Diary of Samuel Pepys, 1665 N.S. Complete

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[Lord Sandwich was not so successful in convincing other people as
to the propriety of his conduct at Bergen as he was with Pepys.]

so as to let us see how the judgment of the world is not to be depended on
in things they know not; it being a place just wide enough, and not so
much hardly, for ships to go through to it, the yardarmes sticking in the
very rocks. He do not, upon his best enquiry, find reason to except
against any part of the management of the business by Teddiman; he having
staid treating no longer than during the night, whiles he was fitting
himself to fight, bringing his ship a-breast, and not a quarter of an hour
longer (as is said); nor could more ships have been brought to play, as is
thought. Nor could men be landed, there being 10,000 men effectively
always in armes of the Danes; nor, says he, could we expect more from the
Dane than he did, it being impossible to set fire on the ships but it must
burn the towne. But that wherein the Dane did amisse is, that he did
assist them, the Dutch, all the while, while he was treating with us,
while he should have been neutrall to us both. But, however, he did
demand but the treaty of us; which is, that we should not come with more
than five ships. A flag of truce is said, and confessed by my Lord, that
he believes it was hung out; but while they did hang it out, they did
shoot at us; so that it was not either seen perhaps, or fit to cease upon
sight of it, while they continued actually in action against us. But the
main thing my Lord wonders at, and condemns the Dane for, is, that the
blockhead, who is so much in debt to the Hollander, having now a treasure
more by much than all his Crowne was worth, and that which would for ever
have beggared the Hollanders, should not take this time to break with the
Hollander, and, thereby paid his debt which must have been forgiven him,
and got the greatest treasure into his hands that ever was together in the
world. By and by my Lord took me aside to discourse of his private
matters, who was very free with me touching the ill condition of the
fleete that it hath been in, and the good fortune that he hath had, and
nothing else that these prizes are to be imputed to. He also talked with
me about Mr. Coventry's dealing with him in sending Sir W. Pen away before
him, which was not fair nor kind; but that he hath mastered and cajoled
Sir W. Pen, that he hath been able to do, nothing in the fleete, but been
obedient to him; but withal tells me he is a man that is but of very mean
parts, and a fellow not to be lived with, so false and base he is; which I
know well enough to be very true, and did, as I had formerly done, give my
Lord my knowledge of him. By and by was called a Council of Warr on
board, when come Sir W. Pen there, and Sir Christopher Mings, Sir Edward
Spragg, Sir Jos. Jordan, Sir Thomas Teddiman, and Sir Roger Cuttance, and
so the necessity of the fleete for victuals, clothes, and money was
discoursed, but by the discourse there of all but my Lord, that is to say,
the counterfeit grave nonsense of Sir W. Pen and the poor mean discourse
of the rest, methinks I saw how the government and management of the
greatest business of the three nations is committed to very ordinary
heads, saving my Lord, and in effect is only upon him, who is able to do
what he pleases with them, they not having the meanest degree of reason to
be able to oppose anything that he says, and so I fear it is ordered but
like all the rest of the King's publique affayres. The council being up
they most of them went away, only Sir W. Pen who staid to dine there and
did so, but the wind being high the ship (though the motion of it was
hardly discernible to the eye) did make me sick, so as I could not eat any
thing almost. After dinner Cocke did pray me to helpe him to L500 of W.
How, who is deputy Treasurer, wherein my Lord Bruncker and I am to be
concerned and I did aske it my Lord, and he did consent to have us
furnished with L500, and I did get it paid to Sir Roger Cuttance and Mr.
Pierce in part for above L1000 worth of goods, Mace, Nutmegs, Cynamon, and
Cloves, and he tells us we may hope to get L1500 by it, which God send!
Great spoil, I hear, there hath been of the two East India ships, and that
yet they will come in to the King very rich: so that I hope this journey
will be worth L100 to me.

[There is a shorthand journal of proceedings relating to Pepys's
purchase of some East India prize goods among the Rawlinson MSS. in
the Bodleian Library.]

