Book: Diary of Samuel Pepys, March/April 1661/62
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Samuel Pepys >> Diary of Samuel Pepys, March/April 1661/62
22nd. After taking leave of my wife, which we could hardly do kindly,
because of her mind to go along with me, Sir W. Pen and I took coach and
so over the bridge to Lambeth, W. Bodham and Tom Hewet going as clerks to
Sir W. Pen, and my Will for me. Here we got a dish of buttered eggs, and
there staid till Sir G. Carteret came to us from White Hall, who brought
Dr. Clerke with him, at which I was very glad, and so we set out, and I
was very much pleased with his company, and were very merry all the way
. . . . We came to Gilford and there passed our time in the garden,
cutting of sparagus for supper, the best that ever I eat in my life but in
the house last year. Supped well, and the Doctor and I to bed together,
calling cozens from his name and my office.
23d. Up early, and to Petersfield, and there dined well; and thence got
a countryman to guide us by Havant, to avoid going through the Forest; but
he carried us much out of the way, and upon our coming we sent away an
express to Sir W. Batten to stop his coming, which I did project to make
good my oath, that my wife should come if any of our wives came, which my
Lady Batten did intend to do with her husband. The Doctor and I lay
together at Wiard's, the chyrurgeon's, in Portsmouth, his wife a very
pretty woman. We lay very well and merrily; in the morning, concluding
him to be of the eldest blood and house of the Clerkes, because that all
the fleas came to him and not to me.
24th. Up and to Sir G. Carteret's lodgings at Mrs. Stephens's, where we
keep our table all the time we are here. Thence all of us to the
Pay-house; but the books not being ready, we went to church to the
lecture, where there was my Lord Ormond and Manchester, and much London
company, though not so much as I expected. Here we had a very good sermon
upon this text: "In love serving one another;" which pleased me very well.
No news of the Queen at all. So to dinner; and then to the Pay all the
afternoon. Then W. Pen and I walked to the King's Yard, and there lay at
Mr. Tippets's, where exceeding well treated.
25th. All the morning at Portsmouth, at the Pay, and then to dinner, and
again to the Pay; and at night got the Doctor to go lie with me, and much
pleased with his company; but I was much troubled in my eyes, by reason of
the healths I have this day been forced to drink.
26th. Sir George' and I, and his clerk Mr. Stephens, and Mr. Holt our
guide, over to Gosport; and so rode to Southampton. In our way, besides
my Lord Southampton's' parks and lands, which in one view we could see
L6,000 per annum, we observed a little church-yard, where the graves are
accustomed to be all sowed with sage.
[Gough says, "It is the custom at this day all over Wales to strew
the graves, both within and without the church, with green herbs,
branches of box, flowers, rushes, and flags, for one year, after
which such as can afford it lay down a stone."--Brand's Popular
Antiquities, edited W. C. Hazlitt, vol. ii., p. 218.]
At Southampton we went to the Mayor's and there dined, and had sturgeon of
their own catching the last week, which do not happen in twenty years, and
it was well ordered. They brought us also some caveare, which I attempted
to order, but all to no purpose, for they had neither given it salt
enough, nor are the seedes of the roe broke, but are all in berryes. The
towne is one most gallant street, and is walled round with stone, &c., and
Bevis's picture upon one of the gates; many old walls of religious houses,
and the key, well worth seeing. After dinner to horse again, being in
nothing troubled but the badness of my hat, which I borrowed to save my
beaver. Home by night and wrote letters to London, and so with Sir W. Pen
to the Dock to bed.
27th (Sunday). Sir W. Pen got trimmed before me, and so took the coach to
Portsmouth to wait on my Lord Steward to church, and sent the coach for me
back again. So I rode to church, and met my Lord Chamberlain upon the
walls of the garrison, who owned and spoke to me. I followed him in the
crowd of gallants through the Queen's lodgings to chappell; the rooms
being all rarely furnished, and escaped hardly being set on fire
yesterday. At chappell we had a most excellent and eloquent sermon. And
here I spoke and saluted Mrs. Pierce, but being in haste could not learn
of her where her lodgings are, which vexes me. Thence took Ned Pickering
to dinner with us, and the two Marshes, father and Son, dined with us, and
very merry. After dinner Sir W. Batten and I, the Doctor, and Ned
Pickering by coach to the Yard, and there on board the Swallow in the dock
hear our navy chaplain preach a sad sermon, full of nonsense and false
Latin; but prayed for the Right Honourable the principal officers.
[Principal officers of the navy, of which body Pepys was one as
Clerk of the Acts.]
After sermon took him to Mr. Tippets's to drink a glass of wine, and so at
4 back again by coach to Portsmouth, and then visited the Mayor, Mr.
