Diary of Samuel Pepys, 1664 N.S. Complete

S >> Samuel Pepys >> Diary of Samuel Pepys, 1664 N.S. Complete

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25

16th. And then I rose and up, leaving my wife in bed, and to my
brother's, where I set them on cleaning the house, and my wife coming anon
to look after things, I up and down to my cozen Stradwicke's and uncle
Fenner's about discoursing for the funeral, which I am resolved to put off
till Friday next. Thence home and trimmed myself, and then to the
'Change, and told my uncle Wight of my brother's death, and so by coach to
my cozen Turner's and there dined very well, but my wife . . . in
great pain we were forced to rise in some disorder, and in Mrs. Turner's
coach carried her home and put her to bed. Then back again with my cozen
Norton to Mrs. Turner's, and there staid a while talking with Dr. Pepys,
the puppy, whom I had no patience to hear. So I left them and to my
brother's to look after things, and saw the coffin brought; and by and by
Mrs. Holden came and saw him nailed up. Then came W. Joyce to me half
drunk, and much ado I had to tell him the story of my brother's being
found clear of what was said, but he would interrupt me by some idle
discourse or other, of his crying what a good man, and a good speaker my
brother was, and God knows what. At last weary of him I got him away, and
I to Mrs. Turner's, and there, though my heart is still heavy to think of
my poor brother, yet I could give way to my fancy to hear Mrs. The. play
upon the Harpsicon, though the musique did not please me neither. Thence
to my brother's and found them with my mayd Elizabeth taking an inventory
of the goods of the house, which I was well pleased at, and am much
beholden to Mr. Honeywood's man in doing of it. His name is Herbert, one
that says he knew me when he lived with Sir Samuel Morland, but I have
forgot him. So I left them at it, and by coach home and to my office,
there to do a little business, but God knows my heart and head is so full
of my brother's death, and the consequences of it, that I can do very
little or understand it. So home to supper, and after looking over some
business in my chamber I to bed to my wife, who continues in bed in some
pain still. This day I have a great barrel of oysters given me by Mr.
Barrow, as big as 16 of others, and I took it in the coach with me to Mrs.
Turner's, and give them to her. This day the Parliament met again, after
a long prorogation, but what they have done I have not been in the way to
hear.

17th. Up and to my brother's, where all the morning doing business
against to-morrow, and so to my cozen Stradwicke's about the same
business, and to the 'Change, and thence home to dinner, where my wife in
bed sick still, but not so bad as yesterday. I dined by her, and so to
the office, where we sat this afternoon, having changed this day our
sittings from morning to afternoons, because of the Parliament which
returned yesterday; but was adjourned till Monday next; upon pretence that
many of the members were said to be upon the road; and also the King had
other affairs, and so desired them to adjourn till then. But the truth
is, the King is offended at my Lord of Bristol, as they say, whom he hath
found to have been all this while (pretending a desire of leave to go into
France, and to have all the difference between him and the Chancellor made
up,) endeavouring to make factions in both Houses to the Chancellor. So
the King did this to keep the Houses from meeting; and in the meanwhile
sent a guard and a herald last night to have taken him at Wimbleton, where
he was in the morning, but could not find him: at which the King was and
is still mightily concerned, and runs up and down to and from the
Chancellor's like a boy: and it seems would make Digby's articles against
the Chancellor to be treasonable reflections against his Majesty. So that
the King is very high, as they say; and God knows what will follow upon
it! After office I to my brother's again, and thence to Madam Turner's,
in both places preparing things against to-morrow; and this night I have
altered my resolution of burying him in the church yarde among my young
brothers and sisters, and bury him in the church, in the middle isle, as
near as I can to my mother's pew. This costs me 20s. more. This being
all, home by coach, bringing my brother's silver tankard for safety along
with me, and so to supper, after writing to my father, and so to bed.

