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Title: Diary of Samuel Pepys, 1669 N.S. Complete

Author: Samuel Pepys

Release Date: October 12, 2006 [EBook #4199]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS, 1669 ***




Produced by David Widger





                THE DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS M.A. F.R.S.

            CLERK OF THE ACTS AND SECRETARY TO THE ADMIRALTY

    TRANSCRIBED FROM THE SHORTHAND MANUSCRIPT IN THE PEPYSIAN LIBRARY
 MAGDALENE COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE BY THE REV. MYNORS BRIGHT M.A. LATE FELLOW
                      AND PRESIDENT OF THE COLLEGE

                              (Unabridged)

                      WITH LORD BRAYBROOKE'S NOTES

                        EDITED WITH ADDITIONS BY

                        HENRY B. WHEATLEY F.S.A.

                          DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS.

                                1669 N.S.

                                 JANUARY
                                1668-1669

January 1st.  Up, and presented from Captain Beckford with a noble silver
warming-pan, which I am doubtful whether to take or no.  Up, and with W.
Hewer to the New Exchange, and then he and I to the cabinet-shops, to look
out, and did agree, for a cabinet to give my wife for a New-year's gift;
and I did buy one cost me L11, which is very pretty, of walnutt-tree, and
will come home to-morrow.  So back to the old Exchange, and there met my
uncle Wight; and there walked, and met with the Houblons, and talked with
them--gentlemen whom I honour mightily: and so to my uncle's, and met my
wife; and there, with W. Hewer, we dined with our family, and had a very
good dinner, and pretty merry and after dinner, my wife and I with our
coach to the King's playhouse, and there in a box saw "The Mayden Queene."
Knepp looked upon us, but I durst not shew her any countenance; and, as
well as I could carry myself, I found my wife uneasy there, poor wretch!
therefore, I shall avoid that house as much as I can.  So back to my
aunt's, and there supped and talked, and staid pretty late, it being dry
and moonshine, and so walked home, and to bed in very good humour.

2nd.  Up, at the office all the morning, and at noon home to dinner, where
I find my cabinet come home, and paid for it, and it pleases me and my
wife well.  So after dinner busy late at the office, and so home and to
bed.

3rd (Lord's day).  Up, and busy all the morning, getting rooms and dinner
ready for my guests, which were my uncle and aunt Wight, and two of their
cousins, and an old woman, and Mr. Mills and his wife; and a good dinner,
and all our plate out, and mighty fine and merry, only I a little vexed at
burning a new table-cloth myself, with one of my trencher-salts. Dinner
done, I out with W. Hewer and Mr. Spong, who by accident come to dine with
me, and good talk with him: to White Hall by coach, and there left him,
and I with my Lord Brouncker to attend the Duke of York, and then up and
down the House till the evening, hearing how the King do intend this
frosty weather, it being this day the first, and very hard frost, that
hath come this year, and very cold it is.  So home; and to supper and
read; and there my wife and I treating about coming to an allowance to my
wife for clothes; and there I, out of my natural backwardness, did hang
off, which vexed her, and did occasion some discontented talk in bed, when
we went to bed; and also in the morning, but I did recover all in the
morning.

4th.  Lay long, talking with my wife, and did of my own accord come to an
allowance of her of L30 a-year for all expences, clothes and everything,
which she was mightily pleased with, it being more than ever she asked or
expected, and so rose, with much content, and up with W. Hewer to White
Hall, there to speak with Mr. Wren, which I did about several things of
the office entered in my memorandum books, and so about noon, going
homeward with W. Hewer, he and I went in and saw the great tall woman that
is to be seen, who is but twenty-one years old, and I do easily stand
under her arms.  Then, going further, The. Turner called me, out of her
coach where her mother, &c., was, and invited me by all means to dine with
them, at my cozen Roger's mistress's, the widow Dickenson!  So, I went to
them afterwards, and dined with them, and mighty handsomely treated, and
she a wonderful merry, good-humoured, fat, but plain woman, but I believe
a very good woman, and mighty civil to me.  Mrs. Turner, the mother, and
Mrs. Dyke, and The., and Betty was the company, and a gentleman of their
acquaintance.  Betty I did long to see, and she is indifferent pretty, but
not what the world did speak of her; but I am mighty glad to have one so
pretty of our kindred.  After dinner, I walked with them, to shew them the
great woman, which they admire, as well they may; and so back with them,
and left them; and I to White Hall, where a Committee of Tangier met, but
little to do there, but I did receive an instance of the Duke of York's
kindness to me, and the whole Committee, that they would not order any
thing about the Treasurer for the Corporation now in establishing, without
my assent, and considering whether it would be to my wrong or no.  Thence
up and down the house, and to the Duke of York's side, and there in the
Duchess's presence; and was mightily complimented by my Lady Peterborough,
in my Lord Sandwich's presence, whom she engaged to thank me for my
kindness to her and her Lord.  .  .  .  By and by I met my Lord Brouncker;
and he and I to the Duke of York alone, and discoursed over the carriage
of the present Treasurers, in opposition to, or at least independency of,
the Duke of York, or our Board, which the Duke of York is sensible of, and
all remember, I believe; for they do carry themselves very respectlessly
of him and us.  We also declared our minds together to the Duke of York
about Sir John Minnes's incapacity to do any service in the Office, and
that it is but to betray the King to have any business of trust committed
to his weakness.  So the Duke of York was very sensible of it and promised
to speak to the King about it.  That done, I with W. Hewer took up my wife
at Unthank's, and so home, and there with pleasure to read and talk, and
so to supper, and put into writing, in merry terms, our agreement between
my wife and me, about L30 a-year, and so to bed.  This was done under both
our hands merrily, and put into W. Hewer's to keep.

5th.  Up, and to the office all the morning, the frost and cold
continuing.  At noon home with my people to dinner; and so to work at the
office again; in the evening comes Creed to me, and tells me his wife is
at my house.  So I in, and spent an hour with them, the first time she
hath been here, or I have seen her, since she was married.  She is not
overhandsome, though a good lady, and one I love.  So after some pleasant
discourse, they gone, I to the Office again, and there late, and then home
to supper to my wife, who is not very well of those, and so sat talking
till past one in the morning, and then to bed.

6th (Twelfth day).  Up, and to look after things against dinner to-day for
my guests, and then to the Office to write down my journall for five or
six days backward, and so home to look after dinner, it being now almost
noon.  At noon comes Mrs. Turner and Dyke, and Mrs. Dickenson, and then
comes The. and Betty Turner, the latter of which is a very pretty girl;
and then Creed and his wife, whom I sent for, by my coach. These were my
guests, and Mrs. Turner's friend, whom I saw the other day, Mr. Wicken,
and very merry we were at dinner, and so all the afternoon, talking, and
looking up and down my house; and in the evening I did bring out my
cake--a noble cake, and there cut it into pieces, with wine and good
drink: and after a new fashion, to prevent spoiling the cake, did put so
many titles into a hat, and so drew cuts; and I was the Queene; and The.
Turner, King--Creed, Sir Martin Marr-all; and Betty, Mrs. Millicent: and
so we were mighty merry till it was night; and then, being moonshine and
fine frost, they went home, I lending some of them my coach to help to
carry them, and so my wife and I spent the rest of the evening in talk and
reading, and so with great pleasure to bed.

7th.  Up, and to the office, where busy all the morning, and then at noon
home to dinner, and thence my wife and I to the King's playhouse, and
there saw "The Island Princesse," the first time I ever saw it; and it is
a pretty good play, many good things being in it, and a good scene of a
town on fire.  We sat in an upper box, and the jade Nell come and sat in
the next box; a bold merry slut, who lay laughing there upon people; and
with a comrade of hers of the Duke's house, that come in to see the play.
Thence home and to the office to do some business, and so home to supper
and to bed.

8th.  Up, and with Colonel Middleton, in his coach, and Mr. Tippets to
White Hall; and there attended the Duke of York with the rest, where the
Duke was mighty plain with the Treasurers, according to the advice my Lord
Brouncker and I did give him the other night, and he did it fully; and so
as, I believe, will make the Treasurers carefull of themselves, unless
they do resolve upon defying the Duke of York.  Thence with W. Hewer home,
and to dinner, and so out again, my wife and I and Mr. Hater to White
Hall, where she set us down, and she up and down to buy things, while we
at the Treasury-Chamber, where I alone did manage the business of "The
Leopard" against the whole Committee of the East India Company,  with Mr.
Blackburne with them; and to the silencing of them all, to my no great
content.  Thence walked to my wife, and so set out for home in our coach,
it being very cold weather, and so to the office to do a little business,
and then home to my wife's chamber, my people having laid the cloth, and
got the rooms all clean above-stairs to-night for our dinner to-morrow,
and therefore I to bed.

9th.  Up, and at the office all the morning, and at noon, my Lord
Brouncker, Mr. Wren, Joseph Williamson, and Captain Cocke, dined with me;
and, being newly sat down, comes in, by invitation of Williamson's, the
Lieutenant of the Tower, and he brings in with him young Mr. Whore, whose
father, of the Tower, I know.--And here I had a neat dinner, and all in so
good manner and fashion, and with so good company, and everything to my
mind, as I never had more in my life--the company being to my heart's
content, and they all well pleased.  So continued, looking over my books
and closet till the evening, and so I to the Office and did a good deal of
business, and so home to supper and to bed with my mind mightily pleased
with this day's management, as one of the days of my life of fullest
content.

10th (Lord's day).  Accidentally talking of our maids before we rose, I
said a little word that did give occasion to my wife to fall out; and she
did most vexatiously, almost all the morning, but ended most perfect good
friends; but the thoughts of the unquiet which her ripping up of old
faults will give me, did make me melancholy all day long.  So about noon,
past 12, we rose, and to dinner, and then to read and talk, my wife and I
alone, for Balty was gone, who come to dine with us, and then in the
evening comes Pelting to sit and talk with us, and so to supper and pretty
merry discourse, only my mind a little vexed at the morning's work, but
yet without any appearance.  So after supper to bed.

11th.  Up, and with W. Hewer, my guard, to White Hall, where no Committee
of Tangier met, so up and down the House talking with this and that man,
and so home, calling at the New Exchange for a book or two to send to Mr.
Shepley and thence home, and thence to the 'Change, and there did a little
business, and so walked home to dinner, and then abroad with my wife to
the King's playhouse, and there saw "The Joviall Crew," but ill acted to
what it was heretofore, in Clun's time, and when Lacy could dance.  Thence
to the New Exchange, to buy some things; and, among others, my wife did
give me my pair of gloves, which, by contract, she is to give me in her
L30 a-year.  Here Mrs. Smith tells us of the great murder thereabouts, on
Saturday last, of one Captain Bumbridge, by one Symons, both of her
acquaintance; and hectors that were at play, and in drink: the former is
killed, and is kinsman to my Lord of Ormond, which made him speak of it
with so much passion, as I overheard him this morning, but could not make
anything of it till now, but would they would kill more of them.  So home;
and there at home all the evening; and made Tom to prick down some little
conceits and notions of mine, in musique, which do mightily encourage me
to spend some more thoughts about it; for I fancy, upon good reason, that
I am in the right way of unfolding the mystery of this matter, better than
ever yet.

12th.  Up, and to the Office, where, by occasion of a message from the
Treasurers that their Board found fault with Commissioner Middleton, I
went up from our Board to the Lords of the Treasury to meet our
Treasurers, and did, and there did dispute the business, it being about
the matter of paying a little money to Chatham Yard, wherein I find the
Treasurers mighty supple, and I believe we shall bring them to reason,
though they begun mighty upon us, as if we had no power of directing them,
but they, us.  Thence back presently home, to dinner, where I discern my
wife to have been in pain about where I have been, but said nothing to me,
but I believe did send W. Hewer to seek me, but I take no notice of it,
but am vexed.  So to dinner with my people, and then to the Office, where
all the afternoon, and did much business, and at it late, and so home to
supper, and to bed.  This day, meeting Mr. Pierce at White Hall, he tells
me that his boy hath a great mind to see me, and is going to school again;
and Dr. Clerke, being by, do tell me that he is a fine boy; but I durst
not answer anything, because I durst not invite him to my house, for fear
of my wife; and therefore, to my great trouble, was forced to neglect that
discourse.  But here Mr. Pierce, I asking him whither he was going, told
me as a great secret that he was going to his master's mistress, Mrs.
Churchill, with some physic; meaning for the pox I suppose, or else that
she is got with child.  This evening I observed my wife mighty dull, and I
myself was not mighty fond, because of some hard words she did give me at
noon, out of a jealousy at my being abroad this morning, which, God knows,
it was upon the business of the Office unexpectedly: but I to bed, not
thinking but she would come after me. But waking by and by out of a
slumber, which I usually fall into presently after my coming into the bed,
I found she did not prepare to come to bed, but got fresh candles, and
more wood for her fire, it being mighty cold, too.  At this being
troubled, I after a while prayed her to come to bed, all my people being
gone to bed; so, after an hour or two, she silent, and I now and then
praying her to come to bed, she fell out into a fury, that I was a rogue,
and false to her.  But yet I did perceive that she was to seek what to
say, only she invented, I believe, a business that I was seen in a hackney
coach with the glasses up with Deb., but could not tell the time, nor was
sure I was he.  I did, as I might truly, deny it, and was mightily
troubled, but all would not serve. At last, about one o'clock, she come to
my side of the bed, and drew my curtaine open, and with the tongs red hot
at the ends, made as if she did design to pinch me with them, at which, in
dismay, I rose up, and with a few words she laid them down; and did by
little and, little, very sillily, let all the discourse fall; and about
two, but with much seeming difficulty, come to bed, and there lay well all
night, and long in bed talking together, with much pleasure, it being, I
know, nothing but her doubt of my going out yesterday, without telling her
of my going, which did vex her, poor wretch! last night, and I cannot
blame her jealousy, though it do vex me to the heart.

