dinner, where Betty Turner dined with us, and after dinner carried my
wife, her and Deb. to the 'Change, where they bought some things, while I
bought "The Mayden Queene," a play newly printed, which I like at the
King's house so well, of Mr. Dryden's, which he himself, in his preface,
seems to brag of, and indeed is a good play. So home again, and I late at
the office and did much business, and then home to supper and to bed.
19th (Lord's day). My wife the last night very ill of those, and waked me
early, and hereupon I up and to church, where a dull sermon by our
lecturer, and so home to dinner in my wife's chamber, which she is a
little better. Then after dinner with Captain Perryman down to Redriffe,
and so walked to Deptford, where I sent for Mr. Shish out of the Church to
advise about my vessel, "The Maybolt," and I do resolve to sell,
presently, for any thing rather than keep her longer, having already lost
L100 in her value, which I was once offered and refused, and the ship left
without any body to look to her, which vexes me. Thence Perryman and I
back again, talking of the great miscarriages in the Navy, and among the
principal that of having gentlemen commanders. I shall hereafter make use
of his and others' help to reckon up and put down in writing what is fit
to be mended in the Navy after all our sad experience therein. So home,
and there sat with my wife all the evening, and Mr. Pelting awhile talking
with us, who tells me that my Lord Shrewsbury is likely to do well, after
his great wound in the late dwell. He gone, comes W. Hewer and supped
with me, and so to talk of things, and he tells me that Mr. Jessop is made
Secretary to the Commissions of Parliament for Accounts, and I am glad,
and it is pretty to see that all the Cavalier party were not able to find
the Parliament nine Commissioners, or one Secretary, fit for the business.
So he gone, I to read a little in my chamber, and so to bed.
20th. Up, and all the morning at the office very busy, and at noon by
coach to Westminster, to the 'Chequer, about a warrant for Tangier money.
In my way both coming and going I did stop at Drumbleby's, the pipe-maker,
there to advise about the making of a flageolet to go low and soft; and he
do shew me a way which do do, and also a fashion of having two pipes of
the same note fastened together, so as I can play on one, and then echo it
upon the other, which is mighty pretty. So to my Lord Crew's to dinner,
where we hear all the good news of our making a league now with Holland
against the French power coming over them, or us which is the first good
act that hath been done a great while, and done secretly, and with great
seeming wisdom; and is certainly good for us at this time, while we are in
no condition to resist the French, if they should come over hither; and
then a little time of peace will give us time to lay up something, which
these Commissioners of the Treasury are doing; and the world do begin to
see that they will do the King's work for him, if he will let them. Here
dined Mr. Case, the minister, who, Lord! do talk just as I remember he
used to preach, and did tell a pretty story of a religious lady, Queen of
Navarre;
[Marguerite de Valois, Queen of Navarre, sister of Francis I. of
France. The "pretty story" was doubtless from her "Heptameron," a
work imitating in title and matter the "Decameron" of Boccaccio.
She is said to be the heroine of some of the adventures. It is fair
to add that she wrote also the "Miroir dune Ame Pecheresse,"
translated into English by Queen Elizabeth, the title of whose book
was "A Godly Medytacyon of the Christian Soules," published by John
Bale in 1548.--B.]
and my Lord also told a good story of Mr. Newman, the Minister in New
England, who wrote the Concordance, of his foretelling his death and
preaching a funeral sermon, and did at last bid the angels do their
office, and died. It seems there is great presumption that there will be
a Toleration granted: so that the Presbyterians do hold up their heads;
but they will hardly trust the King or the Parliament what to yield them,
though most of the sober party be for some kind of allowance to be given
them. Thence and home, and then to the 'Change in the evening, and there
Mr. Cade told me how my Lord Gerard is likely to meet with trouble, the
next sitting of Parliament, about [Carr] being set in the pillory; and I
am glad of it; and it is mighty acceptable to the world to hear, that,
among other reductions, the King do reduce his Guards, which do please
mightily. So to my bookbinder's with my boy, and there did stay late to
see two or three things done that I had a mind to see done, and among
others my Tangier papers of accounts, and so home to supper and to bed.
