Book: Diary of Samuel Pepys, May/June 1663

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12th. Up between four and five, and after dressing myself then to my
office to prepare business against the afternoon, where all the morning,
and dined at noon at home, where a little angry with my wife for minding
nothing now but the dancing-master, having him come twice a day, which is
a folly. Again, to my office. We sat till late, our chief business being
the reconciling the business of the pieces of eight mentioned yesterday
before the Duke of York, wherein I have got the day, and they are all
brought over to what I said, of which I am proud. Late writing letters,
and so home to supper and to bed. Here I found Creed staying for me, and
so after supper I staid him all night and lay with me, our great discourse
being the folly of our two doting knights, of which I am ashamed.

13th. Lay till 6 o'clock and then up, and after a little talk and mirth,
he went away, and I to my office, where busy all the morning, and at noon
home to dinner, and after dinner Pembleton came and I practised. But,
Lord! to see how my wife will not be thought to need telling by me or
Ashwell, and yet will plead that she has learnt but a month, which causes
many short fallings out between us. So to my office, whither one-eyed
Cooper came to see me, and I made him to show me the use of platts, and to
understand the lines, and how to find how lands bear, &c., to my great
content. Then came Mr. Barrow, storekeeper of Chatham, who tells me many
things, how basely Sir W. Batten has carried himself to him, and in all
things else like a passionate dotard, to the King's great wrong. God mend
all, for I am sure we are but in an ill condition in the Navy, however the
King is served in other places. Home to supper, to cards, and to bed.

14th. Up betimes and put up some things to send to Brampton. Then abroad
to the Temple, and up and down about business, and met Mr. Moore; and with
him to an alehouse in Holborn; where in discourse he told me that he fears
the King will be tempted to endeavour the setting the Crown upon the
little Duke, which may cause troubles; which God forbid, unless it be his
due! He told me my Lord do begin to settle to business again, which I am
glad of, for he must not sit out, now he has done his own business by
getting his estate settled, and that the King did send for him the other
day to my Lady Castlemaine's, to play at cards, where he lost L50; for
which I am sorry, though he says my Lord was pleased at it, and said he
would be glad at any time to lose L50 for the King to send for him to
play, which I do not so well like. Thence home, and after dinner to the
office, where we sat till night, and then made up my papers and letters by
the post, and so home to dance with Pembleton. This day we received a
baskett from my sister Pall, made by her of paper, which hath a great deal
of labour in it for country innocent work. After supper to bed, and going
to bed received a letter from Mr. Coventry desiring my coming to him
to-morrow morning, which troubled me to think what the business should be,
fearing it must be some bad news in Tom Hater's business.

15th. Up betimes and walked to St. James's, where Mr. Coventry being in
bed I walked in the Park, discoursing with the keeper of the Pell Mell,
who was sweeping of it; who told me of what the earth is mixed that do
floor the Mall, and that over all there is cockle-shells powdered, and
spread to keep it fast; which, however, in dry weather, turns to dust and
deads the ball. Thence to Mr. Coventry; and sitting by his bedside, he
did tell me that he sent for me to discourse upon my Lord Sandwich's
allowances for his several pays, and what his thoughts are concerning his
demands; which he could not take the freedom to do face to face, it being
not so proper as by me: and did give me a most friendly and ingenuous
account of all; telling me how unsafe, at this juncture, while every
man's, and his actions particularly, are descanted upon, it is either for
him to put the Duke upon doing, or my Lord himself to desire anything
extraordinary, 'specially the King having been so bountifull already;
which the world takes notice of even to some repinings. All which he did
desire me to discourse with my Lord of; which I have undertook to do. We
talked also of our office in general, with which he told me that he was
now-a-days nothing so satisfied as he was wont to be. I confess I told
him things are ordered in that way that we must of necessity break in a
little time a pieces. After done with him about these things, he told me
that for Mr. Hater the Duke's word was in short that he found he had a
good servant, an Anabaptist, and unless he did carry himself more to the
scandal of the office, he would bear with his opinion till he heard
further, which do please me very much. Thence walked to Westminster, and
there up and down in the Hall and the Parliament House all the morning; at
noon by coach to my Lord Crew's, hearing that Lord Sandwich did dine
there; where I told him what had passed between Mr. Coventry and myself;
with which he was contented, though I could perceive not very well
pleased. And I do believe that my Lord do find some other things go
against his mind in the House; for in the motion made the other day in the
House by my Lord Bruce, that none be capable of employment but such as
have been loyal and constant to the King and Church, the General [Monk]
and my Lord were mentioned to be excepted; and my Lord Bruce did come
since to my Lord, to clear himself that he meant nothing to his prejudice,
nor could it have any such effect if he did mean it. After discourse with
my Lord; to dinner with him; there dining there my Lord Montagu of
Boughton, Mr. William Montagu his brother, the Queen's Sollicitor, &c.,
and a fine dinner. Their talk about a ridiculous falling-out two days ago
at my Lord of Oxford's house, at an entertainment of his, there being
there my Lord of Albemarle, Lynsey, two of the Porters, my Lord
Bellasses, and others, where there were high words and some blows, and
pulling off of perriwiggs; till my Lord Monk took away some of their
swords, and sent for some soldiers to guard the house till the fray was
ended. To such a degree of madness the nobility of this age is come!
After dinner I went up to Sir Thomas Crew, who lies there not very well in
his head, being troubled with vapours and fits of dizziness: and there I
sat talking with him all the afternoon from one discourse to another,
the most was upon the unhappy posture of things at this time; that the
King do mind nothing but pleasures, and hates the very sight or thoughts
of business; that my Lady Castlemaine rules him, who, he says, hath all
the tricks of Aretin