13th.  So up and by coach to Sir W. Coventry's, but he gone out, so I to
White Hall, and thence walked out into the Park, all in the snow, with the
Duke of York and the rest, and so home, after visiting my Lady
Peterborough, and there by invitation find Mr. Povy, and there was also
Talbot Pepys, newly come from Impington, and dined with me; and after
dinner and a little talk with Povy about publick matters, he gone, and I
and my wife and Talbot towards the Temple, and there to the King's
playhouse, and there saw, I think, "The Maiden Queene," and so home and to
supper and read, and to bed.  This day come home the instrument I have so
long longed for, the Parallelogram.

14th.  Up and to the office, where all the morning busy, and so home to
dinner, where Goodgroome with us, and after dinner a song, and then to the
office, where busy till night, and then home to work there with W. Hewer
to get ready some Tangier papers against to-morrow, and so to supper and
to bed.

15th.  Up, and by coach to Sir W. Coventry, where with him a good while in
his chamber, talking of one thing or another; among others, he told me of
the great factions at Court at this day, even to the sober engaging of
great persons, and differences, and making the King cheap and ridiculous.
It is about my Lady Harvy's being offended at Doll Common's acting of
Sempronia, to imitate her; for which she got my Lord Chamberlain, her
kinsman, to imprison Doll: when my Lady Castlemayne made the King to
release her, and to order her to act it again, worse than ever, the other
day, where the King himself was: and since it was acted again, and my Lady
Harvy provided people to hiss her and fling oranges at her: but, it seems
the heat is come to a great height, and real troubles at Court about it.
Thence he and I out of doors, but he to Sir J. Duncomb, and I to White
Hall through the Park, where I met the King and the Duke of York, and so
walked with them, and so to White Hall, where the Duke of York met the
office and did a little business; and I did give him thanks for his favour
to me yesterday, at the Committee of Tangier, in my absence, Mr. Povy
having given me advice of it, of the discourse there of doing something as
to the putting the payment of the garrison into some undertaker's hand,
Alderman Backewell, which the Duke of York would not suffer to go on,
without my presence at the debate.  And he answered me just thus: that he
ought to have a care of him that do the King's business in the manner that
I do, and words of more force than that. Then down with Lord Brouncker to
Sir R. Murray, into the King's little elaboratory, under his closet, a
pretty place; and there saw a great many chymical glasses and things, but
understood none of them.  So I home and to dinner, and then out again and
stop with my wife at my cozen Turner's where I staid and sat a while, and
carried The. and my wife to the Duke of York's house, to "Macbeth," and
myself to White Hall, to the Lords of the Treasury, about Tangier
business; and there was by at much merry discourse between them and my
Lord Anglesey, who  made sport of our new Treasurers, and called them his
deputys, and much of that kind.  And having done my own business, I away
back, and carried my cozen Turner and sister Dyke to a friend's house,
where they were to sup, in Lincoln's Inn Fields; and I to the Duke of
York's house and saw the last two acts, and so carried The. thither, and
so home with my wife, who read to me late, and so to supper and to bed.
This day The. Turner shewed me at the play my Lady Portman, who has grown
out of my knowledge.

16th.  Up, and to the office all the morning, dined at home with my
people, and so all the afternoon till night at the office busy, and so
home to supper and to bed.  This morning Creed, and in the afternoon comes
Povy, to advise with me about my answer to the Lords [Commissioners] of
Tangier, about the propositions for the Treasurership there, which I am
not much concerned for.  But the latter, talking of publick things, told
me, as Mr. Wren also did, that the Parliament is likely to meets again,
the King being frighted with what the Speaker hath put him in mind of--his
promise not to prorogue, but only to adjourne them.  They speak mighty
freely of the folly of the King in this foolish woman's business, of my
Lady Harvy.  Povy tells me that Sir W. Coventry was with the King alone,
an hour this day; and that my Lady Castlemayne is now in a higher command
over the King than ever--not as a mistress, for she scorns him, but as a
tyrant, to command him: and says that the Duchess of York and the Duke of
York are mighty great with her, which is a great interest to my Lord
Chancellor's' family; and that they do agree to hinder all they can the
proceedings of the Duke of Buckingham and Arlington: and so we are in the
old mad condition, or rather worse than any; no man knowing what the
French intend to do the next summer.

17th (Lord's day).  To church myself after seeing every thing fitted for
dinner, and so, after church, home, and thither comes Mrs. Batelier and
her two daughters to dinner to us; and W. Hewer and his mother, and Mr.
Spong.  We were very civilly merry, and Mrs. Batelier a very discreet
woman, but mighty fond in the stories she tells of her son Will.  After
dinner, Mr. Spong and I to my closet, there to try my instrument
Parallelogram, which do mighty well, to my full content; but only a little
stiff, as being new.  Thence, taking leave of my guests, he and I and W.
Hewer to White Hall, and there parting with Spong, a man that I mightily
love for his plainness and ingenuity, I into the Court, and there up and
down and spoke with my Lords Bellassis and Peterborough about the business
now in dispute, about my deputing a Treasurer to pay the garrison at
Tangier, which I would avoid, and not be accountable, and they will serve
me therein.  Here I met Hugh May, and he brings me to the knowledge of Sir
Henry Capell, a Member of Parliament, and brother of my Lord of Essex, who
hath a great value, it seems, for me; and they appoint a day to come and
dine with me, and see my books, and papers of the Office, which I shall be
glad to shew them, and have opportunity to satisfy them therein.  Here all
the discourse is, that now the King is of opinion to have the Parliament
called, notwithstanding his late resolutions for proroguing them; so
unstable are his councils, and those about him.  So staying late talking
in the Queen's side, I away, with W. Hewer home, and there to read and
talk with my wife, and so to bed.

18th.  Up by candlelight, and with W. Hewer walked to the Temple, and
thence took coach and to Sir William Coventry's, and there discoursed the
business of my Treasurer's place, at Tangier, wherein he consents to my
desire, and concurs therein, which I am glad of, that I may not be
accountable for a man so far off.  And so I to my Lord Sandwich's, and
there walk with him through the garden, to White Hall, where he tells me
what he had done about this Treasurer's place, and I perceive the whole
thing did proceed from him: that finding it would be best to have the
Governor have nothing to do with the pay of the garrison, he did propose
to the Duke of York alone that a pay-master should be there; and that
being desirous to do a courtesy to Sir Charles Harbord, and to prevent the
Duke of York's looking out for any body else, he did name him to the Duke
of York.  That when he come the other day to move this to the Board of
Tangier, the Duke of York, it seems, did readily reply, that it was fit to
have Mr. Pepys satisfied therein first, and that it was not good to make
places for persons.  This my Lord in great confidence tells me, that he do
take very ill from the Duke of York, though nobody knew the meaning of
these words but him; and that he did take no notice of them, but bit his
lip, being satisfied that the Duke of York's care of me was as desirable
to him, as it could be to have Sir Charles Harbord: and did seem
industrious to let me see that he was glad that the Duke of York and he
might come to contend who shall be the kindest to me, which I owned as his
great love, and so I hope and believe it is, though my Lord did go a
little too far in this business, to move it so far, without consulting me.
But I took no notice of that, but was glad to see this competition come
about, that my Lord Sandwich is apparently jealous of my thinking that the
Duke of York do mean me more kindness than him.  So we walked together,
and I took this occasion to invite him to dinner one day to my house, and
he readily appointed Friday next, which I shall be glad to have over to
his content, he having never yet eat a bit of my bread. Thence to the Duke
of York on the King's side, with our Treasurers of the Navy, to discourse
some business of the Navy, about the pay of the yards, and there I was
taken notice of, many Lords being there in the room, of the Duke of York's
conference with me; and so away, and meeting Mr. Sidney Montagu and
Sheres, a small invitation served their turn to carry them to London,
where I paid Sheres his L100, given him for his pains in drawing the plate
of Tangier fortifications, &c., and so home to my house to dinner, where I
had a pretty handsome sudden dinner, and all well pleased; and thence we
three and my wife to the Duke of York's playhouse, and there saw "The
Witts," a medley of things, but some similes mighty good, though ill
mixed; and thence with my wife to the Exchange and bought some things, and
so home, after I had been at White Hall, and there in the Queen's
withdrawing-room invited my Lord Peterborough to dine with me, with my
Lord Sandwich, who readily accepted it.  Thence back and took up my wife
at the 'Change, and so home.  This day at noon I went with my young
gentlemen (thereby to get a little time while W. Hewer went home to bid
them get a dinner ready) to the Pope's Head tavern, there to see the fine
painted room which Rogerson told me of, of his doing; but I do not like it
at all, though it be good for such a publick room.

19th.  Up, and at the office all the morning.  At noon eat a mouthful, and
so with my wife to Madam Turner's, and find her gone, but The. staid for
us; and so to the King's house, to see "Horace;" this the third day of its
acting--a silly tragedy; but Lacy hath made a farce of several
dances--between each act, one: but his words are but silly, and invention
not extraordinary, as to the dances; only some Dutchmen come out of the
mouth and tail of a Hamburgh sow.  Thence, not much pleased with the play,
set them at home in the Strand; and my wife and I home, and there to do a
little business at the Office, and so home to supper and to bed.

20th.  Up; and my wife, and I, and W. Hewer to White Hall, where she set
us down; and there I spoke with my Lord Peterborough, to tell him of the
day for his dining with me being altered by my Lord Sandwich from Friday
to Saturday next.  And thence heard at the Council-board the City, by
their single counsel Symson, and the company of Strangers Merchants, a
debate the business of water-baylage; a tax demanded upon all goods, by
the City, imported and exported: which these Merchants oppose, and
demanding leave to try the justice of the City's demand by a Quo Warranto,
which the City opposed, the Merchants did quite lay the City on their
backs with great triumph, the City's cause being apparently too weak: but
here I observed Mr. Gold, the merchant, to speak very well, and very
sharply, against the City.  Thence to my wife at Unthanke's, and with her
and W. Hewer to Hercules Pillars, calling to do two or three things by the
way, end there dined, and thence to the Duke of York's house, and saw
"Twelfth Night," as it is now revived; but, I think, one of the weakest
plays that ever I saw on the stage.  This afternoon, before the play, I
called with my wife at Dancre's, the great landscape-painter, by Mr.
Povy's advice; and have bespoke him to come to take measure of my
dining-room panels, and there I met with the pretty daughter of the
coalseller's, that lived in Cheapside, and now in Covent Garden, who hath
her picture drawn here, but very poorly; but she is a pretty woman, and
now, I perceive, married, a very pretty black woman. So, the play done, we
home, my wife letting fall some words of her observing my eyes to be
mightily employed in the playhouse, meaning upon women, which did vex me;
but, however, when we come home, we were good friends; and so to read, and
to supper, and so to bed.

21st. Up, and walked to the Temple, it being frosty, and there took coach,
my boy Tom with me, and so to White Hall to a Committee of Tangier, where
they met, and by and by and till twelve at noon upon business, among
others mine, where my desire about being eased of appointing and standing
accountable for a Treasurer there was well accepted, and they will think
of some other way.  This I was glad of, finding reason to doubt that I
might in this (since my Lord Sandwich made me understand what he had said
to the Duke of York herein) fear to offend either the Duke of York by
denying it, for he seemed on Sunday night last, when I first made known my
desire to him herein to be a little amused at it, though I knew not then
the reason, or else offend my Lord Sandwich by accepting it, or denying it
in a manner that might not forward his desire for Sir Charles Harbord, but
I thank God I did it to my great content without any offence, I think, to
either.  Thence in my own coach home, where I find Madam Turner, Dyke, and
The., and had a good dinner for them, and merry; and so carried them to
the Duke of York's house, all but Dyke, who went away on other business;
and there saw "The Tempest;" but it is but ill done by Gosnell, in lieu of
Moll Davis. Thence set them at home, and my wife and I to the 'Change, and
so home, where my wife mighty dogged, and I vexed to see it, being
mightily troubled, of late, at her being out of humour, for fear of her
discovering any new matter of offence against me, though I am conscious of
none; but do hate to be unquiet at home.  So, late up, silent, and not
supping, but hearing her utter some words of discontent to me with
silence, and so to bed, weeping to myself for grief, which she discerning,
come to bed, and mighty kind, and so with great joy on both sides to
sleep.

22nd.  Up, and with W. Hewer to White Hall, and there attended the Duke of
York, and thence to the Exchange, in the way calling at several places on
occasions relating to my feast to-morrow, on which my mind is now set; as
how to get a new looking-glass for my dining-room, and some pewter, and
good wine, against to-morrow; and so home, where I had the looking-glass
set up, cost me L6  7s. 6d.  And here at the 'Change I met with Mr.
Dancre, the famous landscape painter, with whom I was on Wednesday; and he
took measure of my panels in my dining-room, where, in the four, I intend
to have the four houses of the King, White Hall, Hampton Court, Greenwich,
and Windsor.  He gone, I to dinner with my people, and so to my office to
dispatch a little business, and then home to look after things against
to-morrow, and among other things was mightily pleased with the fellow
that come to lay the cloth, and fold the napkins, which I like so well, as
that I am resolved to give him 40s. to teach my wife to do it.  So to
supper, with much kindness between me and my wife, which, now-a-days, is
all my care, and so to bed.

