Book: Diary of Samuel Pepys, July/August 1663

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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.
JULY & AUGUST
1663

July 1st. This morning it rained so hard (though it was fair yesterday,
and we thereupon in hopes of having some fair weather, which we have
wanted these three months) that it wakened Creed, who lay with me last
night, and me, and so we up and fell to discourse of the business of his
accounts now under dispute, in which I have taken much trouble upon myself
and raised a distance between Sir G. Carteret and myself, which troubles
me, but I hope we have this morning light on an expedient that will right
all, that will answer their queries, and yet save Creed the L500 which he
did propose to make of the exchange abroad of the pieces of eight which he
disbursed. Being ready, he and I by water to White Hall, where I left him
before we came into the Court, for fear I should be seen by Sir G.
Carteret with him, which of late I have been forced to avoid to remove
suspicion. I to St. James's, and there discoursed a while with Mr.
Coventry, between whom and myself there is very good understanding and
friendship, and so to Westminster Hall, and being in the Parliament lobby,
I there saw my Lord of Bristoll come to the Commons House to give his
answer to their question, about some words he should tell the King that
were spoke by Sir Richard Temple, a member of their House. A chair was
set at the bar of the House for him, which he used but little, but made an
harangue of half an hour bareheaded, the House covered. His speech being
done, he came out and withdrew into a little room till the House had
concluded of an answer to his speech; which they staying long upon, I went
away. And by and by out comes Sir W. Batten; and he told me that his
Lordship had made a long and a comedian-like speech, and delivered with
such action as was not becoming his Lordship. He confesses he did tell
the King such a thing of Sir Richard Temple, but that upon his honour they
were not spoke by Sir Richard, he having taken a liberty of enlarging to
the King upon the discourse which had been between Sir Richard and himself
lately; and so took upon himself the whole blame, and desired their
pardon, it being not to do any wrong to their fellow-member, but out of
zeal to the King. He told them, among many other things, that as to his
religion he was a Roman Catholique, but such a one as thought no man to
have right to the Crown of England but the Prince that hath it; and such a
one as, if the King should desire his counsel as to his own, he would not
advise him to another religion than the old true reformed religion of this
country, it being the properest of this kingdom as it now stands; and
concluded with a submission to what the House shall do with him, saying,
that whatever they shall do, says he, "thanks be to God, this head, this
heart, and this sword (pointing to them all), will find me a being in any
place in Europe." The House hath hereupon voted clearly Sir Richard
Temple to be free from the imputation of saying those words; but when Sir
William Batten came out, had not concluded what to say to my Lord, it
being argued that to own any satisfaction as to my Lord from his speech,
would be to lay some fault upon the King for the message he should upon no
better accounts send to the impeaching of one of their members. Walking
out, I hear that the House of Lords are offended that my Lord Digby should
come to this House and make a speech there without leave first asked of
the House of Lords. I hear also of another difficulty now upon him; that
my Lord of Sunderland (whom I do not know) was so near to the marriage of
his daughter as that the wedding-clothes were made, and portion and every
thing agreed on and ready; and the other day he goes away nobody yet knows
whither, sending her the next morning a release of his right or claim to
her, and advice to his friends not to enquire into the reason of this
doing, for he hath enough for it; but that he gives them liberty to say
and think what they will of him, so they do not demand the reason of his
leaving her, being resolved never to have her, but the reason desires and
resolves not to give. Thence by water with Sir W. Batten to Trinity
House, there to dine with him, which we did; and after dinner we fell
talking, Sir J. Minnes, Mr. Batten and I; Mr. Batten telling us of a late
triall of Sir Charles Sydly the other day, before my Lord Chief Justice
Foster and the whole bench, for his debauchery a little while since at
Oxford Kate's,

[The details in the original are very gross. Dr. Johnson relates
the story in the "Lives of the Poets," in his life of Sackville,
Lord Dorset "Sackville, who was then Lord Buckhurst, with Sir
Charles Sedley and Sir Thomas Ogle, got drunk at the Cock, in Bow
Street, by Covent Garden, and going into the balcony exposed
themselves to the populace in very indecent postures. At last, as
they grew warmer, Sedley stood forth naked, and harangued the
populace in such profane language, that the publick indignation was
awakened; the crowd attempted to force the door, and being repulsed,
drove in the performers with stones, and broke the windows of the
house. For this misdemeanour they were indicted, and Sedley was
fined five hundred pounds; what was the sentence of the others is
not known. Sedley employed [Henry] Killigrew and another to procure
a remission from the King, but (mark the friendship of the
dissolute!) they begged the fine for themselves, and exacted it to
the last groat." The woman known as Oxford Kate appears to have
kept the notorious Cock Tavern in Bow Street at this date.]

