Diary of Samuel Pepys, 1667 N.S. Complete

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12th. My wife waked betimes to call up her maids to washing, and so to
bed again, whom I then hugged, it being cold now in the mornings. . . .
Up by and by, and with Mr. Gawden by coach to St. James's, where we find
the Duke gone a-hunting with the King, but found Sir W. Coventry within,
with whom we discoursed, and he did largely discourse with us about our
speedy falling upon considering of retrenchments in the expense of the
Navy, which I will put forward as much as I can. So having done there I
to Westminster Hall to Burges, and then walked to the New Exchange, and
there to my bookseller's, and did buy Scott's Discourse of Witches; and do
hear Mr. Cowley mightily lamented his death, by Dr. Ward, the Bishop of
Winchester, and Dr. Bates, who were standing there, as the best poet of
our nation, and as good a man. Thence I to the printseller's, over
against the Exchange towards Covent Garden, and there bought a few more
prints of cittys, and so home with them, and my wife and maids being gone
over the water to the whitster's

[A bleacher of linen. "The whitsters of Datchet Mead" are referred
to by Mrs. Ford ("Merry Wives of Windsor," act iii., sc. 3).]

with their clothes, this being the first time of her trying this way of
washing her linen, I dined at Sir W. Batten's, and after dinner, all alone
to the King's playhouse, and there did happen to sit just before Mrs.
Pierce, and Mrs. Knepp, who pulled me by the hair; and so I addressed
myself to them, and talked to them all the intervals of the play, and did
give them fruit. The play is "Brenoralt," which I do find but little in,
for my part. Here was many fine ladies-among others, the German Baron,
with his lady, who is envoye from the Emperour, and their fine daughter,
which hath travelled all Europe over with them, it seems; and is
accordingly accomplished, and indeed, is a wonderful pretty woman. Here
Sir Philip Frowde, who sat next to me, did tell me how Sir H. Belasses is
dead, and that the quarrel between him and Tom Porter, who is fled, did
arise in the ridiculous fashion that I was first told it, which is a
strange thing between two so good friends. The play being done, I took
the women, and Mrs. Corbett, who was with them, by coach, it raining, to
Mrs. Manuel's, the Jew's wife, formerly a player, who we heard sing with
one of the Italians that was there; and, indeed, she sings mightily well;
and just after the Italian manner, but yet do not please me like one of
Mrs. Knepp's songs, to a good English tune, the manner of their ayre not
pleasing me so well as the fashion of our own, nor so natural. Here I sat
a little and then left them, and then by coach home, and my wife not come
home, so the office a little and then home, and my wife come; and so,
saying nothing where I had been, we to supper and pipe, and so to bed.

13th. Up, and to the office, where we sat busy all the morning. At noon
home to dinner all alone, my wife being again at the whitster's. After
dinner with Sir W. Pen to St. James's, where the rest come and attended
the Duke of York, with our usual business; who, upon occasion, told us
that he did expect this night or to-morrow to hear from Breda of the
consummation of the peace. Thence Sir W. Pen and I to the King's house,
and there saw "The Committee," which I went to with some prejudice, not
liking it before, but I do now find it a very good play, and a great deal
of good invention in it; but Lacy's part is so well performed that it
would set off anything. The play being done, we with great pleasure home,
and there I to the office to finish my letters, and then home to my
chamber to sing and pipe till my wife comes home from her washing, which
was nine at night, and a dark and rainy night, that I was troubled at her
staying out so long. But she come well home, and so to supper and to bed.

14th. Up, and to the office, where we held a meeting extraordinary upon
some particular business, and there sat all the morning. At noon, my wife
being gone to the whitster's again to her clothes, I to dinner to Sir W.
Batten's, where much of our discourse concerning Carcasse, who it seems do
find success before the Council, and do everywhere threaten us with what
he will prove against us, which do vex us to see that we must be subjected
to such a rogue of our own servants as this is. By and by to talk of our
prize at Hull, and Sir W. Batten offering, again and again, seriously how
he would sell his part for L1000 and I considering the knavery of Hogg and
his company, and the trouble we may have with the Prince Rupert about the
consort ship, and how we are linked with Sir R. Ford, whose son-in-law too
is got thither, and there we intrust him with all our concern, who I doubt
not is of the same trade with his father-in-law for a knave, and then the
danger of the sea, if it shall be brought about, or bad debts contracted
in the sale, but chiefly to be eased of my fears about all or any of this,
I did offer my part to him for L700. With a little beating the bargain, we
come to a perfect agreement for L666 13s. 4d., which is two-thirds of
L1000, which is my proportion of the prize. I went to my office full of
doubts and joy concerning what I had done; but, however, did put into
writing the heads of our agreement, and returned to Sir W. Batten, and we
both signed them; and Sir R. Ford, being come thither since, witnessed
them. So having put it past further dispute I away, satisfied, and took
coach and to the King's playhouse, and there saw "The Country Captain,"
which is a very ordinary play. Methinks I had no pleasure therein at all,
and so home again and to my business hard till my wife come home from her
clothes, and so with her to supper and to bed. No news yet come of the
ratification of the peace which we have expected now every hour since
yesterday.