23rd.  Up, and again to look after the setting things right against
dinner, which I did to very good content.  So to the office, where all the
morning till noon, when word brought me to the Board that my Lord Sandwich
was come; so I presently rose, leaving the Board ready to rise, and there
I found my Lord Sandwich, Peterborough, and Sir Charles Harbord; and
presently after them comes my Lord Hinchingbroke, Mr. Sidney, and Sir
William Godolphin.  And after greeting them, and some time spent in talk,
dinner was brought up, one dish after another, but a dish at a time, but
all so good; but, above all things, the variety of wines, and excellent of
their kind, I had for them, and all in so good order, that they were
mightily pleased, and myself full of content at it: and indeed it was, of
a dinner of about six or eight dishes, as noble as any man need to have, I
think; at least, all was done in the noblest manner that ever I had any,
and I have rarely seen in my life better anywhere else, even at the Court.
After dinner, my Lords to cards, and the rest of us sitting about them and
talking, and looking on my books and pictures, and my wife's drawings,
which they commend mightily; and mighty merry all day long, with exceeding
great content, and so till seven at night; and so took their leaves, it
being dark and foul weather.  Thus was this entertainment over, the best
of its kind, and the fullest of honour and content to me, that ever I had
in my life: and shall not easily have so good again.  The truth is, I have
some fear that I am more behind-hand in the world for these last two
years, since I have not, or for some time could not, look after my
accounts, which do a little allay my pleasure.  But I do trust in God I am
pretty well yet, and resolve, in a very little time, to look into my
accounts, and see how they stand.  So to my wife's chamber, and there
supped, and got her cut my hair and look my shirt, for I have itched
mightily these 6 or 7 days, and when all comes to all she finds that I am
lousy, having found in my head and body about twenty lice, little and
great, which I wonder at, being more than I have had I believe these 20
years.  I did think I might have got them from the little boy, but they
did presently look him, and found none.  So how they come I know not, but
presently did shift myself, and so shall be rid of them, and cut my hair
close to my head, and so with much content to bed.

24th (Lord's day).  An order brought me in bed, for the Principal Officers
to attend the King at my Lord Keeper's this afternoon, it being resolved
late the last night; and, by the warrant, I find my Lord Keeper did not
then know the cause of it, the messenger being ordered to call upon him,
to tell it him by the way, as he come to us.  So I up, and to my Office to
set down my Journall for yesterday, and so home, and with my wife to
Church, and then home, and to dinner, and after dinner out with my wife by
coach, to cozen Turner's, where she and The. gone to church, but I left my
wife with Mrs. Dyke and Joyce Norton, whom I have not seen till now since
their coming to town: she is become an old woman, and with as cunning a
look as ever, and thence I to White Hall, and there walked up and down
till the King and Duke of York were ready to go forth; and here I met
Will. Batelier, newly come post from France, his boots all dirty.  He
brought letters to the King, and I glad to see him, it having been
reported that he was drowned, for some days past, and then, he being gone,
I to talk with Tom Killigrew, who told me and others, talking about the
playhouse, that he is fain to keep a woman on purpose at 20s. a week to
satisfy 8 or 10 of the young men of his house, whom till he did so he
could never keep to their business, and now he do.  By and by the King
comes out, and so I took coach, and followed his coaches to my Lord
Keeper's, at Essex House, where I never was before, since I saw my old
Lord Essex lie in state when he was dead; a large, but ugly house.  Here
all the Officers of the Navy attended, and by and by were called in to the
King and Cabinet, where my Lord, who was ill, did lie upon the bed, as my
old Lord Treasurer, or Chancellor, heretofore used to; and the business
was to know in what time all the King's ships might be repaired, fit for
service.  The Surveyor answered, in two years, and not sooner. I did give
them hopes that, with supplies of money suitable, we might have them all
fit for sea some part of the summer after this.  Then they demanded in
what time we could set out forty ships.  It was answered, as they might be
chosen of the newest and most ready, we could, with money, get forty ready
against May.  The King seemed mighty full that we should have money to do
all that we desired, and satisfied that, without it, nothing could be
done: and so, without determining any thing, we were dismissed; and I
doubt all will end in some little fleete this year, and those of hired
merchant-men, which would indeed be cheaper to the King, and have many
conveniences attending it, more than to fit out the King's own; and this,
I perceive, is designed, springing from Sir W. Coventry's counsel; and the
King and most of the Lords, I perceive, full of it, to get the King's
fleete all at once in condition for service.  Thence I with Mr. Wren in
his coach to my cozen Turner's for discourse sake, and in our way he told
me how the business of the Parliament is wholly laid aside, it being
overruled now, that they shall not meet, but must be prorogued, upon this
argument chiefly, that all the differences between the two Houses, and
things on foot, that were matters of difference and discontent, may be
laid aside, and must begin again, if ever the House shall have a mind to
pursue them.  They must begin all anew.  Here he set me down, and I to my
cozen Turner, and stayed and talked a little; and so took my wife, and
home, and there to make her read, and then to supper, and to bed.  At
supper come W. Batelier and supped with us, and told us many pretty things
of France, and the greatness of the present King.

25th.  Up, and to the Committee of Tangier, where little done, and thence
I home by my own coach, and busy after dinner at my office all the
afternoon till late at night, that my eyes were tired.  So home, and my
wife shewed me many excellent prints of Nanteuil's and others, which W.
Batelier hath, at my desire, brought me out of France, of the King, and
Colbert, and others, most excellent, to my great content.  But he hath
also brought a great many gloves perfumed, of several sorts; but all too
big by half for her, and yet she will have two or three dozen of them,
which vexed me, and made me angry.  So she, at last, to please me, did
come to take what alone I thought fit, which pleased me.  So, after a
little supper, to bed, my eyes being very bad.

26th.  Up, and to the office, where busy sitting all the morning. Then to
the Office again, and then to White Hall, leaving my wife at Unthanke's;
and I to the Secretary's chamber, where I was, by particular order, this
day summoned to attend, as I find Sir D. Gawden also was. And here was the
King and the Cabinet met; and, being called in, among the rest I find my
Lord Privy Seale, whom I never before knew to be in so much play, as to be
of the Cabinet.  The business is, that the Algerines have broke the peace
with us, by taking some Spaniards and goods out of an English ship, which
had the Duke of York's pass, of which advice come this day; and the King
is resolved to stop Sir Thomas Allen's fleete from coming home till he
hath amends made him for this affront, and therefore sent for us to advise
about victuals to be sent to that fleete, and some more ships; wherein I
answered them to what they demanded of me, which was but some few mean
things; but I see that on all these occasions they seem to rely most upon
me.  And so, this being done, I took coach and took up my wife and
straight home, and there late at the office busy, and then home, and there
I find W. Batelier hath also sent the books which I made him bring me out
of France.  Among others, L'Estat, de France, Marnix, &c., to my great
content; and so I was well pleased with them, and shall take a time to
look them over: as also one or two printed musick-books of songs; but my
eyes are now too much out of tune to look upon them with any pleasure,
therefore to supper and to bed.

27th.  Up, and with Sir John Minnes in his coach to White Hall, where
first we waited on the Lords of the Treasury about finishing the
Victualling Contract; and there also I was put to it to make good our
letter complaining against my Lord Anglesey's failing us in the payment of
the moneys assigned us upon the Customs, where Mr. Fenn was, and I know
will tell my Lord; but it is no matter, I am over shy already, and
therefore must not fear.  Then we up to a Committee of the Council for the
Navy, about a business of Sir D. Gawden's relating to the Victualling, and
thence I by hackney to the Temple to the Auditor's man, and with him to a
tavern to meet with another under-auditor to advise about the clearing of
my Lord Bellasses' accounts without injuring myself and perplexing my
accounts, and so thence away to my cozen Turner's, where I find Roger
Pepys come last night to town, and here is his mistress, Mrs. Dickenson,
and by and by comes in Mr. Turner, a worthy, sober, serious man--I honour
him mightily.  And there we dined, having but an ordinary dinner; and so,
after dinner, she, and I, and Roger, and his mistress, to the Duke of
York's playhouse, and there saw "The Five Hours' Adventure," which hath
not been acted a good while before, but once, and is a most excellent
play, I must confess.  My wife and The. come after us, after they had been
to buy some things abroad, and so after the play done we to see them home,
and then home ourselves, and my wife to read to me, and so to supper and
to bed.

28th.  Up, and to the office, where all the afternoon, also after dinner,
and there late dispatching much business, and then home to supper with my
wife, and to get her to read to me, and here I did find that Mr. Sheres
hath, beyond his promise, not only got me a candlestick made me, after a
form he remembers to have seen in Spain, for keeping the light from one's
eyes, but hath got it done in silver very neat, and designs to give it me,
in thanks for my paying him his L100 in money, for his service at Tangier,
which was ordered him; but I do intend to force him to make me [pay] for
it.  But I yet, without his direction, cannot tell how it is to be made
use of.  So after a little reading to bed.

29th.  Up, and with W. Hewer in Colonel Middleton's coach to White Hall,
and there to the Duke of York, to attend him, where among other things I
did give a severe account of our proceedings, and what we found, in the
business of Sir W. Jenings's demand of Supernumeraries.  I thought it a
good occasion to make an example of him, for he is a proud, idle fellow;
and it did meet with the Duke of York's acceptance and well-liking; and he
did call him in, after I had done, and did not only give him a soft
rebuke, but condemns him to pay both their victuals and wages, or right
himself of the purser.  This I was glad of, and so were all the rest of
us, though I know I have made myself an immortal enemy by it.  Thence home
by hackney, calling Roger Pepys at the Temple gate in the bookseller's
shop, and to the Old Exchange, where I staid a little to invite my uncle
Wight, and so home, and there find my aunt Wight and her husband come
presently, and so to dinner; and after dinner Roger, and I, and my wife,
and aunt, to see Mr. Cole; but he nor his wife was within, but we looked
upon his picture of Cleopatra, which I went principally to see, being so
much commended by my wife and aunt; but I find it a base copy of a good
originall, that vexed me to hear so much commended. Thence to see Creed's
wife, and did so, and staid a while, where both of them within; and here I
met Mr. Bland, newly come from Gales [Cadiz] after his differences with
Norwood.  I think him a foolish, light-headed man; but certainly he hath
been abused in this matter by Colonel Norwood. Here Creed shewed me a copy
of some propositions, which Bland and others, in the name of the
Corporation of Tangier, did present to Norwood, for his opinion in, in
order to the King's service, which were drawn up very humbly, and were
really good things; but his answer to them was in the most shitten proud,
carping, insolent, and ironically-prophane stile, that ever I saw in my
life, so as I shall never think the place can do well, while he is there.
Here, after some talk, and Creed's telling us that he is upon taking the
next house to his present lodgings, which is next to that that my cozen
Tom Pepys once lived in, in Newport Street, in Covent Garden; and is in a
good place, and then, I suppose, he will keep his coach.  So, setting
Roger down at the Temple, who tells me that he is now concluded in all
matters with his widow, we home, and there hired my wife to make an end of
Boyle's Book of Formes, to-night and to-morrow; and so fell to read and
sup, and then to bed.  This day, Mr. Ned Pickering brought his lady to see
my wife, in acknowledgment of a little present of oranges and olives,
which I sent her, for his kindness to me in the buying of my horses, which
was very civil.  She is old, but hath, I believe, been a pretty comely
woman:

30th.  Lay long in bed, it being a fast-day for the murder of the late
King; and so up and to church, where Dr. Hicks made a dull sermon; and so
home, and there I find W. Batelier and Balty, and they dined with us, and
I spent all the afternoon with my wife and W. Batelier talking, and then
making them read, and particularly made an end of Mr. Boyle's Book of
Formes, which I am glad to have over, and then fell to read a French
discourse, which he hath brought over with him for me, to invite the
people of France to apply themselves to Navigation, which it do very well,
and is certainly their interest, and what will undo us in a few years, if
the King of France goes on to fit up his Navy, and encrease it and his
trade, as he hath begun.  At night to supper, and after supper, and W.
Batelier gone, my wife begun another book I lately bought, called "The
State of England," which promises well, and is worth reading, and so after
a while to bed.

31st (Lord's day).  Lay long talking with pleasure, and so up and I to
church, and there did hear the Doctor that is lately turned Divine, I have
forgot his name, I met him a while since at Sir D. Gawden's at dinner, Dr.
Waterhouse!  He preaches in a devout manner of way, not elegant nor very
persuasive, but seems to mean well, and that he would preach holily; and
was mighty passionate against people that make a scoff of religion.  And,
the truth is, I did observe Mrs. Hollworthy smile often, and many others
of the parish, who, I perceive, have known him, and were in mighty
expectation of hearing him preach, but could not forbear smiling, and she
particularly upon me, and I on her.  So home to dinner: and before dinner
to my Office, to set down my journal for this week, and then home to
dinner; and after dinner to get my wife and boy, one after another, to
read to me: and so spent the afternoon and the evening, and so after
supper to bed.  And thus endeth this month, with many different days of
sadness and mirth, from differences between me and my wife, from her
remembrance of my late unkindness to her with Willet, she not being able
to forget it, but now and then hath her passionate remembrance of it as
often as prompted to it by any occasion; but this night we are at present
very kind.  And so ends this month.

     ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS:

     Dine with them, at my cozen Roger's mistress's
     Dutchmen come out of the mouth and tail of a Hamburgh sow
     Fain to keep a woman on purpose at 20s. a week
     Find it a base copy of a good originall, that vexed me
     Found in my head and body about twenty lice, little and great
     I have itched mightily these 6 or 7 days
     I know I have made myself an immortal enemy by it
     Lady Castlemayne is now in a higher command over the King
     Mighty fond in the stories she tells of her son Will
     Observing my eyes to be mightily employed in the playhouse
     Proud, carping, insolent, and ironically-prophane stile
     She finds that I am lousy
     Unquiet which her ripping up of old faults will give me
     Up, and with W. Hewer, my guard, to White Hall
     Weeping to myself for grief, which she discerning, come to bed





                THE DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS M.A. F.R.S.

