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Diary of Samuel Pepys, 1666 N.S. Complete

S >> Samuel Pepys >> Diary of Samuel Pepys, 1666 N.S. Complete



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.

1666 N.S.

JANUARY & FEBRUARY
1665-1666

January 1st (New-Yeare's Day). Called up by five o'clock, by my order, by
Mr. Tooker, who wrote, while I dictated to him, my business of the
Pursers; and so, without eating or drinking, till three in the afternoon,
and then, to my great content, finished it. So to dinner, Gibson and he
and I, and then to copying it over, Mr. Gibson reading and I writing, and
went a good way in it till interrupted by Sir W. Warren's coming, of whom
I always learne something or other, his discourse being very good and his
brains also. He being gone we to our business again, and wrote more of it
fair, and then late to bed.

[This document is in the British Museum (Harleian MS. 6287), and is
entitled, "A Letter from Mr. Pepys, dated at Greenwich, 1 Jan.
1665-6, which he calls his New Year's Gift to his hon. friend, Sir
Wm. Coventry, wherein he lays down a method for securing his Majesty
in husbandly execution of the Victualling Part of the Naval
Expence." It consists of nineteen closely written folio pages, and
is a remarkable specimen of Pepys's business habits.--B. There are
copies of several letters on the victualling of the navy, written by
Pepys in 1666, among the Rawlinson MSS. in the Bodleian.]

2nd. Up by candlelight again, and wrote the greatest part of my business
fair, and then to the office, and so home to dinner, and after dinner up
and made an end of my fair writing it, and that being done, set two
entering while to my Lord Bruncker's, and there find Sir J. Minnes and all
his company, and Mr. Boreman and Mrs. Turner, but, above all, my dear Mrs.
Knipp, with whom I sang, and in perfect pleasure I was to hear her sing,
and especially her little Scotch song of "Barbary Allen;"

[The Scottish ballad is entitled, "Sir John Grehme and Barbara
Allan," and the English version, "Barbara Allen's Cruelty." Both
are printed in Percy's "Reliques," Series III.]

and to make our mirthe the completer, Sir J. Minnes was in the highest
pitch of mirthe, and his mimicall tricks, that ever I saw, and most
excellent pleasant company he is, and the best mimique that ever I saw,
and certainly would have made an excellent actor, and now would be an
excellent teacher of actors. Thence, it being post night, against my will
took leave, but before I come to my office, longing for more of her
company, I returned and met them coming home in coaches, so I got into the
coach where Mrs. Knipp was and got her upon my knee (the coach being full)
and played with her breasts and sung, and at last set her at her house and
so good night. So home to my lodgings and there endeavoured to have
finished the examining my papers of Pursers' business to have sent away
to-night, but I was so sleepy with my late early risings and late goings
to bed that I could not do it, but was forced to go to bed and leave it to
send away to-morrow by an Expresse.

3rd. Up, and all the morning till three in the afternoon examining and
fitting up my Pursers' paper and sent it away by an Expresse. Then comes
my wife, and I set her to get supper ready against I go to the Duke of
Albemarle and back again; and at the Duke's with great joy I received the
good news of the decrease of the plague this week to 70, and but 253 in
all; which is the least Bill hath been known these twenty years in the
City. Through the want of people in London is it, that must make it so
low below the ordinary number for Bills. So home, and find all my good
company I had bespoke, as Coleman and his wife, and Laneare, Knipp and her
surly husband; and good musique we had, and, among other things, Mrs.
Coleman sang my words I set of "Beauty retire," and I think it is a good
song, and they praise it mightily. Then to dancing and supper, and mighty
merry till Mr. Rolt come in, whose pain of the tooth-ake made him no
company, and spoilt ours; so he away, and then my wife's teeth fell of
akeing, and she to bed. So forced to break up all with a good song, and
so to bed.

4th. Up, and to the office, where my Lord Bruncker and I, against Sir W.
Batten and Sir J. Minnes and the whole table, for Sir W. Warren in the
business of his mast contract, and overcome them and got them to do what I
had a mind to, for indeed my Lord being unconcerned in what I aimed at. So
home to dinner, where Mr. Sheldon come by invitation from Woolwich, and as
merry as I could be with all my thoughts about me and my wife still in
pain of her tooth. He anon took leave and took Mrs. Barbary his niece
home with him, and seems very thankful to me for the L10 I did give him
for my wife's rent of his house, and I am sure I am beholding to him, for
it was a great convenience to me, and then my wife home to London by water
and I to the office till 8 at night, and so to my Lord Bruncker's,
thinking to have been merry, having appointed a meeting for Sir J. Minnes
and his company and Mrs. Knipp again, but whatever hindered I know not,
but no company come, which vexed me because it disappointed me of the glut
of mirthe I hoped for. However, good discourse with my Lord and merry,
with Mrs. Williams's descants upon Sir J. Minnes's and Mrs. Turner's not
coming. So home and to bed.

