Diary of Samuel Pepys, 1667 N.S. Complete

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8th. Up, and having dressed myself, to the office a little, and out,
expecting to have seen the pretty daughter of the Ship taverne at the
hither end of Billiter Lane (whom I never yet have opportunity to speak
to). I in there to drink my morning draught of half a pint of Rhenish
wine; but a ma doleur elle and their family are going away thence, and a
new man come to the house. So I away to the Temple, to my new.
bookseller's; and there I did agree for Rycaut's late History of the
Turkish Policy, which costs me 55s.; whereas it was sold plain before the
late fire for 8s., and bound and coloured as this is for 20s.; for I have
bought it finely bound and truly coloured, all the figures, of which there
was but six books done so, whereof the King and Duke of York, and Duke of
Monmouth, and Lord Arlington, had four. The fifth was sold, and I have
bought the sixth. So to enquire out Mrs. Knipp's new lodging, but could
not, but do hear of her at the Playhouse, where she was practising, and I
sent for her out by a porter, and the jade come to me all undressed, so
cannot go home to my house to dinner, as I had invited her, which I was
not much troubled at, because I think there is a distance between her and
Mrs. Pierce, and so our company would not be so pleasant. So home, and
there find all things in good readiness for a good dinner, and here
unexpectedly I find little Mis. Tooker, whom my wife loves not from the
report of her being already naught; however, I do shew her countenance,
and by and by come my guests, Dr. Clerke and his wife, and Mrs. Worshipp,
and her daughter; and then Mr. Pierce and his wife, and boy, and Betty;
and then I sent for Mercer; so that we had, with my wife and I, twelve at
table, and very good and pleasant company, and a most neat and excellent,
but dear dinner; but, Lord! to see with what envy they looked upon all my
fine plate was pleasant; for I made the best shew I could, to let them
understand me and my condition, to take down the pride of Mrs. Clerke, who
thinks herself very great. We sat long, and very merry, and all things
agreeable; and, after dinner, went out by coaches, thinking to have seen a
play, but come too late to both houses, and then they had thoughts of
going abroad somewhere; but I thought all the charge ought not to be mine,
and therefore I endeavoured to part the company, and so ordered it to set
them all down at Mrs. Pierces; and there my wife and I and Mercer left
them in good humour, and we three to the King's house, and saw the latter
end of the "Surprisall," a wherein was no great matter, I thought, by what
I saw there. Thence away to Polichinello, and there had three times more
sport than at the play, and so home, and there the first night we have
been this year in the garden late, we three and our Barker singing very
well, and then home to supper, and so broke up, and to bed mightily
pleased with this day's pleasure.

9th. Up. and to the office a while, none of my fellow officers coming to
sit, it being holiday, and so towards noon I to the Exchange, and there do
hear mighty cries for peace, and that otherwise we shall be undone; and
yet I do suspect the badness of the peace we shall make. Several do
complain of abundance of land flung up by tenants out of their hands for
want of ability to pay their rents; and by name, that the Duke of
Buckingham hath L6000 so flung up. And my father writes, that Jasper
Trice, upon this pretence of his tenants' dealing with him, is broke up
housekeeping, and gone to board with his brother, Naylor, at Offord; which
is very sad. So home to dinner, and after dinner I took coach and to the
King's house, and by and by comes after me my wife with W. Hewer and his
mother and Barker, and there we saw "The Tameing of a Shrew," which hath
some very good pieces in it, but generally is but a mean play; and the
best part, "Sawny,"

[This play was entitled "Sawney the Scot, or the Taming of a Shrew,"
and consisted of an alteration of Shakespeare's play by John Lacy.
Although it had long been popular it was not printed until 1698. In
the old "Taming of a Shrew" (1594), reprinted by Thomas Amyot for
the Shakespeare Society in 1844, the hero's servant is named Sander,
and this seems to have given the hint to Lacy, when altering
Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew," to foist a 'Scotsman into the
action. Sawney was one of Lacy's favourite characters, and occupies
a prominent position in Michael Wright's picture at Hampton Court.
Evelyn, on October 3rd, 1662, "visited Mr. Wright, a Scotsman, who
had liv'd long at Rome, and was esteem'd a good painter," and he
singles out as his best picture, "Lacy, the famous Roscius, or
comedian, whom he has painted in three dresses, as a gallant, a
Presbyterian minister, and a Scotch Highlander in his plaid."
Langbaine and Aubrey both make the mistake of ascribing the third
figure to Teague in "The Committee;" and in spite of Evelyn's clear
statement, his editor in a note follows them in their blunder.
Planche has reproduced the picture in his "History of Costume"
(Vol. ii., p. 243).]

