Diary of Samuel Pepys, 1667 N.S. Complete

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19th. Up, and to the office, where all the morning doing little business,
our want of money being so infinite great. At noon home, and there find
old Mr. Michell and Howlett come to desire mine and my wife's company to
dinner to their son's, and so away by coach with them, it being Betty's
wedding-day a year, as also Shrove Tuesday. Here I made myself mighty
merry, the two old women being there also, and a mighty pretty dinner we
had in this little house, to my exceeding great content, and my wife's,
and my heart pleased to see Betty. But I have not been so merry a very
great while as with them, every thing pleasing me there as much as among
so mean company I could be pleased. After dinner I fell to read the Acts
about the building of the City again;

[Burnet wrote ("History of his Own Time," book ii.): "An act passed
in this session for rebuilding the city of London, which gave Lord
Chief Justice Hale a great reputation, for it was drawn with so true
a judgment, and so great foresight, that the whole city was raised
out of its ashes without any suits of law."]

and indeed the laws seem to be very good, and I pray God I may live to see
it built in that manner! Anon with much content home, walking with my
wife and her woman, and there to my office, where late doing much
business, and then home to supper and to bed. This morning I hear that
our discourse of peace is all in the dirt; for the Dutch will not like of
the place, or at least the French will not agree to it; so that I do
wonder what we shall do, for carry on the war we cannot. I long to hear
the truth of it to-morrow at Court.

20th. Up, with Sir W. Batten and Sir W. Pen by coach to White Hall, by
the way observing Sir W. Pen's carrying a favour to Sir W. Coventry, for
his daughter's wedding, and saying that there was others for us, when we
will fetch them, which vexed me, and I am resolved not to wear it when he
orders me one. His wedding hath been so poorly kept, that I am ashamed of
it; for a fellow that makes such a flutter as he do. When we come to the
Duke of York here, I heard discourse how Harris of his play-house is sick,
and everybody commends him, and, above all things, for acting the
Cardinall. Here they talk also how the King's viallin,--[violin]--
Bannister, is mad that the King hath a Frenchman come to be chief of some
part of the King's musique, at which the Duke of York made great mirth.
Then withdrew to his closett, all our business, lack of money and prospect
of the effects of it, such as made Sir W. Coventry say publickly before us
all, that he do heartily wish that his Royal Highness had nothing to do in
the Navy, whatever become of him; so much dishonour, he says, is likely to
fall under the management of it. The Duke of York was angry, as much as
he could be, or ever I saw him, with Sir G. Carteret, for not paying the
masters of some ships on Monday last, according to his promise, and I do
think Sir G. Carteret will make himself unhappy by not taking some course
either to borrow more money or wholly lay aside his pretence to the charge
of raising money, when he hath nothing to do to trouble himself with.
Thence to the Exchequer, and there find the people in readiness to
dispatch my tallies to-day, though Ash Wednesday. So I back by coach to
London to Sir Robt. Viner's and there got L100, and come away with it and
pay my fees round, and so away with the 'Chequer men to the Leg in King
Street, and there had wine for them; and here was one in company with
them, that was the man that got the vessel to carry over the King from
Bredhemson, who hath a pension of 200 per annum, but ill paid, and the man
is looking after getting of a prizeship to live by; but the trouble is,
that this poor man, who hath received no part of his money these four
years, and is ready to starve almost, must yet pay to the Poll Bill for
this pension. He told me several particulars of the King's coming
thither, which was mighty pleasant, and shews how mean a thing a king is,
how subject to fall, and how like other men he is in his afflictions.
Thence with my tallies home, and a little dinner, and then with my wife by
coach to Lincoln's Inn Fields, sent her to her brother's, and I with Lord
Bellasses to the Lord Chancellor's. Lord Bellasses tells me how the King
of France hath caused the stop to be made to our proposition of treating
in The Hague; that he being greater than they, we may better come and
treat at Paris: so that God knows what will become of the peace! He tells
me, too, as a grand secret, that he do believe the peace offensive and
defensive between Spayne and us is quite finished, but must not be known,
to prevent the King of France's present falling upon Flanders. He do
believe the Duke of York will be made General of the Spanish armies there,
and Governor of Flanders, if the French should come against it, and we
assist the Spaniard: that we have done the Spaniard abundance of mischief
in the West Indys, by our privateers at Jamaica, which they lament
mightily, and I am sorry for it to have it done at this time. By and by,
come to my Lord Chancellor, who heard mighty quietly my complaints for
lack of money, and spoke mighty kind to me, but little hopes of help
therein, only his good word. He do prettily cry upon Povy's account with
sometimes seeming friendship and pity, and this day quite the contrary.
He do confess our streights here and every where else arise from our
outspending our revenue. I mean that the King do do so. Thence away,
took up my wife; who tells me her brother hath laid out much money upon
himself and wife for clothes, which I am sorry to hear, it requiring great
expense. So home and to the office a while, and then home to supper,
where Mrs. Turner come to us, and sat and talked. Poor woman, I pity her,
but she is very cunning. She concurs with me in the falseness of Sir W.
Pen's friendship, and she tells pretty storms of my Lord Bruncker since he
come to our end of the town, of people's applications to Mrs. Williams.
So, she gone, I back to my accounts of Tangier, which I am settling,
having my new tallies from the Exchequer this day, and having set all
right as I could wish, then to bed.

