Diary of Samuel Pepys, 1667 N.S. Complete

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Instructions to a Painter.--B]

The latter urged, that there must be some faults, and that the Admiral
must be found to have done his part. I did say an unhappy word, which I
was sorry for, when he complained of want of oares for the boats: and
there was, it seems, enough, and good enough, to carry away all the boats
with from the King's occasions. He said he used never a boat till they
were all gone but one; and that was to carry away things of great value,
and these were his models of ships; which, when the Council, some of them,
had said they wished that the Dutch had had them instead of the King's
ships, he answered, he did believe the Dutch would have made more
advantage of the models than of the ships, and that the King had had
greater loss thereby; this they all laughed at. After having heard him
for an hour or more, they bid him withdraw. I all this while showing him
no respect, but rather against him, for which God forgive me! for I mean
no hurt to him, but only find that these Lords are upon their own
purgation, and it is necessary I should be so in behalf of the office. He
being gone, they caused Sir Richard Browne to read over his minutes; and
then my Lord Arlington moved that they might be put into my hands to put
into form, I being more acquainted with such business; and they were so.
So I away back with my books and papers; and when I got into the Court it
was pretty to see how people gazed upon me, that I thought myself obliged
to salute people and to smile, lest they should think I was a prisoner
too; but afterwards I found that most did take me to be there to bear
evidence against P. Pett; but my fear was such, at my going in, of the
success of the day, that at my going in I did think fit to give T. Hater,
whom I took with me, to wait the event, my closet-key and directions where
to find L500 and more in silver and gold, and my tallys, to remove, in
case of any misfortune to me. Thence to Sir G. Carteret's to take my
leave of my Lady Jem, who is going into the country tomorrow; but she
being now at prayers with my Lady and family, and hearing here by Yorke,
the carrier, that my wife is coming to towne, I did make haste home to see
her, that she might not find me abroad, it being the first minute I have
been abroad since yesterday was se'ennight. It is pretty to see how
strange it is to be abroad to see people, as it used to be after a month
or two's absence, and I have brought myself so to it, that I have no great
mind to be abroad, which I could not have believed of myself. I got home,
and after being there a little, she come, and two of her fellow-travellers
with her, with whom we drunk: a couple of merchant-like men, I think, but
have friends in our country. They being gone, I and my wife to talk, who
did give me so bad an account of her and my father's method in burying of
our gold, that made me mad: and she herself is not pleased with it, she
believing that my sister knows of it. My father and she did it on Sunday,
when they were gone to church, in open daylight, in the midst of the
garden; where, for aught they knew, many eyes might see them: which put me
into such trouble, that I was almost mad about it, and presently cast
about, how to have it back again to secure it here, the times being a
little better now; at least at White Hall they seem as if they were, but
one way or other I am resolved to free them from the place if I can get
them. Such was my trouble at this, that I fell out with my wife, that
though new come to towne, I did not sup with her, nor speak to her
tonight, but to bed and sleep.

20th. Up, without any respect to my wife, only answering her a question
or two, without any anger though, and so to the office, where all the
morning busy, and among other things Mr. Barber come to me (one of the
clerks of the Ticket office) to get me to sign some tickets, and told me
that all the discourse yesterday, about that part of the town where he
was, was that Mr. Pett and I were in the Tower; and I did hear the same
before. At noon, home to dinner, and there my wife and I very good
friends; the care of my gold being somewhat over, considering it was in
their hands that have as much cause to secure it as myself almost, and so
if they will be mad, let them. But yet I do intend to, send for it away.
Here dined Mercer with us, and after dinner she cut my hair, and then I
into my closet and there slept a little, as I do now almost every day
after dinner; and then, after dallying a little with Nell, which I am
ashamed to think of, away to the office. Busy all the afternoon; in the
evening did treat with, and in the end agree; but by some kind of
compulsion, with the owners of six merchant ships, to serve the King as
men-of-war. But, Lord! to see how against the hair it is with these men
and every body to trust us and the King; and how unreasonable it is to
expect they should be willing to lend their ships, and lay out 2 or L300 a
man to fit their ships for new voyages, when we have not paid them half of
what we owe them for their old services! I did write so to Sir W.