done by Lacy, hath not half its life, by reason of the words, I suppose,
not being understood, at least by me. After the play was done, as I come
so I went away alone, and had a mind to have taken out Knipp to have taken
the ayre with her, and to that end sent a porter in to her that she should
take a coach and come to me to the Piatza in Covent Garden, where I waited
for her, but was doubtful I might have done ill in doing it if we should
be visti ensemble, sed elle was gone out, and so I was eased of my care,
and therefore away to Westminster to the Swan, and there did baiser la
little missa . . . . and drank, and then by water to the Old Swan, and
there found Betty Michell sitting at the door, it being darkish. I staid
and talked a little with her, but no once baiser la, though she was to my
thinking at this time une de plus pretty mohers that ever I did voir in my
vida, and God forgive me my mind did run sobre elle all the vespre and
night and la day suivante. So home and to the office a little, and then
to Sir W. Batten's, where he tells me how he hath found his lady's jewels
again, which have been so long lost, and a servant imprisoned and
arraigned, and they were in her closet under a china cup, where he hath
servants will swear they did look in searching the house; but Mrs. Turner
and I, and others, do believe that they were only disposed of by my Lady,
in case she had died, to some friends of hers, and now laid there again.
So home to supper, and to read the book I bought yesterday of the Turkish
policy, which is a good book, well writ, and so owned by Dr. Clerke
yesterday to me, commending it mightily to me for my reading as the only
book of the subject that ever was writ, yet so designedly. So to bed.

10th. Up, and to my office a little, and then, in the garden, find Sir W.
Pen; and he and I to Sir W. Batten, where he tells us news of the new
disorders of Hogg and his men in taking out of 30 tons of wine out of a
prize of ours, which makes us mad; and that, added to the unwillingness of
the men to go longer abroad without money, do lead us to conclude not to
keep her abroad any longer, of which I am very glad, for I do not like our
doings with what we have already got, Sir W. Batten ordering the disposal
of our wines and goods, and he leaves it to Morrice the cooper, who I take
to be a cunning proud knave, so that I am very desirous to adventure no
further. So away by water from the Old Swan to White Hall, and there to
Sir W. Coventry's, with whom I staid a great while longer than I have done
these many months, and had opportunity of talking with him, and he do
declare himself troubled that he hath any thing left him to do in the
Navy, and would be glad to part with his whole profits and concernments in
it, his pains and care being wholly ineffectual during this lack of money;
the expense growing infinite, the service not to be done, and discipline
and order not to be kept, only from want of money. I begun to discourse
with him the business of Tangier, which by the removal of my Lord
Bellasses, is now to have a new Governor; and did move him, that at this
season all the business of reforming the garrison might be considered,
while nobody was to be offended; and I told him it is plain that we do
overspend our revenue: that the place is of no more profit to the King
than it was the first day, nor in itself of better credit; no more people
of condition willing to live there, nor any thing like a place likely to
turn his Majesty to account: that it hath been hitherto, and, for aught I
see, likely only to be used as a job to do a kindness to some Lord, or he
that can get to be Governor. Sir W. Coventry agreed with me, so as to
say, that unless the King hath the wealth of the Mogul, he would be a
beggar to have his businesses ordered in the manner they now are: that his
garrisons must be made places only of convenience to particular persons
that he hath moved the Duke of York in it; and that it was resolved to
send no Governor thither till there had been Commissioners sent to put the
garrison in order, so as that he that goes may go with limitations and
rules to follow, and not to do as he please, as the rest have hitherto
done. That he is not afeard to speak his mind, though to the displeasure
of any man; and that I know well enough; but that, when it is come, as it
is now, that to speak the truth in behalf of the King plainly do no good,
but all things bore down by other measures than by what is best for the
King, he hath no temptation to be perpetually fighting of battles, it
being more easy to him do those terms to suffer things to go on without
giving any man offence, than to have the same thing done, and he contract
the displeasure of all the world, as he must do, that will be for the
King. I did offer him to draw up my thoughts in this matter to present to
the Duke of York, which he approved of, and I do think to do it. So away,
and by coach going home saw Sir G. Carteret going towards White Hall. So
'light and by water met him, and with him to the King's little chapel; and
afterwards to see the King heal the King's Evil, wherein no pleasure, I
having seen it before; and then to see him and the Queene and Duke of York
and his wife, at dinner in the Queene's lodgings; and so with Sir G.
Carteret to his lodgings to dinner; where very good company; and after
dinner he and I to talk alone how things are managed, and to what ruin we
must come if we have not a peace. He did tell me one occasion, how Sir
Thomas Allen, which I took for a man of known courage and service on the
King's side, was tried for his life in Prince Rupert's fleete, in the late
times, for cowardice, and condemned to be hanged, and fled to Jersey;
where Sir G. Carteret received him, not knowing the reason of his coming
thither: and that thereupon Prince Rupert wrote to the Queen-Mother his
dislike of Sir G. Carteret's receiving a person that stood condemned; and
so Sir G. Carteret was forced to bid him betake himself to some other
place. This was strange to me. Our Commissioners are preparing to go to
Bredah to the treaty, and do design to be going the next week. So away by
coach home, where there should have been a meeting about Carcasse's
business, but only my Lord and I met, and so broke up, Carcasse having
only read his answer to his charge, which is well writ, but I think will
not prove to his advantage, for I believe him to be a very rogue. So
home, and Balty and I to look Mr. Fenn at Sir G. Carteret's office in
Broad Streete, and there missing him and at the banker's hard by, we home,
and I down by water to Deptford Dockyard, and there did a little business,
and so home back again all the way reading a little piece I lately bought,
called "The Virtuoso, or the Stoicke," proposing many things paradoxical
to our common opinions, wherein in some places he speaks well, but
generally is but a sorry man. So home and to my chamber to enter my two
last days' journall, and this, and then to supper and to bed. Blessed be
God! I hear that my father is better and better, and will, I hope, live
to enjoy some cheerful days more; but it is strange what he writes me,
that Mr. Weaver, of Huntingdon, who was a lusty, likely, and but a
youngish man, should be dead.