            CLERK OF THE ACTS AND SECRETARY TO THE ADMIRALTY

    TRANSCRIBED FROM THE SHORTHAND MANUSCRIPT IN THE PEPYSIAN LIBRARY
 MAGDALENE COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE BY THE REV. MYNORS BRIGHT M.A. LATE FELLOW
                      AND PRESIDENT OF THE COLLEGE

                              (Unabridged)

                      WITH LORD BRAYBROOKE'S NOTES

                        EDITED WITH ADDITIONS BY

                        HENRY B. WHEATLEY F.S.A.

                          DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS.
                             FEBRUARY & MARCH
                                1668-1669

February 1st.  Up, and by water from the Tower to White Hall, the first
time that I have gone to that end of the town by water, for two or three
months, I think, since I kept a coach, which God send propitious to me;
but it is a very great convenience.  I went to a Committee of Tangier, but
it did not meet, and so I meeting Mr. Povy, he and I away to Dancre's, to
speak something touching the pictures I am getting him to make for me.
And thence he carried me to Mr. Streeter's, the famous history-painter
over the way, whom I have often heard of, but did never see him before;
and there I found him, and Dr. Wren, and several Virtuosos, looking upon
the paintings which he is making for the new Theatre at Oxford: and,
indeed, they look as if they would be very fine, and the rest think better
than those of Rubens in the Banqueting-house at White Hall, but I do not
so fully think so.  But they will certainly be very noble; and I am
mightily pleased to have the fortune to see this man and his work, which
is very famous; and he a very civil little man, and lame, but lives very
handsomely.  So thence to my Lord Bellassis, and met him within: my
business only to see a chimney-piece of Dancre's doing, in distemper, with
egg to keep off the glaring of the light, which I must have done for my
room: and indeed it is pretty, but, I must confess, I do think it is not
altogether so beautiful as the oyle pictures; but I will have some of one,
and some of another.  Thence set him down at Little Turnstile, and so I
home, and there eat a little dinner, and away with my wife by coach to the
King's playhouse, thinking to have seen "The Heyresse," first acted on
Saturday last; but when we come thither, we find no play there; Kinaston,
that did act a part therein, in abuse to Sir Charles Sedley, being last
night exceedingly beaten with sticks, by two or three that assaulted him,
so as he is mightily bruised, and forced to keep his bed.  So we to the
Duke of York's playhouse, and there saw "She Would if She Could," and so
home and to my office to business, and then to supper and to bed.  This
day, going to the play, The. Turner met us, and carried us to her mother,
at my Lady Mordaunt's; and I did carry both mother and daughter with us to
the Duke of York's playhouse, at next door.

2nd.  Up, and to the office, where all the morning, and home to dinner at
noon, where I find Mr. Sheres; and there made a short dinner, and carried
him with us to the King's playhouse, where "The Heyresse,"
not-withstanding Kinaston's being beaten, is acted; and they say the King
is very angry with Sir Charles Sedley for his being beaten, but he do deny
it.  But his part is done by Beeston, who is fain to read it out of a book
all the while, and thereby spoils the part, and almost the play, it being
one of the best parts in it; and though the design is, in the first
conception of it, pretty good, yet it is but an indifferent play, wrote,
they say, by my Lord Newcastle.  But it was pleasant to see Beeston come
in with others, supposing it to be dark, and yet he is forced to read his
part by the light of the candles: and this I observing to a gentleman that
sat by me, he was mightily pleased therewith, and spread it up and down.
But that, that pleased me most in the play is, the first song that Knepp
sings, she singing three or four; and, indeed, it was very finely sung, so
as to make the whole house clap her.  Thence carried Sheres to White Hall,
and there I stepped in, and looked out Mr. May, who tells me that he and
his company cannot come to dine with me to-morrow, whom I expected only to
come to see the manner of our Office and books, at which I was not very
much displeased, having much business at the Office, and so away home, and
there to the office about my letters, and then home to supper and to bed,
my wife being in mighty ill humour all night, and in the morning I found
it to be from her observing Knepp to wink and smile on me; and she says I
smiled on her; and, poor wretch! I did perceive that she did, and do on
all such occasions, mind my eyes. I did, with much difficulty, pacify her,
and were friends, she desiring that hereafter, at that house, we might
always sit either above in a box, or, if there be [no] room, close up to
the lower boxes.

3rd.  So up, and to the Office till noon, and then home to a little
dinner, and thither again till night, mighty busy, to my great content,
doing a great deal of business, and so home to supper, and to bed; I
finding this day that I may be able to do a great deal of business by
dictating, if I do not read myself, or write, without spoiling my eyes, I
being very well in my eyes after a great day's work.

4th.  Up, and at the office all the morning.  At noon home with my people
to dinner, and then after dinner comes Mr. Spong to see me, and brings me
my Parallelogram, in better order than before, and two or three draughts
of the port of Brest, to my great content, and I did call Mr. Gibson to
take notice of it, who is very much pleased therewith; and it seems this
Parallelogram is not, as Mr. Sheres would, the other day, have persuaded
me, the same as a Protractor, which do so much the more make me value it,
but of itself it is a most usefull instrument.  Thence out with my wife
and him, and carried him to an instrument-maker's shop in Chancery Lane,
that was once a 'Prentice of Greatorex's, but the master was not within,
and there he [Gibson] shewed me a Parallelogram in brass, which I like so
well that I will buy, and therefore bid it be made clean and fit for me.
And so to my cozen Turner's, and there just spoke with The., the mother
not being at home; and so to the New Exchange, and thence home to my
letters; and so home to supper and to bed.  This morning I made a slip
from the Office to White Hall, expecting Povy's business at a Committee of
Tangier, at which I would be, but it did not meet, and so I presently
back.

5th.  Up betimes, by coach to Sir W. Coventry's, and with him by coach to
White Hall, and there walked in the garden talking of several things, and
by my visit to keep fresh my interest in him; and there he tells me how it
hath been talked that he was to go one of the Commissioners to Ireland,
which he was resolved never to do, unless directly commanded; for he told
me that for to go thither, while the Chief Secretary of State was his
professed enemy, was to undo himself; and, therefore, it were better for
him to venture being unhappy here, than to go further off, to be undone by
some obscure instructions, or whatever other way of mischief his enemies
should cut out for him.  He mighty kind to me, and so parted, and thence
home, calling in two or three places--among others, Dancre's, where I find
him beginning of a piece for me, of Greenwich, which will please me well,
and so home to dinner, and very busy all the afternoon, and so at night
home to supper, and to bed.

6th.  Up, and to the office, where all the morning, and thence after
dinner to the King's playhouse, and there,--in an upper box, where come in
Colonel Poynton and Doll Stacey, who is very fine, and, by her
wedding-ring, I suppose he hath married her at last,--did see "The Moor of
Venice:" but ill acted in most parts; Mohun, which did a little surprise
me, not acting Iago's part by much so well as Clun used to do; nor another
Hart's, which was Cassio's; nor, indeed, Burt doing the Moor's so well as
I once thought he did.  Thence home, and just at Holborn Conduit the bolt
broke, that holds the fore-wheels to the perch, and so the horses went
away with them, and left the coachman and us; but being near our
coachmaker's, and we staying in a little ironmonger's shop, we were
presently supplied with another, and so home, and there to my letters at
the office, and so to supper and to bed.

7th (Lord's day).  My wife mighty peevish in the morning about my lying
unquietly a-nights, and she will have it that it is a late practice, from
my evil thoughts in my dreams, .  .  .  and mightily she is troubled
about it; but all blew over, and I up, and to church, and so home to
dinner, where she in a worse fit, which lasted all the afternoon, and
shut herself up, in her closet, and I mightily grieved and vexed, and
could not get her to tell me what ayled her, or to let me into her
closet, but at last she did, where I found her crying on the ground,
and I could not please her; but I did at last find that she did plainly
expound it to me.  It was, that she did believe me false to her with
Jane, and did rip up three or four silly circumstances of her not rising
till I come out of my chamber, and her letting me thereby see her
dressing herself; and that I must needs go into her chamber and was
naught with her; which was so silly, and so far from truth, that I could
not be troubled at it, though I could not wonder at her being troubled,
if she had these thoughts, and therefore she would lie from me, and
caused sheets to be put on in the blue room, and would have Jane to lie
with her lest I should come to her.  At last, I did give her such
satisfaction, that we were mighty good friends, and went to bed betimes
 .  .  .  .  .

8th.  Up, and dressed myself; and by coach, with W. Hewer and my wife, to
White Hall, where she set us two down; and in the way, our little boy, at
Martin, my bookseller's shop, going to 'light, did fall down; and, had he
not been a most nimble boy (I saw how he did it, and was mightily pleased
with him for it), he had been run over by the coach.  I to visit my Lord
Sandwich; and there, while my Lord was dressing himself, did see a young
Spaniard, that he hath brought over with him, dance, which he is admired
for, as the best dancer in Spain, and indeed he do with mighty mastery;
but I do not like his dancing as the English, though my Lord commends it
mightily: but I will have him to my house, and show it my wife.  Here I
met with Mr. Moore, who tells me the state of my Lord's accounts of his
embassy, which I find not so good as I thought: for, though it be passed
the King and his Cabal (the Committee for Foreign Affairs as they are
called), yet they have cut off from L9000 full L8000, and have now sent it
to the Lords of the Treasury, who, though the Committee have allowed the
rest, yet they are not obliged to abide by it. So that I do fear this
account may yet be long ere it be passed--much more, ere that sum be paid:
I am sorry for the family, and not a little for what it owes me.  So to my
wife, took her up at Unthank's, and in our way home did shew her the tall
woman in Holborne, which I have seen before; and I measured her, and she
is, without shoes, just six feet five inches high, and they say not above
twenty-one years old.  Thence home, and there to dinner, and my wife in a
wonderful ill humour; and, after dinner, I staid with her alone, being not
able to endure this life, and fell to some angry words together; but by
and by were mighty good friends, she telling me plain it was still about
Jane, whom she cannot believe but I am base with, which I made a matter of
mirth at; but at last did call up Jane, and confirm her mistress's
directions for her being gone at Easter, which I find the wench willing to
be, but directly prayed that Tom might go with her, which I promised, and
was but what I designed; and she being thus spoke with, and gone, my wife
and I good friends, and mighty kind, I having promised, and I will perform
it, never to give her for the time to come ground of new trouble; and so I
to the Office, with a very light heart, and there close at my business all
the afternoon.  This day I was told by Mr. Wren, that Captain Cox,
Master-Attendant at Deptford, is to be one of us very soon, he and Tippets
being to take their turns for Chatham and Portsmouth, which choice I like
well enough; and Captain Annesley is to come in his room at Deptford.
This morning also, going to visit Roger Pepys, at the potticary's in
King's Street, he tells me that Roger is gone to his wife's, so that they
have been married, as he tells me, ever since the middle of last week: it
was his design, upon good reasons, to make no noise of it; but I am well
enough contented that it is over.  Dispatched a great deal of business at
the office, and there pretty late, till finding myself very full of wind,
by my eating no dinner to-day, being vexed, I was forced to go home, and
there supped W. Batelier with us, and so with great content to bed.

9th.  Up, and all the morning busy at the office, and after dinner abroad
with my wife to the King's playhouse, and there saw "The Island
Princesse," which I like mighty well, as an excellent play: and here we
find Kinaston to be well enough to act again, which he do very well, after
his beating by Sir Charles Sedley's appointment; and so thence home, and
there to my business at the Office, and after my letters done, then home
to supper and to bed, my mind being mightily eased by my having this
morning delivered to the Office a letter of advice about our answers to
the Commissioners of Accounts, whom we have neglected, and I have done
this as a record in my justification hereafter, when it shall come to be
examined.

10th.  Up, and with my wife and W. Hewer, she set us down at White Hall,
where the Duke of York was gone a-hunting: and so, after I had done a
little business there, I to my wife, and with her to the plaisterer's at
Charing Cross, that casts heads and bodies in plaister: and there I had my
whole face done; but I was vexed first to be forced to daub all my face
over with pomatum: but it was pretty to feel how soft and easily it is
done on the face, and by and by, by degrees, how hard it becomes, that you
cannot break it, and sits so close, that you cannot pull it off, and yet
so easy, that it is as soft as a pillow, so safe is everything where many
parts of the body do bear alike.  Thus was the mould made; but when it
came off there was little pleasure in it, as it looks in the mould, nor
any resemblance whatever there will be in the figure, when I come to see
it cast off, which I am to call for a day or two hence, which I shall long
to see.  Thence to Hercules Pillars, and there my wife and W. Hewer and I
dined, and back to White Hall, where I staid till the Duke of York come
from hunting, which he did by and by, and, when dressed, did come out to
dinner; and there I waited: and he did tell me that to-morrow was to be
the great day that the business of the Navy would be dis coursed of before
the King and his Caball, and that he must stand on his guard, and did
design to have had me in readiness by, but that upon second thoughts did
think it better to let it alone, but they are now upon entering into the
economical part of the Navy.  Here he dined, and did mightily magnify his
sauce, which he did then eat with every thing, and said it was the best
universal sauce in the world, it being taught him by the Spanish
Embassador; made of some parsley and a dry toast, beat in a mortar,
together with vinegar, salt, and a little pepper: he eats it with flesh,
or fowl, or fish: and then he did now mightily commend some new sort of
wine lately found out, called Navarre wine, which I tasted, and is, I
think, good wine: but I did like better the notion of the sauce, and by
and by did taste it, and liked it mightily.  After dinner, I did what I
went for, which was to get his consent that Balty might hold his
Muster-Master's place by deputy, in his new employment which I design for
him, about the Storekeeper's accounts; which the Duke of York did grant
me, and I was mighty glad of it.  Thence home, and there I find Povy and
W. Batelier, by appointment, met to talk of some merchandize of wine and
linnen; but I do not like of their troubling my house to meet in, having
no mind to their pretences of having their rendezvous here, but, however,
I was not much troubled, but went to the office, and there very busy, and
did much business till late at night, and so home to supper, and with
great pleasure to bed.  This day, at dinner, I sent to Mr. Spong to come
to me to Hercules Pillars, who come to us, and there did bring with him my
new Parallelogram of brass, which I was mightily pleased with, and paid
for it 25s., and am mightily pleased with his ingenious and modest
company.

