they should attempt it. I made my will also this day, and did give
all I had equally between my father and wife, and left copies of it in
each of Mr. Hater and W. Hewer's hands, who both witnessed the will,
and so to supper and then to bed, and slept pretty well, but yet often
waking.

14th. Up, and to the office; where Mr. Fryer comes and tells me that
there are several Frenchmen and Flemish ships in the River, with passes
from the Duke of York for carrying of prisoners, that ought to be parted
from the rest of the ships, and their powder taken, lest they do fire
themselves when the enemy comes, and so spoil us; which is good advice,
and I think I will give notice of it; and did so. But it is pretty odd
to see how every body, even at this high time of danger, puts business
off of their own hands! He says that he told this to the Lieutenant of
the Tower, to whom I, for the same reason, was directing him to go; and
the Lieutenant of the Tower bade him come to us, for he had nothing to
do with it; and yesterday comes Captain Crew, of one of the fireships,
and told me that the officers of the Ordnance would deliver his gunner's
materials, but not compound them,

[Meaning, apparently, that the Ordnance would deliver the charcoal,
sulphur, and saltpetre separately, but not mix them as gunpowder.]

[The want of ammunition when the Dutch burnt the fleet, and the
revenge of the deserter sailors, are well described by Marvell

"Our Seamen, whom no danger's shape could fright,
Unpaid, refuse to mount their ships, for spite
Or to their fellows swim, on board the Dutch,
Who show the tempting metal in their clutch.]

but that we must do it; whereupon I was forced to write to them about
it; and one that like a great many come to me this morning by and by
comes--Mr. Wilson, and by direction of his, a man of Mr. Gawden's; who
come from Chatham last night, and saw the three ships burnt, they lying
all dry, and boats going from the men-of-war and fire them. But that,
that he tells me of worst consequence is, that he himself, I think he
said, did hear many Englishmen on board the Dutch ships speaking to one
another in English; and that they did cry and say, "We did heretofore
fight for tickets; now we fight for dollars!" and did ask how such and
such a one did, and would commend themselves to them: which is a sad
consideration. And Mr. Lewes, who was present at this fellow's