chamber; where, among other things, he come to me, and told me that he had
received my yesterday's letters, and that we concurred very well in our
notions; and that, as to my place which I had offered to resign of the
Victualling, he had drawn up a letter at the same time for the Duke of
York's signing for the like places in general raised during this war; and
that he had done me right to the Duke of York, to let him know that I had,
of my own accord, offered to resign mine. The letter do bid us to do all
things, particularizing several, for the laying up of the ships, and
easing the King of charge; so that the war is now professedly over. By and
by up to the Duke of York's chamber; and there all the talk was about
Jordan's coming with so much indiscretion, with his four little frigates
and sixteen fire-ships from Harwich, to annoy the enemy. His failures
were of several sorts, I know not which the truest: that he come with so
strong a gale of wind, that his grapplings would not hold; that he did
come by their lee; whereas if he had come athwart their hawse, they would
have held; that they did not stop a tide, and come up with a windward
tide, and then they would not have come so fast. Now, there happened to
be Captain Jenifer by, who commanded the Lily in this business, and thus
says that, finding the Dutch not so many as they expected, they did not
know but that there were more of them above, and so were not so earnest to
the setting upon these; that they did do what they could to make the
fire-ships fall in among the enemy; and, for their lives, neither Sir J.
Jordan nor others could, by shooting several times at them, make them go
in; and it seems they were commanded by some idle fellows, such as they
could of a sudden gather up at Harwich; which is a sad consideration that,
at such a time as this, where the saving the reputation of the whole
nation lay at stake, and after so long a war, the King had not credit to
gather a few able men to command these vessels. He says, that if they had
come up slower, the enemy would, with their boats and their great sloops,
which they have to row with a great many men, they would, and did, come
and cut up several of our fireships, and would certainly have taken most
of them, for they do come with a great provision of these boats on
purpose, and to save their men, which is bravely done of them, though they
did, on this very occasion, shew great fear, as they say, by some men
leaping overboard out of a great ship, as these were all of them of sixty
and seventy guns a-piece, which one of our fireships laid on board, though
the fire did not take. But yet it is brave to see what care they do take
to encourage their men to provide great stores of boats to save them,
while we have not credit to find one boat for a ship. And, further, he
told us that this new way used by Deane, and this Sir W. Coventry observed
several times, of preparing of fire-ships, do not do the work; for the
fire, not being strong and quick enough to flame up, so as to take the
rigging and sails, lies smothering a great while, half an hour before it
flames, in which time they can get her off safely, though, which is
uncertain, and did fail in one or two this bout, it do serve to burn our
own ships. But what a shame it is to consider how two of our ships'
companies did desert their ships for fear of being taken by their boats,
our little frigates being forced to leave them, being chased by their
greater! And one more company did set their ship on fire, and leave her;
which afterwards a Feversham fisherman come up to, and put out the fire,
and carried safe into Feversham, where she now is, which was observed by
the Duke of York, and all the company with him, that it was only want of
courage, and a general dismay and abjectness of spirit upon all our men;
and others did observe our ill management, and God Almighty's curse upon
all that we have in hand, for never such an opportunity was of destroying
so many good ships of theirs as we now had. But to see how negligent we
were in this business, that our fleete of Jordan's should not have any
notice where Spragg was, nor Spragg of Jordan's, so as to be able to meet
and join in the business, and help one another; but Jordan, when he saw
Spragg's fleete above, did think them to be another part of the enemy's
fleete! While, on the other side, notwithstanding our people at Court
made such a secret of Jordan's design that nobody must know it, and even
this Office itself must not know it; nor for my part I did not, though Sir
W. Batten says by others' discourse to him he had heard something of it;
yet De Ruyter, or he that commanded this fleete, had notice of it, and
told it to a fisherman of ours that he took and released on Thursday last,
which was the day before our fleete came to him. But then, that, that
seems most to our disgrace, and which the Duke of York did take special
and vehement notice of, is, that when the Dutch saw so many fire-ships
provided for them, themselves lying, I think, about the Nore, they did
with all their great ships, with a North-east wind, as I take it they
said, but whatever it was, it was a wind that we should not have done it
with, turn down to the Middle-ground; which the Duke of York observed,
never was nor would have been undertaken by ourselves. And whereas some
of the company answered, it was their great fear, not their choice that
made them do it, the Duke of York answered, that it was, it may be, their
fear and wisdom that made them do it; but yet their fear did not make them
mistake, as we should have done, when we have had no fear upon us, and
have run our ships on ground. And this brought it into my mind, that they
managed their retreat down this difficult passage, with all their fear,
better than we could do ourselves in the main sea, when the Duke of
Albemarle run away from the Dutch, when the Prince was lost, and the Royal
Charles and the other great ships come on ground upon the Galloper. Thus,
in all things, in wisdom, courage, force, knowledge of our own streams,
and success, the Dutch have the best of us, and do end the war with
victory on their side. The Duke of York being ready, we into his closet,
but, being in haste to go to the Parliament House, he could not stay. So
we parted, and to Westminster Hall, where the Hall full of people to see
the issue of the day, the King being come to speak to the House to-day.
