Diary of Samuel Pepys, 1667 N.S. Complete

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4th. Up betimes, and by water with Sir R. Ford (who is going to
Parliament) to Westminster; and there landing at the New Exchange stairs,
I to Sir W. Coventry: and there he read over to me the Prince's and the
Duke of Albemarle's Narratives; wherein they are very severe against him
and our Office. But [Sir] W. Coventry do contemn them; only that their
persons and qualities are great, and so I do perceive [he] is afeard of
them, though he will not confess it. But he do say that, if he can get
out of these briars, he will never trouble himself with Princes nor Dukes
again. He finds several things in their Narratives, which are both
inconsistent and foolish, as well as untrue, especially as to what the
Duke of Albemarle avers of his knowing of the enemy's being abroad sooner
than he says it, which [Sir] W. Coventry will shew him his own letter
against him, for I confess I do see so much, that, were I but well
possessed of what I should have in the world, I think I could willingly
retreat, and trouble myself no more with it. Thence home, and there met
Sir H. Cholmly, and he and I to the Excise Office to see what tallies are
paying, and thence back to the Old Exchange, by the way talking of news,
and he owning Sir W. Coventry, in his opinion, to be one of the worthiest
men in the nation, as I do really think he is. He tells me he do think
really that they will cut off my Lord Chancellor's head, the Chancellor at
this day showing as much pride as is possible to those few that venture
their fortunes by coming to see him; and that the Duke of York is troubled
much, knowing that those that fling down the Chancellor cannot stop there,
but will do something to him, to prevent his having it in his power
hereafter to avenge himself and father-in-law upon them. And this Sir H.
Cholmly fears may be by divorcing the Queen and getting another, or
declaring the Duke of Monmouth legitimate; which God forbid! He tells me
he do verily believe that there will come in an impeachment of High
Treason against my Lord of Ormond; among other things, for ordering the
quartering of soldiers in Ireland on free quarters; which, it seems, is
High Treason in that country, and was one of the things that lost the Lord
Strafford his head, and the law is not yet repealed; which, he says, was a
mighty oversight of him not to have it repealed, which he might with ease
have done, or have justified himself by an Act. From the Exchange I took
a coach, and went to Turlington, the great spectacle-maker, for advice,
who dissuades me from using old spectacles, but rather young ones, and do
tell me that nothing can wrong my eyes more than for me to use
reading-glasses, which do magnify much. Thence home, and there dined, and
then abroad and left my wife and Willett at her tailor's, and I to White
Hall, where the Commissioners of the Treasury do not sit, and therefore I
to Westminster to the Hall, and there meeting with Col. Reames I did very
cheaply by him get copies of the Prince's and Duke of Albemarle's
Narratives, which they did deliver the other day to the House, of which I
am mighty glad, both for my present information and for my future
satisfaction. So back by coach, and took up my wife, and away home, and
there in my chamber all the evening among my papers and my accounts of
Tangier to my great satisfaction, and so to supper and to bed.

5th. Up, and all the morning at the office. At noon home to dinner, and
thence out with my wife and girle, and left them at her tailor's, and I to
the Treasury, and there did a little business for Tangier, and so took
them up again, and home, and when I had done at the office, being post
night, I to my chamber, and there did something more, and so to supper and
to bed.

6th. Up, and to Westminster, where to the Parliament door, and there
spoke with Sir G. Downing, to see what was done yesterday at the Treasury
for Tangier, and it proved as good as nothing, so that I do see we shall
be brought to great straits for money there. He tells me here that he is
passing a Bill to make the Excise and every other part of the King's
Revenue assignable on the Exchequer, which indeed will be a very good
thing. This he says with great glee as an act of his, and how poor a
thing this was in the beginning, and with what envy he carried it on, and
how my Lord Chancellor could never endure him for it since he first begun
it. He tells me that the thing the House is just now upon is that of
taking away the charter from the Company of Woodmongers, whose frauds, it
seems, have been mightily laid before them. He tells me that they are
like to fly very high against my Lord Chancellor. Thence I to the House
of Lords, and there first saw Dr. Fuller, as Bishop of Lincoln, to sit
among the Lords. Here I spoke with the Duke of York and the Duke of
Albemarle about Tangier; but methinks both of them do look very coldly one
upon another, and their discourse mighty cold, and little to the purpose
about our want of money. Thence homeward, and called at Allestry's, the
bookseller, who is bookseller to the Royal Society, and there did buy
three or four books, and find great variety of French and foreign books.
And so home and to dinner, and after dinner with my wife to a play, and
the girl--"Macbeth," which we still like mightily, though mighty short of
the content we used to have when Betterton acted, who is still sick. So
home, troubled with the way and to get a coach, and so to supper and to
bed. This day, in the Paynted-chamber, I met and walked with Mr. George
Montagu, who thinks it may go hard with my Lord Sandwich, but he says the
House is offended with Sir W. Coventry much, and that he do endeavour to
gain them again in the most precarious manner in all things that is
possible.