coming in open day into the Balcone and showed his nakedness, . . . .
and abusing of scripture and as it were from thence preaching a mountebank
sermon from the pulpit, saying that there he had to sell such a powder as
should make all the [women] in town run after him, 1000 people standing
underneath to see and hear him, and that being done he took a glass of
wine . . . . and then drank it off, and then took another and drank
the King's health. It seems my Lord and the rest of the judges did all of
them round give him a most high reproof; my Lord Chief justice saying,
that it was for him, and such wicked wretches as he was, that God's anger
and judgments hung over us, calling him sirrah many times. It's said they
have bound him to his good behaviour (there being no law against him for
it) in L5000. It being told that my Lord Buckhurst was there, my Lord
asked whether it was that Buckhurst that was lately tried for robbery; and
when answered Yes, he asked whether he had so soon forgot his deliverance
at that time, and that it would have more become him to have been at his
prayers begging God's forgiveness, than now running into such courses
again . . . . Thence home, and my clerks being gone by my leave to see
the East India ships that are lately come home, I staid all alone within
my office all the afternoon. This day I hear at dinner that Don John of
Austria, since his flight out of Portugall, is dead of his wounds:--[not
true]--so there is a great man gone, and a great dispute like to be ended
for the crown of Spayne, if the King should have died before him. I
received this morning a letter from my wife, brought by John Gower to
town, wherein I find a sad falling out between my wife and my father and
sister and Ashwell upon my writing to my father to advise Pall not to keep
Ashwell from her mistress, or making any difference between them. Which
Pall telling to Ashwell, and she speaking some words that her mistress
heard, caused great difference among them; all which I am sorry from my
heart to hear of, and I fear will breed ill blood not to be laid again.
So that I fear my wife and I may have some falling out about it, or at
least my father and I, but I shall endeavour to salve up all as well as I
can, or send for her out of the country before the time intended, which I
would be loth to do. In the evening by water to my coz. Roger Pepys'
chamber, where he was not come, but I found Dr. John newly come to town,
and is well again after his sickness; but, Lord! what a simple man he is
as to any public matter of state, and talks so sillily to his brother Dr.
Tom. What the matter is I know not, but he has taken (as my father told
me a good while since) such displeasure that he hardly would touch his hat
to me, and I as little to him. By and by comes Roger, and he told us the
whole passage of my Lord Digby to-day, much as I have said here above;
only that he did say that he would draw his sword against the Pope
himself, if he should offer any thing against his Majesty, and the good of
these nations; and that he never was the man that did either look for a
Cardinal's cap for himself, or any body else, meaning Abbot Montagu; and
the House upon the whole did vote Sir Richard Temple innocent; and that my
Lord Digby hath cleared the honour of his Majesty, and Sir Richard
Temple's, and given perfect satisfaction of his own respects to the House.
Thence to my brother's, and being vexed with his not minding my father's
business here in getting his Landscape done, I went away in an anger, and
walked home, and so up to my lute and then to bed.

2d. Up betimes to my office, and there all the morning doing business, at
noon to the Change, and there met with several people, among others
Captain Cox, and with him to a Coffee [House], and drank with him and some
other merchants. Good discourse. Thence home and to dinner, and, after a
little alone at my viol, to the office, where we sat all the afternoon,
and so rose at the evening, and then home to supper and to bed, after a
little musique. My mind troubled me with the thoughts of the difference
between my wife and my father in the country. Walking in the garden this
evening with Sir G. Carteret and Sir J. Minnes, Sir G. Carteret told us
with great contempt how like a stage-player my Lord Digby spoke yesterday,
pointing to his head as my Lord did, and saying, "First, for his head,"
says Sir G. Carteret, "I know what a calf's head would have done better by
half for his heart and his sword, I have nothing to say to them." He told
us that for certain his head cost the late King his, for it was he that
broke off the treaty at Uxbridge. He told us also how great a man he was
raised from a private gentleman in France by Monsieur Grandmont,