One thing extraordinary was, this day a man, a Quaker, came naked through
the Hall, only very civilly tied about the privities to avoid scandal, and
with a chafing-dish of fire and brimstone burning upon his head, did pass
through the Hall, crying, "Repent! repent!" I up to the Painted Chamber,
thinking to have got in to have heard the King's speech, but upon second
thoughts did not think it would be worth the crowd, and so went down again
into the Hall and there walked with several, among others my Lord
Rutherford, who is come out of Scotland, and I hope I may get some
advantage by it in reference to the business of the interest of the great
sum of money I paid him long since without interest. But I did not now
move him in it. But presently comes down the House of Commons, the King
having made then a very short and no pleasing speech to them at all, not
at all giving them thanks for their readiness to come up to town at this
busy time; but told them that he did think he should have had occasion for
them, but had none, and therefore did dismiss them to look after their own
occasions till October; and that he did wonder any should offer to bring
in a suspicion that he intended to rule by an army, or otherwise than by
the laws of the land, which he promised them he would do; and so bade them
go home and settle the minds of the country in that particular; and only
added, that he had made a peace which he did believe they would find
reasonable, and a good peace, but did give them none of the particulars
thereof. Thus they are dismissed again to their general great distaste, I
believe the greatest that ever Parliament was, to see themselves so
fooled, and the nation in certain condition of ruin, while the King, they
see, is only governed by his lust, and women, and rogues about him. The
Speaker, they found, was kept from coming in the morning to the House on
purpose, till after the King was come to the House of Lords, for fear they
should be doing anything in the House of Commons to the further
dissatisfaction of the King and his courtiers. They do all give up the
kingdom for lost that I speak to; and do hear what the King says, how he
and the Duke of York do do what they can to get up an army, that they may
need no more Parliaments: and how my Lady Castlemayne hath, before the
late breach between her and the King, said to the King that he must rule
by an army, or all would be lost, and that Bab. May hath given the like
advice to the King, to crush the English gentlemen, saying that L300
a-year was enough for any man but them that lived at Court. I am told
that many petitions were provided for the Parliament, complaining of the
wrongs they have received from the Court and courtiers, in city and
country, if the Parliament had but sat: and I do perceive they all do
resolve to have a good account of the money spent before ever they give a
farthing more: and the whole kingdom is everywhere sensible of their being
abused, insomuch that they forced their Parliament-men to come up to sit;
and my cozen Roger told me that (but that was in mirth) he believed, if he
had not come up, he should have had his house burned. The kingdom never
in so troubled a condition in this world as now; nobody pleased with the
peace, and yet nobody daring to wish for the continuance of the war, it
being plain that nothing do nor can thrive under us. Here I saw old good
Mr. Vaughan, and several of the great men of the Commons, and some of them
old men, that are come 200 miles, and more, to attend this session-of
Parliament; and have been at great charge and disappointments in their
other private business; and now all to no purpose, neither to serve their
country, content themselves, nor receive any thanks from the King. It is
verily expected by many of them that the King will continue the
prorogation in October, so as, if it be possible, never to have [this]
Parliament more. My Lord Bristoll took his place in the House of Lords