7th. Up, and at the office hard all the morning, and at noon resolved
with Sir W. Pen to go see "The Tempest," an old play of Shakespeare's,
acted, I hear, the first day; and so my wife, and girl, and W. Hewer by
themselves, and Sir W. Pen and I afterwards by ourselves; and forced to
sit in the side balcone over against the musique-room at the Duke's house,
close by my Lady Dorset and a great many great ones. The house mighty
full; the King and Court there and the most innocent play that ever I saw;
and a curious piece of musique in an echo of half sentences, the echo
repeating the former half, while the man goes on to the latter; which is
mighty pretty. The play [has] no great wit, but yet good, above ordinary
plays. Thence home with [Sir] W. Pen, and there all mightily pleased with
the play; and so to supper and to bed, after having done at the office.

8th. Called up betimes by Sir H. Cholmly, and he and I to good purpose
most of the morning--I in my dressing-gown with him, on our Tangier
accounts, and stated them well; and here he tells me that he believes it
will go hard with my Lord Chancellor. Thence I to the office, where met
on some special, business; and here I hear that the Duke of York is very
ill; and by and by word brought us that we shall not need to attend to-day
the Duke of York, for he is not well, which is bad news. They being gone,
I to my workmen, who this day come to alter my office, by beating down the
wall, and making me a fayre window both there, and increasing the window
of my closet, which do give me some present trouble; but will be mighty
pleasant. So all the whole day among them to very late, and so home
weary, to supper, and to bed, troubled for the Duke of York his being
sick.

9th. Up and to my workmen, who are at work close again, and I at the
office all the morning, and there do hear by a messenger that Roger Pepys
would speak with me, so before the office up I to Westminster, and there
find the House very busy, and like to be so all day, about my Lord
Chancellor's impeachment, whether treason or not, where every body is
mighty busy. I spoke with my cozen Roger, whose business was only to give
me notice that Carcasse hath been before the Committee; and to warn me of
it, which is a great courtesy in him to do, and I desire him to continue
to do so. This business of this fellow, though it may be a foolish thing,
yet it troubles me, and I do plainly see my weakness that I am not a man
able to go through trouble, as other men, but that I should be a miserable
man if I should meet with adversity, which God keep me from! He desirous
to get back into the House, he having his notes in his hand, the lawyers
being now speaking to the point of whether treason or not treason, the
article of advising the King to break up the Parliament, and to govern by
the sword. Thence I down to the Hall, and there met Mr. King, the
Parliament-man for Harwich, and there he did shew, and let me take a copy
of, all the articles against my Lord Chancellor, and what members they
were that undertook to bring witnesses to make them good, of which I was
mighty glad, and so away home, and to dinner and to my workmen, and in the
afternoon out to get Simpson the joyner to come to work at my office, and
so back home and to my letters by the post to-night, and there, by W. Pen,
do hear that this article was overvoted in the House not to be a ground of
impeachment of treason, at which I was glad, being willing to have no
blood spilt, if I could help it. So home to supper, and glad that the
dirty bricklayers' work of my office is done, and home to supper and to
bed.

10th (Lord's day). Mighty cold, and with my wife to church, where a lazy
sermon. Here was my Lady Batten in her mourning at church, but I took no
notice of her. At noon comes Michell and his wife to dine with us, and
pretty merry. I glad to see her still. After dinner Sir W. Pen and I to
White Hall, to speak with Sir W. Coventry; and there, beyond all we looked
for, do hear that the Duke of York hath got, and is full of, the
small-pox; and so we to his lodgings; and there find most of the family
going to St. James's, and the gallery doors locked up, that nobody might
pass to nor fro and a sad house, I am sure. I am sad to consider the
effects of his death, if he should miscarry; but Dr. Frazier tells me that
he is in as good condition as a man can be in his case. The eruption
appeared last night; it seems he was let blood on Friday. Thence, not
finding [Sir] W. Coventry, and going back again home, we met him coming
with the Lord Keeper, and so returned and spoke with him in White Hall
Garden, two or three turns, advising with him what we should do about
Carcasse's bringing his letter into the Committee of Parliament, and he
told us that the counsel he hath too late learned is, to spring nothing in
the House, nor offer anything, but just what is drawn out of a man: that
this is the best way of dealing with a Parliament, and that he hath paid
dear, and knows not how much more he may pay, for not knowing it sooner,
when he did unnecessarily produce the Duke of Albemarle's letter about
Chatham, which if demanded would have come out with all the advantages in
the world to Sir W. Coventry, but, as he brought it out himself, hath
drawn much evil upon him. After some talk of this kind, we back home, and
there I to my chamber busy all the evening, and then to supper and to bed,
my head running all night upon our businesses in Parliament and what
examinations we are likely to go under before they have done with us,
which troubles me more than it should a wise man and a man the best able
to defend himself, I believe, of our own whole office, or any other, I am
apt to think.

