Diary of Samuel Pepys, 1668 N.S. Complete

S >> Samuel Pepys >> Diary of Samuel Pepys, 1668 N.S. Complete

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27

16th. Up, to set my papers and books in order, and put up my plate since
my late feast, and then to Westminster, by water, with Mr. Hater, and
there, in the Hall, did walk all the morning, talking with one or other,
expecting to have our business in the House; but did now a third time wait
to no purpose, they being all this morning upon the business of Barker's
petition about the making void the Act of Settlement in Ireland, which
makes a great deal of hot work: and, at last, finding that by all men's
opinion they could not come to our matter today, I with Sir W. Pen home,
and there to dinner, where I find, by Willet's crying, that her mistress
had been angry with her: but I would take no notice of it. Busy all the
afternoon at the office, and then by coach to the Excize Office, but lost
my labour, there being nobody there, and so back again home, and after a
little at the office I home, and there spent the evening with my wife
talking and singing, and so to bed with my mind pretty well at ease. This
evening W. Pen and Sir R. Ford and I met at the first's house to talk of
our prize that is now at last come safe over from Holland, by which I hope
to receive some if not all the benefit of my bargain with W. Batten for my
share in it, which if she had miscarried I should have doubted of my Lady
Batten being left little able to have paid me.

17th. Up betimes and to the office, where all the morning busy, and then
at noon home to dinner, and so again to the office awhile, and then abroad
to the Excize-Office, where I met Mr. Ball, and did receive the paper I
went for; and there fell in talk with him, who, being an old cavalier, do
swear and curse at the present state of things, that we should be brought
to this, that we must be undone and cannot be saved; that the Parliament
is sitting now, and will till midnight, to find how to raise this
L300,000, and he doubts they will not do it so as to be seasonable for the
King: but do cry out against our great men at Court; how it is a fine
thing for a Secretary of State to dance a jigg, and that it was not so
heretofore; and, above all, do curse my Lord of Bristoll, saying the worst
news that ever he heard in his life, or that the Devil could ever bring
us, was this Lord's coming to prayers the other day in the House of Lords,
by which he is coming about again from being a Papist, which will undo
this nation; and he says he ever did say, at the King's first coming in,
that this nation could not be safe while that man was alive. Having done
there, I away towards Westminster, but seeing by the coaches the House to
be up, I stopped at the 'Change (where, I met Mrs. Turner, and did give
her a pair of gloves), and there bought several things for my wife, and so
to my bookseller's, and there looked for Montaigne's Essays,

[This must have been Florio's translation, as Cotton's was not
published until 1685.]

which I heard by my Lord Arlington and Lord Blaney so much commended, and
intend to buy it, but did not now, but home, where at the office did some
business, as much as my eyes would give leave, and so home to supper,
Mercer with us talking and singing, and so to bed. The House, I hear,
have this day concluded upon raising L100,000 of the L300,000 by wine, and
the rest by a poll-[tax], and have resolved to excuse the Church, in
expectation that they will do the more of themselves at this juncture; and
I do hear that Sir W. Coventry did make a speech in behalf of the Clergy.