18th. Up betimes, and walked to my brother's, where a great while putting
things in order against anon; then to Madam Turner's and eat a breakfast
there, and so to Wotton, my shoemaker, and there got a pair of shoes
blacked on the soles against anon for me; so to my brother's and to
church, and with the grave-maker chose a place for my brother to lie in,
just under my mother's pew. But to see how a man's tombes are at the
mercy of such a fellow, that for sixpence he would, (as his owne words
were,) "I will justle them together but I will make room for him;"
speaking of the fulness of the middle isle, where he was to lie; and that
he would, for my father's sake, do my brother that is dead all the
civility he can; which was to disturb other corps that are not quite
rotten, to make room for him; and methought his manner of speaking it was
very remarkable; as of a thing that now was in his power to do a man a
courtesy or not. At noon my wife, though in pain, comes, but I being
forced to go home, she went back with me, where I dressed myself, and so
did Besse; and so to my brother's again: whither, though invited, as the
custom is, at one or two o'clock, they came not till four or five. But at
last one after another they come, many more than I bid: and my reckoning
that I bid was one hundred and twenty; but I believe there was nearer one
hundred and fifty. Their service was six biscuits apiece, and what they
pleased of burnt claret. My cosen Joyce Norton kept the wine and cakes
above; and did give out to them that served, who had white gloves given
them. But above all, I am beholden to Mrs. Holden, who was most kind, and
did take mighty pains not only in getting the house and every thing else
ready, but this day in going up and down to see, the house filled and
served, in order to mine, and their great content, I think; the men
sitting by themselves in some rooms, and women by themselves in others,
very close, but yet room enough. Anon to church, walking out into the
streete to the Conduit, and so across the streete, and had a very good
company along with the corps. And being come to the grave as above, Dr.
Pierson, the minister of the parish, did read the service for buriall: and
so I saw my poor brother laid into the grave; and so all broke up; and I
and my wife and Madam Turner and her family to my brother's, and by and by
fell to a barrell of oysters, cake, and cheese, of Mr. Honiwood's, with
him, in his chamber and below, being too merry for so late a sad work.
But, Lord! to see how the world makes nothing of the memory of a man, an
houre after he is dead! And, indeed, I must blame myself; for though at
the sight of him dead and dying, I had real grief for a while, while he
was in my sight, yet presently after, and ever since, I have had very
little grief indeed for him. By and by, it beginning to be late, I put
things in some order in the house, and so took my wife and Besse (who hath
done me very good service in cleaning and getting ready every thing and
serving the wine and things to-day, and is indeed a most excellent
good-natured and faithful wench, and I love her mightily), by coach home,
and so after being at the office to set down the day's work home to supper
and to bed.

19th. Up and to the office, where all the morning, and at noon my wife
and I alone, having a good hen, with eggs, to dinner, with great content.
Then by coach to my brother's, where I spent the afternoon in paying some
of the charges of the buriall, and in looking over his papers, among which
I find several letters of my brother John's to him speaking very foale
words of me and my deportment to him here, and very crafty designs about
Sturtlow land and God knows what, which I am very glad to know, and shall
make him repent them. Anon my father and my brother John came to towne by
coach. I sat till night with him, giving him an account of things. He,
poor man, very sad and sickly. I in great pain by a simple compressing of
my cods to-day by putting one leg over another as I have formerly done,
which made me hasten home, and after a little at the office in great
disorder home to bed.

20th (Lord's day). Kept my bed all the morning, having laid a poultice to
my cods last night to take down the tumour there which I got yesterday,
which it did do, being applied pretty warm, and soon after the beginning
of the swelling, and the pain was gone also. We lay talking all the
while, among other things of religion, wherein I am sorry so often to hear
my wife talk of her being and resolving to die a Catholique,

[Mrs. Pepys's leaning towards Roman Catholicism was a constant
trouble to her husband; but, in spite of his fears, she died a
Protestant (Dr. Milles's certificate.)]

and indeed a small matter, I believe, would absolutely turn her, which I
am sorry for. Up at noon to dinner, and then to my chamber with a fire
till late at night looking over my brother Thomas's papers, sorting of
them, among which I find many base letters of my brother John's to him
against me, and carrying on plots against me to promote Tom's having of
his Banbury' Mistress, in base slighting terms, and in worse of my sister
Pall, such as I shall take a convenient time to make my father know, and
him also to his sorrow. So after supper to bed, our people rising to wash
to-morrow.