[An allusion to Aretin's infamous letters and sonnets accompanying
the as infamous "Postures" engraved by Marc Antonio from the designs
of Julio Romano (Steinman's "Memoir of Barbara, Duchess of
Cleveland," privately printed, 1871).]

that are to be practised to give pleasure. In which he is too able
. . . . but what is the unhappiness in that, as the Italian proverb
says, "lazzo dritto non vuolt consiglio." If any of the sober counsellors
give him good advice, and move him in anything that is to his good and
honour, the other part, which are his counsellers of pleasure, take him
when he is with my Lady Castlemaine, and in a humour of delight, and then
persuade him that he ought not to hear nor listen to the advice of those
old dotards or counsellors that were heretofore his enemies: when, God
knows! it is they that now-a-days do most study his honour. It seems the
present favourites now are my Lord Bristol, Duke of Buckingham, Sir H.
Bennet, my Lord Ashley, and Sir Charles Barkeley; who, among them, have
cast my Lord Chancellor upon his back, past ever getting up again; there
being now little for him to do, and he waits at Court attending to speak
to the King as others do: which I pray God may prove of good effects, for
it is feared it will be the same with my Lord Treasurer shortly. But
strange to hear how my Lord Ashley, by my Lord Bristol's means (he being
brought over to the Catholique party against the Bishopps, whom he hates
to the death, and publicly rails against them; not that he is become a
Catholique, but merely opposes the Bishopps; and yet, for aught I hear,
the Bishopp of London keeps as great with the King as ever) is got into
favour, so much that, being a man of great business and yet of pleasure,
and drolling too, he, it is thought, will be made Lord Treasurer upon the
death or removal of the good old man. My Lord Albemarle, I hear, do bear
through and bustle among them, and will not be removed from the King's
good opinion and favour, though none of the Cabinett; but yet he is envied
enough. It is made very doubtful whether the King do not intend the
making of the Duke of Monmouth legitimate;

[Thomas Ross, Monmouth's tutor, put the idea into his head that
Charles II. had married his mother. The report was sedulously
spread abroad, and obtained some kind of credence, until, in June,
1678, the king set the matter at rest by publishing a declaration,
which was entered in the Council book and registered in Chancery.
The words of the declaration are: "That to avoid any dispute which
might happen in time to come concerning the succession of the Crown,
he (Charles) did declare, in the presence of Almighty God, that he
never gave, nor made any contract of marriage, nor was married to
Mrs. Barlow, alias Waters, the Duke of Monmouth's mother, nor to any
other woman whatsoever, but to his present wife, Queen Catherine,
then living."]

but surely the Commons of England will never do it, nor the Duke of York
suffer it, whose lady, I am told, is very troublesome to him by her
jealousy. But it is wonderful that Sir Charles Barkeley should be so
great still, not [only] with the King, but Duke also; who did so stiffly
swear that he had lain with her.

