Diary of Samuel Pepys, 1668 N.S. Complete

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9th (Lord's day). Up, and at my chamber all the morning and the office
doing business, and also reading a little of "L'escholle des filles,"
which is a mighty lewd book, but yet not amiss for a sober man once to
read over to inform himself in the villainy of the world. At noon home to
dinner, where by appointment Mr. Pelting come and with him three friends,
Wallington, that sings the good base, and one Rogers, and a gentleman, a
young man, his name Tempest, who sings very well indeed, and understands
anything in the world at first sight. After dinner we into our
dining-room, and there to singing all the afternoon. (By the way, I must
remember that Pegg Pen was brought to bed yesterday of a girl; and, among
other things, if I have not already set it down, that hardly ever was
remembered such a season for the smallpox as these last two months have
been, people being seen all up and down the streets, newly come out after
the smallpox.) But though they sang fine things, yet I must confess that I
did take no pleasure in it, or very little, because I understood not the
words, and with the rests that the words are set, there is no sense nor
understanding in them though they be English, which makes me weary of
singing in that manner, it being but a worse sort of instrumental musick.
We sang until almost night, and drank mighty good store of wine, and then
they parted, and I to my chamber, where I did read through "L'escholle des
filles," a lewd book, but what do no wrong once to read for information
sake . . . . And after I had done it I burned it, that it might not be
among my books to my shame, and so at night to supper and to bed.

10th. Up, and by coach to Westminster, and there made a visit to Mr.
Godolphin, at his chamber; and I do find him a very pretty and able
person, a man of very fine parts, and of infinite zeal to my Lord
Sandwich; and one that says he is, he believes, as wise and able a person
as any prince in the world hath. He tells me that he meets with
unmannerly usage by Sir Robert Southwell, in Portugall, who would sign
with him in his negociations there, being a forward young man: but that my
Lord mastered him in that point, it being ruled for my Lord here, at a
hearing of a Committee of the Council. He says that if my Lord can
compass a peace between Spain and Portugall, and hath the doing of it and
the honour himself, it will be a thing of more honour than ever any man
had, and of as much advantage. Thence to Westminster Hall, where the Hall
mighty full: and, among other things, the House begins to sit to-day, and
the King come. But, before the King's coming, the House of Commons met;
and upon information given them of a Bill intended to be brought in, as
common report said, for Comprehension, they did mightily and generally
inveigh against it, and did vote that the King should be desired by the
House (and the message delivered by the Privy-counsellers of the House)
that the laws against breakers of the Act of Uniformity should be put in
execution: and it was moved in the House that, if any people had a mind to
bring any new laws into the House, about religion, they might come, as a
proposer of new laws did in Athens, with ropes about their necks. By and
by the King comes to the Lords' House, and there tells them of his league
with Holland, and the necessity of a fleete, and his debts; and,
therefore, want of money; and his desire that they would think of some way
to bring in all his Protestant subjects to a right understanding and peace
one with another; meaning the Bill of Comprehension. The Commons coming
to their House, it was moved that the vote passed this morning might be
suspended, because of the King's speech, till the House was full and
called over, two days hence: but it was denied, so furious they are
against this Bill: and thereby a great blow either given to the King or
Presbyters, or, which is the rather of the two, to the House itself, by
denying a thing desired by the King, and so much desired by much the
greater part of the nation. Whatever the consequence be, if the King be a
man of any stomach and heat, all do believe that he will resent this vote.
Thence with Creed home to my house to dinner, where I met with Mr.
Jackson, and find my wife angry with Deb., which vexes me. After dinner
by coach away to Westminster; taking up a friend of Mr. Jackson's, a young
lawyer, and parting with Creed at White Hall. They and I to Westminster
Hall, and there met Roger Pepys, and with him to his chamber, and there
read over and agreed upon the Deed of Settlement to our minds: my sister
to have L600 presently, and she to be joyntured in L60 per annum; wherein
I am very well satisfied. Thence I to the Temple to Charles Porter's
lodgings, where Captain Cocke met me, and after long waiting, on
Pemberton,