5th. I with my Lord Bruncker and Mrs. Williams by coach with four horses
to London, to my Lord's house in Covent-Guarden. But, Lord! what staring
to see a nobleman's coach come to town. And porters every where bow to
us; and such begging of beggars! And a delightfull thing it is to see the
towne full of people again as now it is; and shops begin to open, though
in many places seven or eight together, and more, all shut; but yet the
towne is full, compared with what it used to be. I mean the City end; for
Covent-Guarden and Westminster are yet very empty of people, no Court nor
gentry being there. Set Mrs. Williams down at my Lord's house and he and
I to Sir G. Carteret, at his chamber at White Hall, he being come to town
last night to stay one day. So my Lord and he and I much talke about the
Act, what credit we find upon it, but no private talke between him and I.
So I to the 'Change, and there met Mr. Povy, newly come to town, and he
and I to Sir George Smith's and there dined nobly. He tells me how my Lord
Bellases complains for want of money and of him and me therein, but I
value it not, for I know I do all that can be done. We had no time to talk
of particulars, but leave it to another day, and I away to Cornhill to
expect my Lord Bruncker's coming back again, and I staid at my stationer's
house, and by and by comes my Lord, and did take me up and so to
Greenwich, and after sitting with them a while at their house, home,
thinking to get Mrs. Knipp, but could not, she being busy with company,
but sent me a pleasant letter, writing herself "Barbary Allen." I went
therefore to Mr. Boreman's for pastime, and there staid an houre or two
talking with him, and reading a discourse about the River of Thames, the
reason of its being choked up in several places with shelfes; which is
plain is, by the encroachments made upon the River, and running out of
causeways into the River at every wood-wharfe; which was not heretofore
when Westminster Hall and White Hall were built, and Redriffe Church,
which now are sometimes overflown with water. I had great satisfaction
herein. So home and to my papers for lacke of company, but by and by
comes little Mrs. Tooker and sat and supped with me, and I kept her very
late talking and making her comb my head, and did what I will with her.
So late to bed.

6th. Up betimes and by water to the Cockepitt, there met Sir G. Carteret
and, after discourse with the Duke, all together, and there saw a letter
wherein Sir W. Coventry did take notice to the Duke with a commendation of
my paper about Pursers, I to walke in the Parke with the Vice-Chamberlain,
and received his advice about my deportment about the advancing the credit
of the Act; giving me caution to see that we do not misguide the King by
making them believe greater matters from it than will be found. But I see
that this arises from his great trouble to see the Act succeede, and to
hear my name so much used and my letters shown at Court about goods served
us in upon the credit of it. But I do make him believe that I do it with
all respect to him and on his behalfe too, as indeed I do, as well as my
owne, that it may not be said that he or I do not assist therein. He
tells me that my Lord Sandwich do proceed on his journey with the greatest
kindnesse that can be imagined from the King and Chancellor, which was
joyfull newes to me. Thence with Lord Bruncker to Greenwich by water to a
great dinner and much company; Mr. Cottle and his lady and others and I
went, hoping to get Mrs. Knipp to us, having wrote a letter to her in the
morning, calling myself "Dapper Dicky," in answer to hers of "Barbary
Allen," but could not, and am told by the boy that carried my letter, that
he found her crying; but I fear she lives a sad life with that ill-natured
fellow her husband: so we had a great, but I a melancholy dinner, having
not her there, as I hoped. After dinner to cards, and then comes notice
that my wife is come unexpectedly to me to towne. So I to her. It is
only to see what I do, and why I come not home; and she is in the right
that I would have a little more of Mrs. Knipp's company before I go away.
My wife to fetch away my things from Woolwich, and I back to cards and
after cards to choose King and Queene, and a good cake there was, but no
marks found; but I privately found the clove, the mark of the knave, and
privately put it into Captain Cocke's piece, which made some mirthe,
because of his lately being knowne by his buying of clove and mace of the
East India prizes. At night home to my lodging, where I find my wife
returned with my things, and there also Captain Ferrers is come upon
business of my Lord's to this town about getting some goods of his put on
board in order to his going to Spain, and Ferrers presumes upon my finding
a bed for him, which I did not like to have done without my invitation
because I had done [it] several times before, during the plague, that he
could not provide himself safely elsewhere. But it being Twelfth Night,
they had got the fiddler and mighty merry they were; and I above come not
to them, but when I had done my business among my papers went to bed,
leaving them dancing, and choosing King and Queene.