21st. Up, and to the Office, where sat all the morning, and there a most
furious conflict between Sir W. Pen and I, in few words, and on a sudden
occasion, of no great moment, but very bitter, and stared on one another,
and so broke off; and to our business, my heart as full of spite as it
could hold, for which God forgive me and him! At the end of the day come
witnesses on behalf of Mr. Carcasse; but, instead of clearing him, I find
they were brought to recriminate Sir W. Batten, and did it by oath very
highly, that made the old man mad, and, I confess, me ashamed, so that I
caused all but ourselves to withdraw; being sorry to have such things
declared in the open office, before 100 people. But it was done home, and
I do believe true, though (Sir) W. Batten denies all, but is cruel mad,
and swore one of them, he or Carcasse, should not continue in the Office,
which is said like a fool. He gone, for he would not stay, and [Sir] W.
Pen gone a good while before, Lord Bruncker, Sir T. Harvy, and I, staid
and examined the witnesses, though amounting to little more than a
reproaching of Sir W. Batten. I home, my head and mind vexed about the
conflict between Sir W. Pen and I, though I have got, nor lost any ground
by it. At home was Mr. Daniel and wife and sister, and dined with us, and
I disturbed at dinner, Colonell Fitzgerald coming to me about tallies,
which I did go and give him, and then to the office, where did much
business and walked an hour or two with Lord Bruncker, who is mightily
concerned in this business for Carcasse and against Sir W. Batten, and I
do hope it will come to a good height, for I think it will be good for the
King as well as for me, that they two do not agree, though I do, for ought
I see yet, think that my Lord is for the most part in the right. He gone,
I to the office again to dispatch business, and late at night comes in Sir
W. Batten, [Sir] W. Pen, and [Sir] J. Minnes to the office, and what was
it but to examine one Jones, a young merchant, who was said to have spoke
the worst against Sir W. Batten, but he do deny it wholly, yet I do
believe Carcasse will go near to prove all that was sworn in the morning,
and so it be true I wish it may. That done, I to end my letters, and then
home to supper, and set right some accounts of Tangier, and then to bed.

22nd. Up, and to the office, where I awhile, and then home with Sir H.
Cholmly to give him some tallies upon the business of the Mole at Tangier,
and then out with him by coach to the Excise Office, there to enter them,
and so back again with him to the Exchange, and there I took another
coach, and home to the office, and to my business till dinner, the rest of
our officers having been this morning upon the Victuallers' accounts. At
dinner all of us, that is to say, Lord Bruncker, [Sir] J. Minnes, [Sir] W.
Batten, [Sir] T. Harvy, and myself, to Sir W. Pen's house, where some
other company. It is instead of a wedding dinner for his daughter, whom I
saw in palterly clothes, nothing new but a bracelet that her servant had
given her, and ugly she is, as heart can wish. A sorry dinner, not any
thing handsome or clean, but some silver plates they borrowed of me. My
wife was here too. So a great deal of talk, and I seemingly merry, but
took no pleasure at all. We had favours given us all, and we put them in
our hats, I against my will, but that my Lord and the rest did, I being
displeased that he did carry Sir W. Coventry's himself several days ago,
and the people up and down the town long since, and we must have them but
to-day. After dinner to talk a little, and then I away to my office, to
draw up a letter of the state of the Office and Navy for the Duke of York
against Sunday next, and at it late, and then home to supper and to bed,
talking with my wife of the poorness and meanness of all that Sir W. Pen
and the people about us do, compared with what we do.

