessed himself of t