Coventry this night. At night my wife and I to walk and talk again about
our gold, which I am not quiet in my mind to be safe, and therefore will
think of some way to remove it, it troubling me very much. So home with
my wife to supper and to bed, miserable hot weather all night it was.

21st. Up and by water to White Hall, there to discourse with [Sir] G.
Carteret and Mr. Fenn about office business. I found them all aground,
and no money to do anything with. Thence homewards, calling at my
Tailor's to bespeak some coloured clothes, and thence to Hercules Pillars,
all alone, and there spent 6d. on myself, and so home and busy all the
morning. At noon to dinner, home, where my wife shows me a letter from
her father, who is going over sea, and this afternoon would take his leave
of her. I sent him by her three Jacobuses in gold, having real pity for
him and her. So I to my office, and there all the afternoon. This day
comes news from Harwich that the Dutch fleete are all in sight, near 100
sail great and small, they think, coming towards them; where, they think,
they shall be able to oppose them; but do cry out of the falling back of
the seamen, few standing by them, and those with much faintness. The like
they write from Portsmouth, and their letters this post are worth reading.
Sir H. Cholmly come to me this day, and tells me the Court is as mad as
ever; and that the night the Dutch burned our ships the King did sup with
my Lady Castlemayne, at the Duchess of Monmouth's, and there were all mad
in hunting of a poor moth. All the Court afraid of a Parliament; but he
thinks nothing can save us but the King's giving up all to a Parliament.
Busy at the office all the afternoon, and did much business to my great
content. In the evening sent for home, and there I find my Lady Pen and
Mrs. Lowther, and Mrs. Turner and my wife eating some victuals, and there
I sat and laughed with them a little, and so to the office again, and in
the evening walked with my wife in the garden, and did give Sir W. Pen at
his lodgings (being just come from Deptford from attending the dispatch of
the fire-ships there) an account of what passed the other day at Council
touching Commissioner Pett, and so home to supper and to bed.

22nd. Up, and to my office, where busy, and there comes Mrs. Daniel. . .
At the office I all the morning busy. At noon home to dinner, where
Mr. Lewes Phillips, by invitation of my wife, comes, he coming up to town
with her in the coach this week, and she expected another gentleman, a
fellow-traveller, and I perceive the feast was for him, though she do not
say it, but by some mistake he come not, so there was a good dinner lost.
Here we had the two Mercers, and pretty merry. Much talk with Mr.
Phillips about country business, among others that there is no way for me
to purchase any severall lands in Brampton, or making any severall that is
not so, without much trouble and cost, and, it may be, not do it neither,
so that there is no more ground to be laid to our Brampton house. After
dinner I left them, and to the office, and thence to Sir W. Pen's, there
to talk with Mrs. Lowther, and by and by we hearing Mercer and my boy
singing at my house, making exceeding good musique, to the joy of my
heart, that I should be the master of it, I took her to my office and
there merry a while, and then I left them, and at the office busy all the
afternoon, and sleepy after a great dinner. In the evening come Captain
Hart and Haywood to me about the six merchant-ships now taken up for
men-of-war; and in talk they told me about the taking of "The Royal
Charles;" that nothing but carelessness lost the ship, for they might have
saved her the very tide that the Dutch come up, if they would have but
used means and had had but boats: and that the want of boats plainly lost
all the other ships. That the Dutch did take her with a boat of nine men,
who found not a man on board her, and her laying so near them was a main
temptation to them to come on; and presently a man went up and struck her
flag and jacke, and a trumpeter sounded upon her "Joan's placket is torn,"
that they did carry her down at a time, both for tides and wind, when the
best pilot in Chatham would not have undertaken it, they heeling her on
one side to make her draw little water: and so carried her away safe.