11th. Up, and to Simpson at work in my office, and thence with Sir G.
Carteret (who come to talk with me) to Broad Streete, where great crowding
of people for money, at which he blamed himself. Thence with him and Lord
Bruncker to Captain Cocke's (he out of doors), and there drank their
morning draught, and thence [Sir] G. Carteret and I toward the Temple in
coach together; and there he did tell me how the King do all he can in the
world to overthrow my Lord Chancellor, and that notice is taken of every
man about the King that is not seen to promote the ruine of the
Chancellor; and that this being another great day in his business, he
dares not but be there. He tells me that as soon as Secretary Morrice
brought the Great Seale from my Lord Chancellor, Bab. May fell upon his
knees, and catched the King about the legs, and joyed him, and said that
this was the first time that ever he could call him King of England, being
freed from this great man: which was a most ridiculous saying. And he
told me that, when first my Lord Gerard, a great while ago, come to the
King, and told him that the Chancellor did say openly that the King was a
lazy person and not fit to govern, which is now made one of the things in
the people's mouths against the Chancellor, "Why," says the King, "that is
no news, for he hath told me so twenty times, and but the other day he
told me so;" and made matter of mirth at it: but yet this light discourse
is likely to prove bad to him. I 'light at the Temple, and went to my
tailor's and mercer's about a cloake, to choose the stuff, and so to my
bookseller's and bought some books, and so home to dinner, and Simpson my
joyner with me, and after dinner, my wife, and I, and Willett, to the
King's play-house, and there saw "The Indian Emperour," a good play, but
not so good as people cry it up, I think, though above all things Nell's
ill speaking of a great part made me mad. Thence with great trouble and
charge getting a coach (it being now and having been all this day a most
cold and foggy, dark, thick day), we home, and there I to my office, and
saw it made clean from top to bottom, till I feared I took cold in walking
in a damp room while it is in washing, and so home to supper and to bed.
This day I had a whole doe sent me by Mr. Hozier, which is a fine present,
and I had the umbles of it for dinner. This day I hear Kirton, my
bookseller, poor man, is dead, I believe, of grief for his losses by the
fire.

12th. Up, and to the Office, where sat all the morning; and there hear
the Duke of York do yet do very well with his smallpox: pray God he may
continue to do so! This morning also, to my astonishment, I hear that
yesterday my Lord Chancellor, to another of his Articles, that of
betraying the King's councils to his enemies, is voted to have matter
against him for an impeachment of High Treason, and that this day the
impeachment is to be carried up to the House of Lords which is very high,
and I am troubled at it; for God knows what will follow, since they that
do this must do more to secure themselves against any that will revenge
this, if it ever come in their power! At noon home to dinner, and then to
my office, and there saw every thing finished, so as my papers are all in
order again and my office twice as pleasant as ever it was, having a noble
window in my closet and another in my office, to my great content, and so
did business late, and then home to supper and to bed.