21st. Up, and while at the office comes news from Kate Joyce that if I
would see her husband alive, I must come presently. So, after the office
was up, I to him, and W. Hewer with me, and find him in his sick bed (I
never was at their house, this Inne, before) very sensible in discourse
and thankful for my kindness to him, and his breath rattled in his
throate, and they did lay pigeons to his feet while I was in the house,
and all despair of him, and with good reason. But the story is that it
seems on Thursday last he went sober and quiet out of doors in the morning
to Islington, and behind one of the inns, the White Lion, did fling
himself into a pond, was spied by a poor woman and got out by some people
binding up hay in a barn there, and set on his head and got to life, and
known by a woman coming that way; and so his wife and friends sent for.
He confessed his doing the thing, being led by the Devil; and do declare
his reason to be, his trouble that he found in having forgot to serve God
as he ought, since he come to this new employment: and I believe that, and
the sense of his great loss by the fire, did bring him to it, and so
everybody concludes. He stayed there all that night, and come home by
coach next morning, and there grew sick, and worse and worse to this day.
I stayed awhile among the friends that were there, and they being now in
fear that the goods and estate would be seized on, though he lived all
this while, because of his endeavouring to drown himself, my cozen did
endeavour to remove what she could of plate out of the house, and desired
me to take my flagons; which I was glad of, and did take them away with me
in great fear all the way of being seized; though there was no reason for
it, he not being dead, but yet so fearful I was. So home, and there eat
my dinner, and busy all the afternoon, and troubled at this business. In
the evening with Sir D. Gawden, to Guild Hall, to advise with the
Towne-Clerke about the practice of the City and nation in this case: and
he thinks that it cannot be found self-murder; but if it be, it will fall,
all the estate, to the King. So we parted, and I to my cozens again;
where I no sooner come but news was brought down from his chamber that he
was departed. So, at their entreaty, I presently took coach to White
Hall, and there find Sir W. Coventry; and he carried me to the King, the
Duke of York being with him, and there told my story which I had told him:
[This was not the only time that Pepys took trouble to save the
estate of a friend who had committed suicide. In the "Caveat Book"
in the Record Office, p. 42 of the volume for 1677, is the following
entry: "That no grant pass of the Estate of Francis Gurney of Maldon
in Essex, who drowned himself in his own well on Tuesday night ye
12th of this instant August, at the desire of Samuel Pepys, Esquire,
August 20, 1677."]
and the King, without more ado, granted that, if it was found, the estate
should be to the widow and children. I presently to each Secretary's
office, and there left caveats, and so away back again to my cozens,
leaving a chimney on fire at White Hall, in the King's closet; but no
danger. And so, when I come thither, I find her all in sorrow, but she
and the rest mightily pleased with my doing this for them; and, indeed, it
was a very great courtesy, for people are looking out for the estate, and
the coroner will be sent to, and a jury called to examine his death. This
being well done to my and their great joy, I home, and there to my office,
and so to supper and to bed.
22nd. Up, mightily busy all the morning at the office. At noon with Lord
Brouncker to Sir D. Gawden's, at the Victualling-Office, to dinner, where
I have not dined since he was Sheriff: He expected us; and a good dinner,
and much good company; and a fine house, and especially two rooms, very
fine, he hath built there. His lady a good lady; but my Lord led himself
and me to a great absurdity in kissing all the ladies, but the finest of
all the company, leaving her out, I know not how; and I was loath to do
it, since he omitted it. Here little Chaplin dined, who is like to be
Sheriff the next year; and a pretty humoured little man he is. I met here
with Mr. Talents, the younger, of Magdalene College, Chaplain here to the
Sheriff; which I was glad to see, though not much acquainted with him.