15th. Up, and to the office betimes, where busy, and sat all the morning,
vexed with more news of Carcasses proceedings at the Council, insomuch as
we four, [Sir] J. Minnes, [Sir] W. Batten, (Sir) W. Pen, and myself, did
make an appointment to dine with Sir W. Coventry to-day to discourse it
with him, which we did by going thither as soon as the office was up, and
there dined, and very merry, and many good stories, and after dinner to
our discourse about Carcasse, and how much we are troubled that we should
be brought, as they say we shall, to defend our report before the
Council-board with him, and to have a clerk imposed on us. He tells us in
short that there is no intention in the Lords for the latter, but wholly
the contrary. That they do not desire neither to do anything in
disrespect to the Board, and he will endeavour to prevent, as he hath
done, our coming to plead at the table with our clerk, and do believe the
whole will amount to nothing at the Council, only what he shall declare in
behalf of the King against the office, if he offers anything, will and
ought to be received, to which we all shew a readiness, though I confess
even that (though I think I am as clear as the clearest of them), yet I am
troubled to think what trouble a rogue may without cause give a man,
though it be only by bespattering a man, and therefore could wish that
over, though I fear nothing to be proved. Thence with much satisfaction,
and Sir W. Pen and I to the Duke's house, where a new play. The King and
Court there: the house full, and an act begun. And so went to the King's,
and there saw "The Merry Wives of Windsor:" which did not please me at
all, in no part of it, and so after the play done we to the Duke's house,
where my wife was by appointment in Sir W. Pen's coach, and she home, and
we home, and I to my office, where busy till letters done, and then home
to supper and to bed.

16th. Up, and at the office all the morning, and so at noon to dinner,
and after dinner my wife and I to the Duke's playhouse, where we saw the
new play acted yesterday, "The Feign Innocence, or Sir Martin Marr-all;"
a play made by my Lord Duke of Newcastle, but, as every body says,
corrected by Dryden. It is the most entire piece of mirth, a complete
farce from one end to the other, that certainly was ever writ. I never
laughed so in all my life. I laughed till my head [ached] all the evening
and night with the laughing; and at very good wit therein, not fooling.
The house full, and in all things of mighty content to me. Thence to the
New Exchange with my wife, where, at my bookseller's, I saw "The History
of the Royall Society," which, I believe, is a fine book, and have bespoke
one in quires. So home, and I to the office a little, and so to my
chamber, and read the history of 88--[See 10th of this month.]--in Speede,
in order to my seeing the play thereof acted to-morrow at the King's
house. So to supper in some pain by the sudden change of the weather cold
and my drinking of cold drink, which I must I fear begin to leave off,
though I shall try it as long as I can without much pain. But I find
myself to be full of wind, and my anus to be knit together as it is always
with cold. Every body wonders that we have no news from Bredah of the
ratification of the peace; and do suspect that there is some stop in it.
So to bed.

17th. Up, and all the morning at the office, where we sat, and my head
was full of the business of Carcasse, who hath a hearing this morning
before the Council and hath summonsed at least thirty persons, and which
is wondrous, a great many of them, I hear, do declare more against him
than for him, and yet he summonses people without distinction. Sure he is
distracted. At noon home to dinner, and presently my wife and I and Sir
W. Pen to the King's playhouse, where the house extraordinary full; and
there was the King and Duke of York to see the new play, "Queen
Elizabeth's Troubles and the History of Eighty Eight." I confess I have
sucked in so much of the sad story of Queen Elizabeth, from my cradle,
that I was ready to weep for her sometimes; but the play is the most
ridiculous that sure ever come upon the stage; and, indeed, is merely a
shew, only shews the true garbe of the Queen in those days, just as we see
Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth painted; but the play is merely a puppet
play, acted by living puppets. Neither the design nor language better;
and one stands by and tells us the meaning of things: only I was pleased
to see Knipp dance among the milkmaids, and to hear her sing a song to
Queen Elizabeth; and to see her come out in her night-gowne with no lockes
on, but her bare face and hair only tied up in a knot behind; which is the
comeliest dress that ever I saw her in to her advantage. Thence home and
went as far as Mile End with Sir W. Pen, whose coach took him up there for
his country-house; and after having drunk there, at the Rose and Crowne, a
good house for Alderman Bides ale,--[John Bide, brewer, Sheriff of London
in 1647.--B.]--we parted, and we home, and there I finished my letters,
and then home to supper and to bed.