18th. Up betimes to Westminster, where met with cozen Roger and Creed and
walked with them, and Roger do still continue of the mind that there is no
other way of saving this nation but by dissolving this Parliament and
calling another; but there are so many about the King that will not be
able to stand, if a new Parliament come, that they will not persuade the
King to it. I spent most of the morning walking with one or other, and
anon met Doll Lane at the Dog tavern, and there je did hater what I did
desire with her . . . and I did give her as being my valentine 20s. to
buy what elle would. Thence away by coach to my bookseller's, and to
several places to pay my debts, and to Ducke Lane, and there bought
Montaigne's Essays, in English, and so away home to dinner, and after
dinner with W. Pen to White Hall, where we and my Lord Brouncker attended
the Council, to discourse about the fitness of entering of men presently
for the manning of the fleete, before one ship is in condition to receive
them. W. Coventry did argue against it: I was wholly silent, because I
saw the King, upon the earnestness of the Prince, was willing to it,
crying very sillily, "If ever you intend to man the fleete, without being
cheated by the captains and pursers, you may go to bed, and resolve never
to have it manned;" and so it was, like other things, over-ruled that all
volunteers should be presently entered. Then there was another great
business about our signing of certificates to the Exchequer for [prize]
goods, upon the L1,20,000 Act, which the Commissioners of the Treasury did
all oppose, and to the laying fault upon us. But I did then speak to the
justifying what we had done, even to the angering of Duncomb and Clifford,
which I was vexed at: but, for all that, I did set the Office and myself
right, and went away with the victory, my Lord Keeper saying that he would
not advise the Council to order us to sign no more certificates. But,
before I began to say anything in this matter, the King and the Duke of
York talking at the Council-table, before all the Lords, of the Committee
of Miscarriages, how this entering of men before the ships could be ready
would be reckoned a miscarriage; "Why," says the King, "it is then but Mr.
Pepys making of another speech to them;" which made all the Lords, and
there were by also the Atturny and Sollicitor-Generall, look upon me.
Thence Sir W. Coventry, W. Pen and I, by hackney-coach to take a little
ayre in Hyde Parke, the first time I have been there this year; and we did
meet many coaches going and coming, it being mighty pleasant weather; and
so, coming back again, I 'light in the Pell Mell; and there went to see
Sir H. Cholmly, who continues very ill of his cold. And there come in Sir
H. Yelverton, whom Sir H. Cholmly commended me to his acquaintance, which
the other received, but without remembering to me, or I him, of our being
school-fellows together; and I said nothing of it. But he took notice of
my speech the other day at the bar of the House; and indeed I perceive he
is a wise man by his manner of discourse, and here he do say that the town
is full of it, that now the Parliament hath resolved upon L300,000, the
King, instead of fifty, will set out but twenty-five ships, and the Dutch
as many; and that Smith is to command them, who is allowed to have the
better of Holmes in the late dispute, and is in good esteem in the
Parliament, above the other. Thence home, and there, in favour to my eyes,
stayed at home, reading the ridiculous History of my Lord Newcastle, wrote
by his wife, which shews her to be a mad, conceited, ridiculous woman, and
he an asse to suffer her to write what she writes to him, and of him.

["The Life of the thrice noble, high, and puissant Prince, William
Cavendish, Duke . . . of Newcastle," by his duchess, of which the
first edition, in folio, was published in 1667.]

Betty Turner sent my wife the book to read, and it being a fair print, to
ease my eyes, which would be reading, I read that. Anon comes Mrs. Turner
and sat and talked with us, and most about the business of Ackworth,

[William Acworth, storekeeper at Woolwich, was accused of converting
stores to his own use (see "Calendar of State Papers," 1667-68, p.
279).]

which comes before us to-morrow, that I would favour it, but I do not
think, notwithstanding all the friendship I can shew him, that he can
escape, and therefore it had been better that he had followed the advice I
sent him the other day by Mrs. Turner, to make up the business. So
parted, and I to bed, my eyes being very bad; and I know not how in the
world to abstain from reading.

19th. Up, and betimes to the Old Swan, and by water to White Hall, and
thence to W. Coventry's, where stayed but a little to talk with him, and
thence by water back again, it being a mighty fine, clear spring morning.
Back to the Old Swan, and drank at Michell's, whose house goes up apace,
but I could not see Betty, and thence walked all along Thames Street,
which I have not done since it was burned, as far as Billingsgate; and
there do see a brave street likely to be, many brave houses being built,
and of them a great many by Mr. Jaggard; but the raising of the street
will make it mighty fine. So to the office, where busy all the morning.
At noon home to dinner, and thence to the office, very busy till five
o'clock, and then to ease my eyes I took my wife out and Deb. to the
'Change, and there bought them some things, and so home again and to the
office, ended my letters, and so home to read a little more in last
night's book, with much sport, it being a foolish book, and so to supper
and to bed. This afternoon I was surprized with a letter without a name
to it, very well writ, in a good stile, giving me notice of my cozen Kate
Joyce's being likely to ruin herself by marriage, and by ill reports
already abroad of her, and I do fear that this keeping of an inne may
spoil her, being a young and pretty comely woman, and thought to be left
well. I did answer the letter with thanks and good liking, and am
resolved to take the advice he gives me, and go see her, and find out what
I can: but if she will ruin herself, I cannot help it, though I should be
troubled for it.

