From that we had discourse of Sir
G. Carteret, and of many others; and upon the whole I do find
that it is a troublesome thing for a man of any condition at
Court to carry himself even, and without contracting envy or
envyers; and that much discretion and dissimulation is necessary
to do it.
MAY 4, 1663. To St. James's; where Mr. Coventry, Sir W. Pen and
I staid for the Duke's coming in, but not coming, we walked to
White Hall; and meeting the King, we followed him into the Parke,
where Mr. Coventry and he talking of building a new yacht out of
his private purse, he having some contrivance of his own. The
talk being done, we fell off to White Hall, leaving the King in
the Park; and going back, met the Duke going towards St. James's
to meet us. So he turned back again, and to his closet at White
Hall; and there, my Lord Sandwich present, we did our weekly
errand, and so broke up; and I to the garden with my Lord
Sandwich, (after we had sat an hour at the Tangier Committee;)
and after talking largely of his own businesses, we began to talk
how matters are at Court: and though he did not flatly tell me
any such thing, yet I do suspect that all is not kind between the
King and the Duke, and that the King's fondness to the little
Duke do occasion it; and it may be that there is some fear of his
being made heire to the Crown.
Pages:
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474