They being gone, by and by comes Sir W. Pen home, and he and I together
talking. He hath been at Court; and in the first place, I hear the Duke
of Cambridge is dead; a which is a great loss to the nation, having, I
think, never an heyre male now of the King's or Duke's to succeed to the
Crown. He tells me that they do begin already to damn the Dutch, and call
them cowards at White Hall, and think of them and their business no better
than they used to do; which is very sad. The King did tell him himself,
which is so, I was told, here in the City, that the City, hath lent him
L10,000, to be laid out towards securing of the River of Thames; which,
methinks, is a very poor thing, that we should be induced to borrow by
such mean sums. He tells me that it is most manifest that one great thing
making it impossible for us to have set out a fleete this year, if we
could have done it for money or stores, was the liberty given the
beginning of the year for the setting out of merchant-men, which did take
up, as is said, above ten, if not fifteen thousand seamen: and this the
other day Captain Cocke tells me appears in the council-books, that is the
number of seamen required to man the merchant ships that had passes to go
abroad. By and by, my wife being here, they sat down and eat a bit of
their nasty victuals, and so parted and we to bed.

23rd (Lord's day). Up to my chamber, and there all the morning reading in
my Lord Coke's Pleas of the Crowne, very fine noble reading. After church
time comes my wife and Sir W. Pen his lady and daughter; and Mrs. Markham
and Captain Harrison (who come to dine with them), by invitation end dined
with me, they as good as inviting themselves. I confess I hate their
company and tricks, and so had no great pleasure in [it], but a good
dinner lost. After dinner they all to church, and I by water alone to
Woolwich, and there called on Mr. Bodham: and he and I to see the batterys
newly raised; which, indeed, are good works to command the River below the
ships that are sunk, but not above them. Here I met with Captain Cocke
and Matt. Wren, Fenn, and Charles Porter, and Temple and his wife. Here
I fell in with these, and to Bodham's with them, and there we sat and
laughed and drank in his arbour, Wren making much and kissing all the day
of Temple's wife. It is a sad sight to see so many good ships there sunk
in the River, while we would be thought to be masters of the sea. Cocke
says the bankers cannot, till peace returns, ever hope to have credit
again; so that they can pay no more money, but people must be contented to
take publick security such as they can give them; and if so, and they do
live to receive the money thereupon, the bankers will be happy men. Fenn
read me an order of council passed the 17th instant, directing all the
Treasurers of any part of the King's revenue to make no payments but such
as shall be approved by the present Lords Commissioners; which will, I
think, spoil the credit of all his Majesty's service, when people cannot
depend upon payment any where. But the King's declaration in behalf of
the bankers, to make good their assignments for money, is very good, and
will, I hope, secure me. Cocke says, that he hears it is come to it now,
that the King will try what he can soon do for a peace; and if he cannot,
that then he will cast all upon the Parliament to do as they see fit: and
in doing so, perhaps, he may save us all. The King of France, it is
believed, is engaged for this year;

[Louis XIV. was at this time in Flanders, with his queen, his
mistresses, and all his Court. Turenne commanded under him. Whilst
Charles was hunting moths at Lady Castlemaine's, and the English
fleet was burning, Louis was carrying on the campaign with vigour.
Armentieres was taken on the 28th May; Charleroi on the 2nd June,
St. Winox on the 6th, Fumes on the 12th, Ath on the 16th, Toumay on
the 24th; the Escarpe on the 6th July, Courtray on the 18th,
Audenarde on the 31st; and Lisle on the 27th August.--B.]

so that we shall be safe as to him. The great misery the City and kingdom
is like to suffer for want of coals in a little time is very visible, and,
is feared, will breed a mutiny; for we are not in any prospect to command
the sea for our colliers to come, but rather, it is feared, the Dutch may
go and burn all our colliers at Newcastle; though others do say that they
lie safe enough there. No news at all of late from Bredagh what our
Treaters do. By and by, all by water in three boats to Greenwich, there
to Cocke's, where we supped well, and then late, Wren, Fenn, and I home by
water, set me in at the Tower, and they to White Hall, and so I home, and
after a little talk with my wife to bed.