[Antoine, Duc de Gramont, marshal of France, who died July 12th,
1678, aged seventy-four. His memoirs have been published.]

and afterwards by the Cardinall,--[Mazarin]--who raised him to be a
Lieutenant-generall, and then higher; and entrusted by the Cardinall, when
he was banished out of France, with great matters, and recommended by him
to the Queen as a man to be trusted and ruled by: yet when he came to have
some power over the Queen, he begun to dissuade her from her opinion of
the Cardinal; which she said nothing to till the Cardinal was returned,
and then she told him of it; who told my Lord Digby, "Eh bien, Monsieur,
vous estes un fort bon amy donc:" but presently put him out of all; and
then he was, from a certainty of coming in two or three years' time to be
Mareschall of France (to which all strangers, even Protestants, and those
as often as French themselves, are capable of coming, though it be one of
the greatest places in France), he was driven to go out of France into
Flanders; but there was not trusted, nor received any kindness from the
Prince of Conde, as one to whom also he had been false, as he had been to
the Cardinal and Grandmont. In fine, he told us how he is a man of
excellent parts, but of no great faith nor judgment, and one very easy to
get up to great height of preferment, but never able to hold it. So home
and to my musique; and then comes Mr. Creed to me giving me an account of
his accounts, how he has now settled them fit for perusal the most strict,
at which I am glad. So he and I to bed together.

3d. Up and he home, and I with Sir J. Minnes and Sir W. Batten by coach
to Westminster, to St. James's, thinking to meet Sir G. Carteret, and to
attend the Duke, but he not coming we broke up, and so to Westminster
Hall, and there meeting with Mr. Moore he tells me great news that my Lady
Castlemaine is fallen from Court, and this morning retired. He gives me
no account of the reason of it, but that it is so: for which I am sorry:
and yet if the King do it to leave off not only her but all other
mistresses, I should be heartily glad of it, that he may fall to look
after business. I hear my Lord Digby is condemned at Court for his
speech, and that my Lord Chancellor grows great again. Thence with Mr.
Creed, whom I called at his chamber, over the water to Lambeth; but could
not, it being morning, get to see the Archbishop's hearse: so he and I
walked over the fields to Southwark, and there parted, and I spent half an
hour in Mary Overy's Church, where are fine monuments of great antiquity,
I believe, and has been a fine church. Thence to the Change, and meeting
Sir J. Minnes there, he and I walked to look upon Backwell's design of
making another alley from his shop through over against the Exchange door,
which will be very noble and quite put down the other two.

So home to dinner and then to the office, and entered in my manuscript
book the Victualler's contract, and then over the water and walked to see
Sir W. Pen, and sat with him a while, and so home late, and to my viall.
So up comes Creed again to me and stays all night, to-morrow morning being
a hearing before the Duke. So to bed full of discourse of his business.

4th. Up by 4 o'clock and sent him to get matters ready, and I to my
office looking over papers and mending my manuscript by scraping out the
blots and other things, which is now a very fine book. So to St. James's
by water with Sir J. Minnes and Sir W. Batten, I giving occasion to a
wager about the tide, that it did flow through bridge, by which Sir W.
Batten won 5s. of Sir J. Minnes. At St. James's we staid while the Duke
made himself ready. Among other things Sir Allen Apsley showed the Duke
the Lisbon Gazette in Spanish, where the late victory is set down
particularly, and to the great honour of the English beyond measure. They
have since taken back Evora, which was lost to the Spaniards, the English
making the assault, and lost not more than three men. Here I learnt that
the English foot are highly esteemed all over the world, but the horse not
so much, which yet we count among ourselves the best; but they abroad have
had no great knowledge of our horse, it seems. The Duke being ready, we
retired with him, and there fell upon Mr. Creed's business, where the
Treasurer did, like a mad coxcomb, without reason or method run over a
great many things against the account, and so did Sir J. Minnes and Sir W.
Batten, which the Duke himself and Mr. Coventry and my Lord Barkely and
myself did remove, and Creed being called in did answer all with great
method and excellently to the purpose (myself I am a little conscious did
not speak so well as I purposed and do think I used to do, that is, not so
intelligibly and persuasively, as I well hoped I should), not that what I
said was not well taken, and did carry the business with what was urged
and answered by Creed and Mr. Coventry, till the Duke himself did declare
that he was satisfied, and my Lord Barkely offered to lay L100 that the
King would receive no wrong in the account, and the two last knights held
their tongues, or at least by not understanding it did say what made for
Mr. Creed, and so Sir G. Carteret was left alone, but yet persisted to say
that the account was not good, but full of corruption and foul dealing.
And so we broke up to his shame, but I do fear to the loss of his
friendship to me a good while, which I am heartily troubled for. Thence
with Creed to the King's Head ordinary; but, coming late, dined at the
second table very well for 12d.; and a pretty gentleman in our company,
who confirms my Lady Castlemaine's being gone from Court, but knows not
the reason; he told us of one wipe the Queen a little while ago did give
her, when she came in and found the Queen under the dresser's hands, and
had been so long:

"I wonder your Majesty," says she, "can have the patience to sit so long
a-dressing?"--"I have so much reason to use patience," says the Queen,
"that I can very well bear with it." He thinks that it may be the Queen
hath commanded her to retire, though that is not likely. Thence with
Creed to hire a coach to carry us to Hide Park, to-day there being a
general muster of the King's Guards, horse and foot: but they demand so
high, that I, spying Mr. Cutler the merchant, did take notice of him, and
he going into his coach, and telling me that he was going to shew a couple
of Swedish strangers the muster, I asked and went along with him; where a
goodly sight to see so many fine horses and officers, and the King, Duke,
and others come by a-horseback, and the two Queens in the Queen-Mother's
coach, my Lady Castlemaine not being there. And after long being there, I
'light, and walked to the place where the King, Duke, &c., did stand to
see the horse and foot march by and discharge their guns, to show a French
Marquisse (for whom this muster was caused) the goodness of our firemen;
which indeed was very good, though not without a slip now and then; and
one broadside close to our coach we had going out of the Park, even to the
nearness as to be ready to burn our hairs. Yet methought all these gay
men are not the soldiers that must do the King's business, it being such
as these that lost the old King all he had, and were beat by the most
ordinary fellows that could be. Thence with much ado out of the Park, and
I 'lighted and through St. James's down the waterside over, to Lambeth, to
see the Archbishop's corps (who is to be carried away to Oxford on
Monday), but came too late, and so walked over the fields and bridge home
(calling by the way at old George's), but find that he is dead, and there
wrote several letters, and so home to supper and to bed. This day in the
Duke's chamber there being a Roman story in the hangings, and upon the
standards written these four letters--S. P. Q. R., Sir G. Carteret came to
me to know what the meaning of those four letters were; which ignorance is
not to be borne in a Privy Counsellor, methinks, that a schoolboy should
be whipt for not knowing.

5th (Lord's day). Lady Batten had sent twice to invite me to go with them
to Walthamstow to-day, Mrs. Martha' being married already this morning to
Mr. Castle, at this parish church. I could not rise soon enough to go
with them, but got myself ready, and so to Games's, where I got a horse
and rode thither very pleasantly, only coming to make water I found a
stopping, which makes me fearful of my old pain. Being come thither, I
was well received, and had two pair of gloves, as the rest, and walked up
and down with my Lady in the garden, she mighty kind to me, and I have the
way to please her. A good dinner and merry, but methinks none of the
kindness nor bridall respect between the bridegroom and bride, that was
between my wife and I, but as persons that marry purely for convenience.
After dinner to church by coach, and there my Lady, Mrs. Turner, Mrs.
Lemon, and I only, we, in spite to one another, kept one another awake;
and sometimes I read in my book of Latin plays, which I took in my pocket,
thinking to have walked it. An old doting parson preached. So home
again, and by and by up and homewards, calling in our way (Sir J. Minnes
and I only) at Mr. Batten's (who with his lady and child went in another
coach by us), which is a very pretty house, and himself in all things
within and without very ingenious, and I find a very fine study and good
books. So set out, Sir J. Minnes and I in his coach together, talking all
the way of chymistry, wherein he do know something, at least, seems so to
me, that cannot correct him, Mr. Batten's man riding my horse, and so home
and to my office a while to read my vows, then home to prayers and to bed.