20th. Up betimes, and to my Office, where we had a meeting extraordinary
to consider of several things, among others the sum of money fit to be
demanded ready money, to enable us to set out 27 ships, every body being
now in pain for a fleete, and everybody endeavouring to excuse themselves
for the not setting out of one, and our true excuse is lack of money. At
it all the morning, and so at noon home to dinner with my clerks, my wife
and Deb. being busy at work above in her chamber getting things ready and
fine for her going into the country a week or two hence. I away by coach
to White Hall, where we met to wait on the Duke of York, and, soon as
prayers were done, it being Good Friday, he come to us, and we did a
little business and presented him with our demand of money, and so broke
up, and I thence by coach to Kate Joyce's, being desirous and in pain to
speak with her about the business that I received a letter yesterday, but
had no opportunity of speaking with her about it, company being with her,
so I only invited her to come and dine with me on Sunday next, and so away
home, and for saving my eyes at my chamber all the evening pricking down
some things, and trying some conclusions upon my viall, in order to the
inventing a better theory of musique than hath yet been abroad; and I
think verily I shall do it. So to supper with my wife, who is in very
good humour with her working, and so am I, and so to bed. This day at
Court I do hear that Sir W. Pen do command this summer's fleete; and Mr.
Progers of the Bedchamber, as a secret, told me that the Prince Rupert is
troubled at it, and several friends of his have been with him to know the
reason of it; so that he do pity Sir W. Pen, whom he hath great kindness
for, that he should not at any desire of his be put to this service, and
thereby make the Prince his enemy, and contract more envy from other
people. But I am not a whit sorry if it should be so, first for the
King's sake, that his work will be better done by Sir W. Pen than the
Prince, and next that Pen, who is a false rogue, may be bit a little by
it.

21st. Up betimes to the office, and there we sat all the morning, at noon
home with my clerks, a good dinner, and then to the Office, and wrote my
letters, and then abroad to do several things, and pay what little scores
I had, and among others to Mrs. Martin's, and there did give 20s. to Mrs.
Cragg, her landlady, who was my Valentine in the house, as well as Doll
Lane . . . . So home and to the office, there to end my letters, and
so home, where Betty Turner was to see my wife, and she being gone I to my
chamber to read a little again, and then after supper to bed.

22nd (Easter day). I up, and walked to the Temple, and there got a coach,
and to White Hall, where spoke with several people, and find by all that
Pen is to go to sea this year with this fleete; and they excuse the
Prince's going, by saying it is not a command great enough for him. Here I
met with Brisband, and, after hearing the service at the King's chapel,
where I heard the Bishop of Norwich, Dr. Reynolds, the old presbyterian,
begin a very plain sermon, he and I to the Queen's chapel, and there did
hear the Italians sing; and indeed their musick did appear most admirable
to me, beyond anything of ours: I was never so well satisfied in my life
with it. So back to White Hall, and there met Mr. Pierce, and adjusted
together how we should spend to-morrow together, and so by coach I home to
dinner, where Kate Joyce was, as I invited her, and had a good dinner,
only she and us; and after dinner she and I alone to talk about her
business, as I designed; and I find her very discreet, and she assures me
she neither do nor will incline to the doing anything towards marriage,
without my advice, and did tell me that she had many offers, and that
Harman and his friends would fain have her; but he is poor, and hath poor
friends, and so it will not be advisable: but that there is another, a
tobacconist, one Holinshed, whom she speaks well of, to be a plain, sober
man, and in good condition, that offers her very well, and submits to me
my examining and inquiring after it, if I see good, which I do like of it,
for it will be best for her to marry, I think, as soon as she can--at
least, to be rid of this house; for the trade will not agree with a young
widow, that is a little handsome, at least ordinary people think her so.
Being well satisfied with her answer, she anon went away, and I to my
closet to make a few more experiments of my notions in musique, and so
then my wife and I to walk in the garden, and then home to supper and to
bed.