13th. Up, and down to the Old Swan, and so to Westminster; where I find
the House sitting, and in a mighty heat about Commissioner Pett, that they
would have him impeached, though the Committee have yet brought in but
part of their Report: and this heat of the House is much heightened by Sir
Thomas Clifford telling them, that he was the man that did, out of his own
purse, employ people at the out-ports to prevent the King of Scots to
escape after the battle of Worcester. The House was in a great heat all
this day about it; and at last it was carried, however, that it should be
referred back to the Committee to make further enquiry. I here spoke with
Roger Pepys, who sent for me, and it was to tell me that the Committee is
mighty full of the business of buying and selling of tickets, and to
caution me against such an enquiry (wherein I am very safe), and that they
have already found out Sir Richard Ford's son to have had a hand in it,
which they take to be the same as if the father had done it, and I do
believe the father may be as likely to be concerned in it as his son. But
I perceive by him they are resolved to find out the bottom of the business
if it be possible. By and by I met with Mr. Wren, who tells me that the
Duke of York is in as good condition as is possible for a man, in his
condition of the smallpox. He, I perceive, is mightily concerned in the
business of my Lord Chancellor, the impeachment against whom is gone up to
the House of Lords; and great differences there are in the Lords' House
about it, and the Lords are very high one against another. Thence home to
dinner, and as soon as dinner done I and my wife and Willet to the Duke of
York's, house, and there saw the Tempest again, which is very pleasant,
and full of so good variety that I cannot be more pleased almost in a
comedy, only the seamen's part a little too tedious. Thence home, and
there to my chamber, and do begin anew to bind myself to keep my old vows,
and among the rest not to see a play till Christmas but once in every
other week, and have laid aside L10, which is to be lost to the poor, if I
do. This I hope in God will bind me, for I do find myself mightily
wronged in my reputation, and indeed in my purse and business, by my late
following of my pleasure for so long time as I have done. So to supper
and then to bed. This day Mr. Chichly told me, with a seeming trouble,
that the House have stopped his son Jack (Sir John) his going to France,
that he may be a witness against my Lord Sandwich: which do trouble me,
though he can, I think, say little.

14th. At the office close all the morning. At noon, all my clerks with
me to dinner, to a venison pasty; and there comes Creed, and dined with
me, and he tells me how high the Lords were in the Lords' House about the
business of the Chancellor, and that they are not yet agreed to impeach
him. After dinner, he and I, and my wife and girl, the latter two to
their tailor's, and he and I to the Committee of the Treasury, where I had
a hearing, but can get but L6000 for the pay of the garrison, in lieu of
above L16,000; and this Alderman Backewell gets remitted there, and I am
glad of it. Thence by coach took up my wife and girl, and so home, and
set down Creed at Arundell House, going to the Royal Society, whither I
would be glad to go, but cannot. Thence home, and to the Office, where
about my letters, and so home to supper, and to bed, my eyes being bad
again; and by this means, the nights, now-a-days, do become very long to
me, longer than I can sleep out.

15th. Up, and to Alderman Backewell's

[Edward Backwell, goldsmith and alderman of the City of London. He
was a man of considerable wealth during the Commonwealth. After the
Restoration he negotiated Charles II.'s principal money
transactions. He was M.P. for Wendover in the parliament of 1679,
and in the Oxford parliament of 1680. According to the writer of
the life in the "Diet. of Nat. Biog. "his heirs did not ultimately
suffer any pecuniary loss by the closure of the Exchequer. Mr.
Hilton Price stated that Backwell removed to Holland in 1676, and
died therein 1679; but this is disproved by the pedigree in
Lipscomb's "Hist. of Bucks," where the date of his death is given
as 1683, as well as by the fact that he sat for Wendover in 1679 and
1680, as stated above.]