23rd. This day I am, by the blessing of God, 34 years old, in very good
health and mind's content, and in condition of estate much beyond whatever
my friends could expect of a child of theirs, this day 34 years. The
Lord's name be praised! and may I be ever thankful for it. Up betimes to
the office, in order to my letter to the Duke of York to-morrow, and then
the office met and spent the greatest part about this letter. At noon
home to dinner, and then to the office again very close at it all the day
till midnight, making an end and writing fair this great letter and other
things to my full content, it abundantly providing for the vindication of
this office, whatever the success be of our wants of money. This evening
Sir W. Batten come to me to the office on purpose, out of spleen (of which
he is full to Carcasse!), to tell me that he is now informed of many
double tickets now found of Carcasses making which quite overthrows him.
It is strange to see how, though I do believe this fellow to be a rogue,
and could be contented to have him removed, yet to see him persecuted by
Sir W. Batten, who is as bad himself, and that with so much rancour, I am
almost the fellow's friend. But this good I shall have from it, that the
differences between Sir W. Batten and my Lord Bruncker will do me no hurt.

24th (Lord's day). Up, and with [Sir] W. Batten, by coach; he set me down
at my Lord Bruncker's (his feud there not suffering him to 'light
himself), and I with my Lord by and by when ready to White Hall, and by
and by up to the Duke of York, and there presented our great letter and
other papers, and among the rest my report of the victualling, which is
good, I think, and will continue my pretence to the place, which I am
still afeard Sir W. Coventry's employment may extinguish. We have
discharged ourselves in this letter fully from blame in the bad success of
the Navy, if money do not come soon to us, and so my heart is at pretty
good rest in this point. Having done here, Sir W. Batten and I home by
coach, and though the sermon at our church was begun, yet he would 'light
to go home and eat a slice of roast beef off the spit, and did, and then
he and I to church in the middle of the sermon. My Lady Pen there saluted
me with great content to tell me that her daughter and husband are still
in bed, as if the silly woman thought it a great matter of honour, and
did, going out of the church, ask me whether we did not make a great show
at Court today, with all our favours in our hats. After sermon home, and
alone with my wife dined. Among other things my wife told me how ill a
report our Mercer hath got by her keeping of company, so that she will not
send for her to dine with us or be with us as heretofore; and, what is
more strange, tells me that little Mis. Tooker hath got a clap as young as
she is, being brought up loosely by her mother . . . . In the
afternoon away to White Hall by water, and took a turn or two in the Park,
and then back to White Hall, and there meeting my Lord Arlington, he, by I
know not what kindness, offered to carry me along with him to my Lord
Treasurer's, whither, I told him, I was going. I believe he had a mind to
discourse of some Navy businesses, but Sir Thomas Clifford coming into the
coach to us, we were prevented; which I was sorry for, for I had a mind to
begin an acquaintance with him. He speaks well, and hath pretty slight
superficial parts, I believe. He, in our going, talked much of the plain
habit of the Spaniards; how the King and Lords themselves wear but a cloak
of Colchester bayze, and the ladies mantles, in cold weather, of white
flannell: and that the endeavours frequently of setting up the manufacture
of making these stuffs there have only been prevented by the Inquisition:
the English and Dutchmen that have been sent for to work, being taken with
a Psalmbook or Testament, and so clapped up, and the house pulled down by
the Inquisitors; and the greatest Lord in Spayne dare not say a word
against it, if the word Inquisition be but mentioned. At my Lord
Treasurer's 'light and parted with them, they going into Council, and I
walked with Captain Cocke, who takes mighty notice of the differences
growing in our office between Lord Bruncker and [Sir] W. Batten, and among
others also, and I fear it may do us hurt, but I will keep out of them.
By and by comes Sir S. Fox, and he and I walked and talked together on
many things, but chiefly want of money, and the straits the King brings
himself and affairs into for want of it. Captain Cocke did tell me what I
must not forget: that the answer of the Dutch, refusing The Hague for a
place of treaty, and proposing the Boysse, Bredah, Bergen-op-Zoome, or
Mastricht, was seemingly stopped by the Swede's Embassador (though he did
show it to the King, but the King would take no notice of it, nor does
not) from being delivered to the King; and he hath wrote to desire them to
consider better of it: so that, though we know their refusal of the place,
yet they know not that we know it, nor is the King obliged to show his
sense of the affront. That the Dutch are in very great straits, so as to
be said to be not able to set out their fleete this year. By and by comes
Sir Robert Viner and my Lord Mayor to ask the King's directions about
measuring out the streets according to the new Act for building of the
City, wherein the King is to be pleased.