24th. Up, and to the office, where much business upon me by the coming of
people of all sorts about the dispatch of one business or other of the
fire-ships, or other ships to be set out now. This morning Greeting come,
and I with him at my flageolet. At noon dined at home with my wife alone,
and then in the afternoon all the day at my office. Troubled a little at
a letter from my father, which tells me of an idle companion, one Coleman,
who went down with him and my wife in the coach, and come up again with my
wife, a pensioner of the King's Guard, and one that my wife, indeed, made
the feast for on Saturday last, though he did not come; but if he knows
nothing of our money I will prevent any other inconvenience. In the
evening comes Mr. Povy about business; and he and I to walk in the garden
an hour or two, and to talk of State matters. He tells me his opinion
that it is out of possibility for us to escape being undone, there being
nothing in our power to do that is necessary for the saving us: a lazy
Prince, no Council, no money, no reputation at home or abroad. He says
that to this day the King do follow the women as much as ever he did; that
the Duke of York hath not got Mrs. Middleton, as I was told the other day:
but says that he wants not her, for he hath others, and hath always had,
and that he [Povy] hath known them brought through the Matted Gallery at
White Hall into his [the Duke's] closet; nay, he hath come out of his
wife's bed, and gone to others laid in bed for him: that Mr. Bruncker is
not the only pimp, but that the whole family is of the same strain, and
will do anything to please him: that, besides the death of the two Princes
lately, the family is in horrible disorder by being in debt by spending
above L60,000 per. annum, when he hath not L40,000: that the Duchesse is
not only the proudest woman in the world, but the most expensefull; and
that the Duke of York's marriage with her hath undone the kingdom, by
making the Chancellor so great above reach, who otherwise would have been
but an ordinary man, to have been dealt with by other people; and he would
have been careful of managing things well, for fear of being called to
account; whereas, now he is secure, and hath let things run to rack, as
they now appear. That at a certain time Mr. Povy did carry him an account
of the state of the Duke of York's estate, showing in faithfullness how he
spent more than his estate would bear, by above L20,000 per annum, and
asked my Lord's opinion of it; to which he answered that no man that loved
the King or kingdom durst own the writing of that paper; at which Povy was
startled, and reckoned himself undone for this good service, and found it
necessary then to show it to the Duke of York's Commissioners; who read,
examined, and approved of it, so as to cause it to be put into form, and
signed it, and gave it the Duke. Now the end of the Chancellor was, for
fear that his daughter's ill housewifery should be condemned. He [Povy]
tells me that the other day, upon this ill newes of the Dutch being upon
us, White Hall was shut up, and the Council called and sat close; and, by
the way, he do assure me, from the mouth of some Privy-councillors, that
at this day the Privy-council in general do know no more what the state of
the kingdom as to peace and war is, than he or I; nor knows who manages
it, nor upon whom it depends; and there my Lord Chancellor did make a
speech to them, saying that they knew well that he was no friend to the
war from the beginning, and therefore had concerned himself little in, nor
could say much to it; and a great deal of that kind, to discharge himself
of the fault of the war. Upon which my Lord Anglesey rose up and told his
Majesty that he thought their coming now together was not to enquire who
was, or was not, the cause of the war, but to enquire what was, or could
be, done in the business of making a peace, and in whose hands that was,
and where it was stopped or forwarded; and went on very highly to have all
made open to them: and, by the way, I remember that Captain Cocke did the
other day tell me that this Lord Anglesey hath said, within few days, that
he would willingly give L10,000 of his estate that he was well secured of
the rest, such apprehensions he hath of the sequel of things, as giving
all over for lost. He tells me, speaking of the horrid effeminacy of the
King, that the King hath taken ten times more care and pains in making
friends between my Lady Castlemayne and Mrs. Stewart, when they have
