manders all complaining that, if they miss to pay their men a night,
they run away; seamen demanding money of them by way of advance, and
some of Sir Fretcheville Hollis's men, that he so bragged of, demanding
their tickets to be paid, or they would not work: this Hollis, Sir W.
Batten and W. Pen say, proves a very..., as Sir W. B. terms him, and the
other called him a conceited, idle, prating, lying fellow. But it was
pleasant this morning to hear Hollis give me the account what, he says,
he told the King in Commissioner Pett's presence, whence it was that his
ship was fit sooner than others, telling the King how he dealt with the
several Commissioners and agents of the Ports where he comes, offering
Lanyon to carry him a Ton or two of goods to the streights, giving
Middleton an hour or two's hearing of his stories of Barbadoes, going
to prayer with Taylor, and standing bare and calling, "If it please your
Honour," to Pett, but Sir W. Pen says that he tells this story to every
body, and believes it to be a very lie. At night comes Captain Cocke to
see me, and he and I an hour in the garden together. He tells me there
have been great endeavours of bringing in the Presbyterian interest, but
that it will not do. He named to me several of the insipid lords that
are to command the armies that are to be raised. He says the King and
Court are all troubled, and the gates of the Court were shut up upon the
first coming of the Dutch to us, but they do mind the business no more
than ever: that the bankers, he fears, are broke as to ready-money,
though Viner had L100,000 by him when our trouble begun: that he and
the Duke of Albemarle have received into their own hands, of Viner, the
former L10,000, and the latter L12,000, in tallies or assignments, to
secure what was in his hands of theirs; and many other great men of our.
masters have done the like; which is no good sign, when they begin
to fear the main. He and every body cries out of the office of
the Ordnance, for their neglects, both at Gravesend and Upnor, and
everywhere else. He gone, I to my business again, and then home to
supper and to bed. I have lately played the fool much with our Nell, in
playing with her breasts. This night, late, comes a porter with a letter
from Monsieur Pratt, to borrow L100 for my Lord Hinchingbroke, to enable
him to go out with his troop in the country, as he is commanded; but I
did find an excuse to decline it. Among other reasons to myself, thi