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Samuel Pepys >> Diary of Samuel Pepys, January/February 1662/63
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
1663 N.S. COMPLETE
JANUARY & FEBRUARY
1662-1663
January 1st, 1662-63.
Lay with my wife at my Lord's lodgings, where I have been these two
nights, till 10 o'clock with great pleasure talking, then I rose and to
White Hall, where I spent a little time walking among the courtiers, which
I perceive I shall be able to do with great confidence, being now
beginning to be pretty well known among them. Then to my wife again, and
found Mrs. Sarah with us in the chamber we lay in. Among other discourse,
Mrs. Sarah tells us how the King sups at least four or [five] times every
week with my Lady Castlemaine; and most often stays till the morning with
her, and goes home through the garden all alone privately, and that so as
the very centrys take notice of it and speak of it. She tells me, that
about a month ago she [Lady Castlemaine] quickened at my Lord Gerard's at
dinner, and cried out that she was undone; and all the lords and men were
fain to quit the room, and women called to help her. In fine, I find that
there is nothing almost but bawdry at Court from top to bottom, as, if it
were fit, I could instance, but it is not necessary; only they say my Lord
Chesterfield, groom of the stole to the Queen, is either gone or put away
from the Court upon the score of his lady's having smitten the Duke of
York, so as that he is watched by the Duchess of York, and his lady is
retired into the country upon it. How much of this is true, God knows,
but it is common talk. After dinner I did reckon with Mrs. Sarah for what
we have eat and drank here, and gave her a crown, and so took coach, and
to the Duke's House, where we saw "The Villaine" again; and the more I see
it, the more I am offended at my first undervaluing the play, it being
very good and pleasant, and yet a true and allowable tragedy. The house
was full of citizens, and so the less pleasant, but that I was willing to
make an end of my gaddings, and to set to my business for all the year
again tomorrow. Here we saw the old Roxalana in the chief box, in a
velvet gown, as the fashion is, and very handsome, at which I was glad.
Hence by coach home, where I find all well, only Sir W. Pen they say ill
again. So to my office to set down these two or three days' journall, and
to close the last year therein, and so that being done, home to supper,
and to bed, with great pleasure talking and discoursing with my wife of
our late observations abroad.
2nd. Lay long in bed, and so up and to the office, where all the morning
alone doing something or another. So dined at home with my wife, and in
the afternoon to the Treasury office, where Sir W. Batten was paying off
tickets, but so simply and arbitrarily, upon a dull pretence of doing
right to the King, though to the wrong of poor people (when I know there
is no man that means the King less right than he, or would trouble himself
less about it, but only that he sees me stir, and so he would appear doing
something, though to little purpose), that I was weary of it. At last we
broke up, and walk home together, and I to see Sir W. Pen, who is fallen
sick again. I staid a while talking with him, and so to my office,
practising some arithmetique, and so home to supper and bed, having sat up
late talking to my poor wife with great content.
3rd. Up and to the office all the morning, and dined alone with my wife
at noon, and then to my office all the afternoon till night, putting
business in order with great content in my mind. Having nothing now in my
mind of trouble in the world, but quite the contrary, much joy, except
only the ending of our difference with my uncle Thomas, and the getting of
the bills well over for my building of my house here, which however are as
small and less than any of the others. Sir W. Pen it seems is fallen very
ill again. So to my arithmetique again to-night, and so home to supper
and to bed.
4th (Lord's day). Up and to church, where a lazy sermon, and so home to
dinner to a good piece of powdered beef, but a little too salt. At dinner
my wife did propound my having of my sister Pall at my house again to be
her woman, since one we must have, hoping that in that quality possibly
she may prove better than she did before, which I take very well of her,
and will consider of it, it being a very great trouble to me that I should
have a sister of so ill a nature, that I must be forced to spend money
upon a stranger when it might better be upon her, if she were good for
anything. After dinner I and she walked, though it was dirty, to White
Hall (in the way calling at the Wardrobe to see how Mr. Moore do, who is
pretty well, but not cured yet), being much afeard of being seen by
anybody, and was, I think, of Mr. Coventry, which so troubled me that I
made her go before, and I ever after loitered behind. She to Mr. Hunt's,
and I to White Hall Chappell, and then up to walk up and down the house,
which now I am well known there, I shall forbear to do, because I would
not be thought a lazy body by Mr. Coventry and others by being seen, as I
have lately been, to walk up and down doing nothing. So to Mr. Hunt's,
and there was most prettily and kindly entertained by him and her, who are
two as good people as I hardly know any, and so neat and kind one to
another. Here we staid late, and so to my Lord's to bed.