fallen out, than ever he did to save his kingdom; nay, that upon any
falling out between my Lady Castlemayne's nurse and her woman, my Lady
hath often said she would make the King to make them friends, and they
would be friends and be quiet; which the King hath been fain to do: that
the King is, at this day, every night in Hyde Park with the Duchesse of
Monmouth, or with my Lady Castlemaine: that he [Povy] is concerned of late
by my Lord Arlington in the looking after some buildings that he is about
in Norfolke, where my Lord is laying out a great deal of money; and that
he, Mr. Povy, considering the unsafeness of laying out money at such a
time as this, and, besides, the enviousness of the particular county, as
well as all the kingdom, to find him building and employing workmen, while
all the ordinary people of the country are carried down to the seasides
for securing the land, he thought it becoming him to go to my Lord
Arlington (Sir Thomas Clifford by), and give it as his advice to hold his
hands a little; but my Lord would not, but would have him go on, and so
Sir Thomas Clifford advised also, which one would think, if he were a
statesman worth a fart should be a sign of his foreseeing that all shall
do well. But I do forbear concluding any such thing from them. He tells
me that there is not so great confidence between any two men of power in
the nation at this day, that he knows of, as between my Lord Arlington and
Sir Thomas Clifford; and that it arises by accident only, there being no
relation nor acquaintance between them, but only Sir Thomas Clifford's
coming to him, and applying himself to him for favours, when he come first
up to town to be a Parliament-man. He tells me that he do not think there
is anything in the world for us possibly to be saved by but the King of
France's generousnesse to stand by us against the Dutch, and getting us a
tolerable peace, it may be, upon our giving him Tangier and the islands he
hath taken, and other things he shall please to ask. He confirms me in
the several grounds I have conceived of fearing that we shall shortly fall
into mutinys and outrages among ourselves, and that therefore he, as a
Treasurer, and therefore much more myself, I say, as being not only a
Treasurer but an officer of the Navy, on whom, for all the world knows,
the faults of all our evils are to be laid, do fear to be seized on by
some rude hands as having money to answer for, which will make me the more
desirous to get off of this Treasurership as soon as I can, as I had
before in my mind resolved. Having done all this discourse, and concluded
the kingdom in a desperate condition, we parted; and I to my wife, with
whom was Mercer and Betty Michell, poor woman, come with her husband to
see us after the death of her little girle. We sat in the garden together
a while, it being night, and then Mercer and I a song or two, and then in
(the Michell's home), my wife, Mercer, and I to supper, and then parted
and to bed.

25th. Up, and with Sir W. Pen in his new chariot (which indeed is plain,
but pretty and more fashionable in shape than any coach he hath, and yet
do not cost him, harness and all, above L32) to White Hall; where staid a
very little: and thence to St. James's to [Sir] W. Coventry, whom I have
not seen since before the coming of the Dutch into the river, nor did
indeed know how well to go see him, for shame either to him or me, or both
of us, to find ourselves in so much misery. I find that he and his
fellow-Treasurers are in the utmost want of money, and do find fault with
Sir G. Carteret, that, having kept the mystery of borrowing money to
himself so long, to the ruin of the nation, as [Sir] W. Coventry said in
words to [Sir] W. Pen and me, he should now lay it aside and come to them
for money for every penny he hath, declaring that he can raise no more:
which, I confess, do appear to me the most like ill-will of any thing that
I have observed of [Sir] W. Coventry, when he himself did tell us, on
another occasion at the same time, that the bankers who used to furnish
them money are not able to lend a farthing, and he knows well enough that
that was all the mystery [Sir] G. Carteret did use, that is, only his
credit with them. He told us the masters and owners of the two ships that
I had complained of, for not readily setting forth their ships, which we
had taken up to make men-of-war, had been yesterday with the King and
Council, and had made their case so well understood, that the King did owe
them for what they had earned the last year, that they could not set them