[Francis Pemberton, afterwards knighted, and made Lord Chief Justice
of the King's Bench in 1679. His career was a most singular one, he
having been twice removed from the Bench, and twice imprisoned by
the House of Commons. He twice returned to the bar, and after his
second return he practised with great success as a serjeant for the
next fourteen years till his death, June 10th, 1697. Evelyn says,
"He was held to be the most learned of the judges and an honest man"
("Diary," October 4th, 1683).]

an able lawyer, about the business of our prizes, and left the matter with
him to think of against to-morrow, this being a matter that do much
trouble my mind, though there be no fault in it that I need fear the
owning that I know of. Thence with Cocke home to his house and there left
him, and I home, and there got my wife to read a book I bought to-day, and
come out to-day licensed by Joseph Williamson for Lord Arlington, shewing
the state of England's affairs relating to France at this time, and the
whole body of the book very good and solid, after a very foolish
introduction as ever I read, and do give a very good account of the
advantage of our league with Holland at this time. So, vexed in my mind
with the variety of cares I have upon me, and so to bed.

11th. At the office all the morning, where comes a damned summons to
attend the Committee of Miscarriages to-day, which makes me mad, that I
should by my place become the hackney of this Office, in perpetual trouble
and vexation, that need it least. At noon home to dinner, where little
pleasure, my head being split almost with the variety of troubles upon me
at this time, and cares, and after dinner by coach to Westminster Hall,
and sent my wife and Deb. to see "Mustapha" acted. Here I brought a book
to the Committee, and do find them; and particularly Sir Thomas Clarges,
mighty hot in the business of tickets, which makes me mad to see them bite
at the stone, and not at the hand that flings it, and here my Lord
Brouncker unnecessarily orders it that he is called in to give opportunity
to present his report of the state of the business of paying by ticket,
which I do not think will do him any right, though he was made believe
that it did operate mightily, and that Sir Fresh. Hollis did make a mighty
harangue and to much purpose in his defence, but I believe no such effects
of it, for going in afterward I did hear them speak with prejudice of it,
and that his pleading of the Admiral's warrant for it now was only an
evasion, if not an aspersion upon the Admirall, and therefore they would
not admit of this his report, but go on with their report as they had
resolved before. The orders they sent for this day was the first order
that I have yet met with about this business, and was of my own single
hand warranting, but I do think it will do me no harm, and therefore do
not much trouble myself with it, more than to see how much trouble I am
brought to who have best deported myself in all the King's business.
Thence with Lord Brouncker, and set him down at Bow Streete, and so to the
Duke of York's playhouse, and there saw the last act for nothing, where I
never saw such good acting of any creature as Smith's part of Zanger; and
I do also, though it was excellently acted by---------, do yet want
Betterton mightily. Thence to the Temple, to Porter's chamber, where
Cocke met me, and after a stay there some time, they two and I to
Pemberton's chamber, and there did read over the Act of calling people to
account, and did discourse all our business of the prizes; and, upon the
whole, he do make it plainly appear, that there is no avoiding to give
these Commissioners satisfaction in everything they will ask; and that
there is fear lest they may find reason to make us refund for all the
extraordinary profit made by those bargains; and do make me resolve rather
to declare plainly, and, once for all, the truth of the whole, and what my
profit hath been, than be forced at last to do it, and in the meantime
live in gain, as I must always do: and with this resolution on my part I
departed, with some more satisfaction of mind, though with less hopes of
profit than I expected. It was pretty here to see the heaps of money upon
this lawyer's table; and more to see how he had not since last night spent
any time upon our business, but begun with telling us that we were not at
all concerned in that Act; which was a total mistake, by his not having
read over the Act at all. Thence to Porter's chamber, where Captain Cocke
had fetched my wife out of the coach, and there we staid and talked and
drank, he being a very generous, good-humoured man, and so away by coach,
setting Cocke at his house, and we with his coach home, and there I to the
office, and there till past one in the morning, and so home to supper and
to bed, my mind at pretty good ease, though full of care and fear of loss.
This morning my wife in bed told me the story of our Tom and Jane:--how
the rogue did first demand her consent to love and marry him, and then,
with pretence of displeasing me, did slight her; but both he and she have
confessed the matter to her, and she hath charged him to go on with his
love to her, and be true to her, and so I think the business will go on,
which, for my love to her, because she is in love with him, I am pleased
with; but otherwise I think she will have no good bargain of it, at least
if I should not do well in my place. But if I do stand, I do intend to
give her L50 in money, and do them all the good I can in my way.

