Diary of Samuel Pepys, 1669 N.S. Complete

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[We may suppose that pews were by no means common at this time
within consecrated walls, from the word being applied indifferently
by Pepys to a box in a place of amusement, and two days afterwards
to a seat at church. It would appear, from other authorities, that
between 1646 and 1660 scarcely any pews had been erected; and Sir C.
Wren is known to have objected to their introduction into his London
churches.--B.]

with her. The house very full; and late before done, so that it was past
eleven before we got home. But we were well pleased with seeing it, and
so to supper, where it happened that there was no bread in the house,
which was an unusual case, and so to bed.

16th. Up, and to the office, where all the morning, my head full of
business of the office now at once on my hands, and so at noon home to
dinner, where I find some things of W. Batelier's come out of France,
among which some clothes for my wife, wherein she is likely to lead me to
the expence of so much money as vexed me; but I seemed so, more than I at
this time was, only to prevent her taking too much, and she was mighty
calm under it. But I was mightily pleased with another picture of the
King of France's head, of Nanteuil's, bigger than the other which he
brought over, that pleases me infinitely: and so to the Office, where busy
all the afternoon, though my eyes mighty bad with the light of the candles
last night, which was so great as to make my eyes sore all this day, and
do teach me, by a manifest experiment, that it is only too much light that
do make my eyes sore. Nevertheless, with the help of my tube, and being
desirous of easing my mind of five or six days journall, I did venture to
write it down from ever since this day se'nnight, and I think without
hurting my eyes any more than they were before, which was very much, and
so home to supper and to bed.

17th. Up, and with W. Hewer with me to Lincoln's Inn, by appointment, to
have spoke with Mr. Pedley about Mr. Goldsborough's business and Mr.
Weaver's, but he was gone out, and so I with Mr. Castle, the son-in-law of
Weaver, to White Hall to look for him, but did not find him, but here I
did meet with several and talked, and do hear only that the King dining
yesterday at the Dutch Embassador's, after dinner they drank, and were
pretty merry; and, among the rest of the King's company, there was that
worthy fellow my lord of Rochester, and Tom Killigrew, whose mirth and
raillery offended the former so much, that he did give Tom Killigrew a box
on the ear in the King's presence, which do much give offence to the
people here at Court, to see how cheap the King makes himself, and the
more, for that the King hath not only passed by the thing, and pardoned it
to Rochester already, but this very morning the King did publickly walk up
and down, and Rochester I saw with him as free as ever, to the King's
everlasting shame, to have so idle a rogue his companion. How Tom
Killigrew takes it, I do not hear. I do also this day hear that my Lord
Privy Seale do accept to go Lieutenant into Ireland; but whether it be
true or no, I cannot tell. So calling at my shoemaker's, and paying him
to this day, I home to dinner, and in the afternoon to Colonel Middleton's
house, to the burial of his wife, where we are all invited, and much more
company, and had each of us a ring: and so towards evening to our church,
where there was a sermon preached by Mills, and so home. At church there
was my Lord Brouncker and Mrs. Williams in our pew, the first time they
were ever there or that I knew that either of them would go to church. At
home comes Castle to me, to desire me to go to Mr. Pedly, this night, he
being to go out of town to-morrow morning, which I, therefore, did, by
hackney-coach, first going to White Hall to meet with Sir W. Coventry, but
missed him. But here I had a pleasant rencontre of a lady in mourning,
that, by the little light I had, seemed handsome. I passing by her, I did
observe she looked back again and again upon me, I suffering her to go
before, and it being now duske. I observed she went into the little
passage towards the Privy Water-Gate, and I followed, but missed her; but
coming back again, I observed she returned, and went to go out of the
Court. I followed her, and took occasion, in the new passage now built,
where the walke is to be, to take her by the hand, to lead her through,
which she willingly accepted, and I led her to the Great Gate, and there
left her, she telling me, of her own accord, that she was going as far as,
Charing Cross; but my boy was at the gate, and so je durst not go out con
her, which vexed me, and my mind (God forgive me) did run apres her toute
that night, though I have reason to thank God, and so I do now, that I was
not tempted to go further. So to Lincoln's Inn, where to Mr. Pedly, with
whom I spoke, and did my business presently: and I find him a man of very
good language, and mighty civil, and I believe very upright: and so home,
where W. Batelier was, and supped with us, and I did reckon this night
what I owed him; and I do find that the things my wife, of her own head,
hath taken (together with my own, which comes not to above L5), comes to
above L22. But it is the last, and so I am the better contented; and they
are things that are not trifles, but clothes, gloves, shoes, hoods, &c.
So after supper, to bed.