5th. Up and to the Duke, who himself told me that Sir J. Lawson was come
home to Portsmouth from the Streights, who is now come with great renown
among all men, and, I perceive, mightily esteemed at Court by all. The
Duke did not stay long in his chamber; but to the King's chamber, whither
by and by the Russia Embassadors come; who, it seems, have a custom that
they will not come to have any treaty with our or any King's
Commissioners, but they will themselves see at the time the face of the
King himself, be it forty days one after another; and so they did to-day
only go in and see the King; and so out again to the Council-chamber. The
Duke returned to his chamber, and so to his closett, where Sir G.
Carteret, Sir J. Minnes, Sir W. Batten, Mr. Coventry, and myself attended
him about the business of the Navy; and after much discourse and pleasant
talk he went away. And I took Sir W. Batten and Captain Allen into the
wine cellar to my tenant (as I call him, Serjeant Dalton), and there drank
a great deal of variety of wines, more than I have drunk at one time, or
shall again a great while, when I come to return to my oaths, which I
intend in a day or two. Thence to my Lord's lodging, where Mr. Hunt and
Mr. Creed dined with us, and were very merry. And after dinner he and I
to White Hall, where the Duke and the Commissioners for Tangier met, but
did not do much: my Lord Sandwich not being in town, nobody making it
their business. So up, and Creed and I to my wife again, and after a game
or two at cards, to the Cockpitt, where we saw "Claracilla," a poor play,
done by the King's house (but neither the King nor Queen were there, but
only the Duke and Duchess, who did show some impertinent and, methought,
unnatural dalliances there, before the whole world, such as kissing, and
leaning upon one another); but to my very little content, they not acting
in any degree like the Duke's people. So home (there being here this
night Mrs. Turner and Mrs. Martha Batten of our office) to my Lord's
lodgings again, and to a game at cards, we three and Sarah, and so to
supper and some apples and ale, and to bed with great pleasure, blessed be
God!
6th (Twelfth Day). Up and Mr. Creed brought a pot of chocolate ready made
for our morning draft, and then he and I to the Duke's, but I was not very
willing to be seen at this end of the town, and so returned to our
lodgings, and took my wife by coach to my brother's, where I set her down,
and Creed and I to St. Paul's Church-yard, to my bookseller's, and looked
over several books with good discourse, and then into St. Paul's Church,
and there finding Elborough, my old schoolfellow at Paul's, now a parson,
whom I know to be a silly fellow, I took him out and walked with him,
making Creed and myself sport with talking with him, and so sent him away,
and we to my office and house to see all well, and thence to the Exchange,
where we met with Major Thomson, formerly of our office, who do talk very
highly of liberty of conscience, which now he hopes for by the King's
declaration, and that he doubts not that if he will give him, he will find
more and better friends than the Bishopps can be to him, and that if he do
not, there will many thousands in a little time go out of England, where
they may have it. But he says that they are well contented that if the
King thinks it good, the Papists may have the same liberty with them. He
tells me, and so do others, that Dr. Calamy is this day sent to Newgate
for preaching, Sunday was se'nnight, without leave, though he did it only
to supply the place; when otherwise the people must have gone away without
ever a sermon, they being disappointed of a minister but the Bishop of
London will not take that as an excuse. Thence into Wood Street, and there
bought a fine table for my dining-room, cost me 50s.; and while we were
buying it, there was a scare-fire
[Scar-fire or scarefire. An alarm of fire. One of the little
pieces in Herrick's "Hesperides" is entitled "The Scar-fire," but
the word sometimes was used, as in the text, for the fire itself.