this day, but not in his robes; and when the King come in, he withdrew but
my Lord of Buckingham was there as brisk as ever, and sat in his robes;
which is a monstrous thing, that a man proclaimed against, and put in the
Tower, and all, and released without any trial, and yet not restored to
his places: But, above all, I saw my Lord Mordaunt as merry as the best,
that it seems hath done such further indignities to Mr. Taylor' since the
last sitting of Parliament as would hang [him], if there were nothing
else, would the King do what were fit for him; but nothing of that is now
likely to be. After having spent an hour or two in the hall, my cozen
Roger and I and Creed to the Old Exchange, where I find all the merchants
sad at this peace and breaking up of the Parliament, as men despairing of
any good to the nation, which is a grievous consideration; and so home,
and there cozen Roger and Creed to dinner with me, and very merry:--but
among other things they told me of the strange, bold sermon of Dr. Creeton
yesterday, before the King; how he preached against the sins of the Court,
and particularly against adultery, over and over instancing how for that
single sin in David, the whole nation was undone; and of our negligence in
having our castles without ammunition and powder when the Dutch come upon
us; and how we have no courage now a-days, but let our ships be taken out
of our harbour. Here Creed did tell us the story of the dwell last night,
in Coventgarden, between Sir H. Bellasses and Tom Porter. It is worth
remembering the silliness of the quarrell, and is a kind of emblem of the
general complexion of this whole kingdom at present. They two it seems
dined yesterday at Sir Robert Carr's, where it seems people do drink high,
all that come. It happened that these two, the greatest friends in the
world, were talking together: and Sir H. Bellasses talked a little louder
than ordinary to Tom Porter, giving of him some advice. Some of the
company standing by said, "What! are they quarrelling, that they talk so
high?" Sir H. Bellasses hearing it, said, "No!" says he: "I would have
you know that I never quarrel, but I strike; and take that as a rule of
mine!"--"How?" says Tom Porter, "strike! I would I could see the man in
England that durst give me a blow!" with that Sir H. Bellasses did give
him a box of the eare; and so they were going to fight there, but were
hindered. And by and by Tom Porter went out; and meeting Dryden the poet,
told him of the business, and that he was resolved to fight Sir H.
Bellasses presently; for he knew, if he did not, they should be made
friends to-morrow, and then the blow would rest upon him; which he would
prevent, and desired Dryden to let him have his boy to bring him notice
which way Sir H. Bellasses goes. By and by he is informed that Sir H.
Bellasses's coach was coming: so Tom Porter went down out of the
Coffee-house where he stayed for the tidings, and stopped the coach, and
bade Sir H. Bellasses come out. "Why," says H. Bellasses, "you will not
hurt me coming out, will you?"--"No," says Tom Porter. So out he went,
and both drew: and H. Bellasses having drawn and flung away his scabbard,
Tom Porter asked him whether he was ready? The other answering him he
was, they fell to fight, some of their acquaintance by. They wounded one
another, and H. Bellasses so much that it is feared he will die: and
finding himself severely wounded, he called to Tom Porter, and kissed him,
and bade him shift for himself; "for," says he, "Tom, thou hast hurt me;
but I will make shift to stand upon my legs till thou mayest withdraw, and
the world not take notice of you, for I would not have thee troubled for
what thou hast done." And so whether he did fly or no I cannot tell: but
Tom Porter shewed H. Bellasses that he was wounded too: and they are both
ill, but H. Bellasses to fear of life. And this is a fine example; and H.
