Diary of Samuel Pepys, July 1667
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Samuel Pepys >> Diary of Samuel Pepys, July 1667
30th. Up and to the office, where we sat busy all the morning. At noon
home to dinner, where Daniel and his wife with us, come to see whether I
could get him any employment. But I am so far from it, that I have the
trouble upon my mind how to dispose of Mr. Gibson and one or two more I am
concerned for in the Victualling business, which are to be now discharged.
After dinner by coach to White Hall, calling on two or three tradesmen and
paying their bills, and so to White Hall, to the Treasury-chamber, where I
did speak with the Lords, and did my business about getting them to assent
to 10 per cent. interest on the 11 months tax, but find them mightily put
to it for money. Here I do hear that there are three Lords more to be
added to them; my Lord Bridgewater, my Lord Anglesey, and my Lord
Chamberlaine. Having done my business, I to Creed's chamber, and thence
out with Creed to White Hall with him; in our way, meeting with Mr.
Cooling, my Lord Chamberlain's secretary, on horseback, who stopped to
speak with us, and he proved very drunk, and did talk, and would have
talked all night with us, I not being able to break loose from him, he
holding me so by the hand. But, Lord! to see his present humour, how he
swears at every word, and talks of the King and my Lady Castlemayne in the
plainest words in the world. And from him I gather that the story I
learned yesterday is true--that the King hath declared that he did not get
the child of which she is conceived at this time, he having not as he says
lain with her this half year. But she told him, "God damn me, but you
shall own it!" It seems, he is jealous of Jermin, and she loves him so,
that the thoughts of his marrying of my Lady Falmouth puts her into fits
of the mother; and he, it seems, hath lain with her from time to time,
continually, for a good while; and once, as this Cooling says, the King
had like to have taken him a-bed with her, but that he was fain to creep
under the bed into her closet . . . . But it is a pretty thing he told
us how the King, once speaking of the Duke of York's being mastered by his
wife, said to some of the company by, that he would go no more abroad with
this Tom Otter (meaning the Duke of York) and his wife. Tom Killigrew,
being by, answered, "Sir," says he, "pray which is the best for a man, to
be a Tom Otter to his wife or to his mistress?" meaning the King's being
so to my Lady Castlemayne. Thus he went on; and speaking then of my Lord
Sandwich, whom he professed to love exceedingly, says Creed, "I know not
what, but he is a man, methinks, that I could love for himself, without
other regards." . . . He talked very lewdly; and then took notice of my
kindness to him on shipboard seven years ago, when the King was coming
over, and how much he was obliged to me; but says, pray look upon this
acknowledgement of a kindness in me to be a miracle; for, says he, "it is
against the law at Court for a man that borrows money of me, even to buy
his place with, to own it the next Sunday;" and then told us his horse was
a bribe, and his boots a bribe; and told us he was made up of bribes, as
an Oxford scholar is set out with other men's goods when he goes out of
town, and that he makes every sort of tradesman to bribe him; and invited
me home to his house, to taste of his bribe wine. I never heard so much
vanity from a man in my life; so, being now weary of him, we parted, and I
took coach, and carried Creed to the Temple. There set him down, and to
my office, where busy late till my eyes begun to ake, and then home to
supper: a pullet, with good sauce, to my liking, and then to play on the
flageolet with my wife, which she now does very prettily, and so to bed.
31st. Up, and after some time with Greeting upon my flageolet I to my
office, and there all the morning busy. Among other things, Sir W.
Batten, [Sir] W. Pen, and myself did examine a fellow of our private
man-of-war, who we have found come up from Hull, with near L500 worth of
pieces of eight, though he will confess but 100 pieces. But it appears
that there have been fine doings there. At noon dined at home, and then
to the office, where busy again till the evening, when Major Halsey and
Kinaston to adjust matters about Mrs. Rumbald's bill of exchange, and here
Major Halsey, speaking much of my doing business, and understanding
business, told me how my Lord Generall do say that I am worth them all,
but I have heard that Halsey hath said the same behind my back to others.
Then abroad with my wife by coach to Marrowbone, where my Lord Mayor and
Aldermen, it seem, dined to-day: and were just now going away, methought,
in a disconsolate condition, compared with their splendour they formerly
had, when the City was standing. Here my wife and I drank at the gate,
not 'lighting, and then home with much pleasure, and so to my chamber, and
my wife and I to pipe, and so to supper and to bed.
ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS:
20s. in money, and what wine she needed, for the burying him
Archbishop is a wencher, and known to be so
Bold to deliver what he thinks on every occasion
Cast stones with his horne crooke
Court is in a way to ruin all for their pleasures
Dash the brains of it out before the King's face
Dog, that would turn a sheep any way which
Dutch fleets being in so many places
Fool's play with which all publick things are done
Good purpose of fitting ourselves for another war (A Peace)
He was charged with making himself popular
King governed by his lust, and women, and rogues about him
King is at the command of any woman like a slave
King the necessity of having, at least, a show of religion
Never to keep a country-house, but to keep a coach
Nobody being willing to trust us for anything
She has this silly vanity that she must play
So every thing stands still for money
They are all mad; and thus the kingdom is governed!
What way a man could devise to lose so much in so little time