18th. Up, and to the Office, and at noon home, expecting to have this day
seen Bab. and Betty Pepys here, but they come not; and so after dinner my
wife and I to the Duke of York's house, to a play, and there saw "The Mad
Lover," which do not please me so well as it used to do, only Betterton's
part still pleases me. But here who should we have come to us but Bab.
and Betty and Talbot, the first play they were yet at; and going to see
us, and hearing by my boy, whom I sent to them, that we were here, they
come to us hither, and happened all of us to sit by my cozen Turner and
The., and we carried them home first, and then took Bab. and Betty to our
house, where they lay and supped, and pretty merry, and very fine with
their new clothes, and good comely girls they are enough, and very glad I
am of their being with us, though I would very well have been contented to
have been without the charge. So they to bed and we to bed.

19th. Up, and after seeing the girls, who lodged in our bed, with their
maid Martha, who hath been their father's maid these twenty years and
more, I with Lord Brouncker to White Hall, where all of us waited on the
Duke of York; and after our usual business done, W. Hewer and I to look my
wife at the Black Lion, Mercer's, but she is gone home, and so I home and
there dined, and W. Batelierand W. Hewer with us. All the afternoon I at
the Office, while the young people went to see Bedlam, and at night home
to them and to supper, and pretty merry, only troubled with a great cold
at this time, and my eyes very bad ever since Monday night last that the
light of the candles spoiled me. So to bed. This morning, among other
things, talking with Sir W. Coventry, I did propose to him my putting in
to serve in Parliament, if there should, as the world begins to expect, be
a new one chose: he likes it mightily, both for the King's and Service's
sake, and the Duke of York's, and will propound it to the Duke of York:
and I confess, if there be one, I would be glad to be in.

20th. Up, and all the morning at the office, and then home to dinner, and
after dinner out with my wife and my two girls to the Duke of York's
house, and there saw "The Gratefull Servant," a pretty good play, and
which I have forgot that ever I did see. And thence with them to Mrs.
Gotier's, the Queen's tire-woman, for a pair of locks for my wife; she is
an oldish French woman, but with a pretty hand as most I have seen; and so
home, and to supper, W. Batelier and W. Hewer with us, and so my cold
being great, and greater by my having left my coat at my tailor's to-night
and come home in a thinner that I borrowed there, I went to bed before
them and slept pretty well.

21st (Lord's day). Up, and with my wife and two girls to church, they
very fine; and so home, where comes my cozen Roger and his wife, I having
sent for them, to dine with us, and there comes in by chance also Mr.
Shepley, who is come to town with my Lady Paulina, who is desperately
sick, and is gone to Chelsey, to the old house where my Lord himself was
once sick, where I doubt my Lord means to visit hers more for young Mrs.
Beck's sake than for hers. Here we dined with W. Batelier, and W. Hewer
with us, these two, girls making it necessary that they be always with us,
for I am not company light enough to be always merry with them and so sat
talking all the afternoon, and then Shepley went: away first, and then my
cozen Roger and his wife. And so I, to my Office, to write down my
Journall, and so home to my chamber and to do a little business there, my
papers being in mighty disorder, and likely so to continue while these
girls are with us. In the evening comes W. Batelier and his sisters and
supped and talked with us, and so spent the evening, myself being somewhat
out of order because of my eyes, which have never been well since last
Sunday's reading at Sir W. Coventry's chamber, and so after supper to bed.

22nd. Up, and betimes to White Hall; but there the Duke of York is gone
abroad a-hunting, and therefore after a little stay there I into London,
with Sir H. Cholmly, talking all the way of Tangier matters, wherein I
find him troubled from some reports lately from Norwood (who is his great
enemy and I doubt an ill man), of some decay of the Mole, and a breach
made therein by the sea to a great value. He set me down at the end of
Leadenhall Street, and so I home, and after dinner, with my wife, in her
morning-gown, and the two girls dressed, to Unthanke's, where my wife
dresses herself, having her gown this day laced, and a new petticoat; and
so is indeed very fine. And in the evening I do carry them to White Hall,
and there did without much trouble get into the playhouse, there in a good
place among the Ladies of Honour, and myself also sat in the pit; and
there by and by come the King and Queen, and they begun "Bartholomew
Fayre." But I like no play here so well as at the common playhouse;
besides that, my eyes being very ill since last Sunday and this day
se'nnight, with the light of the candles, I was in mighty pain to defend
myself now from the light of the candles. After the play done, we met
with W. Batelier and W. Hewer and Talbot Pepys, and they follow us in a
hackney-coach: and we all stopped at Hercules' Pillars; and there I did
give them the best supper I could, and pretty merry; and so home between
eleven and twelve at night, and so to bed, mightily well pleased with this
day's work.