11th.  Up, and to the office, where sat all the morning, and at noon home
and heard that the last night Colonel Middleton's wife died, a woman I
never saw since she come hither, having never been within their house
since.  Home at noon to dinner, and thence to work all the afternoon with
great pleasure, and did bring my business to a very little compass in my
day book, which is a mighty pleasure, and so home to supper and get my
wife to read to me, and then to bed.

12th.  Up, and my wife with me to White Hall, and Tom, and there she sets
us down, and there to wait on the Duke of York, with the rest of us, at
the Robes, where the Duke of York did tell us that the King would have us
prepare a draught of the present administration of the Navy, and what it
was in the late times, in order to his being able to distinguish between
the good and the bad, which I shall do, but to do it well will give me a
great deal of trouble.  Here we shewed him Sir J. Minnes's propositions
about balancing Storekeeper's accounts; and I did shew him Hosier's, which
did please him mightily, and he will have it shewed the Council and King
anon, to be put in practice.  Thence to the Treasurer's; and I and Sir J.
Minnes and Mr. Tippets down to the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury,
and there had a hot debate from Sir Thomas Clifford and my Lord Ashly (the
latter of which, I hear, is turning about as fast as he can to the Duke of
Buckingham's side, being in danger, it seems, of being otherwise out of
play, which would not be convenient for him), against Sir W. Coventry and
Sir J. Duncomb, who did uphold our Office against an accusation of our
Treasurers, who told the Lords that they found that we had run the King in
debt L50,000 or more, more than the money appointed for the year would
defray, which they declared like fools, and with design to hurt us, though
the thing is in itself ridiculous.  But my Lord Ashly and Clifford did
most horribly cry out against the want of method in the Office.  At last
it come that it should be put in writing what they had to object; but I
was devilish mad at it, to see us thus wounded by our own members, and so
away vexed, and called my wife, and to Hercules Pillars, Tom and I, there
dined; and here there coming a Frenchman by with his Shew, we did make him
shew it us, which he did just as Lacy acts it, which made it mighty
pleasant to me.  So after dinner we away and to Dancre's, and there saw
our picture of Greenwich in doing, which is mighty pretty, and so to White
Hall, my wife to Unthank's, and I attended with Lord Brouncker the King
and Council, about the proposition of balancing Storekeeper's accounts and
there presented Hosier's book, and it was mighty well resented and
approved of.  So the Council being up, we to the Queen's side with the
King and Duke of York: and the Duke of York did take me out to talk of our
Treasurers, whom he is mighty angry with: and I perceive he is mighty
desirous to bring in as many good motions of profit and reformation in the
Navy as he can, before the Treasurers do light upon them, they being
desirous, it seems, to be thought the great reformers: and the Duke of
York do well.  But to my great joy he is mighty open to me in every thing;
and by this means I know his whole mind, and shall be able to secure
myself, if he stands. Here to-night I understand, by my Lord Brouncker,
that at last it is concluded on by the King and Buckingham that my Lord of
Ormond shall not hold his government of Ireland, which is a great stroke,
to shew the power of Buckingham and the poor spirit of the King, and
little hold that any man can have of him.  Thence I homeward, and calling
my wife called at my cozen Turner's, and there met our new cozen Pepys
(Mrs. Dickenson), and Bab. and Betty' come yesterday to town, poor girls,
whom we have reason to love, and mighty glad we are to see them; and there
staid and talked a little, being also mightily pleased to see Betty
Turner, who is now in town, and her brothers Charles and Will, being come
from school to see their father, and there talked a while, and so home,
and there Pelling hath got me W. Pen's book against the Trinity.

     [Entitled, "The Sandy Foundation Shaken; or those .  .  .  doctrines
     of one God subsisting in three distinct and separate persons; the
     impossibility of God's pardoning sinners without a plenary
     satisfaction, the justification of impure persons by an imputative
     righteousness, refuted from the authority of Scripture testimonies
     and right reason, etc.  London, 1668."  It caused him to be
     imprisoned in the Tower.  "Aug. 4, 1669.  Young Penn who wrote the
     blasphemous book is delivered to his father to be transported"
     ("Letter to Sir John Birkenhead, quoted by Bishop Kennett in his MS.
     Collections, vol. lxxxix., p. 477).]

I got my wife to read it to me; and I find it so well writ as, I think, it
is too good for him ever to have writ it; and it is a serious sort of
book, and not fit for every body to read.  So to supper and to bed.

13th.  Up, and all the morning at the office, and at noon home to dinner,
and thence to the office again mighty busy, to my great content, till
night, and then home to supper and, my eyes being weary, to bed.

14th (Lord's day).  Up, and by coach to Sir W. Coventry, and there, he
taking physic, I with him all the morning, full of very good discourse of
the Navy and publick matters, to my great content, wherein I find him
doubtful that all will be bad, and, for his part, he tells me he takes no
more care for any thing more than in the Treasury; and that, that being
done, he goes to cards and other delights, as plays, and in summertime to
bowles.  But here he did shew me two or three old books of the Navy, of my
Lord Northumberland's' times, which he hath taken many good notes out of,
for justifying the Duke of York and us, in many things, wherein, perhaps,
precedents will be necessary to produce, which did give me great content.
At noon home, and pleased mightily with my morning's work, and coming
home, I do find a letter from Mr. Wren, to call me to the Duke of York
after dinner.  So dined in all haste, and then W. Hewer and my wife and I
out, we set her at my cozen Turner's while we to White Hall, where the
Duke of York expected me; and in his closet Wren and I. He did tell me how
the King hath been acquainted with the Treasurers' discourse at the Lords
Commissioners of the Treasury, the other day, and is dissatisfied with our
running him in debt, which I removed; and he did, carry me to the King,
and I did satisfy him also; but his satisfaction is nothing worth, it
being easily got, and easily removed; but I do purpose to put in writing
that which shall make the Treasurers ashamed.  But the Duke of York is
horrid angry against them; and he hath cause, for they do all they can to
bring dishonour upon his management, as do vainly appear in all they do.
Having done with the Duke of York, who do repose all in me, I with Mr.
Wren to his, chamber, to talk; where he observed, that these people are
all of them a broken sort of people, that have not much to lose, and
therefore will venture all to make their fortunes better: that Sir Thomas
Osborne is a beggar, having 11 of L1200 a-year, but owes above L10,000.
The Duke of Buckingham's condition is shortly this: that he hath about
L19,600 a-year, of which he pays away about L7,000 a-year in interest,
about L2000 in fee-farm rents to the King, about L6000 wages and pensions,
and the rest to live upon, and pay taxes for the whole. Wren says, that
for the Duke of York to stir in this matter, as his quality might justify,
would but make all things worse, and that therefore he must bend, and
suffer all, till time works it out: that he fears they will sacrifice the
Church, and that the King will take anything, and so he will hold up his
head a little longer, and then break in pieces.  But Sir W. Coventry did
today mightily magnify my late Lord Treasurer, for a wise and solid,
though infirm man: and, among other things, that when he hath said it was
impossible in nature to find this or that sum of money, and my Lord
Chancellor hath made sport of it, and tell the King that when my Lord hath
said it [was] impossible, yet he hath made shift to find it, and that was
by Sir G. Carteret's getting credit, my Lord did once in his hearing say
thus, which he magnifies as a great saying--that impossible would be found
impossible at last; meaning that the King would run himself out, beyond
all his credit and funds, and then we should too late find it impossible;
which is, he says, now come to pass.  For that Sir W. Coventry says they
could borrow what money they would, if they had assignments, and funds to
secure it with, which before they had enough of, and then must spend it as
if it would never have an end.  From White Hall to my cozen Turner's, and
there took up my wife; and so to my uncle Wight's, and there sat and
supped, and talked pretty merry, and then walked home, and to bed.

15th.  Up, and with Tom to White Hall; and there at a Committee of
Tangier, where a great instance of what a man may lose by the neglect of a
friend: Povy never had such an opportunity of passing his accounts, the
Duke of York being there, and everybody well disposed, and in expectation
of them; but my Lord Ashly, on whom he relied, and for whose sake this day
was pitched on, that he might be sure to be there, among the rest of his
friends, staid too long, till the Duke of York and the company thought
unfit to stay longer and so the day lost, and God knows when he will ever
have so good a one again, as long as he lives; and this was the man of the
whole company that he hath made the most interest to gain, and now most
depended upon him.  So up and down the house a while, and then to the
plaisterer's, and there saw the figure of my face taken from the mould:
and it is most admirably like, and I will have another made, before I take
it away, and therefore I away and to the Temple, and thence to my cozen
Turner's, where, having the last night been told by her that she had drawn
me for her Valentine, I did this day call at the New Exchange, and bought
her a pair of green silk stockings and garters and shoe-strings, and two
pair of jessimy gloves, all coming to about 28s., and did give them her
this noon.  At the 'Change, I did at my bookseller's shop accidentally
fall into talk with Sir Samuel Tuke about trees, and Mr. Evelyn's garden;
and I do find him, I think, a little conceited, but a man of very fine
discourse as any I ever heard almost, which I was mighty glad of.  I dined
at my cozen Turner's, and my wife also and her husband there, and after
dinner, my wife and I endeavoured to make a visit to Ned Pickering; but he
not at home, nor his lady; and therefore back again, and took up my cozen
Turner, and to my cozen Roger's lodgings, and there find him pretty well
again, and his wife mighty kind and merry, and did make mighty much of us,
and I believe he is married to a very good woman.  Here was also Bab. and
Betty, who have not their clothes yet, and therefore cannot go out,
otherwise I would have had them abroad to-morrow; but the poor girls
mighty kind to us, and we must skew them kindness also.  Here in Suffolk
Street lives Moll Davis; and we did see her coach come for her to her
door, a mighty pretty fine coach.  Here we staid an hour or two, and then
carried Turner home, and there staid and talked a while, and then my wife
and I to White Hall; and there, by means of Mr. Cooling, did get into the
play, the only one we have seen this winter: it was "The Five Hours'
Adventure:" but I sat so far I could not hear well, nor was there any
pretty woman that I did see, but my wife, who sat in my Lady Fox's pew

     [We may suppose that pews were by no means common at this time
     within consecrated walls, from the word being applied indifferently
     by Pepys to a box in a place of amusement, and two days afterwards
     to a seat at church.  It would appear, from other authorities, that
     between 1646 and 1660 scarcely any pews had been erected; and Sir C.
     Wren is known to have objected to their introduction into his London
     churches.--B.]

with her.  The house very full; and late before done, so that it was past
eleven before we got home.  But we were well pleased with seeing it, and
so to supper, where it happened that there was no bread in the house,
which was an unusual case, and so to bed.

16th.  Up, and to the office, where all the morning, my head full of
business of the office now at once on my hands, and so at noon home to
dinner, where I find some things of W. Batelier's come out of France,
among which some clothes for my wife, wherein she is likely to lead me to
the expence of so much money as vexed me; but I seemed so, more than I at
this time was, only to prevent her taking too much, and she was mighty
calm under it.  But I was mightily pleased with another picture of the
King of France's head, of Nanteuil's, bigger than the other which he
brought over, that pleases me infinitely: and so to the Office, where busy
all the afternoon, though my eyes mighty bad with the light of the candles
last night, which was so great as to make my eyes sore all this day, and
do teach me, by a manifest experiment, that it is only too much light that
do make my eyes sore.  Nevertheless, with the help of my tube, and being
desirous of easing my mind of five or six days journall, I did venture to
write it down from ever since this day se'nnight, and I think without
hurting my eyes any more than they were before, which was very much, and
so home to supper and to bed.