7th (Lord's day). Up, and being trimmed I was invited by Captain Cocke,
so I left my wife, having a mind to some discourse with him, and dined
with him. He tells me of new difficulties about his goods which troubles
me and I fear they will be great. He tells me too what I hear everywhere
how the towne talks of my Lord Craven being to come into Sir G. Carteret's
place; but sure it cannot be true. But I do fear those two families, his
and my Lord Sandwich's, are quite broken. And I must now stand upon my
own legs. Thence to my lodging, and considering how I am hindered by
company there to do any thing among my papers, I did resolve to go away
to-day rather than stay to no purpose till to-morrow and so got all my
things packed up and spent half an hour with W. Howe about his papers of
accounts for contingencies and my Lord's accounts, so took leave of my
landlady and daughters, having paid dear for what time I have spent there,
but yet having been quiett and my health, I am very well contented
therewith. So with my wife and Mercer took boat and away home; but in the
evening, before I went, comes Mrs. Knipp, just to speake with me
privately, to excuse her not coming to me yesterday, complaining how like
a devil her husband treats her, but will be with us in towne a weeke
hence, and so I kissed her and parted. Being come home, my wife and I to
look over our house and consider of laying out a little money to hang our
bedchamber better than it is, and so resolved to go and buy something
to-morrow, and so after supper, with great joy in my heart for my coming
once again hither, to bed.

8th. Up, and my wife and I by coach to Bennett's, in Paternoster Row, few
shops there being yet open, and there bought velvett for a coate, and
camelott for a cloake for myself; and thence to a place to look over some
fine counterfeit damasks to hang my wife's closett, and pitched upon one,
and so by coach home again, I calling at the 'Change, and so home to
dinner and all the afternoon look after my papers at home and my office
against to-morrow, and so after supper and considering the uselessness of
laying out so much money upon my wife's closett, but only the chamber, to
bed.

9th. Up, and then to the office, where we met first since the plague,
which God preserve us in! At noon home to dinner, where uncle Thomas with
me, and in comes Pierce lately come from Oxford, and Ferrers. After
dinner Pierce and I up to my chamber, where he tells me how a great
difference hath been between the Duke and Duchesse, he suspecting her to
be naught with Mr. Sidney.

["This Duchess was Chancellor Hyde's daughter, and she was a very
handsome woman, and had a great deal of wit; therefore it was not
without reason that Mr. Sydney, the handsomest youth of his time, of
the Duke's bedchamber, was so much in love with her, as appeared to
us all, and the Duchess not unkind to him, but very innocently. He
was afterwards banished the Court for another reason, as was
reported" (Sir John Reresby's "Memoirs," August 5th, 1664, ed.
Cartwright, pp. 64,65). "'How could the Duke of York make my mother
a Papist?' said the Princess Mary to Dr. Bumet. 'The Duke caught a
man in bed with her,' said the Doctor, 'and then had power to make
her do anything.' The Prince, who sat by the fire, said, 'Pray,
madam, ask the Doctor a few more questions'" (Spence's "Anecdotes,"
ed. Singer, 329).]

But some way or other the matter is made up; but he was banished the
Court, and the Duke for many days did not speak to the Duchesse at all. He
tells me that my Lord Sandwich is lost there at Court, though the King is
particularly his friend. But people do speak every where slightly of him;
which is a sad story to me, but I hope it may be better again. And that
Sir G. Carteret is neglected, and hath great enemies at work against him.
That matters must needs go bad, while all the town, and every boy in the
streete, openly cries, "The King cannot go away till my Lady Castlemaine
be ready to come along with him;" she being lately put to bed And that he
visits her and Mrs. Stewart every morning before he eats his breakfast.
All this put together makes me very sad, but yet I hope I shall do pretty
well among them for all this, by my not meddling with either of their
matters. He and Ferrers gone I paid uncle Thomas his last quarter's
money, and then comes Mr. Gawden and he and I talked above stairs together
a good while about his business, and to my great joy got him to declare
that of the L500 he did give me the other day, none of it was for my
Treasurershipp for Tangier (I first telling him how matters stand between
Povy and I, that he was to have half of whatever was coming to me by that
office), and that he will gratify me at 2 per cent. for that when he next
receives any money. So there is L80 due to me more than I thought of. He
gone I with a glad heart to the office to write, my letters and so home to
supper and bed, my wife mighty full of her worke she hath to do in
furnishing her bedchamber.