23rd. Up: and to the Office, where all the morning, and then home, and
put a mouthfull of victuals in my mouth; and by a hackney-coach followed
my wife and the girls, who are gone by eleven o'clock, thinking to have
seen a new play at the Duke of York's house. But I do find them staying
at my tailor's, the play not being to-day, and therefore I now took them
to Westminster Abbey, and there did show them all the tombs very finely,
having one with us alone, there being other company this day to see the
tombs, it being Shrove Tuesday; and here we did see, by particular favour,
the body of Queen Katherine of Valois; and I had the upper part of her
body in my hands, and I did kiss her mouth, reflecting upon it that I did
kiss a Queen,

[Pepys's attachment to the fair sex extended even to a dead queen.
The record of this royal salute on his natal day is very
characteristic. The story told him in Westminster Abbey appears to
have been correct; for Neale informs us ("History of Westminster
Abbey," vol. ii., p. 88) that near the south side of Henry V.'s tomb
there was formerly a wooden chest, or coffin, wherein part of the
skeleton and parched body of Katherine de Valois, his queen (from
the waist upwards), was to be seen. She was interred in January,
1457, in the Chapel of Our Lady, at the east end of this church; but
when that building was pulled down by her grandson, Henry VII., her
coffin was found to be decayed, and her body was taken up, and
placed in a chest, near her first husband's tomb. "There," says
Dart, "it hath ever since continued to be seen, the bones being
firmly united, and thinly clothed with flesh, like scrapings of
tanned leather." This awful spectacle of frail mortality was at
length removed from the public gaze into St. Nicholas's Chapel, and
finally deposited under the monument of Sir George Villiers, when
the vault was made for the remains of Elizabeth Percy, Duchess of
Northumberland, in December, 1776.--B.]

and that this was my birth-day, thirty-six years old, that I did first
kiss a Queen. But here this man, who seems to understand well, tells me
that the saying is not true that says she was never buried, for she was
buried; only, when Henry the Seventh built his chapel, it was taken up and
laid in this wooden coffin; but I did there see that, in it, the body was
buried in a leaden one, which remains under the body to this day. Thence
to the Duke of York's playhouse, and there, finding the play begun, we
homeward to the Glass-House,

[Glass House Alley, Whitefriars and Blackfriars, marked the site for
some years: The Whitefriars Glass Works of Messrs. Powell and Sons
are on the old site, now Temple Street.]

and there shewed my cozens the making of glass, and had several things
made with great content; and, among others, I had one or two
singing-glasses made, which make an echo to the voice, the first that ever
I saw; but so thin, that the very breath broke one or two of them. So
home, and thence to Mr. Batelier's, where we supped, and had a good
supper, and here was Mr. Gumbleton; and after supper some fiddles, and so
to dance; but my eyes were so out of order, that I had little pleasure
this night at all, though I was glad to see the rest merry, and so about
midnight home and to bed.

24th. Lay long in bed, both being sleepy and my eyes bad, and myself
having a great cold so as I was hardly able to speak, but, however, by and
by up and to the office, and at noon home with my people to dinner, and
then I to the office again, and there till the evening doing of much
business, and at night my wife sends for me to W. Hewer's lodging, where I
find two best chambers of his so finely furnished, and all so rich and
neat, that I was mightily pleased with him and them and here only my wife,
and I, and the two girls, and had a mighty neat dish of custards and
tarts, and good drink and talk. And so away home to bed, with infinite
content at this his treat; for it was mighty pretty, and everything mighty
rich.

25th. All the morning at the office. At noon home and eat a bit myself,
and then followed my wife and girls to the Duke of York's house, and there
before one, but the house infinite full, where, by and by, the King and
Court come, it being a new play, or an old one new vamped, by Shadwell,
called "The Royall Shepherdesse;" but the silliest for words and design,
and everything, that ever I saw in my whole life, there being nothing in
the world pleasing in it, but a good martial dance of pikemen, where
Harris and another do handle their pikes in a dance to admiration; but
never less satisfied with a play in my life. Thence to the office I, and
did a little business, and so home to supper with my girls, and pretty
merry, only my eyes, which continue very bad, and my cold, that I cannot
speak at all, do trouble me.