[See Sir Christopher Wren's "Proposals for rebuilding the City of
London after the great fire, with an engraved Plan of the principal
Streets and Public Buildings," in Elmes's "Memoirs of Sir
Christopher Wren," Appendix, p.61. The originals are in All Souls'
College Library, Oxford.--B.]

But he says that the way proposed in Parliament, by Colonel Birch, would
have been the best, to have chosen some persons in trust, and sold the
whole ground, and let it be sold again by them, with preference to the old
owner, which would have certainly caused the City to be built where these
Trustees pleased; whereas now, great differences will be, and the streets
built by fits, and not entire till all differences be decided. This, as he
tells it, I think would have been the best way. I enquired about the
Frenchman

["One Hubert, a French papist, was seized in Essex, as he was
getting out of the way in great confusion. He confessed he had
begun the fire, and persisted in his confession to his death, for he
was hanged upon no other evidence but that of his own confession.
It is true he gave so broken an account of the whole matter that he
was thought mad. Yet he was blindfolded, and carried to several
places of the city, and then his eyes being opened, he was asked if
that was the place, and he being carried to wrong places, after he
looked round about for some time, he said that was not the place,
but when he was brought to the place where it first broke out, he
affirmed that was the true place. "Burnet's Own Time," book ii.
Archbishop Tillotson, according to Burnet, believed that London was
burnt by design.]

that was said to fire the City, and was hanged for it, by his own
confession, that he was hired for it by a Frenchman of Roane, and that he
did with a stick reach in a fire-ball in at a window of the house: whereas
the master of the house, who is the King's baker, and his son, and
daughter, do all swear there was no such window, and that the fire did not
begin thereabouts. Yet the fellow, who, though a mopish besotted fellow,
did not speak like a madman, did swear that he did fire it: and did not
this like a madman; for, being tried on purpose, and landed with his
keeper at the Tower Wharf, he could carry the keeper to the very house.
Asking Sir R. Viner what he thought was the cause of the fire, he tells
me, that the baker, son, and his daughter, did all swear again and again,
that their oven was drawn by ten o'clock at night; that, having occasion
to light a candle about twelve, there was not so much fire in the
bakehouse as to light a match for a candle, so that they were fain to go
into another place to light it; that about two in the morning they felt
themselves almost choked with smoke, and rising, did find the fire coming
upstairs; so they rose to save themselves; but that, at that time, the
bavins--[brushwood, or faggots used for lighting fires]--were not on fire
in the yard. So that they are, as they swear, in absolute ignorance how
this fire should come; which is a strange thing, that so horrid an effect
should have so mean and uncertain a beginning. By and by called in to the
King and Cabinet, and there had a few insipid words about money for
Tangier, but to no purpose. Thence away walked to my boat at White Hall,
and so home and to supper, and then to talk with W. Hewer about business
of the differences at present among the people of our office, and so to my
journall and to bed. This night going through bridge by water, my
waterman told me how the mistress of the Beare tavern, at the bridge-foot,
did lately fling herself into the Thames, and drowned herself; which did
trouble me the more, when they tell me it was she that did live at the
White Horse tavern in Lumbard Streete, which was a most beautiful woman,
as most I have seen. It seems she hath had long melancholy upon her, and
hath endeavoured to make away with herself often.

25th. Lay long in bed, talking with pleasure with my poor wife, how she
used to make coal fires, and wash my foul clothes with her own hand for
me, poor wretch! in our little room at my Lord Sandwich's; for which I
ought for ever to love and admire her, and do; and persuade myself she
would do the same thing again, if God should reduce us to it. So up and
by coach abroad to the Duke of Albemarle's about sending soldiers down to
some ships, and so home, calling at a belt-maker's to mend my belt, and so
home and to dinner, where pleasant with my wife, and then to the office,
where mighty busy all the day, saving going forth to the 'Change to pay
for some things, and on other occasions, and at my goldsmith's did observe
the King's new medall, where, in little, there is Mrs. Steward's face as
well done as ever I saw anything in my whole life, I think: and a pretty
thing it is, that he should choose her face to represent Britannia by. So
at the office late very busy and much business with great joy dispatched,
and so home to supper and to bed.