out again without some money or stores out of the King's Yards; the latter
of which [Sir] W. Coventry said must be done, for that they were not able
to raise money for them, though it was but L200 a ship: which do skew us
our condition to be so bad, that I am in a total despair of ever having
the nation do well. After talking awhile, and all out of heart with
stories of want of seamen, and seamen's running away, and their demanding
a month's advance, and our being forced to give seamen 3s. a-day to go
hence to work at Chatham, and other things that show nothing but
destruction upon us; for it is certain that, as it now is, the seamen of
England, in my conscience, would, if they could, go over and serve the
King of France or Holland rather than us. Up to the Duke of York to his
chamber, where he seems to be pretty easy, and now and then merry; but yet
one may perceive in all their minds there is something of trouble and
care, and with good reason. Thence to White Hall, and with Sir W. Pen, by
chariot; and there in the Court met with my Lord Anglesey: and he to talk
with [Sir] W. Pen, and told him of the masters of ships being with the
Council yesterday, and that we were not in condition, though the men were
willing, to furnish them with L200 of money, already due to them as earned
by them the last year, to enable them to set out their ships again this
year for the King: which he is amazed at; and when I told him, "My Lord,
this is a sad instance of the condition we are in," he answered, that it
was so indeed, and sighed: and so parted: and he up to the
Council-chamber, where I perceive they sit every morning, and I to
Westminster Hall, where it is Term time. I met with none I knew, nor did
desire it, but only past through the-Hall and so back again, and by coach
home to dinner, being weary indeed of seeing the world, and thinking it
high time for me to provide against the foul weather that is certainly
coming upon us. So to the office, and there [Sir] W. Pen and I did some
business, and then home to dinner, where my wife pleases me mightily with
what she can do upon the flageolet, and then I to the office again, and
busy all the afternoon, and it is worth noting that the King and Council,
in their order of the 23rd instant, for unloading three merchant-ships
taken up for the King's service for men-of-war, do call the late coming of
the Dutch "an invasion." I was told, yesterday, that Mr. Oldenburg, our
Secretary at Gresham College, is put into the Tower, for writing newes to
a virtuoso in France, with whom he constantly corresponds in philosophical
matters; which makes it very unsafe at this time to write, or almost do
any thing. Several captains come to the office yesterday and to-day,
complaining that their men come and go when they will, and will not be
commanded, though they are paid every night, or may be. Nay, this
afternoon comes Harry Russell from Gravesend, telling us that the money
carried down yesterday for the Chest at Chatham had like to have been
seized upon yesterday, in the barge there, by seamen, who did beat our
watermen: and what men should these be but the boat's crew of Sir
Fretcheville Hollis, who used to brag so much of the goodness and order of
his men, and his command over them. Busy all the afternoon at the office.
Towards night I with Mr. Kinaston to White Hall about a Tangier order, but
lost our labour, only met Sir H. Cholmly there, and he tells me great
newes; that this day in Council the King hath declared that he will call
his Parliament in thirty days: which is the best newes I have heard a
great while, and will, if any thing, save the kingdom. How the King come
to be advised to this, I know not; but he tells me that it was against the
Duke of York's mind flatly, who did rather advise the King to raise money
as he pleased; and against the Chancellor's, who told the King that Queen
Elizabeth did do all her business in eighty-eight without calling a
Parliament, and so might he do, for anything he saw. But, blessed be God!
it is done; and pray God it may hold, though some of us must surely go to
the pot, for all must be flung up to them, or nothing will be done. So
back home, and my wife down by water, I sent her, with Mrs. Hewer and her
son, W. Hewer, to see the sunk ships, while I staid at the office, and in
the evening was visited by Mr. Roberts the merchant by us about the
getting him a ship cleared from serving the King as a man of war, which I
will endeavour to do. So home to supper and to bed.