This day come the first demand from the Commissioners of Accounts to us,
and it contains more than we shall ever be able to answer while we live,
and I do foresee we shall be put to much trouble and some shame, at least
some of us. Thence stole away after dinner to my cozen Kate's, and there
find the Crowner's jury sitting, but they could not end it, but put off
the business to Shrove Tuesday next, and so do give way to the burying of
him, and that is all; but they all incline to find it a natural death,
though there are mighty busy people to have it go otherwise, thinking to
get his estate, but are mistaken. Thence, after sitting with her and
company a while, comforting her: though I can find she can, as all other
women, cry, and yet talk of other things all in a breath. So home, and
thereto cards with my wife, Deb., and Betty Turner, and Batelier, and
after supper late to sing. But, Lord! how did I please myself to make
Betty Turner sing, to see what a beast she is as to singing, not knowing
how to sing one note in tune; but, only for the experiment, I would not
for 40s. hear her sing a tune: worse than my wife a thousand times, so
that it do a little reconcile me to her. So late to bed.
23rd. At the Office all the morning; and at noon find the Bishop of
Lincolne come to dine with us; and after him comes Mr. Brisband; and there
mighty good company. But the Bishop a very extraordinary good-natured
man, and one that is mightily pleased, as well as I am, that I live so
near Bugden, the seat of his bishopricke, where he is like to reside: and,
indeed, I am glad of it. In discourse, we think ourselves safe for this
year, by this league with Holland, which pleases every body, and, they
say, vexes France; insomuch that D'Estrades; the French Embassador in
Holland, when he heard it, told the States that he would have them not
forget that his master is at the head of 100,000 men, and is but 28 years
old; which was a great speech. The Bishop tells me he thinks that the
great business of Toleration will not, notwithstanding this talk, be
carried this Parliament; nor for the King's taking away the Deans' and
Chapters' lands to supply his wants, they signifying little to him, if he
had them, for his present service. He gone, I mightily pleased with his
kindness, I to the office, where busy till night, and then to Mrs.
Turner's, where my wife, and Deb., and I, and Batelier spent the night,
and supped, and played at cards, and very merry, and so I home to bed.
She is either a very prodigal woman, or richer than she would be thought,
by her buying of the best things, and laying out much money in
new-fashioned pewter; and, among other things, a new-fashioned case for a
pair of snuffers, which is very pretty; but I could never have guessed
what it was for, had I not seen the snuffers in it.
24th. Up before day to my Tangier accounts, and then out and to a
Committee of Tangier, where little done but discourse about reduction of
the charge of the garrison, and thence to Westminster about orders at the
Exchequer, and at the Swan I drank, and there met with a pretty ingenious
young Doctor of physic, by chance, and talked with him, and so home to
dinner, and after dinner carried my wife to the Temple, and thence she to
a play, and I to St. Andrew's church, in Holburne, at the 'Quest House,
where the company meets to the burial of my cozen Joyce; and here I staid
with a very great rabble of four or five hundred people of mean condition,
and I staid in the room with the kindred till ready to go to church, where
there is to be a sermon of Dr. Stillingfleete, and thence they carried him
to St. Sepulchre's. But it being late, and, indeed, not having a black
cloak to lead her [Kate Joyce] with, or follow the corps, I away, and saw,
indeed, a very great press of people follow the corps. I to the King's
playhouse, to fetch my wife, and there saw the best part of "The Mayden
Queene," which, the more I see, the more I love, and think one of the best
plays I ever saw, and is certainly the best acted of any thing ever the
House did, and particularly Becke Marshall, to admiration. Found my wife
and Deb., and saw many fine ladies, and sat by Colonell Reames, who
understands and loves a play as well as I, and I love him for it. And so
thence home; and, after being at the Office, I home to supper, and to bed,
my eyes being very bad again with overworking with them.
25th. Up, and to the office, where busy all the morning, and then at noon
to the 'Change with Mr. Hater, and there he and I to a tavern to meet
Captain Minors, which we did, and dined; and there happened to be Mr.
Prichard, a ropemaker of his acquaintance, and whom I know also, and did
once mistake for a fiddler, which sung well, and I asked him for such a
song that I had heard him sing, and after dinner did fall to discourse
about the business of the old contract between the King and the East India
Company for the ships of the King that went thither, and about this did
beat my brains all the afternoon, and then home and made an end of the
accounts to my great content, and so late home tired and my eyes sore, to
supper and to bed.