After having paid this money, we took leave of my Lord and so to our Yacht
again, having seen many of my friends there. Among others I hear that W.
Howe will grow very rich by this last business and grows very proud and
insolent by it; but it is what I ever expected. I hear by every body how
much my poor Lord of Sandwich was concerned for me during my silence a
while, lest I had been dead of the plague in this sickly time. No sooner
come into the yacht, though overjoyed with the good work we have done
to-day, but I was overcome with sea sickness so that I begun to spue
soundly, and so continued a good while, till at last I went into the
cabbin and shutting my eyes my trouble did cease that I fell asleep, which
continued till we come into Chatham river where the water was smooth, and
then I rose and was very well, and the tide coming to be against us we did
land before we come to Chatham and walked a mile, having very good
discourse by the way, it being dark and it beginning to rain just as we
got thither. At Commissioner Pett's we did eat and drink very well and
very merry we were, and about 10 at night, it being moonshine and very
cold, we set out, his coach carrying us, and so all night travelled to
Greenwich, we sometimes sleeping a little and then talking and laughing by
the way, and with much pleasure, but that it was very horrible cold, that
I was afeard of an ague. A pretty passage was that the coach stood of a
sudden and the coachman come down and the horses stirring, he cried, Hold!
which waked me, and the coach[man] standing at the boote to [do] something
or other and crying, Hold! I did wake of a sudden and not knowing who he
was, nor thinking of the coachman between sleeping and waking I did take
up the heart to take him by the shoulder, thinking verily he had been a
thief. But when I waked I found my cowardly heart to discover a fear
within me and that I should never have done it if I had been awake.

19th. About 4 or 5 of the clock we come to Greenwich, and, having first
set down my Lord Bruncker, Cocke and I went to his house, it being light,
and there to our great trouble, we being sleepy and cold, we met with the
ill newes that his boy Jacke was gone to bed sicke, which put Captain
Cocke and me also into much trouble, the boy, as they told us, complaining
of his head most, which is a bad sign it seems. So they presently betook
themselves to consult whither and how to remove him. However I thought it
not fit for me to discover too much fear to go away, nor had I any place
to go to. So to bed I went and slept till 10 of the clock and then comes
Captain Cocke to wake me and tell me that his boy was well again. With
great joy I heard the newes and he told it, so I up and to the office
where we did a little, and but a little business. At noon by invitation
to my Lord Bruncker's where we staid till four of the clock for my Lady
Batten and she not then coming we to dinner and pretty merry but
disordered by her making us stay so long. After dinner I to the office,
and there wrote letters and did business till night and then to Sir J.
Minnes's, where I find my Lady Batten come, and she and my Lord Bruncker
and his mistresse, and the whole house-full there at cards. But by and by
my Lord Bruncker goes away and others of the company, and when I expected
Sir J. Minnes and his sister should have staid to have made Sir W. Batten
and Lady sup, I find they go up in snuffe to bed without taking any manner
of leave of them, but left them with Mr. Boreman. The reason of this I
could not presently learn, but anon I hear it is that Sir J. Minnes did
expect and intend them a supper, but they without respect to him did first
apply themselves to Boreman, which makes all this great feude. However I
staid and there supped, all of us being in great disorder from this, and
more from Cocke's boy's being ill, where my Lady Batten and Sir W. Batten
did come to town with an intent to lodge, and I was forced to go seek a
lodging which my W. Hewer did get me, viz., his own chamber in the towne,
whither I went and found it a very fine room, and there lay most
excellently.

20th. Called up by Captain Cocke (who was last night put into great
trouble upon his boy's being rather worse than better, upon which he
removed him out of his house to his stable), who told me that to my
comfort his boy was now as well as ever he was in his life. So I up, and
after being trimmed, the first time I have been touched by a barber these
twelvemonths, I think, and more, went to Sir J. Minnes's, where I find all
out of order still, they having not seen one another till by and by Sir J.
Minnes and Sir W. Batten met, to go into my Lord Bruncker's coach, and so
we four to Lambeth, and thence to the Duke of Albemarle, to inform him
what we have done as to the fleete, which is very little, and to receive
his direction. But, Lord! what a sad time it is to see no boats upon the
River; and grass grows all up and down White Hall court, and nobody but
poor wretches in the streets! And, which is worst of all, the Duke showed
us the number of the plague this week, brought in the last night from the
Lord Mayor; that it is encreased about 600 more than the last, which is
quite contrary to all our hopes and expectations, from the coldness of the
late season. For the whole general number is 8,297, and of them the
plague 7,165; which is more in the whole by above 50, than the biggest
Bill yet; which is very grievous to us all. I find here a design in my
Lord Bruncker and Captain Cocke to have had my Lord Bruncker chosen as one
of us to have been sent aboard one of the East Indiamen, and Captain Cocke
as a merchant to be joined with him, and Sir J. Minnes for the other, and
Sir G. Smith to be joined with him. But I did order it so that my Lord
Bruncker and Sir J. Minnes were ordered, but I did stop the merchants to
be added, which would have been a most pernicious thing to the King I am
sure. In this I did, I think, a very good office, though I cannot acquit
myself from some envy of mine in the business to have the profitable
business done by another hand while I lay wholly imployed in the trouble
of the office. Thence back again by my Lord's coach to my Lord Bruncker's
house, where I find my Lady Batten, who is become very great with Mrs.
Williams (my Lord Bruncker's whore), and there we dined and were mighty
merry. After dinner I to the office there to write letters, to fit myself
for a journey to-morrow to Nonsuch to the Exchequer by appointment. That
being done I to Sir J. Minnes where I find Sir W. Batten and his Lady gone
home to Walthamstow in great snuffe as to Sir J. Minnes, but yet with some
necessity, hearing that a mayde-servant of theirs is taken ill. Here I
staid and resolved of my going in my Lord Bruncker's coach which he would
have me to take, though himself cannot go with me as he intended, and so
to my last night's lodging to bed very weary.