[The conspiracy of Sir Charles Berkeley, Lord Arran, Jermyn, Talbot,
and Killigrew to traduce Anne Hyde was peculiarly disgraceful, and
the conduct of all the actors in the affair of the marriage, from
Lord Clarendon downwards, was far from creditable (see Lister's
"Life of Clarendon," ii. 68-79)]

And another one Armour that he rode before her on horseback in Holland I
think . . . . No care is observed to be taken of the main chance,
either for maintaining of trade or opposing of factions, which, God knows,
are ready to break out, if any of them (which God forbid!) should dare to
begin; the King and every man about him minding so much their pleasures or
profits. My Lord Hinchingbroke, I am told, hath had a mischance to kill
his boy by his birding-piece going off as he was a-fowling. The gun was
charged with small shot, and hit the boy in the face and about the
temples, and he lived four days. In Scotland, it seems, for all the
newes-books tell us every week that they are all so quiett, and everything
in the Church settled, the old woman had like to have killed, the other
day, the Bishop of Galloway, and not half the Churches of the whole
kingdom conform. Strange were the effects of the late thunder and
lightning about a week since at Northampton, coming with great rain, which
caused extraordinary floods in a few hours, bearing away bridges, drowning
horses, men, and cattle. Two men passing over a bridge on horseback, the
arches before and behind them were borne away, and that left which they
were upon: but, however, one of the horses fell over, and was drowned.
Stacks of faggots carried as high as a steeple, and other dreadful things;
which Sir Thomas Crew showed me letters to him about from Mr. Freemantle
and others, that it is very true. The Portugalls have choused us,

[The word chouse appears to have been introduced into the language
at the beginning of the seventeenth century. In 1609, a Chiaus sent
by Sir Robert Shirley, from Constantinople to London, had chiaused
(or choused) the Turkish and Persian merchants out of L4,000, before
the arrival of his employer, and had decamped. The affair was quite
recent in 1610, when Jonson's "Alchemist" appeared, in which it is
alluded to .]

it seems, in the Island of Bombay, in the East Indys; for after a great
charge of our fleets being sent thither with full commission from the King
of Portugall to receive it, the Governour by some pretence or other will
not deliver it to Sir Abraham Shipman, sent from the King, nor to my Lord
of Marlborough; which the King takes highly ill, and I fear our Queen will
fare the worse for it. The Dutch decay there exceedingly, it being
believed that their people will revolt from them there, and they forced to
give over their trade. This is talked of among us, but how true I
understand not. Sir Thomas showed me his picture and Sir Anthony
Vandike's, in crayon in little, done exceedingly well. Having thus freely
talked with him, and of many more things, I took leave, and by coach to
St. James's, and there told Mr. Coventry what I had done with my Lord with
great satisfaction, and so well pleased home, where I found it almost
night, and my wife and the dancing-master alone above, not dancing but
talking. Now so deadly full of jealousy I am that my heart and head did
so cast about and fret that I could not do any business possibly, but went
out to my office, and anon late home again and ready to chide at every
thing, and then suddenly to bed and could hardly sleep, yet durst not say
any thing, but was forced to say that I had bad news from the Duke
concerning Tom Hater as an excuse to my wife, who by my folly has too much
opportunity given her with the man, who is a pretty neat black
man, but married. But it is a deadly folly and plague that I bring upon
myself to be so jealous and by giving myself such an occasion more than my
wife desired of giving her another month's dancing. Which however shall
be ended as soon as I can possibly. But I am ashamed to think what a
course I did take by lying to see whether my wife did wear drawers to-day
as she used to do, and other things to raise my suspicion of her, but I
found no true cause of doing it.