10th. Up, and by coach to Sir G. Downing, where Mr. Gawden met me by
agreement to talke upon the Act. I do find Sir G. Downing to be a mighty
talker, more than is true, which I now know to be so, and suspected it
before, but for all that I have good grounds to think it will succeed for
goods and in time for money too, but not presently. Having done with him,
I to my Lord Bruncker's house in Covent-Garden, and, among other things,
it was to acquaint him with my paper of Pursers, and read it to him, and
had his good liking of it. Shewed him Mr. Coventry's sense of it, which
he sent me last post much to my satisfaction. Thence to the 'Change, and
there hear to our grief how the plague is encreased this week from seventy
to eighty-nine. We have also great fear of our Hambrough fleete, of their
meeting the Dutch; as also have certain newes, that by storms Sir Jer.
Smith's fleet is scattered, and three of them come without masts back to
Plymouth, which is another very exceeding great disappointment, and if the
victualling ships are miscarried will tend to the losse of the garrison of
Tangier. Thence home, in my way had the opportunity I longed for, of
seeing and saluting Mrs. Stokes, my little goldsmith's wife in Paternoster
Row, and there bespoke some thing, a silver chafing-dish for warming
plates, and so home to dinner, found my wife busy about making her
hangings for her chamber with the upholster. So I to the office and anon
to the Duke of Albemarle, by coach at night, taking, for saving time, Sir
W. Warren with me, talking of our businesses all the way going and coming,
and there got his reference of my pursers' paper to the Board to consider
of it before he reads it, for he will never understand it I am sure. Here
I saw Sir W. Coventry's kind letter to him concerning my paper, and among
others of his letters, which I saw all, and that is a strange thing, that
whatever is writ to this Duke of Albemarle, all the world may see; for
this very night he did give me Mr. Coventry's letter to read, soon as it
come to his hand, before he had read it himself, and bid me take out of it
what concerned the Navy, and many things there was in it, which I should
not have thought fit for him to have let any body so suddenly see; but,
among other things, find him profess himself to the Duke a friend into the
inquiring further into the business of Prizes, and advises that it may be
publique, for the righting the King, and satisfying the people and getting
the blame to be rightly laid where it should be, which strikes very hard
upon my Lord Sandwich, and troubles me to read it. Besides, which vexes
me more, I heard the damned Duchesse again say to twenty gentlemen
publiquely in the room, that she would have Montagu sent once more to sea,
before he goes his Embassy, that we may see whether he will make amends
for his cowardice, and repeated the answer she did give the other day in
my hearing to Sir G. Downing, wishing her Lord had been a coward, for then
perhaps he might have been made an Embassador, and not been sent now to
sea. But one good thing she said, she cried mightily out against the
having of gentlemen Captains with feathers and ribbands, and wished the
King would send her husband to sea with the old plain sea Captains, that
he served with formerly, that would make their ships swim with blood,
though they could not make legs

[Make bows, play the courtier. The reading, "make leagues,"
appeared in former editions till Mr. Mynors Bright corrected it.]

as Captains nowadays can. It grieved me to see how slightly the Duke do
every thing in the world, and how the King and every body suffers whatever
he will to be done in the Navy, though never so much against reason, as in
the business of recalling tickets, which will be done notwithstanding all
the arguments against it. So back again to my office, and there to
business and so to bed.

11th. Up and to the office. By and by to the Custome House to the
Farmers, there with a letter of Sir G. Carteret's for L3000, which they
ordered to be paid me. So away back again to the office, and at noon to
dinner all of us by invitation to Sir W. Pen's, and much other company.
Among others, Lieutenant of the Tower, and Broome, his poet, and Dr.
Whistler, and his (Sir W. Pen's) son-in-law Lowder, servant--[lover]--to
Mrs. Margaret Pen, and Sir Edward Spragg, a merry man, that sang a
pleasant song pleasantly. Rose from table before half dined, and with Mr.
Mountney of the Custome House to the East India House, and there delivered
to him tallys for L3000 and received a note for the money on Sir R. Viner.
So ended the matter, and back to my company, where staid a little, and
thence away with my Lord Bruncker for discourse sake, and he and I to
Gresham College to have seen Mr. Hooke and a new invented chariott of Dr.
Wilkins, but met with nobody at home! So to Dr. Wilkins's, where I never
was before, and very kindly received and met with Dr. Merritt, and fine
discourse among them to my great joy, so sober and so ingenious. He is
now upon finishing his discourse of a universal character. So away and I
home to my office about my letters, and so home to supper and to bed.