17th.  Up, and with W. Hewer with me to Lincoln's Inn, by appointment, to
have spoke with Mr. Pedley about Mr. Goldsborough's business and Mr.
Weaver's, but he was gone out, and so I with Mr. Castle, the son-in-law of
Weaver, to White Hall to look for him, but did not find him, but here I
did meet with several and talked, and do hear only that the King dining
yesterday at the Dutch Embassador's, after dinner they drank, and were
pretty merry; and, among the rest of the King's company, there was that
worthy fellow my lord of Rochester, and Tom Killigrew, whose mirth and
raillery offended the former so much, that he did give Tom Killigrew a box
on the ear in the King's presence, which do much give offence to the
people here at Court, to see how cheap the King makes himself, and the
more, for that the King hath not only passed by the thing, and pardoned it
to Rochester already, but this very morning the King did publickly walk up
and down, and Rochester I saw with him as free as ever, to the King's
everlasting shame, to have so idle a rogue his companion.  How Tom
Killigrew takes it, I do not hear.  I do also this day hear that my Lord
Privy Seale do accept to go Lieutenant into Ireland; but whether it be
true or no, I cannot tell.  So calling at my shoemaker's, and paying him
to this day, I home to dinner, and in the afternoon to Colonel Middleton's
house, to the burial of his wife, where we are all invited, and much more
company, and had each of us a ring: and so towards evening to our church,
where there was a sermon preached by Mills, and so home. At church there
was my Lord Brouncker and Mrs. Williams in our pew, the first time they
were ever there or that I knew that either of them would go to church.  At
home comes Castle to me, to desire me to go to Mr. Pedly, this night, he
being to go out of town to-morrow morning, which I, therefore, did, by
hackney-coach, first going to White Hall to meet with Sir W. Coventry, but
missed him.  But here I had a pleasant rencontre of a lady in mourning,
that, by the little light I had, seemed handsome. I passing by her, I did
observe she looked back again and again upon me, I suffering her to go
before, and it being now duske.  I observed she went into the little
passage towards the Privy Water-Gate, and I followed, but missed her; but
coming back again, I observed she returned, and went to go out of the
Court.  I followed her, and took occasion, in the new passage now built,
where the walke is to be, to take her by the hand, to lead her through,
which she willingly accepted, and I led her to the Great Gate, and there
left her, she telling me, of her own accord, that she was going as far as,
Charing Cross; but my boy was at the gate, and so je durst not go out con
her, which vexed me, and my mind (God forgive me) did run apres her toute
that night, though I have reason to thank God, and so I do now, that I was
not tempted to go further.  So to Lincoln's Inn, where to Mr. Pedly, with
whom I spoke, and did my business presently: and I find him a man of very
good language, and mighty civil, and I believe very upright: and so home,
where W. Batelier was, and supped with us, and I did reckon this night
what I owed him; and I do find that the things my wife, of her own head,
hath taken (together with my own, which comes not to above L5), comes to
above L22.  But it is the last, and so I am the better contented; and they
are things that are not trifles, but clothes, gloves, shoes, hoods, &c.
So after supper, to bed.

18th.  Up, and to the Office, and at noon home, expecting to have this day
seen Bab. and Betty Pepys here, but they come not; and so after dinner my
wife and I to the Duke of York's house, to a play, and there saw "The Mad
Lover," which do not please me so well as it used to do, only Betterton's
part still pleases me.  But here who should we have come to us but Bab.
and Betty and Talbot, the first play they were yet at; and going to see
us, and hearing by my boy, whom I sent to them, that we were here, they
come to us hither, and happened all of us to sit by my cozen Turner and
The., and we carried them home first, and then took Bab. and Betty to our
house, where they lay and supped, and pretty merry, and very fine with
their new clothes, and good comely girls they are enough, and very glad I
am of their being with us, though I would very well have been contented to
have been without the charge.  So they to bed and we to bed.

19th.  Up, and after seeing the girls, who lodged in our bed, with their
maid Martha, who hath been their father's maid these twenty years and
more, I with Lord Brouncker to White Hall, where all of us waited on the
Duke of York; and after our usual business done, W. Hewer and I to look my
wife at the Black Lion, Mercer's, but she is gone home, and so I home and
there dined, and W. Batelierand W. Hewer with us.  All the afternoon I at
the Office, while the young people went to see Bedlam, and at night home
to them and to supper, and pretty merry, only troubled with a great cold
at this time, and my eyes very bad ever since Monday night last that the
light of the candles spoiled me.  So to bed.  This morning, among other
things, talking with Sir W. Coventry, I did propose to him my putting in
to serve in Parliament, if there should, as the world begins to expect, be
a new one chose: he likes it mightily, both for the King's and Service's
sake, and the Duke of York's, and will propound it to the Duke of York:
and I confess, if there be one, I would be glad to be in.

20th.  Up, and all the morning at the office, and then home to dinner, and
after dinner out with my wife and my two girls to the Duke of York's
house, and there saw "The Gratefull Servant," a pretty good play, and
which I have forgot that ever I did see.  And thence with them to Mrs.
Gotier's, the Queen's tire-woman, for a pair of locks for my wife; she is
an oldish French woman, but with a pretty hand as most I have seen; and so
home, and to supper, W. Batelier and W. Hewer with us, and so my cold
being great, and greater by my having left my coat at my tailor's to-night
and come home in a thinner that I borrowed there, I went to bed before
them and slept pretty well.

21st (Lord's day).  Up, and with my wife and two girls to church, they
very fine; and so home, where comes my cozen Roger and his wife, I having
sent for them, to dine with us, and there comes in by chance also Mr.
Shepley, who is come to town with my Lady Paulina, who is desperately
sick, and is gone to Chelsey, to the old house where my Lord himself was
once sick, where I doubt my Lord means to visit hers more for young Mrs.
Beck's sake than for hers.  Here we dined with W. Batelier, and W. Hewer
with us, these two, girls making it necessary that they be always with us,
for I am not company light enough to be always merry with them and so sat
talking all the afternoon, and then Shepley went: away first, and then my
cozen Roger and his wife.  And so I, to my Office, to write down my
Journall, and so home to my chamber and to do a little business there, my
papers being in mighty disorder, and likely so to continue while these
girls are with us.  In the evening comes W. Batelier and his sisters and
supped and talked with us, and so spent the evening, myself being somewhat
out of order because of my eyes, which have never been well since last
Sunday's reading at Sir W. Coventry's chamber, and so after supper to bed.

22nd.  Up, and betimes to White Hall; but there the Duke of York is gone
abroad a-hunting, and therefore after a little stay there I into London,
with Sir H. Cholmly, talking all the way of Tangier matters, wherein I
find him troubled from some reports lately from Norwood (who is his great
enemy and I doubt an ill man), of some decay of the Mole, and a breach
made therein by the sea to a great value.  He set me down at the end of
Leadenhall Street, and so I home, and after dinner, with my wife, in her
morning-gown, and the two girls dressed, to Unthanke's, where my wife
dresses herself, having her gown this day laced, and a new petticoat; and
so is indeed very fine.  And in the evening I do carry them to White Hall,
and there did without much trouble get into the playhouse, there in a good
place among the Ladies of Honour, and myself also sat in the pit; and
there by and by come the King and Queen, and they begun "Bartholomew
Fayre."  But I like no play here so well as at the common playhouse;
besides that, my eyes being very ill since last Sunday and this day
se'nnight, with the light of the candles, I was in mighty pain to defend
myself now from the light of the candles.  After the play done, we met
with W. Batelier and W. Hewer and Talbot Pepys, and they follow us in a
hackney-coach: and we all stopped at Hercules' Pillars; and there I did
give them the best supper I could, and pretty merry; and so home between
eleven and twelve at night, and so to bed, mightily well pleased with this
day's work.

23rd.  Up: and to the Office, where all the morning, and then home, and
put a mouthfull of victuals in my mouth; and by a hackney-coach followed
my wife and the girls, who are gone by eleven o'clock, thinking to have
seen a new play at the Duke of York's house.  But I do find them staying
at my tailor's, the play not being to-day, and therefore I now took them
to Westminster Abbey, and there did show them all the tombs very finely,
having one with us alone, there being other company this day to see the
tombs, it being Shrove Tuesday; and here we did see, by particular favour,
the body of Queen Katherine of Valois; and I had the upper part of her
body in my hands, and I did kiss her mouth, reflecting upon it that I did
kiss a Queen,

     [Pepys's attachment to the fair sex extended even to a dead queen.
     The record of this royal salute on his natal day is very
     characteristic.  The story told him in Westminster Abbey appears to
     have been correct; for Neale informs us ("History of Westminster
     Abbey," vol. ii., p. 88) that near the south side of Henry V.'s tomb
     there was formerly a wooden chest, or coffin, wherein part of the
     skeleton and parched body of Katherine de Valois, his queen (from
     the waist upwards), was to be seen.  She was interred in January,
     1457, in the Chapel of Our Lady, at the east end of this church; but
     when that building was pulled down by her grandson, Henry VII., her
     coffin was found to be decayed, and her body was taken up, and
     placed in a chest, near her first husband's tomb.  "There," says
     Dart, "it hath ever since continued to be seen, the bones being
     firmly united, and thinly clothed with flesh, like scrapings of
     tanned leather."  This awful spectacle of frail mortality was at
     length removed from the public gaze into St. Nicholas's Chapel, and
     finally deposited under the monument of Sir George Villiers, when
     the vault was made for the remains of Elizabeth Percy, Duchess of
     Northumberland, in December, 1776.--B.]

and that this was my birth-day, thirty-six years old, that I did first
kiss a Queen.  But here this man, who seems to understand well, tells me
that the saying is not true that says she was never buried, for she was
buried; only, when Henry the Seventh built his chapel, it was taken up and
laid in this wooden coffin; but I did there see that, in it, the body was
buried in a leaden one, which remains under the body to this day. Thence
to the Duke of York's playhouse, and there, finding the play begun, we
homeward to the Glass-House,

     [Glass House Alley, Whitefriars and Blackfriars, marked the site for
     some years: The Whitefriars Glass Works of Messrs.  Powell and Sons
     are on the old site, now Temple Street.]

and there shewed my cozens the making of glass, and had several things
made with great content; and, among others, I had one or two
singing-glasses made, which make an echo to the voice, the first that ever
I saw; but so thin, that the very breath broke one or two of them.  So
home, and thence to Mr. Batelier's, where we supped, and had a good
supper, and here was Mr. Gumbleton; and after supper some fiddles, and so
to dance; but my eyes were so out of order, that I had little pleasure
this night at all, though I was glad to see the rest merry, and so about
midnight home and to bed.

24th.  Lay long in bed, both being sleepy and my eyes bad, and myself
having a great cold so as I was hardly able to speak, but, however, by and
by up and to the office, and at noon home with my people to dinner, and
then I to the office again, and there till the evening doing of much
business, and at night my wife sends for me to W. Hewer's lodging, where I
find two best chambers of his so finely furnished, and all so rich and
neat, that I was mightily pleased with him and them and here only my wife,
and I, and the two girls, and had a mighty neat dish of custards and
tarts, and good drink and talk.  And so away home to bed, with infinite
content at this his treat; for it was mighty pretty, and everything mighty
rich.

25th.  All the morning at the office.  At noon home and eat a bit myself,
and then followed my wife and girls to the Duke of York's house, and there
before one, but the house infinite full, where, by and by, the King and
Court come, it being a new play, or an old one new vamped, by Shadwell,
called "The Royall Shepherdesse;" but the silliest for words and design,
and everything, that ever I saw in my whole life, there being nothing in
the world pleasing in it, but a good martial dance of pikemen, where
Harris and another do handle their pikes in a dance to admiration; but
never less satisfied with a play in my life.  Thence to the office I, and
did a little business, and so home to supper with my girls, and pretty
merry, only my eyes, which continue very bad, and my cold, that I cannot
speak at all, do trouble me.

26th.  Was forced to send my excuse to the Duke of York for my not
attending him with my fellows this day because of my cold, and was the
less troubled because I was thereby out of the way to offer my proposals
about Pursers till the Surveyor hath delivered his notions, which he is to
do to-day about something he has to offer relating to the Navy in general,
which I would be glad to see and peruse before I offer what I have to say.
So lay long in bed, and then up and to my office, and so to dinner, and
then, though I could not speak, yet I went with my wife and girls to the
King's playhouse, to shew them that, and there saw "The Faithfull
Shepherdesse."  But, Lord!  what an empty house, there not being, as I
could tell the people, so many as to make up above L10 in the whole house!
The being of a new play at the other house, I suppose, being the cause,
though it be so silly a play that I wonder how there should be enough
people to go thither two days together, and not leave more to fill this
house.  The emptiness of the house took away our pleasure a great deal,
though I liked it the better; for that I plainly discern the musick is the
better, by how much the house the emptier. Thence home, and again to W.
Hewer's, and had a pretty little treat, and spent an hour or two, my voice
being wholly taken away with my cold, and so home and to bed.

27th.  Up, and at the office all the morning, where I could speak but a
little.  At noon home to dinner, and all the afternoon till night busy at
the office again, where forced to speak low and dictate.  But that that
troubles me most is my eyes, which are still mighty bad night and day, and
so home at night to talk and sup with my cozens, and so all of us in
mighty good humour to bed.

28th (Lord's day).  Up, and got my wife to read to me a copy of what the
Surveyor offered to the Duke of York on Friday, he himself putting it into
my hands to read; but, Lord! it is a poor, silly thing ever to think to
bring it in practice, in the King's Navy.  It is to have the Captains to
account for all stores and victuals; but upon so silly grounds, to my
thinking; and ignorance of the present instructions of Officers, that I am
ashamed to hear it.  However, I do take a copy of it, for my future use
and answering; and so to church, where, God forgive me!  I did most of the
time gaze on the fine milliner's wife, in Fenchurch Street, who was at our
church to-day; and so home to dinner.  And after dinner to write down my
Journall; and then abroad by coach with my cozens, to their father's,
where we are kindly received, but he is an great pain for his man Arthur,
who, he fears, is now dead, having been desperately sick, and speaks so
much of him that my cozen, his wife, and I did make mirth of it, and call
him Arthur O'Bradly.  After staying here a little, and eat and drank, and
she gave me some ginger-bread made in cakes, like chocolate, very good,
made by a friend, I carried him and her to my cozen Turner's, where we
staid, expecting her coming from church; but she coming not, I went to her
husband's chamber in the Temple, and thence fetched her, she having been
there alone ever since sermon staying till the evening to walk home on
foot, her horses being ill.  This I did, and brought her home.  And after
talking there awhile, and agreeing to be all merry at my house on Tuesday
next, I away home; and there spent the evening talking and reading, with
my wife and Mr. Pelling, and yet much troubled with my cold, it hardly
suffering me to speak, we to bed.





                THE DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS M.A. F.R.S.