11th. Up, and to the office, where we sat all the morning, and (which is
now rare, he having not been with us twice I think these six months) Sir
G. Carteret come to us upon some particular business of his office, and
went away again. At noon I to the 'Change, and there hear by Mr. Hublon
of the loss of a little East Indiaman, valued at about L20,000, coming
home alone, and safe to within ten leagues of Scilly, and there snapt by a
French Caper. Our merchants do much pray for peace; and he tells me that
letters are come that the Dutch have stopped the fitting of their great
ships, and the coming out of a fleete of theirs of 50 sayle, that was
ready to come out; but I doubt the truth of it yet. Thence to Sir G.
Carteret, by his invitation to his office, where my Lady was, and dined
with him, and very merry and good people they are, when pleased, as any I
know. After dinner I to the office, where busy till evening, and then
with Balty to Sir G. Carteret's office, and there with Mr. Fenn despatched
the business of Balty's L1500 he received for the contingencies of the
fleete, whereof he received about L253 in pieces of eight at a goldsmith's
there hard by, which did puzzle me and him to tell; for I could not tell
the difference by sight, only by bigness, and that is not always
discernible, between a whole and half-piece and quarterpiece. Having
received this money I home with Balty and it, and then abroad by coach
with my wife and set her down at her father's, and I to White Hall,
thinking there to have seen the Duchess of Newcastle's coming this night
to Court, to make a visit to the Queene, the King having been with her
yesterday, to make her a visit since her coming to town. The whole story
of this lady is a romance, and all she do is romantick. Her footmen in
velvet coats, and herself in an antique dress, as they say; and was the
other day at her own play, "The Humourous Lovers;" the most ridiculous
thing that ever was wrote, but yet she and her Lord mightily pleased with
it; and she, at the end, made her respects to the players from her box,
and did give them thanks. There is as much expectation of her coming to
Court, that so people may come to see her, as if it were the Queen of
Sheba; but I lost my labour, for she did not come this night. So, meeting
Mr. Brisband, he took me up to my Lady Jemimah's chamber, who is let blood
to-day, and so there we sat and talked an hour, I think, very merry and
one odd thing or other, and so away, and I took up my wife at her tailor's
(whose wife is brought to bed, and my wife must be godmother), and so with
much ado got a coach to carry us home, it being late, and so to my
chamber, having little left to do at my office, my eyes being a little
sore by reason of my reading a small printed book the other day after it
was dark, and so to supper and to bed. It comes in my head to set down
that there have been two fires in the City, as I am told for certain, and
it is so, within this week.