18th (Lord's day). Up, and being ready, walked up and down to Cree
Church, to see it how it is; but I find no alteration there, as they say
there was, for my Lord Mayor and Aldermen to come to sermon, as they do
every Sunday, as they did formerly to Paul's. Walk back home and to our
own church, where a dull sermon and our church empty of the best sort of
people, they being at their country houses, and so home, and there dined
with me Mr. Turner and his daughter Betty.

[Betty Turner, who is frequently mentioned after this date, appears
to have been a daughter of Serjeant John Turner and his wife Jane,
and younger sister of Theophila Turner (see January 4th, 6th,
1668-69).]

Her mother should, but they were invited to Sir J. Minnes, where she dined
and the others here with me. Betty is grown a fine lady as to carriage
and discourse. I and my wife are mightily pleased with her. We had a good
haunch of venison, powdered and boiled, and a good dinner and merry.
After dinner comes Mr. Pelling the Potticary, whom I had sent for to dine
with me, but he was engaged. After sitting an hour to talk we broke up,
all leaving Pelling to talk with my wife, and I walked towards White Hall,
but, being wearied, turned into St. Dunstan's Church, where I heard an
able sermon of the minister of the place; and stood by a pretty, modest
maid, whom I did labour to take by the hand and the body; but she would
not, but got further and further from me; and, at last, I could perceive
her to take pins out of her pocket to prick me if I should touch her
again--which seeing I did forbear, and was glad I did spy her design. And
then I fell to gaze upon another pretty maid in a pew close to me, and she
on me; and I did go about to take her by the hand, which she suffered a
little and then withdrew. So the sermon ended, and the church broke up,
and my amours ended also, and so took coach and home, and there took up my
wife, and to Islington with her, our old road, but before we got to
Islington, between that and Kingsland, there happened an odd adventure:
one of our coach-horses fell sick of the staggers, so as he was ready to
fall down. The coachman was fain to 'light, and hold him up, and cut his
tongue to make him bleed, and his tail. The horse continued shaking every
part of him, as if he had been in an ague, a good while, and his blood
settled in his tongue, and the coachman thought and believed he would
presently drop down dead; then he blew some tobacco in his nose, upon
which the horse sneezed, and, by and by, grows well, and draws us the rest
of our way, as well as ever he did; which was one of the strangest things
of a horse I ever observed, but he says it is usual. It is the staggers.
Staid and eat and drank at Islington, at the old house, and so home, and
to my chamber to read, and then to supper and to bed.

19th. Up, and at the office all the morning very busy. Towards noon I to
Westminster about some tallies at the Exchequer, and then straight home
again and dined, and then to sing with my wife with great content, and
then I to the office again, where busy, and then out and took coach and to
the Duke of York's house, all alone, and there saw "Sir Martin Marr-all"
again, though I saw him but two days since, and do find it the most
comical play that ever I saw in my life. Soon as the play done I home,
and there busy till night, and then comes Mr. Moore to me only to
discourse with me about some general things touching the badness of the
times, how ill they look, and he do agree with most people that I meet
with, that we shall fall into a commonwealth in a few years, whether we
will or no; for the charge of a monarchy is such as the kingdom cannot be
brought to bear willingly, nor are things managed so well nowadays under
it, as heretofore. He says every body do think that there is something
extraordinary that keeps us so long from the news of the peace being
ratified, which the King and the Duke of York have expected these six
days. He gone, my wife and I and Mrs. Turner walked in the garden a good
while till 9 at night, and then parted, and I home to supper and to read a
little (which I cannot refrain, though I have all the reason in the world
to favour my eyes, which every day grow worse and worse by over-using
them), and then to bed.