12th. Up, and to the office, where all the morning drawing up my
narrative of my proceedings and concernments in the buying of prize-goods,
which I am to present to the Committee for Accounts; and being come to a
resolution to conceal nothing from them, I was at great ease how to draw
it up without any inventions or practise to put me to future pain or
thoughts how to carry on, and now I only discover what my profit was, and
at worst I suppose I can be made but to refund my profit and so let it go.
At noon home to dinner, where Mr. Jackson dined with me, and after dinner
I (calling at the Excise Office, and setting my wife and Deb. at her
tailor's) did with Mr. Jackson go to find my cozen Roger Pepys, which I
did in the Parliament House, where I met him and Sir Thomas Crew and Mr.
George Montagu, who are mighty busy how to save my Lord's name from being
in the Report for anything which the Committee is commanded to report to
the House of the miscarriages of the late war. I find they drive
furiously still in the business of tickets, which is nonsense in itself
and cannot come to any thing. Thence with cozen Roger to his lodgings,
and there sealed the writings with Jackson, about my sister's marriage:
and here my cozen Roger told me the pleasant passage of a fellow's
bringing a bag of letters to-day, into the lobby of the House, and left
them, and withdrew himself without observation. The bag being opened, the
letters were found all of one size, and directed with one hand: a letter
to most of the Members of the House. The House was acquainted with it,
and voted they should be brought in, and one opened by the Speaker;
wherein if he found any thing unfit to communicate, to propose a Committee
to be chosen for it. The Speaker opening one, found it only a case with a
libell in it, printed: a satire most sober and bitter as ever I read; and
every letter was the same. So the House fell a-scrambling for them like
boys: and my cozen Roger had one directed to him, which he lent me to
read. So away, and took up my wife, and setting Jackson down at Fetter
Lane end, I to the old Exchange to look Mr. Houblon, but, not finding him,
did go home, and there late writing a letter to my Lord Sandwich, and to
give passage to a letter of great moment from Mr. Godolphin to him, which
I did get speedy passage for by the help of Mr. Houblon, who come late to
me, and there directed the letter to Lisbon under cover of his, and here
we talked of the times, which look very sad and distracted, and made good
mirth at this day's passage in the House, and so parted; and going to the
gate with him, I found his lady and another fine lady sitting an hour
together, late at night, in their coach, while he was with me, which is so
like my wife, that I was mighty taken with it, though troubled for it. So
home to supper and to bed. This day Captain Cocke was with the
Commissioners of Accounts to ask more time for his bringing in his answer
about the prize goods, and they would not give him 14 days as he asks, but
would give only two days, which was very hard, I think, and did trouble me
for fear of their severity, though I have prepared my matter so as to defy
it.

13th. Up, and to the office, where all the morning. At noon home to
dinner, and thence with my wife and Deb. to White Hall, setting, them at
her tailor's, and I to the Commissioners of the Treasury, where myself
alone did argue the business of the East India Company against their whole
Company on behalf of the King before the Lords Commissioners, and to very
good effect, I think, and with reputation. That business being over, the
Lords and I had other things to talk about, and among the rest, about our
making more assignments on the Exchequer since they bid us hold, whereat
they were extraordinary angry with us, which troubled me a little, though
I am not concerned in it at all. Waiting here some time without, I did
meet with several people, among others Mr. Brisband, who tells me in
discourse that Tom Killigrew hath a fee out of the Wardrobe for cap and
bells,