12th. Up, and when ready, and to my office, to do a little business, and,
coming homeward again, saw my door and hatch open, left so by Luce, our
cookmayde, which so vexed me, that I did give her a kick in our entry, and
offered a blow at her, and was seen doing so by Sir W. Pen's footboy,
which did vex me to the heart, because I know he will be telling their
family of it; though I did put on presently a very pleasant face to the
boy, and spoke kindly to him, as one without passion, so as it may be he
might not think I was angry, but yet I was troubled at it. So away by
water to White Hall, and there did our usual business before the Duke of
York; but it fell out that, discoursing of matters of money, it rose to a
mighty heat, very high words arising between Sir G. Carteret and [Sir] W.
Coventry, the former in his passion saying that the other should have
helped things if they were so bad; and the other answered, so he would,
and things should have been better had he been Treasurer of the Navy. I
was mightily troubled at this heat, and it will breed ill blood, I fear;
but things are in that bad condition that I do daily expect when we shall
all fly in one another's faces, when we shall be reduced, every one, to
answer for himself. We broke up; and I soon after to Sir G. Carteret's
chamber, where I find the poor man telling his lady privately, and she
weeping. I went into them, and did seem, as indeed I was, troubled for
this; and did give the best advice I could, which, I think, did please
them: and they do apprehend me their friend, as indeed I am, for I do take
the Vice-chamberlain for a most honest man. He did assure me that he was
not, all expences and things paid, clear in estate L15,000 better than he
was when the King come in; and that the King and Lord Chancellor did know
that he was worth, with the debt the King owed him, L50,000, I think, he
said, when the King come into England. I did pacify all I could, and then
away by water home, there to write letters and things for the dispatch of
Balty away this day to sea; and after dinner he did go, I having given him
much good counsell; and I have great hopes that he will make good use of
it, and be a good man, for I find him willing to take pains and very
sober. He being gone, I close at my office all the afternoon getting off
of hand my papers, which, by the late holidays and my laziness, were grown
too many upon my hands, to my great trouble, and therefore at it as late
as my eyes would give me leave, and then by water down to Redriffe,
meaning to meet my wife, who is gone with Mercer, Barker, and the boy (it
being most sweet weather) to walk, and I did meet with them, and walked
back, and then by the time we got home it was dark, and we staid singing
in the garden till supper was ready, and there with great pleasure. But I
tried my girles Mercer and Barker singly one after another, a single song,
"At dead low ebb," etc., and I do clearly find that as to manner of
singing the latter do much the better, the other thinking herself as I do
myself above taking pains for a manner of singing, contenting ourselves
with the judgment and goodness of eare. So to supper, and then parted and
to bed.

13th. Up, and to the office, where we sat all the morning, and strange
how the false fellow Commissioner. Pett was eager to have had Carcasses
business brought on to-day that he might give my Lord Bruncker (who hates
him, I am sure, and hath spoke as much against him to the King in my
hearing as any man) a cast of his office in pleading for his man Carcasse,
but I did prevent its being brought on to-day, and so broke up, and I home
to dinner, and after dinner with a little singing with some pleasure alone
with my poor wife, and then to the office, where sat all the afternoon
till late at night, and then home to supper and to bed, my eyes troubling
me still after candle-light, which troubles me. Wrote to my father, who,
I am glad to hear, is at some ease again, and I long to have him in town,
that I may see what can be done for him here; for I would fain do all I
can that I may have him live, and take pleasure in my doing well in the
world. This afternoon come Mrs. Lowther to me to the office, and there je
did toker ses mammailles and did baiser them and su bocca, which she took
fort willingly . . . .

14th (Lord's day). Up, and to read a little in my new History of Turkey,
and so with my wife to church, and then home, where is little Michell and
my pretty Betty and also Mercer, and very merry. A good dinner of roast
beef. After dinner I away to take water at the Tower, and thence to
Westminster, where Mrs. Martin was not at home. So to White Hall, and
there walked up and down, and among other things visited Sir G. Carteret,
and much talk with him, who is discontented, as he hath reason, to see how
things are like to come all to naught, and it is very much that this
resolution of having of country Admirals should not come to his eares till
I told him the other day, so that I doubt who manages things. From him to
Margaret's Church, and there spied Martin, and home with her . . . .
but fell out to see her expensefullness, having bought Turkey work,
chairs, &c. By and by away home, and there took out my wife, and the two
Mercers, and two of our mayds, Barker and Jane, and over the water to the
Jamaica House, where I never was before, and there the girls did run for
wagers over the bowling-green; and there, with much pleasure, spent
little, and so home, and they home, and I to read with satisfaction in my
book of Turkey, and so to bed.