6th. Up pretty early and to my office all the morning, writing out a list
of the King's ships in my Navy collections with great pleasure. At noon
Creed comes to me, who tells me how well he has sped with Sir G. Carteret
after all our trouble, that he had his tallys up and all the kind words
possible from him, which I believe is out of an apprehension what a fool
he has made of himself hitherto in making so great a stop therein. But I
find, and so my Lord Sandwich may, that Sir G. Carteret had a design to do
him a disgrace, if he could possibly, otherwise he would never have
carried the business so far after that manner, but would first have
consulted my Lord and given him advice what to do therein for his own
honour, which he thought endangered. Creed dined with me and then walked
a while, and so away, and I to my office at my morning's work till dark
night, and so with good content home. To supper, a little musique, and
then to bed.

7th. Up by 4 o'clock and to my office, and there continued all the
morning upon my Navy book to my great content. At noon down by barge with
Sir J. Minnes (who is going to Chatham) to Woolwich, in our way eating of
some venison pasty in the barge, I having neither eat nor drank to-day,
which fills me full of wind. Here also in Mr. Pett's garden I eat some
and the first cherries I have eat this year, off the tree where the King
himself had been gathering some this morning. Thence walked alone, only
part of the way Deane walked with me, complaining of many abuses in the
Yard, to Greenwich, and so by water to Deptford, where I found Mr.
Coventry, and with him up and down all the stores, to the great trouble of
the officers, and by his help I am resolved to fall hard to work again, as
I used to do. So thence he and I by water talking of many things, and I
see he puts his trust most upon me in the Navy, and talks, as there is
reason, slightly of the two old knights, and I should be glad by any
drudgery to see the King's stores and service looked to as they ought, but
I fear I shall never understand half the miscarriages and tricks that the
King suffers by. He tells me what Mr. Pett did to-day, that my Lord
Bristoll told the King that he will impeach the Chancellor of High
Treason: but I find that my Lord Bristoll hath undone himself already in
every body's opinion, and now he endeavours to raise dust to put out other
men's eyes, as well as his own; but I hope it will not take, in
consideration merely that it is hard for a Prince to spare an experienced
old officer, be he never so corrupt; though I hope this man is not so, as
some report him to be. He tells me that Don John is yet alive, and not
killed, as was said, in the great victory against the Spaniards in
Portugall of late. So home, and late at my office. Thence home and to my
musique. This night Mr. Turner's house being to be emptied out of my
cellar, and therefore I think to sit up a little longer than ordinary.
This afternoon, coming from the waterside with Mr. Coventry, I spied my
boy upon Tower Hill playing with the rest of the boys; so I sent W.
Griffin to take him, and he did bring him to me, and so I said nothing to
him, but caused him to be stripped (for he was run away with his best
suit), and so putting on his other, I sent him going, without saying one
word hard to him, though I am troubled for the rogue, though he do not
deserve it. Being come home I find my stomach not well for want of eating
to-day my dinner as I should do, and so am become full of wind. I called
late for some victuals, and so to bed, leaving the men below in the cellar
emptying the vats up through Mr. Turner's own house, and so with more
content to bed late.

8th. Being weary, and going to bed late last night, I slept till 7
o'clock, it raining mighty hard, and so did every minute of the day after
sadly. But I know not what will become of the corn this year, we having
had but two fair days these many months. Up and to my office, where all
the morning busy, and then at noon home to dinner alone upon a good dish
of eeles, given me by Michell, the Bewpers' man, and then to my viall a
little, and then down into the cellar and up and down with Mr. Turner to
see where his vault may be made bigger, or another made him, which I think
may well be. And so to my office, where very busy all day setting things
in order my contract books and preparing things against the next sitting.
In the evening I received letters out of the country, among others from my
wife, who methinks writes so coldly that I am much troubled at it, and I
fear shall have much ado to bring her to her old good temper. So home to
supper and musique, which is all the pleasure I have of late given myself,
or is fit I should, others spending too much time and money. Going in I
stepped to Sir W. Batten, and there staid and talked with him (my Lady
being in the country), and sent for some lobsters, and Mrs. Turner came
in, and did bring us an umble pie hot out of her oven, extraordinary good,
and afterwards some spirits of her making, in which she has great
judgment, very good, and so home, merry with this night's refreshment.

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