16th. Up with my mind disturbed and with my last night's doubts upon me,
for which I deserve to be beaten if not really served as I am fearful of
being, especially since God knows that I do not find honesty enough in my
own mind but that upon a small temptation I could be false to her, and
therefore ought not to expect more justice from her, but God pardon both
my sin and my folly herein. To my office and there sitting all the
morning, and at noon dined at home. After dinner comes Pembleton, and I
being out of humour would not see him, pretending business, but, Lord!
with what jealousy did I walk up and down my chamber listening to hear
whether they danced or no, which they did, notwithstanding I afterwards
knew and did then believe that Ashwell was with them. So to my office
awhile, and, my jealousy still reigning, I went in and, not out of any
pleasure but from that only reason, did go up to them to practise, and did
make an end of "La Duchesse," which I think I should, with a little pains,
do very well. So broke up and saw him gone. Then Captain Cocke coming to
me to speak about my seeming discourtesy to him in the business of his
hemp, I went to the office with him, and there discoursed it largely and I
think to his satisfaction. Then to my business, writing letters and other
things till late at night, and so home to supper and bed. My mind in some
better ease resolving to prevent matters for the time to come as much as I
can, it being to no purpose to trouble myself for what is past, being
occasioned too by my own folly.

17th (Lord's day). Up and in my chamber all the morning, preparing my
great letters to my father, stating to him the perfect condition of our
estate. My wife and Ashwell to church, and after dinner they to church
again, and I all the afternoon making an end of my morning's work, which I
did about the evening, and then to talk with my wife till after supper,
and so to bed having another small falling out and myself vexed with my
old fit of jealousy about her dancing-master. But I am a fool for doing
it. So to bed by daylight, I having a very great cold, so as I doubt
whether I shall be able to speak to-morrow at our attending the Duke,
being now so hoarse.

18th. Up and after taking leave of Sir W. Batten, who is gone this day
towards Portsmouth (to little purpose, God knows) upon his survey, I home
and spent the morning at dancing; at noon Creed dined with us and Mr.
Deane Woolwich, and so after dinner came Mr. Howe, who however had enough
for his dinner, and so, having done, by coach to Westminster, she to Mrs.
Clerke and I to St. James's, where the Duke being gone down by water
to-day with the King I went thence to my Lord Sandwich's lodgings, where
Mr. Howe and I walked a while, and going towards Whitehall through the
garden Dr. Clerk and Creed called me across the bowling green, and so I
went thither and after a stay went up to Mrs. Clerke who was dressing
herself to go abroad with my wife. But, Lord! in what a poor condition
her best chamber is, and things about her, for all the outside and show
that she makes, but I found her just such a one as Mrs. Pierce, contrary
to my expectation, so much that I am sick and sorry to see it. Thence for
an hour Creed and I walked to White Hall, and into the Park, seeing the
Queen and Maids of Honour passing through the house going to the Park.
But above all, Mrs. Stuart is a fine woman, and they say now a common
mistress to the King,

[The king said to 'la belle' Stuart, who resisted all his
importunities, that he hoped he should live to see her "ugly and
willing" (Lord Dartmouth's note to Burnet's "Own Time," vol. i.,
p. 436, ed. 1823).]

as my Lady Castlemaine is; which is a great pity. Thence taking a coach
to Mrs. Clerke's, took her, and my wife, and Ashwell, and a Frenchman, a
kinsman of hers, to the Park, where we saw many fine faces, and one
exceeding handsome, in a white dress over her head, with many others very
beautiful. Staying there till past eight at night, I carried Mrs. Clerke
and her Frenchman, who sings well, home, and thence home ourselves,
talking much of what we had observed to-day of the poor household stuff of
Mrs. Clerke and mere show and flutter that she makes in the world; and
pleasing myself in my own house and manner of living more than ever I did
by seeing how much better and more substantially I live than others do.
So to supper and bed.