[The Lord Chamberlain's Records contain a copy of a warrant dated
July 12th, 1661, "to deliver to Mr. Killegrew thirty yards of
velvett, three dozen of fringe, and sixteene yards of Damaske for
the year 1661." The heading of this entry is "Livery for ye jester"
(Lowe's "Betterton," p. 70).]

under the title of the King's Foole or jester; and may with privilege
revile or jeere any body, the greatest person, without offence, by the
privilege of his place. Thence took up my wife, and home, and there busy
late at the office writing letters, and so home to supper and to bed. The
House was called over to-day. This morning Sir G. Carteret come to the
Office to see and talk with me: and he assures me that to this day the
King is the most kind man to my Lord Sandwich in the whole world; that he
himself do not now mind any publick business, but suffers things to go on
at Court as they will, he seeing all likely to come to ruin: that this
morning the Duke of York sent to him to come to make up one of a Committee
of the Council for Navy Affairs; where, when he come, he told the Duke of
York that he was none of them: which shews how things are now-a-days
ordered, that there should be a Committee for the Navy; and the Lord
Admiral not know the persons of it! And that Sir G. Carteret and my Lord
Anglesey should be left out of it, and men wholly improper put into it. I
do hear of all hands that there is a great difference at this day between
my Lord Arlington and Sir W. Coventry, which I am sorry for.