23rd. Up, and after discoursing with my wife about many things touching
this day's dinner, I abroad, and first to the taverne to pay what I owe
there, but missed of seeing the mistress of the house, and there bespoke
wine for dinner, and so away thence, and to Bishopsgate Streete, thinking
to have found a Harpsicon-maker that used to live there before the fire,
but he is gone, and I have a mind forthwith to have a little Harpsicon
made me to confirm and help me in my musique notions, which my head is
now-a-days full of, and I do believe will come to something that is very
good. Thence to White Hall, expecting to have heard the Bishop of
Lincolne, my friend, preach, for so I understood he would do yesterday,
but was mistaken, and therefore away presently back again, and there find
everything in good order against dinner, and at noon come Mr. Pierce and
she, and Mrs. Manuel, the Jew's wife, and Mrs. Corbet, and Mrs. Pierces
boy and girl. But we are defeated of Knepp, by her being forced to act
to-day, and also of Harris, which did trouble me, they being my chief
guests. However, I had an extraordinary good dinner, and the better
because dressed by my own servants, and were mighty merry; and here was
Mr. Pelling by chance come and dined with me; and after sitting long at
dinner, I had a barge ready at Tower-wharfe, to take us in, and so we
went, all of us, up as high as Barne-Elms, a very fine day, and all the
way sang; and Mrs. Manuel sings very finely, and is a mighty discreet,
sober-carriaged woman, that both my wife and I are mightily taken with
her, and sings well, and without importunity or the contrary. At
Barne-Elms we walked round, and then to the barge again, and had much
merry talk, and good singing; and come before it was dark to the New
Exchange stairs, and there landed, and walked up to Mrs. Pierces, where we
sat awhile, and then up to their dining-room. And so, having a violin and
theorbo, did fall to dance, here being also Mrs. Floyd come hither, and by
and by Mr. Harris. But there being so few of us that could dance, and my
wife not being very well, we had not much pleasure in the dancing: there
was Knepp also, by which with much pleasure we did sing a little, and so,
about ten o'clock, I took coach with my wife and Deb., and so home, and
there to bed.

24th. Up pretty betimes, and so there comes to me Mr. Shish, to desire my
appearing for him to succeed Mr. Christopher Pett, lately dead, in his
place of Master-Shipwright of Deptford and Woolwich, which I do resolve to
promote what I can. So by and by to White Hall, and there to the Duke of
York's chamber, where I understand it is already resolved by the King and
Duke of York that Shish shall have the place. From the Duke's chamber Sir
W. Coventry and I to walk in the Matted Gallery; and there, among other
things, he tells me of the wicked design that now is at last contriving
against him, to get a petition presented from people that the money they
have paid to W. Coventry for their places may be repaid them back; and
that this is set on by Temple and Hollis of the Parliament, and, among
other mean people in it, by Captain Tatnell: and he prays me that I will
use some effectual way to sift Tatnell what he do, and who puts him on in
this business, which I do undertake, and will do with all my skill for his
service, being troubled that he is still under this difficulty. Thence up
and down Westminster by Mrs. Burroughes her mother's shop, thinking to
have seen her, but could not, and therefore back to White Hall, where
great talk of the tumult at the other end of the town, about Moore-fields,
among the 'prentices, taking the liberty of these holydays to pull down
bawdy-houses.

[It was customary for the apprentices of the metropolis to avail
themselves of their holidays, especially on Shrove Tuesday, to
search after women of ill fame, and to confine them during the
season of Lent. See a "Satyre against Separatists," 1642.

"Stand forth, Shrove Tuesday, one a' the silenc'st bricklayers;
'Tis in your charge to pull down bawdy-houses."

Middleton's Inner Temple Masque, 1619,
Works, ed. Bullen, vii., 209.]