Fuller, in his "Worthies," speaks of quenching scare-fires.]
in an ally over against us, but they quenched it. So to my brother's,
where Creed and I and my wife dined with Tom, and after dinner to the
Duke's house, and there saw "Twelfth Night"
[Pepys saw "Twelfth Night" for the first time on September 11th,
1661, when he supposed it was a new play, and "took no pleasure at
all in it."]
acted well, though it be but a silly play, and not related at all to the
name or day. Thence Mr. Battersby the apothecary, his wife, and I and
mine by coach together, and setting him down at his house, he paying his
share, my wife and I home, and found all well, only myself somewhat vexed
at my wife's neglect in leaving of her scarf, waistcoat, and
night-dressings in the coach today that brought us from Westminster,
though, I confess, she did give them to me to look after, yet it was her
fault not to see that I did take them out of the coach. I believe it
might be as good as 25s. loss or thereabouts. So to my office, however,
to set down my last three days' journall, and writing to my Lord Sandwich
to give him an account of Sir J. Lawson's being come home, and to my
father about my sending him some wine and things this week, for his making
an entertainment of some friends in the country, and so home. This night
making an end wholly of Christmas, with a mind fully satisfied with the
great pleasures we have had by being abroad from home, and I do find my
mind so apt to run to its old want of pleasures, that it is high time to
betake myself to my late vows, which I will to-morrow, God willing,
perfect and bind myself to, that so I may, for a great while, do my duty,
as I have well begun, and increase my good name and esteem in the world,
and get money, which sweetens all things, and whereof I have much need. So
home to supper and to bed, blessing God for his mercy to bring me home,
after much pleasure, to my house and business with health and resolution
to fall hard to work again.
7th. Up pretty early, that is by seven o'clock, it being not yet light
before or then. So to my office all the morning, signing the Treasurer's
ledger, part of it where I have not put my hand, and then eat a mouthful
of pye at home to stay my stomach, and so with Mr. Waith by water to
Deptford, and there among other things viewed old pay-books, and found
that the Commanders did never heretofore receive any pay for the rigging
time, but only for seatime, contrary to what Sir J. Minnes and Sir W.
Batten told the Duke the other day. I also searched all the ships in the
Wett Dock for fire, and found all in good order, it being very dangerous
for the King that so many of his ships lie together there. I was among
the canvass in stores also, with Mr. Harris, the saylemaker, and learnt
the difference between one sort and another, to my great content, and so
by water home again, where my wife tells me stories how she hears that by
Sarah's going to live at Sir W. Pen's, all our affairs of my family are
made known and discoursed of there and theirs by my people, which do
trouble me much, and I shall take a time to let Sir W. Pen know how he has
dealt in taking her without our full consent. So to my office, and by and
by home to supper, and so to prayers and bed.
8th. Up pretty early, and sent my boy to the carrier's with some wine for
my father, for to make his feast among his Brampton friends this
Christmas, and my muff to my mother, sent as from my wife. But before I
sent my boy out with them, I beat him for a lie he told me, at which his
sister, with whom we have of late been highly displeased, and warned her
to be gone, was angry, which vexed me, to see the girl I loved so well,
and my wife, should at last turn so much a fool and unthankful to us. So
to the office, and there all the morning, and though without and a little
against the advice of the officers did, to gratify him, send Thomas Hater
to-day towards Portsmouth a day or two before the rest of the clerks,
against the Pay next week. Dined at home; and there being the famous new
play acted the first time to-day, which is called "The Adventures of Five
Hours," at the Duke's house, being, they say, made or translated by
Colonel Tuke, I did long to see it; and so made my wife to get her ready,
though we were forced to send for a smith, to break open her trunk, her
mayde Jane being gone forth with the keys, and so we went; and though
early, were forced to sit almost out of sight, at the end of one of the
lower forms, so full was the house. And the play, in one word, is the
best, for the variety and the most excellent continuance of the plot to
the very end, that ever I saw, or think ever shall, and all possible, not
only to be done in the time, but in most other respects very admittable,
and without one word of ribaldry; and the house, by its frequent plaudits,
did show their sufficient approbation. So home; with much ado in an hour
getting a coach home, and, after writing letters at my office, I went home
to supper and to bed, now resolving to set up my rest as to plays till
Easter, if not Whitsuntide next, excepting plays at Court.