20th. Up, and to my chamber to set down my journall for the last three
days, and then to the office, where busy all the morning. At noon home to
dinner, and then with my wife abroad, set her down at the Exchange, and I
to St. James's, where find Sir W. Coventry alone, and fell to discourse of
retrenchments; and thereon he tells how he hath already propounded to the
Lords Committee of the Councils how he would have the Treasurer of the
Navy a less man, that might not sit at the Board, but be subject to the
Board. He would have two Controllers to do his work and two Surveyors,
whereof one of each to take it by turns to reside at Portsmouth and
Chatham by a kind of rotation; he would have but only one Clerk of the
Acts. He do tell me he hath propounded how the charge of the Navy in
peace shall come within L200,000, by keeping out twenty-four ships in
summer, and ten in the winter. And several other particulars we went over
of retrenchment: and I find I must provide some things to offer that I may
be found studious to lessen the King's charge. By and by comes my Lord
Bruncker, and then we up to the Duke of York, and there had a hearing of
our usual business, but no money to be heard of--no, not L100 upon the
most pressing service that can be imagined of bringing in the King's
timber from Whittlewood, while we have the utmost want of it, and no
credit to provide it elsewhere, and as soon as we had done with the Duke
of York, Sir W. Coventry did single [out] Sir W. Pen and me, and desired
us to lend the King some money, out of the prizes we have taken by Hogg.
He did not much press it, and we made but a merry answer thereto; but I
perceive he did ask it seriously, and did tell us that there never was so
much need of it in the world as now, we being brought to the lowest
straits that can be in the world. This troubled me much. By and by Sir W.
Batten told me that he heard how Carcasse do now give out that he will
hang me, among the rest of his threats of him and Pen, which is the first
word I ever heard of the kind from him concerning me. It do trouble me a
little, though I know nothing he can possibly find to fasten on me.
Thence, with my Lord Bruncker to the Duke's Playhouse (telling my wife so
at the 'Change, where I left her), and there saw "Sir Martin Marr-all"
again, which I have now seen three times, and it hath been acted but four
times, and still find it a very ingenious play, and full of variety. So
home, and to the office, where my eyes would not suffer me to do any thing
by candlelight, and so called my wife and walked in the garden. She
mighty pressing for a new pair of cuffs, which I am against the laying out
of money upon yet, which makes her angry. So home to supper and to bed.

21st. Up, and my wife and I fell out about the pair of cuffs, which she
hath a mind to have to go to see the ladies dancing to-morrow at Betty
Turner's school; and do vex me so that I am resolved to deny them her.
However, by-and-by a way was found that she had them, and I well
satisfied, being unwilling to let our difference grow higher upon so small
an occasion and frowardness of mine. Then to the office, my Lord Bruncker
and I all the morning answering petitions, which now by a new Council's
order we are commanded to set a day in a week apart for, and we resolve to
do it by turn, my Lord and I one week and two others another. At noon home
to dinner, and then my wife and I mighty pleasant abroad, she to the New
Exchange and I to the Commissioners of the Treasury, who do sit very
close, and are bringing the King's charges as low as they can; but Sir W.
Coventry did here again tell me that he is very serious in what he said to
Sir W. Pen and me yesterday about our lending of money to the King; and
says that people do talk that we had had the King's ships at his cost to
take prizes, and that we ought to lend the King money more than other
people. I did tell him I will consider it, and so parted; and do find I
cannot avoid it. So to Westminster Hall and there staid a while, and
thence to Mrs. Martin's, and there did take a little pleasure both with
her and her sister. Here sat and talked, and it is a strange thing to see
the impudence of the woman, that desires by all means to have her mari
come home, only that she might beat liberty to have me para toker her,
which is a thing I do not so much desire. Thence by coach, took up my
wife, and home and out to Mile End, and there drank, and so home, and
after some little reading in my chamber, to supper and to bed. This day I
sent my cozen Roger a tierce of claret, which I give him. This morning
come two of Captain Cooke's boys, whose voices are broke, and are gone
from the Chapel, but have extraordinary skill; and they and my boy, with
his broken voice, did sing three parts; their names were Blaewl and
Loggings; but, notwithstanding their skill, yet to hear them sing with
their broken voices, which they could not command to keep in tune, would
make a man mad--so bad it was.