14th (Valentine's day). Up, being called up by Mercer, who come to be my
Valentine, and so I rose and my wife, and were merry a little, I staying
to talk, and did give her a guinny in gold for her Valentine's gift. There
comes also my cozen Roger Pepys betimes, and comes to my wife, for her to
be his Valentine, whose Valentine I was also, by agreement to be so to her
every year; and this year I find it is likely to cost L4 or L5 in a ring
for her, which she desires. Cozen Roger did come also to speak with Sir
W. Pen, who was quoted, it seems, yesterday by Sir Fr. Hollis to have said
that if my Lord Sandwich had done so and so, we might have taken all the
Dutch prizes at the time when he staid and let them go. But Sir W. Pen did
tell us he should say nothing in it but what would do my Lord honour, and
he is a knave I am able to prove if he do otherwise. He gone, I to my
Office, to perfect my Narrative about prize-goods; and did carry it to the
Commissioners of Accounts, who did receive it with great kindness, and
express great value of, and respect to me: and my heart is at rest that it
is lodged there, in so full truth and plainness, though it may hereafter
prove some loss to me. But here I do see they are entered into many
enquiries about prizes, by the great attendance of commanders and others
before them, which is a work I am not sorry for. Thence I away, with my
head busy, but my heart at pretty good ease, to the Old Exchange, and
there met Mr. Houblon. I prayed him to discourse with some of the
merchants that are of the Committee for Accounts, to see how they do
resent my paper, and in general my particular in the relation to the
business of the Navy, which he hath promised to do carefully for me and
tell me. Here it was a mighty pretty sight to see old Mr. Houblon, whom I
never saw before, and all his sons about him, all good merchants. Thence
home to dinner, and had much discourse with W. Hewer about my going to
visit Colonel Thomson, one of the Committee of Accounts, who, among the
rest, is mighty kind to me, and is likely to mind our business more than
any; and I would be glad to have a good understanding with him. Thence
after dinner to White Hall, to attend the Duke of York, where I did let
him know, too, the troublesome life we lead, and particularly myself, by
being obliged to such attendances every day as I am, on one Committee or
another. And I do find the Duke of York himself troubled, and willing not
to be troubled with occasions of having his name used among the
Parliament, though he himself do declare that he did give directions to
Lord Brouncker to discharge the men at Chatham by ticket, and will own it,
if the House call for it, but not else. Thence I attended the King and
Council, and some of the rest of us, in a business to be heard about the
value of a ship of one Dorrington's:--and it was pretty to observe how Sir
W. Pen making use of this argument against the validity of an oath,
against the King, being made by the master's mate of the ship, who was but
a fellow of about 23 years of age--the master of the ship, against whom we
pleaded, did say that he did think himself at that age capable of being
master's mate of any ship; and do know that he, himself, Sir W: Pen, was
so himself, and in no better degree at that age himself: which word did
strike Sir W. Pen dumb, and made him open his mouth no more; and I saw the
King and Duke of York wink at one another at it. This done, we into the
gallery; and there I walked with several people, and among others my Lord
Brouncker, who I do find under much trouble still about the business of
the tickets, his very case being brought in; as is said, this day in the
Report of the Miscarriages. And he seems to lay much of it on me, which I
did clear and satisfy him in; and would be glad with all my heart to serve
him in, and have done it more than he hath done for himself, he not
deserving the least blame, but commendations, for this. I met with my
cozen Roger Pepys and Creed; and from them understand that the Report was
read to-day of the Miscarriages, wherein my Lord Sandwich is [named] about
the business I mentioned this morning; but I will be at rest, for it can
do him no hurt. Our business of tickets is soundly up, and many others:
so they went over them again, and spent all the morning on the first,
which is the dividing of the fleete; wherein hot work was, and that among
great men, Privy-Councillors, and, they say, Sir W. Coventry; but I do not
much fear it, but do hope that it will shew a little, of the Duke of
Albemarle and the Prince to have been advisers in it: but whereas they
ordered that the King's Speech should be considered today, they took no
notice of it at all, but are really come to despise the King in all
possible ways of chewing it. And it was the other day a strange saying,
as I am told by my cozen Roger Pepys, in the House, when it was moved that
the King's speech should be considered, that though the first part of the
Speech, meaning the league that is there talked of, be the only good
publick thing that hath been done since the King come into England, yet it
might bear with being put off to consider, till Friday next, which was
this day. Secretary Morrice did this day in the House, when they talked
of intelligence, say that he was allowed but L70 a-year for
intelligence,--[Secret service money]--whereas, in Cromwell's time, he
[Cromwell] did allow L70,000 a-year for it; and was confirmed therein by
Colonel Birch, who said that thereby Cromwell carried the secrets of all
the princes of Europe at his girdle. The House is in a most broken
condition; nobody adhering to any thing, but reviling and finding fault:
and now quite mad at the Undertakers, as they are commonly called,
Littleton, Lord Vaughan, Sir R. Howard, and others that are brought over
to the Court, and did undertake to get the King money; but they despise,
and would not hear them in the House; and the Court do do as much, seeing
that they cannot be useful to them, as was expected. In short, it is
plain that the King will never be able to do any thing with this
Parliament; and that the only likely way to do better, for it cannot do
worse, is to break this and call another Parliament; and some do think
that it is intended. I was told to-night that my Lady Castlemayne is so
great a gamester as to have won L5000 in one night, and lost L25,000 in
another night, at play, and hath played L1000 and L1500 at a cast. Thence
to the Temple, where at Porter's chamber I met Captain Cocke, but lost our
labour, our Counsellor not being within, Pemberton, and therefore home and
late at my office, and so home to supper and to bed.

15th. Up betimes, and with Captain Cocke my coach to the Temple to his
Counsel again about the prize goods in order to the drawing up of his
answer to them, where little done but a confirmation that our best
interest is for him to tell the whole truth, and so parted, and I home to
the office, where all the morning, and at noon home to dinner, and after
dinner all the afternoon and evening till midnight almost, and till I had
tired my own backe, and my wife's, and Deb.'s, in titleing of my books for
the present year, and in setting them in order, which is now done to my
very good satisfaction, though not altogether so completely as I think
they were the last year, when my mind was more at leisure to mind it. So
about midnight to bed, where my wife taking some physic overnight it
wrought with her, and those coming upon her with great gripes, she was in
mighty pain all night long, yet, God forgive me! I did find that I was
most desirous to take my rest than to ease her, but there was nothing I
could do to do her any good with.