26th (Lord's day). Up, and with my wife to Church, and at noon home to
dinner. No strangers there; and all the afternoon and evening very late
doing serious business of my Tangier accounts, and examining my East India
accounts, with Mr. Poynter, whom I employed all this day, to transcribe it
fair; and so to supper, W. Hewer with us, and so the girl to comb my head
till I slept, and then to bed.
27th. It being weather like the beginning of a frost and the ground dry,
I walked as far as the Temple, and there took coach and to White Hall, but
the Committee not being met I to Westminster, and there I do hear of the
letter that is in the pamphlet this day of the King of France, declaring
his design to go on against Flanders, and the grounds of it, which do set
us mightily at rest. So to White Hall, and there a committee of Tangier,
but little done there, only I did get two or three little jobs done to the
perfecting two or three papers about my Tangier accounts. Here Mr. Povy
do tell me how he is like to lose his L400 a-year pension of the Duke of
York, which he took in consideration of his place which was taken from
him. He tells me the Duchesse is a devil against him, and do now come
like Queen Elizabeth, and sits with the Duke of York's Council, and sees
what they do; and she crosses out this man's wages and prices, as she sees
fit, for saving money; but yet, he tells me, she reserves L5000 a-year for
her own spending; and my Lady Peterborough, by and by, tells me that the
Duchesse do lay up, mightily, jewells. Thence to my Lady Peterborough's,
she desiring to speak with me. She loves to be taken dressing herself, as
I always find her; and there, after a little talk, to please her, about
her husband's pension, which I do not think he will ever get again, I away
thence home, and all the afternoon mighty busy at the office, and late,
preparing a letter to the Commissioners of Accounts, our first letter to
them, and so home to supper, where Betty Turner was (whose brother Frank
did set out toward the East Indies this day, his father and mother gone
down with him to Gravesend), and there was her little brother Moses, whom
I examined, and he is a pretty good scholar for a child, and so after
supper to talk and laugh, and to bed.
28th. Up, and to the office, and there with W. Griffin talking about
getting the place to build a coach-house, or to hire one, which I now do
resolve to have, and do now declare it; for it is plainly for my benefit
for saving money. By and by the office sat, and there we concluded on our
letter to the Commissioners of Accounts and to the several officers of
ours about the work they are to do to answer their late great demands. At
noon home to dinner, and after dinner set my wife and girl down at the
Exchange, and I to White Hall; and, by and by, the Duke of York comes, and
we had a little meeting, Anglesey, W. Pen, and I there, and none else:
and, among other things, did discourse of the want of discipline in the
fleete, which the Duke' of York confessed, and yet said that he, while he
was there, did keep it in a good measure, but that it was now lost when he
was absent; but he will endeavour to have it again. That he did tell the
Prince and Duke of Albemarle they would lose all order by making such and
such men commanders, which they would, because they were stout men: he
told them that it was a reproach to the nation, as if there were no sober
men among us, that were stout, to be had. That they did put out some men
for cowards that the Duke of York had put in, but little before, for stout
men; and would now, were he to go to sea again, entertain them in his own
division, to choose: and did put in an idle fellow, Greene, who was hardly
thought fit for a boatswain by him: they did put him from being a
lieutenant to a captain's place of a second-rate ship; as idle a drunken
fellow, he said, as any was in the fleete. That he will now desire the
King to let him be what he is, that is, Admirall; and he will put in none
but those that he hath great reason to think well of; and particularly
says, that; though he likes Colonell Legg well, yet his son that was, he
knows not how, made a captain after he had been but one voyage at sea, he
should go to sea another apprenticeship, before ever he gives him a
command. We did tell him of the many defects and disorders among the
captains, and I prayed we might do it in writing to him, which he liked;
and I am glad of an opportunity of doing it. Thence away, and took up
wife and girl, and home, and to the office, busy late, and so to supper
and to bed. My wife this day hears from her father and mother: they are
in France, at Paris; he, poor good man! I think he is, gives her good
counsel still, which I always observed of him, and thankful for my small
charities to him. I could be willing to do something for them, were I
sure not to bring them over again hither. Coming home, my wife and I went
and saw Kate Joyce, who is still in mighty sorrow, and the more from
something that Dr. Stillingfleete should simply say in his sermon, of her
husband's manner of dying, as killing himself.