            CLERK OF THE ACTS AND SECRETARY TO THE ADMIRALTY

   TRANSCRIBED FROM THE SHORTHAND MANUSCRIPT IN THE PEPYSIAN LIBRARY
MAGDALENE COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE BY THE REV. MYNORS BRIGHT M.A. LATE FELLOW
                      AND PRESIDENT OF THE COLLEGE

                              (Unabridged)

                      WITH LORD BRAYBROOKE'S NOTES

                        EDITED WITH ADDITIONS BY

                        HENRY B. WHEATLEY F.S.A.

                          DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS.
                                 MARCH
                               1668-1669

March 1st.  Up, and to White Hall to the Committee of Tangier, but it did
not meet.  But here I do hear first that my Lady Paulina Montagu did die
yesterday; at which I went to my Lord's lodgings, but he is shut up with
sorrow, and so not to be spoken with: and therefore I returned, and to
Westminster Hall, where I have not been, I think, in some months.  And
here the Hall was very full, the King having, by Commission to some Lords
this day, prorogued the Parliament till the 19th of October next: at which
I am glad, hoping to have time to go over to France this year.  But I was
most of all surprised this morning by my Lord Bellassis, who, by
appointment, met me at Auditor Wood's, at the Temple, and tells me of a
duell designed between the Duke of Buckingham and my Lord Halifax, or Sir
W. Coventry; the challenge being carried by Harry Saville, but prevented
by my Lord Arlington, and the King told of it; and this was all the
discourse at Court this day.  But I, meeting Sir W. Coventry in the Duke
of York's chamber, he would not own it to me, but told me that he was a
man of too much peace to meddle with fighting, and so it rested: but the
talk is full in the town of the business.  Thence, having walked some
turns with my cozen Pepys, and most people, by their discourse, believing
that this Parliament will never sit more, I away to several places to look
after things against to-morrow's feast, and so home to dinner; and thence,
after noon, my wife and I out by hackneycoach, and spent the afternoon in
several places, doing several things at the 'Change and elsewhere against
to-morrow; and, among others, I did also bring home a piece of my face
cast in plaister, for to make a wizard upon, for my eyes.  And so home,
where W. Batelier come, and sat with us; and there, after many doubts, did
resolve to go on with our feast and dancing to-morrow; and so, after
supper, left the maids to make clean the house, and to lay the cloth, and
other things against to-morrow, and we to bed.

2nd.  Up, and at the office till noon, when home, and there I find my
company come, namely, Madam Turner, Dyke, The., and Betty Turner, and Mr.
Bellwood, formerly their father's clerk, but now set up for himself--a
conceited, silly fellow, but one they make mightily of--my cozen Roger
Pepys, and his wife, and two daughters.  I had a noble dinner for them, as
I almost ever had, and mighty merry, and particularly myself pleased with
looking on Betty Turner, who is mighty pretty.  After dinner, we fell one
to one talk, and another to another, and looking over my house, and
closet, and things; and The. Turner to write a letter to a lady in the
country, in which I did, now and then, put in half a dozen words, and
sometimes five or six lines, and then she as much, and made up a long and
good letter, she being mighty witty really, though troublesome-humoured
with it.  And thus till night, that our musick come, and the Office ready
and candles, and also W. Batelier and his sister Susan come, and also
Will.  Howe and two gentlemen more, strangers, which, at my request
yesterday, he did bring to dance, called Mr. Ireton and Mr. Starkey.  We
fell to dancing, and continued, only with intermission for a good supper,
till two in the morning, the musick being Greeting, and another most
excellent violin, and theorbo, the best in town.  And so with mighty
mirth, and pleased with their dancing of jigs afterwards several of them,
and, among others, Betty Turner, who did it mighty prettily; and, lastly,
W. Batelier's "Blackmore and Blackmore Mad;" and then to a country-dance
again, and so broke up with extraordinary pleasure, as being one of the
days and nights of my life spent with the greatest content; and that which
I can but hope to repeat again a few times in my whole life.  This done,
we parted, the strangers home, and I did lodge my cozen Pepys and his wife
in our blue chamber.  My cozen Turner, her sister, and The., in our best
chamber; Bab., Betty, and Betty Turner, in our own chamber; and myself and
my wife in the maid's bed, which is very good.  Our maids in the
coachman's bed; the coachman with the boy in his settlebed, and Tom where
he uses to lie.  And so I did, to my great content, lodge at once in my
house, with the greatest ease, fifteen, and eight of them strangers of
quality.  My wife this day put on first her French gown, called a Sac,
which becomes her very well, brought her over by W. Batelier.

3rd.  Up, after a very good night's rest, and was called upon by Sir H.
Cholmly, who was with me an hour, and though acquainted did not stay to
talk with my company I had in the house, but away, and then I to my
guests, and got them to breakfast, and then parted by coaches; and I did,
in mine, carry my she-cozen Pepys and her daughters home, and there left
them, and so to White Hall, where W. Hewer met me; and he and I took a
turn in St. James's Park, and in the Mall did meet Sir W. Coventry and Sir
J. Duncomb, and did speak with them about some business before the Lords
of the Treasury; but I did find them more than usually busy, though I knew
not then the reason of it, though I guess it by what followed to-morrow.
Thence to Dancre's, the painter's, and there saw my picture of Greenwich,
finished to my very good content, though this manner of distemper do make
the figures not so pleasing as in oyle.  So to Unthanke's, and there took
up my wife, and carried her to the Duke of York's playhouse, and there saw
an old play, the first time acted these forty years, called "The Lady's
Tryall," acted only by the young people of the house; but the house very
full.  But it is but a sorry play, and the worse by how much my head is
out of humour by being a little sleepy and my legs weary since last night.
So after the play we to the New Exchange, and so called at my cozen
Turner's; and there, meeting Mr. Bellwood, did hear how my Lord Mayor,
being invited this day to dinner at the Reader's at the Temple, and
endeavouring to carry his sword up, the students did pull it down, and
forced him to go and stay all the day in a private Councillor's chamber,
until the Reader himself could get the young gentlemen to dinner; and then
my Lord Mayor did retreat out of the Temple by stealth, with his sword up.
This do make great heat among the students; and my Lord Mayor did send to
the King, and also I hear that Sir Richard Browne did cause the drums to
beat for the Train-bands, but all is over, only I hear that the students
do resolve to try the Charter of the City.  So we home, and betimes to
bed, and slept well all night.

4th.  Up, and a while at the office, but thinking to have Mr. Povy's
business to-day at the Committee for Tangier, I left the Board and away to
White Hall, where in the first court I did meet Sir Jeremy Smith, who did
tell me that Sir W. Coventry was just now sent to the Tower, about the
business of his challenging the Duke of Buckingham, and so was also Harry
Saville to the Gate-house; which, as [he is] a gentleman, and of the Duke
of York's bedchamber, I heard afterwards that the Duke of York is mightily
incensed at, and do appear very high to the King that he might not be sent
thither, but to the Tower, this being done only in contempt to him.  This
news of Sir W. Coventry did strike me to the heart, and with reason, for
by this and my Lord of Ormond's business, I do doubt that the Duke of
Buckingham will be so flushed, that he will not stop at any thing, but be
forced to do any thing now, as thinking it not safe to end here; and, Sir
W. Coventry being gone, the King will have never a good counsellor, nor
the Duke of York any sure friend to stick to him; nor any good man will be
left to advise what is good.  This, therefore, do heartily trouble me as
any thing that ever I heard. So up into the House, and met with several
people; but the Committee did not meet; and the whole House I find full of
this business of Sir W. Coventry's, and most men very sensible of the
cause and effects of it. So, meeting with my Lord Bellassis, he told me
the particulars of this matter; that it arises about a quarrel which Sir
W. Coventry had with the Duke of Buckingham about a design between the
Duke and Sir Robert Howard, to bring him into a play at the King's house,
which W. Coventry not enduring, did by H. Saville send a letter to the
Duke of Buckingham, that he had a desire to speak with him.  Upon which,
the Duke of Buckingham did bid Holmes, his champion ever since my Lord
Shrewsbury's business,

     [Charles II. wrote to his sister (Henrietta, Duchess of Orleans), on
     March 7th, 1669: "I am not sorry that Sir Will. Coventry has given
     me this good occasion by sending my Lord of Buckingham a challenge
     to turne him out of the Councill.  I do intend to turn him allso out
     of the Treasury.  The truth of it is, he has been a troublesome man
     in both places and I am well rid of him" (Julia Cartwright's
     "Madame," 1894, p.  283).]

go to him to know the business; but H. Saville would not tell it to any
but himself, and therefore did go presently to the Duke of Buckingham, and
told him that his uncle Coventry was a person of honour, and was sensible
of his Grace's liberty taken of abusing him, and that he had a desire of
satisfaction, and would fight with him.  But that here they were
interrupted by my Lord Chamberlain's coming in, who was commanded to go to
bid the Duke of Buckingham to come to the King, Holmes having discovered
it.  He told me that the King did last night, at the Council, ask the Duke
of Buckingham, upon his honour, whether he had received any challenge from
W. Coventry? which he confessed that he had; and then the King asking W.
Coventry, he told him that he did not owne what the Duke of Buckingham had
said, though it was not fit for him to give him a direct contradiction.
But, being by the King put upon declaring, upon his honour, the matter, he
answered that he had understood that many hard questions had upon this
business been moved to some lawyers, and that therefore he was unwilling
to declare any thing that might, from his own mouth, render him obnoxious
to his Majesty's displeasure, and, therefore, prayed to be excused: which
the King did think fit to interpret to be a confession, and so gave
warrant that night for his commitment to the Tower.  Being very much
troubled at this, I away by coach homewards, and directly to the Tower,
where I find him in one Mr. Bennet's house, son to Major Bayly, one of the
Officers of the Ordnance, in the Bricke Tower:

     [The Brick Tower stands on the northern wall, a little to the west
     of Martin tower, with which it communicates by a secret passage.
     It was the residence of the Master of the Ordnance, and Raleigh was
     lodged here for a time.]

where I find him busy with my Lord Halifax and his brother; so I would not
stay to interrupt them, but only to give him comfort, and offer my service
to him, which he kindly and cheerfully received, only owning his being
troubled for the King his master's displeasure, which, I suppose, is the
ordinary form and will of persons in this condition.  And so I parted,
with great content, that I had so earlily seen him there; and so going
out, did meet Sir Jer. Smith going to meet me, who had newly been with Sir
W. Coventry.  And so he and I by water to Redriffe, and so walked to
Deptford, where I have not been, I think, these twelve months: and there
to the Treasurer's house, where the Duke of York is, and his Duchess; and
there we find them at dinner in the great room, unhung; and there was with
them my Lady Duchess of Monmouth, the Countess of Falmouth, Castlemayne,
Henrietta Hide' (my Lady Hinchingbroke's sister), and my Lady
Peterborough.  And after dinner Sir Jer. Smith and I were invited down to
dinner with some of the Maids of Honour, namely, Mrs. Ogle, Blake, and
Howard, which did me good to have the honour to dine with, and look on;
and the Mother of the Maids, and Mrs. Howard, the mother of the Maid of
Honour of that name, and the Duke's housekeeper here.  Here was also
Monsieur Blancfort, Sir Richard Powell, Colonel Villers, Sir Jonathan
Trelawny, and others.  And here drank most excellent, and great variety,
and plenty of wines, more than I have drank, at once, these seven years,
but yet did me no great hurt.  Having dined and very merry, and
understanding by Blancfort how angry the Duke of York was, about their
offering to send Saville to the Gate-house, among the rogues; and then,
observing how this company, both the ladies and all, are of a gang, and
did drink a health to the union of the two brothers, and talking of others
as their enemies, they parted, and so we up; and there I did find the Dupe
of York and Duchess, with all the great ladies, sitting upon a carpet, on
the ground, there being no chairs, playing at "I love my love with an A,
because he is so and so: and I hate him with an A, because of this and
that:"  and some of them, but particularly the Duchess herself, and my
Lady Castlemayne, were very witty.  This done, they took barge, and I with
Sir J. Smith to Captain Cox's; and there to talk, and left them and other
company to drink; while I slunk out to Bagwell's; and there saw her, and
her mother, and our late maid Nell, who cried for joy to see me, but I had
no time for pleasure then nor could stay, but after drinking I back to the
yard, having a month's mind para have had a bout with Nell, which I
believe I could have had, and may another time.  So to Cox's, and thence
walked with Sir J. Smith back to Redriffe; and so, by water home, and
there my wife mighty angry for my absence, and fell mightily out, but not
being certain of any thing, but thinks only that Pierce or Knepp was
there, and did ask me, and, I perceive, the boy, many questions.  But I
did answer her; and so, after much ado, did go to bed, and lie quiet all
night; but [she] had another bout with me in the morning, but I did make
shift to quiet her, but yet she was not fully satisfied, poor wretch! in
her mind, and thinks much of my taking so much pleasure from her; which,
indeed, is a fault, though I did not design or foresee it when I went.

5th.  Up, and by water to White Hall, where did a little business with the
Duke of York at our usual attending him, and thence to my wife, who was
with my coach at Unthanke's, though not very well of those upon her, and
so home to dinner, and after dinner I to the Tower, where I find Sir W.
Coventry with abundance of company with him; and after sitting awhile, and
hearing some merry discourse, and, among others, of Mr. Brouncker's being
this day summoned to Sir William Morton, one of the judges, to give in
security for his good behaviour, upon his words the other day to Sir John
Morton, a Parliament-man, at White Hall, who had heretofore spoke very
highly against Brouncker in the House, I away, and to Aldgate, and walked
forward towards White Chapel, till my wife overtook me with the coach, it
being a mighty fine afternoon; and there we went the first time out of
town with our coach and horses, and went as far as Bow, the spring
beginning a little now to appear, though the way be dirty; and so, with
great pleasure, with the fore-part of our coach up, we spent the
afternoon.  And so in the evening home, and there busy at the Office
awhile, and so to bed, mightily pleased with being at peace with my poor
wife, and with the pleasure we may hope to have with our coach this
summer, when the weather comes to be good.

