The Best of the World's Classics, Restricted to prose. Volume III (of X) - Great Britain and Ireland I
General
The Best of the World's Classics, Restricted to prose. Volume III (of X) - Great Britain and Ireland I
Literature -- Collections
While we were at the Excise Office talking with Mr. Ball, it was
computed that the Parliament had given the King for this war only,
besides all prizes, and besides the L200,000 which he was to spend of
his own revenue to guard the sea, above L5,000,000 and odd L100,000;
which is a most prodigious sum. Sir H. Cholmly, as a true English
gentleman, do decry the King's expenses of his Privy-purse, which in
King James's time did not rise to above L5,000 a year, and in King
Charles's to L10,000, do now cost us above L100,000 besides the great
charge of the Monarchy, as the Duke of York L100,000 of it, and other
limbs of the Royal family, and the guards, which, for his part, says
he, "I would have all disbanded, for the King is not the better by
them, and would be as safe without them; for we have had no rebellions
to make him fear anything." But contrarily, he is now raising of a
land army, which this Parliament and Kingdom will never bear, besides,
the commanders they put over them are such as will never be able to
raise or command them; but the design is, and the Duke of York he
says, is hot for it, to have a land army, and so to make the
government like that of France, but our princes have not brains, or at
least care and forecast enough to do that.
It is strange how he and everybody now-a-days do reflect upon
Oliver,[104] and commend him, what brave things he did, and made all
the neighbor princes fear him; while here a prince, come in with all
the love and prayers and good liking of his people, who have given
greater signs of his loyalty and willingness to serve him with their
estates than ever was done by any other people, hath lost all so soon,
that it is a miracle what way a man could devise to lose so much in so
little time.
Thence he set me down at my Lord Crew's and away, and I up to my Lord,
where Sir Thomas Crew was, and by and by comes Mr. Caesar, who teaches
my Lady's page upon the lute, and here Mr. Caesar did play some very
fine things indeed, to my great liking. Here was my Lord Hitchingbroke
also, newly come from Hitchingbroke, where all well, but methinks I
knowing in what case he stands for money by his demands to me and the
report Mr. Moore gives of the management of the family, make me, God
forgive me! to contemn him, tho I do really honor and pity them, tho
they deserve it not that have so good an estate and will live beyond
it. To dinner, and very good discourse with my Lord. And after dinner,
Sir Thomas Crew and I alone, and he tells me how I am mightily in
esteem with the Parliament; there being harangues made in the House to
the Speaker, of Mr. Pepy's readiness and civility to shew them
everything, which I am this time very glad of.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 102: From the "Diary."]
[Footnote 103: From the "Diary."]
[Footnote 104: Oliver Cromwell had died in 1658, nine years before the
date of Pepy's paragraph.]
GILBERT BURNET
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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