9th. Waking in the morning, my wife I found also awake, and begun to
speak to me with great trouble and tears, and by degrees from one
discourse to another at last it appears that Sarah has told somebody that
has told my wife of my meeting her at my brother's and making her sit down
by me while she told me stories of my wife, about her giving her scallop
to her brother, and other things, which I am much vexed at, for I am sure
I never spoke any thing of it, nor could any body tell her but by Sarah's
own words. I endeavoured to excuse my silence herein hitherto by not
believing any thing she told me, only that of the scallop which she
herself told me of. At last we pretty good friends, and my wife begun to
speak again of the necessity of her keeping somebody to bear her company;
for her familiarity with her other servants is it that spoils them all,
and other company she hath none, which is too true, and called for Jane to
reach her out of her trunk, giving her the keys to that purpose, a bundle
of papers, and pulls out a paper, a copy of what, a pretty while since,
she had wrote in a discontent to me, which I would not read, but burnt.
She now read it, and it was so piquant, and wrote in English, and most of
it true, of the retiredness of her life, and how unpleasant it was; that
being wrote in English, and so in danger of being met with and read by
others, I was vexed at it, and desired her and then commanded her to tear
it. When she desired to be excused it, I forced it from her, and tore it,
and withal took her other bundle of papers from her, and leapt out of the
bed and in my shirt clapped them into the pocket of my breeches, that she
might not get them from me, and having got on my stockings and breeches
and gown, I pulled them out one by one and tore them all before her face,
though it went against my heart to do it, she crying and desiring me not
to do it, but such was my passion and trouble to see the letters of my
love to her, and my Will wherein I had given her all I have in the world,
when I went to sea with my Lord Sandwich, to be joyned with a paper of so
much disgrace to me and dishonour, if it should have been found by any
body. Having torn them all, saving a bond of my uncle Robert's, which she
hath long had in her hands, and our marriage license, and the first letter
that ever I sent her when I was her servant,
[The usual word at this time for a lover. We have continued the
correlative term "mistress," but rejected that of "servant."]
I took up the pieces and carried them into my chamber, and there, after
many disputes with myself whether I should burn them or no, and having
picked up, the pieces of the paper she read to-day, and of my Will which I
tore, I burnt all the rest, and so went out to my office troubled in mind.
Hither comes Major Tolhurst, one of my old acquaintance in Cromwell's
time, and sometimes of our clubb, to see me, and I could do no less than
carry him to the Mitre, and having sent for Mr. Beane, a merchant, a
neighbour of mine, we sat and talked, Tolhurst telling me the manner of
their collierys in the north. We broke up, and I home to dinner. And to
see my folly, as discontented as I am, when my wife came I could not
forbear smiling all dinner till she began to speak bad words again, and
then I began to be angry again, and so to my office. Mr. Bland came in
the evening to me hither, and sat talking to me about many things of
merchandise, and I should be very happy in his discourse, durst I confess
my ignorance to him, which is not so fit for me to do. There coming a
letter to me from Mr. Pierce, the surgeon, by my desire appointing his and
Dr. Clerke's coming to dine with me next Monday, I went to my wife and
agreed upon matters, and at last for my honour am forced to make her
presently a new Moyre gown to be seen by Mrs. Clerke, which troubles me to
part with so much money, but, however, it sets my wife and I to friends
again, though I and she never were so heartily angry in our lives as
to-day almost, and I doubt the heartburning will not [be] soon over, and
the truth is I am sorry for the tearing of so many poor loving letters of
mine from sea and elsewhere to her. So to my office again, and there the
Scrivener brought me the end of the manuscript which I am going to get
together of things of the Navy, which pleases me much. So home, and
mighty friends with my wife again, and so to bed.
10th. Up and to the office. From thence, before we sat, Sir W. Pen sent
for me to his bedside to talk (indeed to reproach me with my not owning to
Sir J. Minnes that he had my advice in the blocking up of the garden door
the other day, which is now by him out of fear to Sir J. Minnes opened
again), to which I answered him so indifferently that I think he and I
shall be at a distance, at least to one another, better than ever we did
and love one another less, which for my part I think I need not care for.