15th. Lay long in bed, and by and by called up by Sir H. Cholmly, who
tells me that my Lord Middleton is for certain chosen Governor of Tangier;
a man of moderate understanding, not covetous, but a soldier of fortune,
and poor. Here comes Mr. Sanchy with an impertinent business to me of a
ticket, which I put off. But by and by comes Dr. Childe by appointment,
and sat with me all the morning making me bases and inward parts to
several songs that I desired of him, to my great content. Then dined, and
then abroad by coach, and I set him down at Hatton Garden, and I to the
King's house by chance, where a new play: so full as I never saw it; I
forced to stand all the while close to the very door till I took cold, and
many people went away for want of room. The King, and Queene, and Duke of
York and Duchesse there, and all the Court, and Sir W. Coventry. The play
called "The Change of Crownes;" a play of Ned Howard's, the best that ever
I saw at that house, being a great play and serious; only Lacy did act the
country-gentleman come up to Court, who do abuse the Court with all the
imaginable wit and plainness about selling of places, and doing every
thing for money. The play took very much. Thence I to my new
bookseller's, and there bought "Hooker's Polity," the new edition, and
"Dugdale's History of the Inns of Court," of which there was but a few
saved out of the fire, and Playford's new Catch-book, that hath a great
many new fooleries in it. Then home, a little at the office, and then to
supper and to bed, mightily pleased with the new play.

16th. Up, and to the office, where sat all the morning, at noon home to
dinner, and thence in haste to carry my wife to see the new play I saw
yesterday, she not knowing it. But there, contrary to expectation, find
"The Silent Woman." However, in; and there Knipp come into the pit. I
took her by me, and here we met with Mrs. Horsley, the pretty woman--an
acquaintance of Mercer's, whose house is burnt. Knipp tells me the King
was so angry at the liberty taken by Lacy's, part to abuse him to his
face, that he commanded they should act no more, till Moone went and got
leave for them to act again, but not this play. The King mighty angry;
and it was bitter indeed, but very true and witty. I never was more taken
with a play than I am with this "Silent Woman," as old as it is, and as
often as I have seen it. There is more wit in it than goes to ten new
plays. Thence with my wife and Knipp to Mrs. Pierce's, and saw her closet
again, and liked her picture. Thence took them all to the Cake-house, in
Southampton Market-place, where Pierce told us the story how, in good
earnest, [the King] is offended with the Duke of Richmond's marrying, and
Mrs. Stewart's sending the King his jewels again. As she tells it, it is
the noblest romance and example of a brave lady that ever I read in my
life. Pretty to hear them talk of yesterday's play, and I durst not own
to my wife to have seen it. Thence home and to [Sir] W. Batten!'s, where
we have made a bargain for the ending of some of the trouble about some of
our prizes for L1400. So home to look on my new books that I have lately
bought, and then to supper and to bed.

17th. Up, and with the two Sir Williams by coach to the Duke of York, who
is come to St. James's, the first time we have attended him there this
year. In our way, in Tower Street, we saw Desbrough walking on foot: who
is now no more a prisoner, and looks well, and just as he used to do
heretofore. When we come to the Duke of York's I was spoke to by Mr.
Bruncker on behalf of Carcasse. Thence by coach to Sir G. Carteret's, in
London, there to pass some accounts of his, and at it till dinner, and
then to work again a little, and then go away, and my wife being sent for
by me to the New Exchange I took her up, and there to the King's playhouse
(at the door met with W. Joyce in the street, who come to our coach side,
but we in haste took no notice of him, for which I was sorry afterwards,
though I love not the fellow, yet for his wife's sake), and saw a piece of
"Rollo," a play I like not much, but much good acting in it: the house
very empty. So away home, and I a little to the office, and then to Sir
Robert Viner's, and so back, and find my wife gone down by water to take a
little ayre, and I to my chamber and there spent the night in reading my
new book, "Origines Juridiciales," which pleases me. So to supper and to
bed.