16th (Lord's day). Up, and to my chamber, where all the morning making a
catalogue of my books, which did find me work, but with great pleasure, my
chamber and books being now set in very good order, and my chamber washed
and cleaned, which it had not been in some months before, my business and
trouble having been so much. At noon Mr. Holliard put in, and dined with
my wife and me, who was a little better to-day. His company very good.
His story of his love and fortune, which hath been very good and very bad
in the world, well worth hearing. Much discourse also about the bad state
of the Church, and how the Clergy are come to be men of no worth in the
world; and, as the world do now generally discourse, they must be
reformed; and I believe the Hierarchy will in a little time be shaken,
whether they will or no; the King being offended with them, and set upon
it, as I hear. He gone, after dinner to have my head combed, and then to
my chamber and read most of the evening till pretty late, when, my wife
not being well, I did lie below stairs in our great chamber, where I slept
well.

17th. Up, and to the office, where all the morning till noon getting some
things more ready against the afternoon for the Committee of Accounts,
which did give me great trouble, to see how I am forced to dance after
them in one place, and to answer Committees of Parliament in another. At
noon thence toward the Committee, but meeting with Sir W. Warren in Fleet
Street he and I to the Ordinary by Temple Bar and there dined together,
and to talk, where he do seem to be very high now in defiance of the
Board, now he says that the worst is come upon him to have his accounts
brought to the Committee of Accounts, and he do reflect upon my late
coldness to him, but upon the whole I do find that he is still a cunning
fellow, and will find it necessary to be fair to me, and what hath passed
between us of coldness to hold his tongue, which do please me very well.
Thence to the Committee, where I did deliver the several things they
expected from me, with great respect and show of satisfaction, and my mind
thereby eased of some care. But thence I to Westminster Hall, and there
spent till late at night walking to and again with many people, and there
in general I hear of the great high words that were in the House on
Saturday last, upon the first part of the Committee's Report about the
dividing of the fleete; wherein some would have the counsels of the King
to be declared, and the reasons of them, and who did give them; where Sir
W. Coventry laid open to them the consequences of doing that, that the
King would never have any honest and wise men ever to be of his Council.
They did here in the House talk boldly of the King's bad counsellors, and
how they must be all turned out, and many of them, and better; brought in:
and the proceedings of the Long-Parliament in the beginning of the war
were called to memory: and the King's bad intelligence was mentioned,
wherein they were bitter against my Lord Arlington, saying, among other
things, that whatever Morrice's was, who declared he had but L750 a-year
allowed him for intelligence, the King paid too dear for my Lord
Arlington's, in giving him L10,000 and a barony for it. Sir W. Coventry
did here come to his defence, in the business of the letter that was sent
to call back Prince Rupert, after he was divided from the fleete, wherein
great delay was objected; but he did show that he sent it at one in the
morning, when the Duke of York did give him the instructions after supper
that night, and did clear himself well of it: only it was laid as a fault,
which I know not how he removes, of not sending it by an express, but by
the ordinary post; but I think I have heard he did send it to my Lord
Arlington's; and that there it lay for some hours; it coming not to Sir
Philip Honiwood's hand at Portsmouth till four in the afternoon that day,
being about fifteen or sixteen hours in going; and about this, I think, I
have heard of a falling out between my Lord Arlington, heretofore, and W.
Coventry. Some mutterings I did hear of a design of dissolving the
Parliament; but I think there is no ground for it yet, though Oliver would
have dissolved them for half the trouble and contempt these have put upon
the King and his councils. The dividing of the fleete, however, is, I
hear, voted a miscarriage, and the not building a fortification at
Sheernesse: and I have reason every hour to expect that they will vote the
like of our paying men off by ticket; and what the consequence of that
will be I know not, but I am put thereby into great trouble of mind. I
did spend a little time at the Swan, and there did kiss the maid, Sarah.
At noon home, and there up to my wife, who is still ill, and supped with
her, my mind being mighty full of trouble for the office and my
concernments therein, and so to supper and talking with W. Hewer in her
chamber about business of the office, wherein he do well understand
himself and our case, and it do me advantage to talk with him and the rest
of my people. I to bed below as I did last night.

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