15th. All the morning at the office. No news more than last
night; only Purser Tyler comes and tells me that he being at all
the passages in this business at Chatham, he says there have been
horrible miscarriages, such as we shall shortly hear of: that
the want of boats hath undone us: and it is commonly said, and
Sir J. Minnes under his hand tells us, that they were employed by
the men of the Yard to carry away their goods; and I hear that
Commissioner Pett will be found the first man that began to
remove: he is much spoken against, and Brouncker is complained
of, and reproached for discharging the men of the great ships
heretofore. At noon Mr. Hater dined with me; and tells me he
believes that it will hardly be the want of money alone that will
excuse to the Parliament the neglect of not setting out a fleet,
it having never been done in our greatest straits, but however
unlikely it appeared, yet when it was gone about, the State or
King did compass it; and there is something in it.
18th. Roger Pepys told me, that when I come to his house he will
show me a decree in Chancery, wherein there was 26 men all house-
keepers in the town of Cottenham, in Queene Elizabeth's time, of
our name.
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