And, Lord! to see the apprehensions which this did give to all people at
Court, that presently order was given for all the soldiers, horse and
foot, to be in armes! and forthwith alarmes were beat by drum and trumpet
through Westminster, and all to their colours, and to horse, as if the
French were coming into the town! So Creed, whom I met here, and I to
Lincolne's Inn-fields, thinking to have gone into the fields to have seen
the 'prentices; but here we found these fields full of soldiers all in a
body, and my Lord Craven commanding of them, and riding up and down to
give orders, like a madman. And some young men we saw brought by soldiers
to the Guard at White Hall, and overheard others that stood by say, that
it was only for pulling down the bawdy-houses; and none of the bystanders
finding fault with them, but rather of the soldiers for hindering them.
And we heard a justice of the Peace this morning say to the King, that he
had been endeavouring to suppress this tumult, but could not; and that,
imprisoning some [of them] in the new prison at Clerkenwell, the rest did
come and break open the prison and release them; and that they do give out
that they are for pulling down the bawdy-houses, which is one of the
greatest grievances of the nation. To which the King made a very poor,
cold, insipid answer: "Why, why do they go to them, then?" and that was
all, and had no mind to go on with the discourse. Mr. Creed and I to
dinner to my Lord Crew, where little discourse, there being none but us at
the table, and my Lord and my Lady Jemimah, and so after dinner away,
Creed and I to White Hall, expecting a Committee of Tangier, but come too
late. So I to attend the Council, and by and by were called in with Lord
Brouncker and Sir W. Pen to advise how to pay away a little money to most
advantage to the men of the yards, to make them dispatch the ships going
out, and there did make a little speech, which was well liked, and after
all it was found most satisfactory to the men, and best for the king's
dispatch, that what money we had should be paid weekly to the men for
their week's work until a greater sum could be got to pay them their
arrears and then discharge them. But, Lord! to see what shifts and what
cares and thoughts there was employed in this matter how to do the King's
work and please the men and stop clamours would make a man think the King
should not eat a bit of good meat till he has got money to pay the men,
but I do not see the least print of care or thoughts in him about it at
all. Having done here, I out and there met Sir Fr. Hollis, who do still
tell me that, above all things in the world, he wishes he had my tongue in
his mouth, meaning since my speech in Parliament. He took Lord Brouncker
and me down to the guards, he and his company being upon the guards
to-day; and there he did, in a handsome room to that purpose, make us
drink, and did call for his bagpipes, which, with pipes of ebony, tipt
with silver, he did play beyond anything of that kind that ever I heard in
my life; and with great pains he must have obtained it, but with pains
that the instrument do not deserve at all; for, at the best, it is mighty
barbarous musick. So home and there to my chamber, to prick out my song,
"It is Decreed," intending to have it ready to give Mr. Harris on
Thursday, when we meet, for him to sing, believing that he will do it more
right than a woman that sings better, unless it were Knepp, which I cannot
have opportunity to teach it to. This evening I come home from White Hall
with Sir W. Pen, who fell in talk about his going to sea this year, and
the difficulties that arise to him by it, by giving offence to the Prince,
and occasioning envy to him, and many other things that make it a bad
matter, at this time of want of money and necessaries, and bad and uneven
counsels at home,--for him to go abroad: and did tell me how much with the
King and Duke of York he had endeavoured to be excused, desiring the
Prince might be satisfied in it, who hath a mind to go; but he tells me
they will not excuse him, and I believe it, and truly do judge it a piece
of bad fortune to W. Pen.

25th. Up, and walked to White Hall, there to wait on the Duke of York,
which I did: and in his chamber there, first by hearing the Duke of York
call me by my name, my Lord Burlington did come to me, and with great
respect take notice of me and my relation to my Lord Sandwich, and express
great kindness to me; and so to talk of my Lord Sandwich's concernments.
By and by the Duke of York is ready; and I did wait for an opportunity of
speaking my mind to him about Sir J. Minnes, his being unable to do the
King any service, which I think do become me to do in all respects, and
have Sir W. Coventry's concurrence therein, which I therefore will seek a
speedy opportunity to do, come what will come of it. The Duke of York and
all with him this morning were full of the talk of the 'prentices, who are
not yet [put] down, though the guards and militia of the town have been in
armes all this night, and the night before; and the 'prentices have made
fools of them, sometimes by running from them and flinging stones at them.
Some blood hath been spilt, but a great many houses pulled down; and,
among others, the Duke of York was mighty merry at that of Damaris Page's,
the great bawd of the seamen; and the Duke of York complained merrily that
he hath lost two tenants, by their houses being pulled down, who paid him
for their wine licenses L15 a year. But here it was said how these idle
fellows have had the confidence to say that they did ill in contenting
themselves in pulling down the little bawdyhouses, and did not go and pull
down the great bawdy-house at White Hall. And some of them have the last
night had a word among them, and it was "Reformation and Reducement."
This do make the courtiers ill at ease to see this spirit among people,
though they think this matter will not come to much: but it speaks
people's minds; and then they do say that there are men of understanding
among them, that have been of Cromwell's army: but how true that is, I
know not. Thence walked a little to Westminster, but met with nobody to
spend any time with, and so by coach homeward, and in Seething Lane met
young Mrs. Daniel, and I stopt, and she had been at my house, but found
nobody within, and tells me that she drew me for her Valentine this year,
so I took her into the coach, and was going to the other end of the town,
thinking to have taken her abroad, but remembering that I was to go out
with my wife this afternoon, . . . and so to a milliner at the corner
shop going into Bishopsgate and Leadenhall Street, and there did give her
eight pair of gloves, and so dismissed her, and so I home and to dinner,
and then with my wife to the King's playhouse to see "The Storme," which
we did, but without much pleasure, it being but a mean play compared with
"The Tempest," at the Duke of York's house, though Knepp did act her part
of grief very well. Thence with my wife and Deb. by coach to Islington,
to the old house, and there eat and drank till it was almost night, and
then home, being in fear of meeting the 'prentices, who are many of them
yet, they say, abroad in the fields, but we got well home, and so I to my
chamber a while, and then to supper and to bed.

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27