22nd. Up, and to the office; whence Lord Bruncker, J. Minnes, W. Pen, and
I, went to examine some men that are put in there, for rescuing of men
that were pressed into the service: and we do plainly see that the
desperate condition that we put men into for want of their pay, makes them
mad, they being as good men as ever were in the world, and would as
readily serve the King again, were they but paid. Two men leapt
overboard, among others, into the Thames, out of the vessel into which
they were pressed, and were shot by the soldiers placed there to keep
them, two days since; so much people do avoid the King's service! And
then these men are pressed without money, and so we cannot punish them for
any thing, so that we are forced only to make a show of severity by
keeping them in prison, but are unable to punish them. Returning to the
office, did ask whether we might visit Commissioner Pett, to which, I
confess, I have no great mind; and it was answered that he was close
prisoner, and we could not; but the Lieutenant of the Tower would send for
him to his lodgings, if we would: so we put it off to another time.
Returned to the office, where we sat all the morning, and at noon to
Captain Cocke's to dinner; where Lord Bruncker and his Lady, Matt. Wren,
and Bulteale, and Sir Allen Apsly; the last of whom did make good sport,
he being already fallen under the retrenchments of the new Committee, as
he is Master Falconer;

[The post of Master Falconer was afterwards granted to Charles's son
by Nell Gwyn, and it is still held by the Duke of St. Albans, as an
hereditary office.--B.]

which makes him mad, and swears that we are doing that the Parliament
would have done--that is, that we are now endeavouring to destroy one
another. But it was well observed by some at the table, that they do not
think this retrenching of the King's charge will be so acceptable to the
Parliament, they having given the King a revenue of so many L100,000's
a-year more than his predecessors had, that he might live in pomp, like a
king. After dinner with my Lord Bruncker and his mistress to the King's
playhouse, and there saw "The Indian Emperour;" where I find Nell come
again, which I am glad of; but was most infinitely displeased with her
being put to act the Emperour's daughter; which is a great and serious
part, which she do most basely. The rest of the play, though pretty good,
was not well acted by most of them, methought; so that I took no great
content in it. But that, that troubled me most was, that Knipp sent by
Moll' to desire to speak to me after the play; and she beckoned to me at
the end of the play, and I promised to come; but it was so late, and I
forced to step to Mrs. Williams's lodgings with my Lord Bruncker and her,
where I did not stay, however, for fear of her shewing me her closet, and
thereby forcing me to give her something; and it was so late, that for
fear of my wife's coming home before me, I was forced to go straight home,
which troubled me. Home and to the office a little, and then home and to
my chamber to read, and anon, late, comes home my wife, with Mr. Turner
and Mrs. Turner, with whom she supped, having been with Mrs. Turner to-day
at her daughter's school, to see her daughters dancing, and the rest,
which she says is fine. They gone, I to supper and to bed. My wife very
fine to-day, in her new suit of laced cuffs and perquisites. This evening
Pelling comes to me, and tells me that this night the Dutch letters are
come, and that the peace was proclaimed there the 19th inst., and that all
is finished; which, for my life, I know not whether to be glad or sorry
for, a peace being so necessary, and yet the peace is so bad in its terms.

23rd. Up, and Greeting comes, who brings me a tune for two flageolets,
which we played, and is a tune played at the King's playhouse, which goes
so well, that I will have more of them, and it will be a mighty pleasure
for me to have my wife able to play a part with me, which she will easily,
I find, do. Then abroad to White Hall in a hackney-coach with Sir W. Pen:
and in our way, in the narrow street near Paul's, going the backway by
Tower Street, and the coach being forced to put back, he was turning
himself into a cellar,--[So much of London was yet in ruins.--B]--which
made people cry out to us, and so we were forced to leap out--he out of
one, and I out of the other boote;

[The "boot" was originally a projection on each side of the coach,
where the passengers sat with their backs to the carriage. Such a
"boot" is seen in the carriage containing the attendants of Queen
Elizabeth, in Hoefnagel's well-known picture of Nonsuch Palace,
dated 1582. Taylor, the Water Poet, the inveterate opponent of the
introduction of coaches, thus satirizes the one in which he was
forced to take his place as a passenger: "It wears two boots and no
spurs, sometimes having two pairs of legs in one boot; and
oftentimes against nature most preposterously it makes fair ladies
wear the boot. Moreover, it makes people imitate sea-crabs, in
being drawn sideways, as they are when they sit in the boot of the
coach." In course of time these projections were abolished, and the
coach then consisted of three parts, viz., the body, the boot (on
the top of which the coachman sat), and the baskets at the back.]