26th. Was forced to send my excuse to the Duke of York for my not
attending him with my fellows this day because of my cold, and was the
less troubled because I was thereby out of the way to offer my proposals
about Pursers till the Surveyor hath delivered his notions, which he is to
do to-day about something he has to offer relating to the Navy in general,
which I would be glad to see and peruse before I offer what I have to say.
So lay long in bed, and then up and to my office, and so to dinner, and
then, though I could not speak, yet I went with my wife and girls to the
King's playhouse, to shew them that, and there saw "The Faithfull
Shepherdesse." But, Lord! what an empty house, there not being, as I
could tell the people, so many as to make up above L10 in the whole house!
The being of a new play at the other house, I suppose, being the cause,
though it be so silly a play that I wonder how there should be enough
people to go thither two days together, and not leave more to fill this
house. The emptiness of the house took away our pleasure a great deal,
though I liked it the better; for that I plainly discern the musick is the
better, by how much the house the emptier. Thence home, and again to W.
Hewer's, and had a pretty little treat, and spent an hour or two, my voice
being wholly taken away with my cold, and so home and to bed.

27th. Up, and at the office all the morning, where I could speak but a
little. At noon home to dinner, and all the afternoon till night busy at
the office again, where forced to speak low and dictate. But that that
troubles me most is my eyes, which are still mighty bad night and day, and
so home at night to talk and sup with my cozens, and so all of us in
mighty good humour to bed.

28th (Lord's day). Up, and got my wife to read to me a copy of what the
Surveyor offered to the Duke of York on Friday, he himself putting it into
my hands to read; but, Lord! it is a poor, silly thing ever to think to
bring it in practice, in the King's Navy. It is to have the Captains to
account for all stores and victuals; but upon so silly grounds, to my
thinking; and ignorance of the present instructions of Officers, that I am
ashamed to hear it. However, I do take a copy of it, for my future use
and answering; and so to church, where, God forgive me! I did most of the
time gaze on the fine milliner's wife, in Fenchurch Street, who was at our
church to-day; and so home to dinner. And after dinner to write down my
Journall; and then abroad by coach with my cozens, to their father's,
where we are kindly received, but he is an great pain for his man Arthur,
who, he fears, is now dead, having been desperately sick, and speaks so
much of him that my cozen, his wife, and I did make mirth of it, and call
him Arthur O'Bradly. After staying here a little, and eat and drank, and
she gave me some ginger-bread made in cakes, like chocolate, very good,
made by a friend, I carried him and her to my cozen Turner's, where we
staid, expecting her coming from church; but she coming not, I went to her
husband's chamber in the Temple, and thence fetched her, she having been
there alone ever since sermon staying till the evening to walk home on
foot, her horses being ill. This I did, and brought her home. And after
talking there awhile, and agreeing to be all merry at my house on Tuesday
next, I away home; and there spent the evening talking and reading, with
my wife and Mr. Pelling, and yet much troubled with my cold, it hardly
suffering me to speak, we to bed.

THE DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS M.A. F.R.S.

CLERK OF THE ACTS AND SECRETARY TO THE ADMIRALTY

TRANSCRIBED FROM THE SHORTHAND MANUSCRIPT IN THE PEPYSIAN LIBRARY
MAGDALENE COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE BY THE REV. MYNORS BRIGHT M.A. LATE FELLOW
AND PRESIDENT OF THE COLLEGE

(Unabridged)

WITH LORD BRAYBROOKE'S NOTES

EDITED WITH ADDITIONS BY

HENRY B. WHEATLEY F.S.A.

DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS.
MARCH
1668-1669

March 1st. Up, and to White Hall to the Committee of Tangier, but it did
not meet. But here I do hear first that my Lady Paulina Montagu did die
yesterday; at which I went to my Lord's lodgings, but he is shut up with
sorrow, and so not to be spoken with: and therefore I returned, and to
Westminster Hall, where I have not been, I think, in some months. And
here the Hall was very full, the King having, by Commission to some Lords
this day, prorogued the Parliament till the 19th of October next: at which
I am glad, hoping to have time to go over to France this year. But I was
most of all surprised this morning by my Lord Bellassis, who, by
appointment, met me at Auditor Wood's, at the Temple, and tells me of a
duell designed between the Duke of Buckingham and my Lord Halifax, or Sir
W. Coventry; the challenge being carried by Harry Saville, but prevented
by my Lord Arlington, and the King told of it; and this was all the
discourse at Court this day. But I, meeting Sir W. Coventry in the Duke
of York's chamber, he would not own it to me, but told me that he was a
man of too much peace to meddle with fighting, and so it rested: but the
talk is full in the town of the business. Thence, having walked some
turns with my cozen Pepys, and most people, by their discourse, believing
that this Parliament will never sit more, I away to several places to look
after things against to-morrow's feast, and so home to dinner; and thence,
after noon, my wife and I out by hackneycoach, and spent the afternoon in
several places, doing several things at the 'Change and elsewhere against
to-morrow; and, among others, I did also bring home a piece of my face
cast in plaister, for to make a wizard upon, for my eyes. And so home,
where W. Batelier come, and sat with us; and there, after many doubts, did
resolve to go on with our feast and dancing to-morrow; and so, after
supper, left the maids to make clean the house, and to lay the cloth, and
other things against to-morrow, and we to bed.