Timbrell, our anchor-smith, who showed us the present they have for the
Queen; which is a salt-sellar of silver, the walls christall, with four
eagles and four greyhounds standing up at the top to bear up a dish; which
indeed is one of the neatest pieces of plate that ever I saw, and the case
is very pretty also.
[A salt-cellar answering this description is preserved at the
Tower.]
This evening came a merchantman in the harbour, which we hired at London
to carry horses to Portugall; but, Lord! what running there was to the
seaside to hear what news, thinking it had come from the Queen. In the
evening Sir George, Sir W. Pen and I walked round the walls, and thence we
two with the Doctor to the yard, and so to supper and to bed.
28th. The Doctor and I begun philosophy discourse exceeding pleasant. He
offers to bring me into the college of virtuosoes--[The Royal
Society.]--and my Lord Brouncker's acquaintance, and to show me some
anatomy, which makes me very glad; and I shall endeavour it when I come to
London. Sir W. Pen much troubled upon letters came last night. Showed me
one of Dr. Owen's
[John Owen, D.D., a learned Nonconformist divine, and a voluminous
theological writer, born 1616, made Dean of Christ Church in 1653 by
the Parliament, and ejected in 1659-60. He died at Ealing in 1683.]
to his son,--[William Penn, the celebrated Quaker.]--whereby it appears
his son is much perverted in his opinion by him; which I now perceive is
one thing that hath put Sir William so long off the hooks. By coach to
the Pay-house, and so to work again, and then to dinner, and to it again,
and so in the evening to the yard, and supper and bed.
29th. At the pay all the morning, and so to dinner; and then to it again
in the afternoon, and after our work was done, Sir G. Carteret, Sir W. Pen
and I walked forth, and I spied Mrs. Pierce and another lady passing by.
So I left them and went to the ladies, and walked with them up and down,
and took them to Mrs. Stephens, and there gave them wine and sweetmeats,
and were very merry; and then comes the Doctor, and we carried them by
coach to their lodging, which was very poor, but the best they could get,
and such as made much mirth among us. So I appointed one to watch when
the gates of the town were ready to be shut, and to give us notice; and so
the Doctor and I staid with them playing and laughing, and at last were
forced to bid good night for fear of being locked into the town all night.
So we walked to the yard, designing how to prevent our going to London
tomorrow, that we might be merry with these ladies, which I did. So to
supper and merrily to bed.
30th. This morning Sir G. Carteret came down to the yard, and there we
mustered over all the men and determined of some regulations in the yard,
and then to dinner, all the officers of the yard with us, and after dinner
walk to Portsmouth, there to pay off the Success, which we did pretty
early, and so I took leave of Sir W. Pen, he desiring to know whither I
went, but I would not tell him. I went to the ladies, and there took them
and walked to the Mayor's to show them the present, and then to the Dock,
where Mr. Tippets made much of them, and thence back again, the Doctor
being come to us to their lodgings, whither came our supper by my
appointment, and we very merry, playing at cards and laughing very merry
till 12 o'clock at night, and so having staid so long (which we had
resolved to stay till they bade us be gone), which yet they did not do but
by consent, we bade them good night, and so past the guards, and went to
the Doctor's lodgings, and there lay with him, our discourse being much
about the quality of the lady with Mrs. Pierce, she being somewhat old and
handsome, and painted and fine, and had a very handsome maid with her,
which we take to be the marks of a bawd. But Mrs. Pierce says she is a
stranger to her and met by chance in the coach, and pretends to be a
dresser. Her name is Eastwood. So to sleep in a bad bed about one
o'clock in the morning. This afternoon after dinner comes Mr. Stephenson,
one of the burgesses of the town, to tell me that the Mayor and burgesses
did desire my acceptance of a burgess-ship, and were ready at the Mayor's
to make me one. So I went, and there they were all ready, and did with
much civility give me my oath, and after the oath, did by custom shake me
all by the hand. So I took them to a tavern and made them drink, and
paying the reckoning, went away. They having first in the tavern made Mr.
Waith also a burgess, he coming in while we were drinking. It cost me a
piece in gold to the Town Clerk, and 10s. to the Bayliffes, and spent 6s.
ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS:
After taking leave of my wife, which we could hardly do kindly
Agreed at L3 a year (she would not serve under)
All the fleas came to him and not to me
Badge of slavery upon the whole people (taxes)
Did much insist upon the sin of adultery
Discoursed much against a man's lying with his wife in Lent
Fearing that Sarah would continue ill, wife and I removed
Parliament hath voted 2s. per annum for every chimney in England
Peruques of hair, as the fashion now is for ladies to wear
Raising of our roofs higher to enlarge our houses
See a dead man lie floating upon the waters
Sermon; but, it being a Presbyterian one, it was so long
To Mr. Holliard's in the morning, thinking to be let blood
Up early and took my physique; it wrought all the morning well
Whether he would have me go to law or arbitracon with him
Whether she suspected anything or no I know not