and there discoursed with him about the remitting of this L6000 to
Tangier, which he hath promised to do by the first post, and that will be
by Monday next, the 18th, and he and I agreed that I would take notice of
it that so he may be found to have done his best upon the desire of the
Lords Commissioners. From this we went to discourse of his condition, and
he with some vain glory told me that the business of Sheernesse did make
him quite mad, and indeed might well have undone him; but yet that he did
the very next day pay here and got bills to answer his promise to the King
for the Swedes Embassadors (who were then doing our business at the treaty
at Breda) L7000, and did promise the Bankers there, that if they would
draw upon him all that he had of theirs and L10,000 more, he would answer
it. He told me that Serjeant Maynard come to him for a sum of money that
he had in his hands of his, and so did many others, and his answer was,
What countrymen are you? And when they told him, why then, says he, here
is a tally upon the Receiver of your country for so [much], and to yours
for so much, and did offer to lay by tallies to the full value of all that
he owed in the world, and L40,000 more for the security thereof, and not
to touch a penny of his own till the full of what he owed was paid, which
so pleased every body that he hath mastered all, so that he hath lent the
Commissioners of the Treasury above L40,000 in money since that business,
and did this morning offer to a lady who come to give him notice that she
should need her money L3000, in twenty days, he bid her if she pleased
send for it to-day and she should have it. Which is a very great thing,
and will make them greater than ever they were, I am apt to think, in some
time. Thence to Westminster, and there I walked with several, and do hear
that there is to be a conference between the two Houses today; so I
stayed: and it was only to tell the Commons that the Lords cannot agree to
the confining or sequestring of the Earle of Clarendon from the
Parliament, forasmuch as they do not specify any particular crime which
they lay upon him and call Treason. This the House did receive, and so
parted: at which, I hear, the Commons are like to grow very high, and will
insist upon their privileges, and the Lords will own theirs, though the
Duke of Buckingham, Bristoll, and others, have been very high in the House
of Lords to have had him committed. This is likely to breed ill blood.
Thence I away home, calling at my mercer's and tailor's, and there find,
as I expected, Mr. Caesar and little Pelham Humphreys, lately returned
from France, and is an absolute Monsieur, as full of form, and confidence,
and vanity, and disparages everything, and everybody's skill but his own.
The truth is, every body says he is very able, but to hear how he laughs
at all the King's musick here, as Blagrave and others, that they cannot
keep time nor tune, nor understand anything; and that Grebus, the
Frenchman, the King's master of the musick, how he understands nothing,
nor can play on any instrument, and so cannot compose: and that he will
give him a lift out of his place; and that he and the King are mighty
great! and that he hath already spoke to the King of Grebus would make a
man piss. I had a good dinner for them, as a venison pasty and some fowl,
and after dinner we did play, he on the theorbo. Mr. Caesar on his French
lute, and I on the viol, but made but mean musique, nor do I see that this
Frenchman do so much wonders on the theorbo, but without question he is a
good musician, but his vanity do offend me. They gone, towards night, I
to the office awhile, and then home and to my chamber, where busy till by
and by comes Mr. Moore, and he staid and supped and talked with me about
many things, and tells me his great fear that all things will go to ruin
among us, for that the King hath, as he says Sir Thomas Crew told him,
been heard to say that the quarrel is not between my Lord Chancellor and
him, but his brother and him; which will make sad work among us if that be
once promoted, as to be sure it will, Buckingham and Bristoll being now
the only counsel the King follows, so as Arlington and Coventry are come
to signify little. He tells me they are likely to fall upon my Lord
Sandwich; but, for my part, sometimes I am apt to think they cannot do him
much harm, he telling me that there is no great fear of the business of
Resumption! By and by, I got him to read part of my Lord Cooke's chapter
of treason, which is mighty well worth reading, and do inform me in many
things, and for aught I see it is useful now to know what these crimes
are. And then to supper, and after supper he went away, and so I got the
girl to comb my head, and then to bed, my eyes bad. This day, Poundy, the
waterman, was with me, to let me know that he was summonsed to bear
witness against me to Prince Rupert's people (who have a commission to
look after the business of prize-goods) about the business of the
prize-goods I was concerned in: but I did desire him to speak all he knew,
and not to spare me, nor did promise nor give him any thing, but sent him
away with good words, to bid him say all he knew to be true. This do not
trouble me much.

16th. At the office all the morning, and at noon took my Lord Bruncker
into the garden, and there told him of his man Carcasses proceedings
against the Office in the House of Commons. I did [not] desire nor advise
him anything, but in general, that the end of this might be ruin to the
Office, but that we shall be brought to fencing for ourselves, and that
will be no profit to the office, but let it light where it would I thought
I should be as well as any body. This I told him, and so he seeming to be
ignorant of it, and not pleased with it, we broke off by Sir Thos. Harvy's
coming to us from the Pay Office, whither we had sent a smart letter we
had writ to him this morning about keeping the clerks at work at the
making up the books, which I did to place the fault somewhere, and now I
let him defend himself. He was mighty angry, and particularly with me,
but I do not care, but do rather desire it, for I will not spare him, that
we shall bear the blame, and such an idle fellow as he have L500 a year
for nothing. So we broke off, and I home to dinner, and then to the
office, and having spent the afternoon on letters, I took coach in the
evening, and to White Hall, where there is to be a performance of musique
of Pelham's before the King. The company not come; but I did go into the
musique-room, where Captain Cocke and many others; and here I did hear the
best and the smallest organ go that ever I saw in my life, and such a one
as, by the grace of God, I will have the next year, if I continue in this
condition, whatever it cost me. I never was so pleased in my life.
Thence, it being too soon, I to Westminster Hall, it being now about 7 at
night, and there met Mr. Gregory, my old acquaintance, an understanding
gentleman; and he and I walked an hour together, talking of the bad
prospect of the times; and the sum of what I learn from him is this: That
the King is the most concerned in the world against the Chancellor, and
all people that do not appear against him, and therefore is angry with the
Bishops, having said that he had one Bishop on his side (Crofts ), and but
one: that Buckingham and Bristoll are now his only Cabinet Council;