2nd. Up, and at the office till noon, when home, and there I find my
company come, namely, Madam Turner, Dyke, The., and Betty Turner, and Mr.
Bellwood, formerly their father's clerk, but now set up for himself--a
conceited, silly fellow, but one they make mightily of--my cozen Roger
Pepys, and his wife, and two daughters. I had a noble dinner for them, as
I almost ever had, and mighty merry, and particularly myself pleased with
looking on Betty Turner, who is mighty pretty. After dinner, we fell one
to one talk, and another to another, and looking over my house, and
closet, and things; and The. Turner to write a letter to a lady in the
country, in which I did, now and then, put in half a dozen words, and
sometimes five or six lines, and then she as much, and made up a long and
good letter, she being mighty witty really, though troublesome-humoured
with it. And thus till night, that our musick come, and the Office ready
and candles, and also W. Batelier and his sister Susan come, and also
Will. Howe and two gentlemen more, strangers, which, at my request
yesterday, he did bring to dance, called Mr. Ireton and Mr. Starkey. We
fell to dancing, and continued, only with intermission for a good supper,
till two in the morning, the musick being Greeting, and another most
excellent violin, and theorbo, the best in town. And so with mighty
mirth, and pleased with their dancing of jigs afterwards several of them,
and, among others, Betty Turner, who did it mighty prettily; and, lastly,
W. Batelier's "Blackmore and Blackmore Mad;" and then to a country-dance
again, and so broke up with extraordinary pleasure, as being one of the
days and nights of my life spent with the greatest content; and that which
I can but hope to repeat again a few times in my whole life. This done,
we parted, the strangers home, and I did lodge my cozen Pepys and his wife
in our blue chamber. My cozen Turner, her sister, and The., in our best
chamber; Bab., Betty, and Betty Turner, in our own chamber; and myself and
my wife in the maid's bed, which is very good. Our maids in the
coachman's bed; the coachman with the boy in his settlebed, and Tom where
he uses to lie. And so I did, to my great content, lodge at once in my
house, with the greatest ease, fifteen, and eight of them strangers of
quality. My wife this day put on first her French gown, called a Sac,
which becomes her very well, brought her over by W. Batelier.

3rd. Up, after a very good night's rest, and was called upon by Sir H.
Cholmly, who was with me an hour, and though acquainted did not stay to
talk with my company I had in the house, but away, and then I to my
guests, and got them to breakfast, and then parted by coaches; and I did,
in mine, carry my she-cozen Pepys and her daughters home, and there left
them, and so to White Hall, where W. Hewer met me; and he and I took a
turn in St. James's Park, and in the Mall did meet Sir W. Coventry and Sir
J. Duncomb, and did speak with them about some business before the Lords
of the Treasury; but I did find them more than usually busy, though I knew
not then the reason of it, though I guess it by what followed to-morrow.
Thence to Dancre's, the painter's, and there saw my picture of Greenwich,
finished to my very good content, though this manner of distemper do make
the figures not so pleasing as in oyle. So to Unthanke's, and there took
up my wife, and carried her to the Duke of York's playhouse, and there saw
an old play, the first time acted these forty years, called "The Lady's
Tryall," acted only by the young people of the house; but the house very
full. But it is but a sorry play, and the worse by how much my head is
out of humour by being a little sleepy and my legs weary since last night.
So after the play we to the New Exchange, and so called at my cozen
Turner's; and there, meeting Mr. Bellwood, did hear how my Lord Mayor,
being invited this day to dinner at the Reader's at the Temple, and
endeavouring to carry his sword up, the students did pull it down, and
forced him to go and stay all the day in a private Councillor's chamber,
until the Reader himself could get the young gentlemen to dinner; and then
my Lord Mayor did retreat out of the Temple by stealth, with his sword up.
This do make great heat among the students; and my Lord Mayor did send to
the King, and also I hear that Sir Richard Browne did cause the drums to
beat for the Train-bands, but all is over, only I hear that the students
do resolve to try the Charter of the City. So we home, and betimes to
bed, and slept well all night.

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