29th. Up betimes, and by coach to Sir W. Coventry, whom I found in his
chamber, and there stayed an hour and talked with him about several things
of the Navy, and our want of money, which they indeed do supply us with a
little, but in no degree likely to enable us to go on with the King's
service. He is at a stand where to have more, and is in mighty pain for
it, declaring that he believes there never was a kingdom so governed as
this was in the time of the late Chancellor and the Treasurer, nobody
minding or understanding any thing how things went or what the King had in
his Treasury, or was to have, nothing in the world of it minded. He tells
me that there are still people desirous to overthrow him; he resolving to
stick at nothing nor no person that stands in his way against bringing the
King out of debt, be it to retrench any man's place or profit, and that he
cares not, for rather than be employed under the King, and have the King
continue in this condition of indigence, he desires to be put out from
among them, thinking it no honour to be a minister in such a government.
He tells me he hath no friends in the whole Court but my Lord Keeper and
Sir John Duncomb. He tells me they have reduced the charges of Ireland
above L70,000 a-year, and thereby cut off good profits from my Lord
Lieutenant; which will make a new enemy, but he cares not. He tells me
that Townsend, of the Wardrobe, is the eeriest knave and bufflehead that
ever he saw in his life, and wonders how my Lord Sandwich come to trust
such a fellow, and that now Reames and--------are put in to be overseers
there, and do great things, and have already saved a great deal of money
in the King's liverys, and buy linnen so cheap, that he will have them buy
the next cloth he hath, for shirts. But then this is with ready money,
which answers all. He do not approve of my letter I drew and the office
signed yesterday to the Commissioners of Accounts, saying that it is a
little too submissive, and grants a little too much and too soon our bad
managements, though we lay on want of money, yet that it will be time
enough to plead it when they object it. Which was the opinion of my Lord
Anglesey also; so I was ready to alter it, and did so presently, going
from him home, and there transcribed it fresh as he would have it, and got
it signed, and to White Hall presently and shewed it him, and so home, and
there to dinner, and after dinner all the afternoon and till 12 o'clock at
night with Mr. Gibson at home upon my Tangier accounts, and did end them
fit to be given the last of them to the Auditor to-morrow, to my great
content. This evening come Betty Turner and the two Mercers, and W.
Batelier, and they had fiddlers, and danced, and kept a quarter,--[A term
for making a noise or disturbance.]--which pleased me, though it disturbed
me; but I could not be with them at all. Mr. Gibson lay at my house all
night, it was so late.
30th. Up, it being fast day for the King's death, and so I and Mr. Gibson
by water to the Temple, and there all the morning with Auditor Wood, and I
did deliver in the whole of my accounts and run them over in three hours
with full satisfaction, and so with great content thence, he and I, and
our clerks, and Mr. Clerke, the solicitor, to a little ordinary in
Hercules-pillars Ally--the Crowne, a poor, sorry place, where a fellow, in
twelve years, hath gained an estate of, as he says, L600 a-year, which is
very strange, and there dined, and had a good dinner, and very good
discourse between them, old men belonging to the law, and here I first
heard that my cozen Pepys, of Salisbury Court, was Marshal to my Lord
Cooke when he was Lord Chief justice; which beginning of his I did not
know to be so low: but so it was, it seems. After dinner I home, calling
at my bookbinder's, but he not within. When come home, I find Kate Joyce
hath been there, with sad news that her house stands not in the King's
liberty, but the Dean of Paul's; and so, if her estate be forfeited, it
will not be in the King's power to do her any good. So I took coach and
to her, and there found her in trouble, as I cannot blame her. But I do
believe this arises from somebody that hath a mind to fright her into a
composition for her estate, which I advise her against; and, indeed, I do
desire heartily to be able to do her service, she being, methinks, a piece
of care I ought to take upon me, for our fathers' and friends' sake, she
being left alone, and no friend so near as me, or so able to help her.
After having given her my advice, I home, and there to my office and did
business, and hear how the Committee for Accounts are mighty active and
likely to examine every thing, but let them do their worst I am to be
before them with our contract books to-morrow. So home from the office,
to supper, and to bed.