21st. Up, and it snowing this morning a little, which from the mildness
of the winter and the weather beginning to be hot and the summer to come
on apace, is a little strange to us. I did not go abroad for fear of my
tumour, for fear it shall rise again, but staid within, and by and by my
father came, poor man, to me, and my brother John. After much talke and
taking them up to my chamber, I did there after some discourse bring in
any business of anger--with John, and did before my father read all his
roguish letters, which troubled my father mightily, especially to hear me
say what I did, against my allowing any thing for the time to come to him
out of my owne purse, and other words very severe, while he, like a simple
rogue, made very silly and churlish answers to me, not like a man of any
goodness or witt, at which I was as much disturbed as the other, and will
be as good as my word in making him to his cost know that I will remember
his carriage to me in this particular the longest day I live. It troubled
me to see my poor father so troubled, whose good nature did make him, poor
wretch, to yield, I believe, to comply with my brother Tom and him in part
of their designs, but without any ill intent to me, or doubt of me or my
good intentions to him or them, though it do trouble me a little that he
should in any manner do it. They dined with me, and after dinner abroad
with my wife to buy some things for her, and I to the office, where we sat
till night, and then, after doing some business at my closet, I home and
to supper and to bed. This day the Houses of Parliament met; and the King
met them, with the Queene with him. And he made a speech to them:

[March 16th, 1663-64. This day both Houses met, and on the gist the
king opened the session with a speech from the throne, in which
occurs this Passage: "I pray, Mr. Speaker, and you, gentlemen of the
House of Commons, give that Triennial Bill once a reading in your
house, and then, in God's name, do what you think fit for me and
yourselves and the whole kingdom. I need not tell you how much I
love parliaments. Never king was so much beholden to parliaments as
I have been, nor do I think the crown can ever be happy without
frequent parliaments" (Cobbett's "Parliamentary History," vol. iv.,
cc. 290, 291).]

among other things, discoursing largely of the plots abroad against him
and the peace of the kingdom; and, among other things, that the
dissatisfied party had great hopes upon the effect of the Act for a
Triennial Parliament granted by his father, which he desired them to
peruse, and, I think, repeal. So the Houses did retire to their own
House, and did order the Act to be read to-morrow before them; and I
suppose it will be repealed, though I believe much against the will of a
good many that sit there.

22nd. Up, and spent the whole morning and afternoon at my office, only in
the evening, my wife being at my aunt Wight's, I went thither, calling at
my own house, going out found the parlour curtains drawn, and inquiring
the reason of it, they told me that their mistress had got Mrs. Buggin's
fine little dog and our little bitch, which is proud at this time, and I
am apt to think that she was helping him to line her, for going afterwards
to my uncle Wight's, and supping there with her, where very merry with Mr.
Woolly's drollery, and going home I found the little dog so little that of
himself he could not reach our bitch, which I am sorry for, for it is the
finest dog that ever I saw in my life, as if he were painted the colours
are so finely mixed and shaded. God forgive me, it went against me to
have my wife and servants look upon them while they endeavoured to do
something . . . .

23rd. Up, and going out saw Mrs. Buggin's dog, which proves as I thought
last night so pretty that I took him and the bitch into my closet below,
and by holding down the bitch helped him to line her, which he did very
stoutly, so as I hope it will take, for it is the prettiest dog that ever
I saw. So to the office, where very busy all the morning, and so to the
'Change, and off hence with Sir W. Rider to the Trinity House, and there
dined very well: and good discourse among the old men of Islands now and
then rising and falling again in the Sea, and that there is many dangers
of grounds and rocks that come just up to the edge almost of the sea, that
is never discovered and ships perish without the world's knowing the
reason of it. Among other things, they observed, that there are but two
seamen in the Parliament house, viz., Sir W. Batten and Sir W. Pen, and
not above twenty or thirty merchants; which is a strange thing in an
island, and no wonder that things of trade go no better nor are better
understood. Thence home, and all the afternoon at the office, only for an
hour in the evening my Lady Jemimah, Paulina, and Madam Pickering come to
see us, but my wife would not be seen, being unready. Very merry with
them; they mightily talking of their thrifty living for a fortnight before
their mother came to town, and other such simple talk, and of their merry
life at Brampton, at my father's, this winter. So they being gone, to the
office again till late, and so home and to supper and to bed.

24th. Called up by my father, poor man, coming to advise with me about
Tom's house and other matters, and he being gone I down by water to
Greenwich, it being very-foggy, and I walked very finely to Woolwich, and
there did very much business at both yards, and thence walked back,
Captain Grove with me talking, and so to Deptford and did the like-there,
and then walked to Redriffe (calling and eating a bit of collops and eggs
at Half-way house), and so home to the office, where we sat late, and home
weary to supper and to bed.