26th. Up, and to the office, where all the morning. And here did receive
another reference from Sir W. Coventry about the business of some of the
Muster-Masters, concerning whom I had returned their small performances,
which do give me a little more trouble for fear [Sir] W. Coventry should
think I had a design to favour my brother Balty, and to that end to
disparage all the rest. But I shall clear all very well, only it do
exercise my thoughts more than I am at leisure for. At home find Balty
and his wife very fine, which I did not like, for fear he do spend too
much of his money that way, and lay [not] up anything. After dinner to
the office again, where by and by Lord Bruncker, [Sir] W. Batten, [Sir] J.
Minnes and I met about receiving Carcasses answers to the depositions
against him. Wherein I did see so much favour from my Lord to him that I
do again begin to see that my Lord is not right at the bottom, and did
make me the more earnest against him, though said little. My Lord rising,
declaring his judgement in his behalf, and going away, I did hinder our
arguing it by ourselves, and so broke up the meeting, and myself went full
of trouble to my office, there to write over the deposition and his
answers side by side, and then home to supper and to bed with some trouble
of mind to think of the issue of this, how it will breed ill blood among
us here.

27th. Up by candle-light, about six o'clock, it being bitter cold weather
again, after all our warm weather, and by water down to Woolwich
rope-yard, I being this day at a leisure, the King and Duke of York being
gone down to Sheerenesse this morning to lay out the design for a
fortification there to the river Medway; and so we do not attend the Duke
of York as we should otherwise have done, and there to the Dock Yard to
enquire of the state of things, and went into Mr. Pett's; and there,
beyond expectation, he did present me with a Japan cane, with a silver
head, and his wife sent me by him a ring, with a Woolwich stone;

[Woolwich stones, still collected in that locality, are simply
waterworn pebbles of flint, which, when broken with a hammer,
exhibit on the smooth surface some resemblance to the human face;
and their possessors are thus enabled to trace likenesses of
friends, or eminent public characters. The late Mr. Tennant, the
geologist, of the Strand, had a collection of such stones. In the
British Museum is a nodule of globular or Egyptian jasper, which, in
its fracture, bears a striking resemblance to the well-known
portrait of Chaucer. It is engraved in Rymsdyk's "Museum
Britannicum," tab. xxviii. A flint, showing Mr. Pitt's face, used
once to be exhibited at the meetings of the Pitt Club.--B.]

now much in request; which I accepted, the values not being great, and
knowing that I had done them courtesies, which he did own in very high
terms; and then, at my asking, did give me an old draught of an
ancient-built ship, given him by his father, of the Beare, in Queen
Elizabeth's time. This did much please me, it being a thing I much
desired to have, to shew the difference in the build of ships now and
heretofore. Being much taken with this kindness, I away to Blackwall and
Deptford, to satisfy myself there about the King's business, and then
walked to Redriffe, and so home about noon; there find Mr. Hunt, newly
come out of the country, who tells me the country is much impoverished by
the greatness of taxes: the farmers do break every day almost, and L1000
a-year become not worth L500. He dined with us, and we had good
discourse of the general ill state of things, and, by the way, he told me
some ridiculous pieces of thrift of Sir G. Downing's, who is his
countryman, in inviting some poor people, at Christmas last, to charm the
country people's mouths; but did give them nothing but beef, porridge,
pudding, and pork, and nothing said all dinner, but only his mother would
say, "It's good broth, son." He would answer, "Yes, it is good broth."
Then, says his lady, Confirm all, and say, "Yes, very good broth." By and
by she would begin and say, "Good pork:"--"Yes," says the mother, "good
pork." Then he cries, "Yes, very good pork." And so they said of all
things; to which nobody made any answer, they going there not out of love
or esteem of them, but to eat his victuals, knowing him to be a niggardly
fellow; and with this he is jeered now all over the country. This day just
before dinner comes Captain Story, of Cambridge, to me to the office,
about a bill for prest money,