21st. Up between five and six o'clock; and by the time I was ready, my
Lord's coach comes for me; and taking Will Hewer with me, who is all in
mourning for his father, who is lately dead of the plague, as my boy Tom's
is also, I set out, and took about L100 with me to pay the fees there, and
so rode in some fear of robbing. When I come thither, I find only Mr.
Ward, who led me to Burgess's bedside, and Spicer's, who, watching of the
house, as it is their turns every night, did lie long in bed to-day, and I
find nothing at all done in my business, which vexed me. But not seeing
how to helpe it I did walk up and down with Mr. Ward to see the house; and
by and by Spicer and Mr. Falconbrige come to me and he and I to a towne
near by, Yowell, there drink and set up my horses and also bespoke a
dinner, and while that is dressing went with Spicer and walked up and down
the house and park; and a fine place it hath heretofore been, and a fine
prospect about the house. A great walk of an elme and a walnutt set one
after another in order. And all the house on the outside filled with
figures of stories, and good painting of Rubens' or Holben's doing. And
one great thing is, that most of the house is covered, I mean the posts,
and quarters in the walls; covered with lead, and gilded. I walked into
the ruined garden, and there found a plain little girle, kinswoman of Mr.
Falconbridge, to sing very finely by the eare only, but a fine way of
singing, and if I come ever to lacke a girle again I shall think of
getting her. Thence to the towne, and there Spicer, Woodruffe, and W.
Bowyer and I dined together and a friend of Spicer's; and a good dinner I
had for them. Falconbrige dined somewhere else, by appointment. Strange
to see how young W. Bowyer looks at 41 years; one would not take him for
24 or more, and is one of the greatest wonders I ever did see. After
dinner, about 4 of the clock we broke up, and I took coach and home (in
fear for the money I had with me, but that this friend of Spicer's, one of
the Duke's guard did ride along the best part of the way with us). I got
to my Lord Bruncker's before night, and there I sat and supped with him
and his mistresse, and Cocke whose boy is yet ill. Thence, after losing a
crowne betting at Tables--[Cribbage]--, we walked home, Cocke seeing me at
my new lodging, where I went to bed. All my worke this day in the coach
going and coming was to refresh myself in my musique scale, which I would
fain have perfecter than ever I had yet.

22nd. Up betimes and to the office, meaning to have entered my last 5 or
6 days' Journall, but was called away by my Lord Bruncker and Sir J.
Minnes, and to Blackwall, there to look after the storehouses in order to
the laying of goods out of the East India ships when they shall be
unloaden. That being done, we into Johnson's house, and were much made
of, eating and drinking. But here it is observable what he tells us, that
in digging his late Docke, he did 12 foot under ground find perfect trees
over-covered with earth. Nut trees, with the branches and the very nuts
upon them; some of whose nuts he showed us. Their shells black with age,
and their kernell, upon opening, decayed, but their shell perfectly hard
as ever. And a yew tree he showed us (upon which, he says, the very ivy
was taken up whole about it), which upon cutting with an addes [adze], we
found to be rather harder than the living tree usually is. They say, very
much, but I do not know how hard a yew tree naturally is.

[The same discovery was made in 1789, in digging the Brunswick Dock,
also at Blackwall, and elsewhere in the neighbourhood.]