6th.  Up, and to the office, where all the morning, only before the Office
I stepped to Sir W. Coventry at the Tower, and there had a great deal of
discourse with him; among others, of the King's putting him out of the
Council yesterday, with which he is well contented, as with what else they
can strip him of, he telling me, and so hath long done, that he is weary
and surfeited of business; but he joins with me in his fears that all will
go to naught, as matters are now managed.  He told me the matter of the
play that was intended for his abuse, wherein they foolishly and sillily
bring in two tables like that which he hath made, with a round hole in the
middle, in his closet, to turn himself in; and he is to be in one of them
as master, and Sir J. Duncomb in the other, as his man or imitator: and
their discourse in those tables, about the disposing of their books and
papers, very foolish.  But that, that he is offended with, is his being
made so contemptible, as that any should dare to make a gentleman a
subject for the mirth of the world: and that therefore he had told Tom
Killigrew that he should tell his actors, whoever they were, that did
offer at any thing like representing him, that he would not complain to my
Lord Chamberlain, which was too weak, nor get him beaten, as Sir Charles
Sidly is said to do, but that he would cause his nose to be cut.  He told
me the passage at the Council much like what my Lord Bellassis told me.
He told me how that the Duke of Buckingham did himself, some time since,
desire to join with him, of all men in England, and did bid him propound
to himself to be Chief Minister of State, saying that he would bring it
about, but that he refused to have anything to do with any faction; and
that the Duke of Buckingham did, within these few days, say that, of all
men in England, he would have chosen W. Coventry to have joined entire
with.  He tells me that he fears their prevailing against the Duke of
York; and that their violence will force them to it, as being already
beyond his pardon.  He repeated to me many examples of challenging of
Privy-Councillors and others; but never any proceeded against with that
severity which he is, it never amounting to others to more than a little
confinement.  He tells me of his being weary of the Treasury, and of the
folly, ambition, and desire of popularity of Sir Thomas Clifford; and yet
the rudeness of his tongue and passions when angry.  This and much more
discourse being over I with great pleasure come home and to the office,
where all the morning, and at noon home to dinner, and thence to the
office again, where very hard at work all the afternoon till night, and
then home to my wife to read to me, and to bed, my cold having been now
almost for three days quite gone from me.  This day my wife made it appear
to me that my late entertainment this week cost me above L12, an expence
which I am almost ashamed of, though it is but once in a great while, and
is the end for which, in the most part, we live, to have such a merry day
once or twice in a man's life.

7th (Lord's day).  Up, and to the office, busy till church time, and then
to church, where a dull sermon, and so home to dinner, all alone with my
wife, and then to even my Journall to this day, and then to the Tower, to
see Sir W. Coventry, who had H. Jermin and a great many more with him, and
more, while I was there, come in; so that I do hear that there was not
less than sixty coaches there yesterday, and the other day; which I hear
also that there is a great exception taken at, by the King and the Duke of
Buckingham, but it cannot be helped.  Thence home, and with our coach out
to Suffolk Street, to see my cozen Pepys, but neither the old nor young at
home.  So to my cozen Turner's, and there staid talking a little, and then
back to Suffolk Street, where they not being yet come home I to White
Hall, and there hear that there are letters come from Sir Thomas Allen,
that he hath made some kind of peace with Algiers; upon which the King and
Duke of York, being to go out of town to-morrow, are met at my Lord
Arlington's: so I there, and by Mr. Wren was desired to stay to see if
there were occasion for their speaking with me, which I did, walking
without, with Charles Porter,

     [Charles Porter "was the son of a prebend[ary] in Norwich, and a
     'prentice boy in the city in the rebellious times.  When the
     committee house was blown up, he was very active in that rising, and
     after the soldiers came and dispersed the rout, he, as a rat among
     joint stools, shifted to and fro among the shambles, and had forty
     pistols shot at him by the troopers that rode after him to kill him
     [24th April, 1648].  In that distress he had the presence of mind to
     catch up a little child that, during the rout, was frighted, and
     stood crying in the streets, and, unobserved by the troopers, ran
     away with it.  The people opened a way for him, saying, 'Make room
     for the poor child.' Thus he got off, and while search was made for
     him in the market-place, got into the Yarmouth ferry, and at
     Yarmouth took ship and went to Holland .  .  .  .  In Holland he
     trailed a pike, and was in several actions as a common soldier.  At
     length he kept a cavalier eating-house; but, his customers being
     needy, he soon broke, and came for England, and being a genteel
     youth, was taken in among the chancery clerks, and got to be under a
     master .  .  .  .  His industry was great; and he had an acquired
     dexterity and skill in the forms of the court; and although he was a
     bon companion, and followed much the bottle, yet he made such
     dispatches as satisfied his clients, especially the clerks, who knew
     where to find him.  His person was florid, and speech prompt and
     articulate.  But his vices, in the way of women and the bottle, were
     so ungoverned, as brought him to a morsel .  .  .  .  When the Lord
     Keeper North had the Seal, who from an early acquaintance had a
     kindness for him which was well known, and also that he was well
     heard, as they call it, business flowed in to him very fast, and yet
     he could scarce keep himself at liberty to follow his business ....
     At the Revolution, when his interest fell from, and his debts began
     to fall upon him, he was at his wits' end ....  His character for
     fidelity, loyalty, and facetious conversation was without
     exception"--Roger North's Lives of the Norths (Lord Keeper
     Guilford), ed.  Jessopp, vol. i., pp. 381-2.  He was originally made
     Lord Chancellor of Ireland in the reign of James II., during the
     viceroyalty of Lord Clarendon, 1686, when he was knighted.  "He
     was," says Burnet, "a man of ready wit, and being poor was thought a
     person fit to be made a tool of.  When Clarendon was recalled,
     Porter was also displaced, and Fitton was made chancellor, a man who
     knew no other law than the king's pleasure" ("Own Time").  Sir
     Charles Porter was again made Lord Chancellor of Ireland in 1690,
     and in this same year he acted as one of the Lords Justices.  This
     note of Lord Braybrooke's is retained and added to, but the
     reference may after all be to another Charles Porter.  See vol.
     iii., p. 122, and vol. vi., p. 98.]

talking of a great many things: and I perceive all the world is against
the Duke of Buckingham his acting thus high, and do prophesy nothing but
ruin from it: But he do well observe that the church lands cannot
certainly come to much, if the King shall [be] persuaded to take them;
they being leased out for long leases.  By and by, after two hours' stay,
they rose, having, as Wren tells me, resolved upon sending six ships to
the Streights forthwith, not being contented with the peace upon the terms
they demand, which are, that all our ships, where any Turks or Moores
shall be found slaves, shall be prizes; which will imply that they, must
be searched.  I hear that to-morrow the King and the Duke of York set out
for Newmarket, by three in the morning; to some foot and horse-races, to
be abroad ten or twelve days: So I away, without seeing the Duke of York;
but Mr. Wren showed me the Order of Council about the balancing the
Storekeeper's accounts, passed the Council in the very terms I drew it,
only I did put in my name as he that presented the book of Hosier's
preparing, and that is left out--I mean, my name--which is no great
matter.  So to my wife to Suffolk Streete, where she was gone, and there I
found them at supper, and eat a little with them, and so home, and there
to bed, my cold pretty well gone.

8th.  Up, and with W. Hewer by hackney coach to White Hall, where the King
and the Duke of York is gone by three in the morning, and had the
misfortune to be overset with the Duke of York, the Duke of Monmouth, and
the Prince, at the King's Gate' in Holborne; and the King all dirty, but
no hurt.  How it come to pass I know not, but only it was dark, and the
torches did not, they say, light the coach as they should do.  I thought
this morning to have seen my Lord Sandwich before he went out of town, but
I come half an hour too late; which troubles me, I having not seen him
since my Lady Palls died.  So W. Hewer and I to the Harp-and-Ball, to
drink my morning draught, having come out in haste; and there met with
King, the Parliament-man, with whom I had some impertinent talk.  And so
to the Privy Seal Office, to examine what records I could find there, for
my help in the great business I am put upon, of defending the present
constitution of the Navy; but there could not have liberty without order
from him that is in present waiting, Mr. Bickerstaffe, who is out of town.
This I did after I had walked to the New Exchange and there met Mr. Moore,
who went with me thither, and I find him the same discontented poor man as
ever.  He tells me that Mr. Shepley is upon being turned away from my
Lord's family, and another sent down, which I am sorry for; but his age
and good fellowship have almost made him fit for nothing. Thence, at
Unthanke's my wife met me, and with our coach to my cozen Turner's and
there dined, and after dinner with my wife alone to the King's playhouse,
and there saw "The Mocke Astrologer," which I have often seen, and but an
ordinary play; and so to my cozen Turner's again, where we met Roger
Pepys, his wife, and two daughters, and there staid and talked a little,
and then home, and there my wife to read to me, my eyes being sensibly
hurt by the too great lights of the playhouse.  So to supper and to bed.

9th.  Up, and to the Tower; and there find Sir W. Coventry alone, writing
down his journal, which, he tells me, he now keeps of the material things;
upon which I told him, and he is the only man I ever told it to, I think,
that I kept it most strictly these eight or ten years; and I am sorry
almost that I told it him, it not being necessary, nor may be convenient
to have it known.  Here he showed me the petition he had sent to the King
by my Lord Keeper, which was not to desire any admittance to employment,
but submitting himself therein humbly to his Majesty; but prayed the
removal of his displeasure, and that he might be set free. He tells me
that my Lord Keeper did acquaint the King with the substance of it, not
shewing him the petition; who answered, that he was disposing of his
employments, and when that was done, he might be led to discharge him: and
this is what he expects, and what he seems to desire.  But by this
discourse he was pleased to take occasion to shew me and read to me his
account, which he hath kept by him under his own hand, of all his
discourse, and the King's answers to him, upon the great business of my
Lord Clarendon, and how he had first moved the Duke of York with it twice,
at good distance, one after another, but without success; shewing me
thereby the simplicity and reasons of his so doing, and the manner of it;
and the King's accepting it, telling him that he was not satisfied in his
management, and did discover some dissatisfaction against him for his
opposing the laying aside of my Lord Treasurer, at Oxford, which was a
secret the King had not discovered.  And really I was mighty proud to be
privy to this great transaction, it giving me great conviction of the
noble nature and ends of Sir W. Coventry in it, and considerations in
general of the consequences of great men's actions, and the uncertainty of
their estates, and other very serious considerations.  From this to other
discourse, and so to the Office, where we sat all the morning, and after
dinner by coach to my cozen Turner's, thinking to have taken the young
ladies to a play; but The. was let blood to-day; and so my wife and I
towards the King's playhouse, and by the way found Betty [Turner], and
Bab., and Betty Pepys staying for us; and so took them all to see
"Claricilla," which do not please me almost at all, though there are some
good things in it.  And so to my cozen Turner's again, and there find my
Lady Mordaunt, and her sister Johnson; and by and by comes in a gentleman,
Mr. Overbury, a pleasant man, who plays most excellently on the
flagelette, a little one, that sounded as low as one of mine, and mighty
pretty.  Hence by and by away, and with my wife, and Bab. and Betty Pepys,
and W. Hewer, whom I carried all this day with me, to my cozen
Stradwick's, where I have not been ever since my brother Tom died, there
being some difference between my father and them, upon the account of my
cozen Scott; and I was glad of this opportunity of seeing them, they being
good and substantial people, and kind, and here met my cozen Roger and his
wife, and my cozen Turner, and here, which I never did before, I drank a
glass, of a pint, I believe, at one draught, of the juice of oranges, of
whose peel they make comfits; and here they drink the juice as wine, with
sugar, and it is very fine drink; but, it being new, I was doubtful
whether it might not do me hurt.  Having staid a while, my wife and I
back, with my cozen Turner, etc., to her house, and there we took our
leaves of my cozen Pepys, who goes with his wife and two daughters for
Impington tomorrow.  They are very good people, and people I love, and am
obliged to, and shall have great pleasure in their friendship, and
particularly in hers, she being an understanding and good woman.  So away
home, and there after signing my letters, my eyes being bad, to supper and
to bed.

10th.  Up, and by hackney-coach to Auditor Beale's Office, in Holborne, to
look for records of the Navy, but he was out of the way, and so forced to
go next to White Hall, to the Privy Seal; and, after staying a little
there, then to Westminster, where, at the Exchequer, I met with Mr.
Newport and Major Halsey; and, after doing a little business with Mr.
Burges, we by water to White Hall, where I made a little stop: and so with
them by coach to Temple Bar, where, at the Sugar Loaf we dined, and W.
Hewer with me; and there comes a companion of theirs, Colonel Vernon, I
think they called him; a merry good fellow, and one that was very plain in
cursing the Duke of Buckingham, and discoursing of his designs to ruin us,
and that ruin must follow his counsels, and that we are an undone people.
To which the others concurred, but not so plain, but all vexed at Sir W.
Coventry's being laid aside: but Vernon, he is concerned, I perceive, for
my Lord Ormond's being laid aside; but their company, being all old
cavaliers, were very pleasant to hear how they swear and talk.  But
Halsey, to my content, tells me that my Lord Duke of Albemarle says that
W. Coventry being gone, nothing will be well done at the Treasury, and I
believe it; but they do all talk as that Duncombe, upon some pretence or
other, must follow him.  Thence to Auditor Beale's, his house and office,
but not to be