25th (Lady-day). Up and by water to White Hall, and there to chappell;
where it was most infinite full to hear Dr. Critton. Being not knowne,
some great persons in the pew I pretended to, and went in, did question my
coming in. I told them my pretence; so they turned to the orders of the
chappell, which hung behind upon the wall, and read it; and were
satisfied; but they did not demand whether I was in waiting or no; and so
I was in some fear lest he that was in waiting might come and betray me.
The Doctor preached upon the thirty-first of Jeremy, and the twenty-first
and twenty-second verses, about a woman compassing a man; meaning the
Virgin conceiving and bearing our Saviour. It was the worst sermon I ever
heard him make, I must confess; and yet it was good, and in two places
very bitter, advising the King to do as the Emperor Severus did, to hang
up a Presbyter John (a short coat and a long gowne interchangeably) in all
the Courts of England. But the story of Severus was pretty, that he
hanged up forty senators before the Senate house, and then made a speech
presently to the Senate in praise of his owne lenity; and then decreed
that never any senator after that time should suffer in the same manner
without consent of the Senate: which he compared to the proceeding of the
Long Parliament against my Lord Strafford. He said the greatest part of
the lay magistrates in England were Puritans, and would not do justice;
and the Bishopps, their powers were so taken away and lessened, that they
could not exercise the power they ought. He told the King and the ladies
plainly, speaking of death and of the skulls and bones of dead men and
women,

[The preacher appears to have had the grave scene in "Hamlet" in
his mind, as he gives the same illustration of Alexander as Hamlet
does.]

how there is no difference; that nobody could tell that of the great
Marius or Alexander from a pyoneer; nor, for all the pains the ladies take
with their faces, he that should look in a charnels-house could not
distinguish which was Cleopatra's, or fair Rosamond's, or Jane Shoare's.
Thence by water home. After dinner to the office, thence with my wife to
see my father and discourse how he finds Tom's matters, which he do very
ill, and that he finds him to have been so negligent, that he used to
trust his servants with cutting out of clothes, never hardly cutting out
anything himself; and, by the abstract of his accounts, we find him to owe
above L290, and to be coming to him under L200. Thence home with my wife,
it being very dirty on foot, and bought some fowl in Gracious. Streets and
some oysters against our feast to-morrow. So home, and after at the
office a while, home to supper and to bed.