19th. Up pretty betimes, but yet I observe how my dancing and lying a
morning or two longer than ordinary for my cold do make me hard to rise as
I used to do, or look after my business as I am wont. To my chamber to
make an end of my papers to my father to be sent by the post to-night, and
taking copies of them, which was a great work, but I did it this morning,
and so to my office, and thence with Sir John Minnes to the Tower; and by
Mr. Slingsby, and Mr. Howard, Controller of the Mint, we were shown the
method of making this new money, from the beginning to the end, which is
so pretty that I did take a note of every part of it and set them down by
themselves for my remembrance hereafter. That being done it was dinner
time, and so the Controller would have us dine with him and his company,
the King giving them a dinner every day. And very merry and good
discourse about the business we have been upon, and after dinner went to
the Assay Office and there saw the manner of assaying of gold and silver,
and how silver melted down with gold do part, just being put into
aqua-fortis, the silver turning into water, and the gold lying whole in
the very form it was put in, mixed of gold and silver, which is a miracle;
and to see no silver at all but turned into water, which they can bring
again into itself out of the water. And here I was made thoroughly to
understand the business of the fineness and coarseness of metals, and have
put down my lessons with my other observations therein. At table among
other discourse they told us of two cheats, the best I ever heard. One,
of a labourer discovered to convey away the bits of silver cut out pence
by swallowing them down into his belly, and so they could not find him
out, though, of course, they searched all the labourers; but, having
reason to doubt him, they did, by threats and promises, get him to
confess, and did find L7 of it in his house at one time. The other of one
that got a way of coyning money as good and passable and large as the true
money is, and yet saved fifty per cent. to himself, which was by getting
moulds made to stamp groats like old groats, which is done so well, and I
did beg two of them which I keep for rarities, that there is not better in
the world, and is as good, nay, better than those that commonly go, which
was the only thing that they could find out to doubt them by, besides the
number that the party do go to put off, and then coming to the Comptroller
of the Mint, he could not, I say, find out any other thing to raise any
doubt upon, but only their being so truly round or near it, though I
should never have doubted the thing neither. He was neither hanged nor
burned, the cheat was thought so ingenious, and being the first time they
could ever trap him in it, and so little hurt to any man in it, the money
being as good as commonly goes. Thence to the office till the evening, we
sat, and then by water (taking Pembleton with us), over the water to the
Halfway House, where we played at nine-pins, and there my damned jealousy
took fire, he and my wife being of a side and I seeing of him take her by
the hand in play, though I now believe he did [it] only in passing and
sport. Thence home and being 10 o'clock was forced to land beyond the
Custom House, and so walked home and to my office, and having dispatched
my great letters by the post to my father, of which I keep copies to show
by me and for my future understanding, I went home to supper and bed,
being late. The most observables in the making of money which I observed
to-day, is the steps of their doing it.

1. Before they do anything they assay the bullion, which is done, if it be
gold, by taking an equal weight of that and of silver, of each a small
weight, which they reckon to be six ounces or half a pound troy; this they
wrap up in within lead. If it be silver, they put such a quantity of that
alone and wrap it up in lead, and then putting them into little earthen
cupps made of stuff like tobacco pipes, and put them into a burning hot
furnace, where, after a while, the whole body is melted, and at last the
lead in both is sunk into the body of the cupp, which carries away all the
copper or dross with it, and left the pure gold and silver embodyed
together, of that which hath both been put into the cupp together, and the
silver alone in these where it was put alone in the leaden case. And to
part the silver and the gold in the first experiment, they put the mixed
body into a glass of aqua-fortis, which separates them by spitting out the
silver into such small parts that you cannot tell what it becomes, but
turns into the very water and leaves the gold at the bottom clear of
itself, with the silver wholly spit out, and yet the gold in the form that
it was doubled together in when it was a mixed body of gold and silver,
which is a great mystery; and after all this is done to get the silver
together out of the water is as strange. But the nature of the assay is
thus: the piece of gold that goes into the furnace twelve ounces, if it
comes out again eleven ounces, and the piece of silver which goes in
twelve and comes out again eleven and two pennyweight, are just of the
alloy of the standard of England. If it comes out, either of them, either
the gold above eleven, as very fine will sometimes within very little of
what it went in, or the silver above eleven and two pennyweight, as that
also will sometimes come out eleven and ten penny weight or more, they are
so much above the goodness of the standard, and so they know what
proportion of worse gold and silver to put to such a quantity of the
bullion to bring it to the exact standard. And on the contrary, [if] it
comes out lighter, then such a weight is beneath the standard, and so
requires such a proportion of fine metal to be put to the bullion to bring
it to the standard, and this is the difference of good and bad, better and
worse than the standard, and also the difference of standards, that of
Seville being the best and that of Mexico worst, and I think they said
none but Seville is better than ours.

2. They melt it into long plates, which, if the mould do take ayre, then
the plate is not of an equal heaviness in every part of it, as it often
falls out.

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