The armes, they say, were taken up at first whole, about the body, which
is very strange. Thence away by water, and I walked with my Lord Bruncker
home, and there at dinner comes a letter from my Lord Sandwich to tell me
that he would this day be at Woolwich, and desired me to meet him. Which
fearing might have lain in Sir J. Minnes' pocket a while, he sending it
me, did give my Lord Bruncker, his mistress, and I occasion to talk of him
as the most unfit man for business in the world. Though at last
afterwards I found that he was not in this faulty, but hereby I have got a
clear evidence of my Lord Bruncker's opinion of him. My Lord Bruncker
presently ordered his coach to be ready and we to Woolwich, and my Lord
Sandwich not being come, we took a boat and about a mile off met him in
his Catch, and boarded him, and come up with him; and, after making a
little halt at my house, which I ordered, to have my wife see him, we all
together by coach to Mr. Boreman's, where Sir J. Minnes did receive him
very handsomely, and there he is to lie; and Sir J. Minnes did give him on
the sudden, a very handsome supper and brave discourse, my Lord Bruncker,
and Captain Cocke, and Captain Herbert being there, with myself. Here my
Lord did witness great respect to me, and very kind expressions, and by
other occasions, from one thing to another did take notice how I was
overjoyed at first to see the King's letter to his Lordship, and told them
how I did kiss it, and that, whatever he was, I did always love the King.
This my Lord Bruncker did take such notice [of] as that he could not
forbear kissing me before my Lord, professing his finding occasion every
day more and more to love me, and Captain Cocke has since of himself taken
notice of that speech of my Lord then concerning me, and may be of good
use to me. Among other discourse concerning long life, Sir J. Minnes
saying that his great-grandfather was alive in Edward the Vth's time; my
Lord Sandwich did tell us how few there have been of his family since King
Harry the VIIIth; that is to say, the then Chiefe Justice, and his son the
Lord Montagu, who was father to Sir Sidney,

[These are the words in the MS., and not "his son and the Lord
Montagu," as in some former editions. Pepys seems to have written
Lord Montagu by mistake for Sir Edward Montagu.]

who was his father. And yet, what is more wonderfull, he did assure us
from the mouth of my Lord Montagu himself, that in King James's time
([when he] had a mind to get the King to cut off the entayle of some land
which was given in Harry the VIIIth's time to the family, with the
remainder in the Crowne); he did answer the King in showing how unlikely
it was that ever it could revert to the Crown, but that it would be a
present convenience to him; and did show that at that time there were
4,000 persons derived from the very body of the Chiefe Justice. It seems
the number of daughters in the family having been very great, and
they too had most of them many children, and grandchildren, and
great-grandchildren. This he tells as a most known and certain truth.
After supper, my Lord Bruncker took his leave, and I also did mine, taking
Captain Herbert home to my lodging to lie with me, who did mighty
seriously inquire after who was that in the black dress with my wife
yesterday, and would not believe that it was my wife's mayde, Mercer,
but it was she.

23rd. Up, and to my Lord Sandwich, who did advise alone with me how far
he might trust Captain Cocke in the business of the prize-goods, my Lord
telling me that he hath taken into his hands 2 or L3000 value of them: it
being a good way, he says, to get money, and afterwards to get the King's
allowance thereof, it being easier, he observes, to keepe money when got
of the King than to get it when it is too late. I advised him not to
trust Cocke too far, and did therefore offer him ready money for a L1000
or two, which he listens to and do agree to, which is great joy to me,
hoping thereby to get something! Thence by coach to Lambeth, his
Lordship, and all our office, and Mr. Evelyn, to the Duke of Albemarle,
where, after the compliment with my Lord very kind, we sat down to consult
of the disposing and supporting of the fleete with victuals and money, and
for the sicke men and prisoners; and I did propose the taking out some
goods out of the prizes, to the value of L10,000, which was accorded to,
and an order, drawn up and signed by the Duke and my Lord, done in the
best manner I can, and referred to my Lord Bruncker and Sir J. Minnes, but
what inconveniences may arise from it I do not yet see, but fear there may
be many. Here we dined, and I did hear my Lord Craven whisper, as he is
mightily possessed with a good opinion of me, much to my advantage, which
my good Lord did second, and anon my Lord Craven did speak publiquely of
me to the Duke, in the hearing of all the rest; and the Duke did say
something of the like advantage to me; I believe, not much to the
satisfaction of my brethren; but I was mightily joyed at it. Thence took
leave, leaving my Lord Sandwich to go visit the Bishop of Canterbury, and
I and Sir W. Batten down to the Tower, where he went further by water, and
I home, and among other things took out all my gold to carry along with me
to-night with Captain Cocke downe to the fleete, being L180 and more,
hoping to lay out that and a great deal more to good advantage. Thence
down to Greenwich to the office, and there wrote several letters, and so
to my Lord Sandwich, and mighty merry and he mighty kind to me in the face
of all, saying much in my favour, and after supper I took leave and with
Captain Cocke set out in the yacht about ten o'clock at night, and after
some discourse, and drinking a little, my mind full of what we are going
about and jealous of Cocke's outdoing me. So to sleep upon beds brought by
Cocke on board mighty handsome, and never slept better than upon this bed
upon the floor in the Cabbin.