26th. Up very betimes and to my office, and there read over some papers
against a meeting by and by at this office of Mr. Povy, Sir W. Rider,
Creed, and Vernaty, and Mr. Gauden about my Lord Peterborough's accounts
for Tangier, wherein we proceeded a good way; but, Lord! to see how
ridiculous Mr. Povy is in all he says or do; like a man not more fit for
to be in such employments as he is, and particularly that of Treasurer
(paying many and very great sums without the least written order) as he is
to be King of England, and seems but this day, after much discourse of
mine, to be sensible of that part of his folly, besides a great deal more
in other things. This morning in discourse Sir W. Rider [said], that he
hath kept a journals of his life for almost these forty years, even to
this day and still do, which pleases me mightily. That being done Sir J.
Minnes and I sat all the morning, and then I to the 'Change, and there got
away by pretence of business with my uncle Wight to put off Creed, whom I
had invited to dinner, and so home, and there found Madam Turner, her
daughter The., Joyce Norton, my father and Mr. Honywood, and by and by
come my uncle Wight and aunt. This being my solemn feast for my cutting
of the stone, it being now, blessed be God! this day six years since the
time; and I bless God I do in all respects find myself free from that
disease or any signs of it, more than that upon the least cold I continue
to have pain in making water, by gathering of wind and growing costive,
till which be removed I am at no ease, but without that I am very well.
One evil more I have, which is that upon the least squeeze almost my cods
begin to swell and come to great pain, which is very strange and
troublesome to me, though upon the speedy applying of a poultice it goes
down again, and in two days I am well again. Dinner not being presently
ready I spent some time myself and shewed them a map of Tangier left this
morning at my house by Creed, cut by our order, the Commissioners, and
drawn by Jonas Moore, which is very pleasant, and I purpose to have it
finely set out and hung up. Mrs. Hunt coming to see my wife by chance
dined here with us. After dinner Sir W. Batten sent to speak with me, and
told me that he had proffered our bill today in the House, and that it was
read without any dissenters, and he fears not but will pass very well,
which I shall be glad of. He told me also how Sir [Richard] Temple hath
spoke very discontentfull words in the House about the Tryennial Bill; but
it hath been read the second time to-day, and committed; and, he believes,
will go on without more ado, though there are many in the House are
displeased at it, though they dare not say much. But above all
expectation, Mr. Prin is the man against it, comparing it to the idoll
whose head was of gold, and his body and legs and feet of different metal.
So this Bill had several degrees of calling of Parliaments, in case the
King, and then the Council, and then the Lord Chancellor, and then the
Sheriffes, should fail to do it. He tells me also, how, upon occasion of
some 'prentices being put in the pillory to-day for beating of their
masters, or some such like thing, in Cheapside, a company of 'prentices
came and rescued them, and pulled down the pillory; and they being set up
again, did the like again. So that the Lord Mayor and Major Generall
Browne was fain to come and stay there, to keep the peace; and drums, all
up and down the city, was beat to raise the trained bands, for to quiett
the towne, and by and by, going out with my uncle and aunt Wight by coach
with my wife through Cheapside (the rest of the company after much content
and mirth being broke up), we saw a trained band stand in Cheapside upon
their guard. We went, much against my uncle's will, as far almost as Hyde
Park, he and my aunt falling out all the way about it, which vexed me, but
by this I understand my uncle more than ever I did, for he was mighty soon
angry, and wished a pox take her, which I was sorry to hear. The weather
I confess turning on a sudden to rain did make it very unpleasant, but yet
there was no occasion in the world for his being so angry, but she bore
herself very discreetly, and I must confess she proves to me much another
woman than I thought her, but all was peace again presently, and so it
raining very fast, we met many brave coaches coming from the Parke and so
we turned and set them down at home, and so we home ourselves, and ended
the day with great content to think how it hath pleased the Lord in six
years time to raise me from a condition of constant and dangerous and most
painfull sicknesse and low condition and poverty to a state of constant
health almost, great honour and plenty, for which the Lord God of heaven
make me truly thankfull. My wife found her gowne come home laced, which
is indeed very handsome, but will cost me a great deal of money, more than
ever I intended, but it is but for once. So to the office and did
business, and then home and to bed.

27th (Lord's day). Lay long in bed wrangling with my wife about the
charge she puts me to at this time for clothes more than I intended, and
very angry we were, but quickly friends again. And so rising and ready I
to my office, and there fell upon business, and then to dinner, and then
to my office again to my business, and by and by in the afternoon walked
forth towards my father's, but it being church time, walked to St.
James's, to try if I could see the belle Butler, but could not; only saw
her sister, who indeed is pretty, with a fine Roman nose. Thence walked
through the ducking-pond fields; but they are so altered since my father
used to carry us to Islington, to the old man's, at the King's Head, to
eat cakes and ale (his name was Pitts) that I did not know which was the
ducking-pond nor where I was. So through F[l]ee[t] lane to my father's,
and there met Mr. Moore, and discoursed with him and my father about who
should administer for my brother Tom, and I find we shall have trouble in
it, but I will clear my hands of it, and what vexed me, my father seemed
troubled that I should seem to rely so wholly upon the advice of Mr.
Moore, and take nobody else, but I satisfied him, and so home; and in
Cheapside, both coming and going, it was full of apprentices, who have
been here all this day, and have done violence, I think, to the master of
the boys that were put in the pillory yesterday. But, Lord! to see how the
train-bands are raised upon this: the drums beating every where as if an
enemy were upon them; so much is this city subject to be put into a
disarray upon very small occasions. But it was pleasant to hear the boys,
and particularly one little one, that I demanded the business. He told me
that that had never been done in the city since it was a city, two
prentices put in the pillory, and that it ought not to be so. So I walked
home, and then it being fine moonshine with my wife an houre in the
garden, talking of her clothes against Easter and about her mayds, Jane
being to be gone, and the great dispute whether Besse, whom we both love,
should be raised to be chamber-mayde or no. We have both a mind to it,
but know not whether we should venture the making her proud and so make a
bad chamber-mayde of a very good natured and sufficient cook-mayde. So to
my office a little, and then to supper, prayers and to bed.

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25