So to the office, and sat till noon, then rose and to dinner, and then to
the office again, where Mr. Creed sat with me till late talking very good
discourse, as he is full of it, though a cunning knave in his heart, at
least not to be too much trusted, till Sir J. Minnes came in, which at
last he did, and so beyond my expectation he was willing to sign his
accounts, notwithstanding all his objections, which really were very
material, and yet how like a doting coxcomb he signs the accounts without
the least satisfaction, for which we both sufficiently laughed at him and
Sir W. Batten after they had signed them and were gone, and so sat talking
together till 11 o'clock at night, and so home and to bed.
11th (Lord's day). Lay long talking pleasant with my wife, then up and to
church, the pew being quite full with strangers come along with Sir W.
Batten and Sir J. Minnes, so after a pitifull sermon of the young Scott,
home to dinner. After dinner comes a footman of my Lord Sandwich's (my
Lord being come to town last night) with a letter from my father, in which
he presses me to carry on the business for Tom with his late mistress,
which I am sorry to see my father do, it being so much out of our power or
for his advantage, as it is clear to me it is, which I shall think of and
answer in my next. So to my office all the afternoon writing orders
myself to have ready against to-morrow, that I might not appear negligent
to Mr. Coventry. In the evening to Sir W. Pen's, where Sir J. Minnes and
Sir W. Batten, and afterwards came Sir G. Carteret. There talked about
business, and afterwards to Sir W. Batten's, where we staid talking and
drinking Syder, and so I went away to my office a little, and so home and
to bed.
12th. Up, and to Sir W. Batten's to bid him and Sir J. Minnes adieu, they
going this day towards Portsmouth, and then to Sir W. Pen's to see Sir J.
Lawson, who I heard was there, where I found him the same plain man that
he was, after all his success in the Straights, with which he is come
loaded home. Thence to Sir G. Carteret, and with him in his coach to
White Hall, and first I to see my Lord Sandwich (being come now from
Hinchingbrooke), and after talking a little with him, he and I to the
Duke's chamber, where Mr. Coventry and he and I into the Duke's closett
and Sir J. Lawson discoursing upon business of the Navy, and particularly
got his consent to the ending some difficulties in Mr. Creed's accounts.
Thence to my Lord's lodgings, and with Mr. Creed to the King's Head
ordinary, but people being set down, we went to two or three places; at
last found some meat at a Welch cook's at Charing Cross, and here dined
and our boys. After dinner to the 'Change to buy some linen for my wife,
and going back met our two boys. Mine had struck down Creed's boy in the
dirt, with his new suit on, and the boy taken by a gentlewoman into a
house to make clean, but the poor boy was in a pitifull taking and pickle;
but I basted my rogue soundly. Thence to my Lord's lodging, and Creed to
his, for his papers against the Committee. I found my Lord within, and he
and I went out through the garden towards the Duke's chamber, to sit upon
the Tangier matters; but a lady called to my Lord out of my Lady
Castlemaine's lodging, telling him that the King was there and would speak
with him. My Lord could not tell what to bid me say at the Committee to
excuse his absence, but that he was with the King; nor would suffer me to
go into the Privy Garden (which is now a through-passage, and common), but
bid me to go through some other way, which I did; so that I see he is a
servant of the King's pleasures too, as well as business. So I went to
the Committee, where we spent all this night attending to Sir J. Lawson's
description of Tangier and the place for the Mole,
[The construction of this Mole or breakwater turned out a very
costly undertaking. In April, 1663, it was found that the charge
for one year's work was L13,000. In March, 1665, L36,000 had been
spent upon it. The wind and sea exerted a very destructive
influence over this structure, although it was very strongly built,
and Colonel Norwood reported in 1668 that a breach had been made in
the Mole, which cost a considerable sum to repair.]
of which he brought a very pretty draught. Concerning the making of the
Mole, Mr. Cholmely did also discourse very well, having had some
experience in it. Being broke up, I home by coach to Mr. Bland's, and
there discoursed about sending away of the merchant ship which hangs so
long on hand for Tangier. So to my Lady Batten's, and sat with her
awhile, Sir W. Batten being gone out of town; but I did it out of design
to get some oranges for my feast to-morrow of her, which I did. So home,
and found my wife's new gown come home, and she mightily pleased with it.
But I appeared very angry that there were no more things got ready against
to-morrow's feast, and in that passion sat up long, and went discontented
to bed.