24th (Lord's day). Waked, and up and drank, and then to discourse; and
then being about Grayes, and a very calme, curious morning, we took our
wherry, and to the fishermen, and bought a great deal of fine fish, and to
Gravesend to White's, and had part of it dressed; and, in the meantime, we
to walk about a mile from the towne, and so back again; and there, after
breakfast, one of our watermen told us he had heard of a bargain of cloves
for us, and we went to a blind alehouse at the further end wretched dirty
seamen, who, of the towne to a couple of poor wretches, had got together
about 37 lb. of cloves and to 10 of nutmeggs, and we bought them of them,
the first at 5s. 6d. per lb. and the latter at 4s.; and paid them in
gold; but, Lord! to see how silly these men are in the selling of it, and
easily to be persuaded almost to anything, offering a bag to us to pass as
20 lbs. of cloves, which upon weighing proved 25 lbs. But it would never
have been allowed by my conscience to have wronged the poor wretches, who
told us how dangerously they had got some, and dearly paid for the rest of
these goods. This being done we with great content herein on board again
and there Captain Cocke and I to discourse of our business, but he will
not yet be open to me, nor am I to him till I hear what he will say and do
with Sir Roger Cuttance. However, this discourse did do me good, and got
me a copy of the agreement made the other day on board for the parcel of
Mr. Pierce and Sir Roger Cuttance, but this great parcel is of my Lord
Sandwich's. By and by to dinner about 3 o'clock and then I in the cabbin
to writing down my journall for these last seven days to my great
content, it having pleased God that in this sad time of the plague every
thing else has conspired to my happiness and pleasure more for these last
three months than in all my, life before in so little time. God long
preserve it and make me thankful) for it! After finishing my Journal,
then to discourse and to read, and then to supper and to bed, my mind not
being at full ease, having not fully satisfied myself how Captain Cocke
will deal with me as to the share of the profits.

25th. Found ourselves come to the fleete, and so aboard the Prince; and
there, after a good while in discourse, we did agree a bargain of L5,000
with Sir Roger Cuttance for my Lord Sandwich for silk, cinnamon, nutmeggs,
and indigo. And I was near signing to an undertaking for the payment of
the whole sum; but I did by chance escape it; having since, upon second
thoughts, great cause to be glad of it, reflecting upon the craft and not
good condition, it may be, of Captain Cocke. I could get no trifles for
my wife. Anon to dinner and thence in great haste to make a short visit
to Sir W. Pen, where I found them and his lady and daughter and many
commanders at dinner. Among others Sir G. Askue, of whom whatever the
matter is, the world is silent altogether. But a very pretty dinner there
was, and after dinner Sir W. Pen made a bargain with Cocke for ten bales
of silke, at 16s. per lb., which, as Cocke says, will be a good
pennyworth, and so away to the Prince and presently comes my Lord on board
from Greenwich, with whom, after a little discourse about his trusting of
Cocke, we parted and to our yacht; but it being calme, we to make haste,
took our wherry toward Chatham; but, it growing darke, we were put to
great difficultys, our simple, yet confident waterman, not knowing a step
of the way; and we found ourselves to go backward and forward, which, in
the darke night and a wild place, did vex us mightily. At last we got a
fisher boy by chance, and took him into the boat, and being an odde kind
of boy, did vex us too; for he would not answer us aloud when we spoke to
him, but did carry us safe thither, though with a mistake or two; but I
wonder they were not more. In our way I was [surprised] and so were we
all, at the strange nature of the sea-water in a darke night, that it
seemed like fire upon every stroke of the oare, and, they say, is a sign
of winde. We went to the Crowne Inne, at Rochester, and there to supper,
and made ourselves merry with our poor fisher-boy, who told us he had not
been in a bed in the whole seven years since he came to 'prentice, and
hath two or three more years to serve. After eating something, we in our
clothes to bed.

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