12th. By coach to the Duke of Albemarle, where Sir W. Batten and I only
met. Troubled at my heart to see how things are ordered there without
consideration or understanding. Thence back by coach and called at
Wotton's, my shoemaker, lately come to towne, and bespoke shoes, as also
got him to find me a taylor to make me some clothes, my owne being not yet
in towne, nor Pym, my Lord Sandwich's taylor. So he helped me to a pretty
man, one Mr. Penny, against St. Dunstan's Church. Thence to the 'Change
and there met Mr. Moore, newly come to towne, and took him home to dinner
with me and after dinner to talke, and he and I do conclude my Lord's case
to be very bad and may be worse, if he do not get a pardon for his doings
about the prizes and his business at Bergen, and other things done by him
at sea, before he goes for Spayne. I do use all the art I can to get him
to get my Lord to pay my cozen Pepys, for it is a great burden to my mind
my being bound for my Lord in L1000 to him. Having done discourse with him
and directed him to go with my advice to my Lord expresse to-morrow to get
his pardon perfected before his going, because of what I read the other
night in Sir W. Coventry's letter, I to the office, and there had an
extraordinary meeting of Sir J. Minnes, Sir W. Batten, and Sir W. Pen, and
my Lord Bruncker and I to hear my paper read about pursers, which they did
all of them with great good will and great approbation of my method and
pains in all, only Sir W. Pen, who must except against every thing and
remedy nothing, did except against my proposal for some reasons, which I
could not understand, I confess, nor my Lord Bruncker neither, but he did
detect indeed a failure or two of mine in my report about the ill
condition of the present pursers, which I did magnify in one or two little
things, to which, I think, he did with reason except, but at last with all
respect did declare the best thing he ever heard of this kind, but when
Sir W. Batten did say, "Let us that do know the practical part of the
Victualling meet Sir J. Minnes, Sir W. Pen and I and see what we can do to
mend all," he was so far from offering or furthering it, that he declined
it and said, he must be out of towne. So as I ever knew him never did in
his life ever attempt to mend any thing, but suffer all things to go on in
the way they are, though never so bad, rather than improve his experience
to the King's advantage. So we broke up, however, they promising to meet
to offer some thing in it of their opinions, and so we rose, and I and my
Lord Bruncker by coach a little way for discourse sake, till our coach
broke, and tumbled me over him quite down the side of the coach, falling
on the ground about the Stockes, but up again, and thinking it fit to
have for my honour some thing reported in writing to the Duke in favour of
my pains in this, lest it should be thought to be rejected as frivolous, I
did move it to my Lord, and he will see it done to-morrow. So we parted,
and I to the office and thence home to my poor wife, who works all day at
home like a horse, at the making of her hangings for our chamber and the
bed. So to supper and to bed.

13th. At the office all the morning, where my Lord Bruncker moved to have
something wrote in my matter as I desired him last night, and it was
ordered and will be done next sitting. Home with his Lordship to Mrs.
Williams's, in Covent-Garden, to dinner (the first time I ever was there),
and there met Captain Cocke; and pretty merry, though not perfectly so,
because of the fear that there is of a great encrease again of the plague
this week. And again my Lord Bruncker do tell us, that he hath it from
Sir John Baber; who is related to my Lord Craven, that my Lord Craven do
look after Sir G. Carteret's place, and do reckon himself sure of it.
After dinner Cocke and I together by coach to the Exchange, in our way
talking of our matters, and do conclude that every thing must breake in
pieces, while no better counsels govern matters than there seem to do, and
that it will become him and I and all men to get their reckonings even, as
soon as they can, and expect all to breake. Besides, if the plague
continues among us another yeare, the Lord knows what will become of us.
I set him down at the 'Change, and I home to my office, where late writing
letters and doing business, and thence home to supper and to bed. My head
full of cares, but pleased with my wife's minding her worke so well, and
busying herself about her house, and I trust in God if I can but clear
myself of my Lord Sandwich's bond, wherein I am bound with him for L1000
to T. Pepys, I shall do pretty well, come what will come.