Bellasses a Parliament-man too, and both of them most extraordinary
friends! Among other discourse, my cozen Roger told us a thing certain,
that the Archbishop of Canterbury; that now is, do keep a wench, and that
he is as very a wencher as can be; and tells us it is a thing publickly
known that Sir Charles Sidley had got away one of the Archbishop's wenches
from him, and the Archbishop sent to him to let him know that she was his
kinswoman, and did wonder that he would offer any dishonour to one related
to him. To which Sir Charles Sidley is said to answer, "A pox take his
Grace! pray tell his Grace that I believe he finds himself too old, and is
afraid that I should outdo him among his girls, and spoil his trade." But
he makes no more of doubt to say that the Archbishop is a wencher, and
known to be so, which is one of the most astonishing things that I have
heard of, unless it be, what for certain he says is true, that my Lady
Castlemayne hath made a Bishop lately, namely,--her uncle, Dr. Glenham,
who, I think they say, is Bishop of Carlisle; a drunken, swearing rascal,
and a scandal to the Church; and do now pretend to be Bishop of Lincoln,
in competition with Dr. Raynbow, who is reckoned as worthy a man as most
in the Church for piety and learning: which are things so scandalous to
consider, that no man can doubt but we must be undone that hears of them.
After dinner comes W. How and a son of Mr. Pagett's to see me, with whom I
drank, but could not stay, and so by coach with cozen Roger (who before
his going did acquaint me in private with an offer made of his marrying of
Mrs. Elizabeth Wiles, whom I know; a kinswoman of Mr. Honiwood's, an ugly
old maid, but a good housewife; and is said to have L2500 to her portion;
but if I can find that she hath but L2000, which he prays me to examine,
he says he will have her, she being one he hath long known intimately, and
a good housewife, and discreet woman; though I am against it in my heart,
she being not handsome at all) and it hath been the very bad fortune of
the Pepyses that ever I knew, never to marry an handsome woman, excepting
Ned Pepys and Creed, set the former down at the Temple resolving to go to
Cambridge to-morrow, and Creed and I to White Hall to the Treasury chamber
there to attend, but in vain, only here, looking out of the window into
the garden, I saw the King (whom I have not had any desire to see since
the Dutch come upon the coast first to Sheerness, for shame that I should
see him, or he me, methinks, after such a dishonour) come upon the garden;
with him two or three idle Lords; and instantly after him, in another
walk, my Lady Castlemayne, led by Bab. May: at which I was surprised,
having but newly heard the stories of the King and her being parted for
ever. So I took Mr. Povy, who was there, aside, and he told me all, how
imperious this woman is, and hectors the King to whatever she will. It
seems she is with child, and the King says he did not get it: with that
she made a slighting "puh" with her mouth, and went out of the house, and
never come in again till the King went to Sir Daniel Harvy's to pray her;
and so she is come to-day, when one would think his mind should be full of
some other cares, having but this morning broken up such a Parliament,
with so much discontent, and so many wants upon him, and but yesterday
heard such a sermon against adultery. But it seems she hath told the King,
that whoever did get it, he should own it; and the bottom of the quarrel
is this:--She is fallen in love with young Jermin who hath of late lain
with her oftener than the King, and is now going to marry my Lady
Falmouth; the King he is mad at her entertaining Jermin, and she is mad at
Jermin's going to marry from her: so they are all mad; and thus the
kingdom is governed! and they say it is labouring to make breaches between
the Duke of Richmond and his lady that the King may get her to him. But
he tells me for certain that nothing is more sure than that the King, and
Duke of York, and the Chancellor, are desirous and labouring all they can
to get an army, whatever the King says to the Parliament; and he believes
that they are at last resolved to stand and fall all three together: so
that he says match of the Duke of York with the Chancellor's daughter hath
undone the nation. He tells me also that the King hath not greater
enemies in the world than those of his own family; for there is not an
officer in the house almost but curses him for letting them starve, and
there is not a farthing of money to be raised for the buying them bread.
Having done talking with him I to Westminster Hall, and there talked and
wandered up and down till the evening to no purpose, there and to the
Swan, and so till the evening, and so home, and there to walk in the
garden with my wife, telling her of my losing L300 a year by my place that
I am to part with, which do a little trouble me, but we must live with
somewhat more thrift, and so home to supper and to play on the flageolet,
which do do very prettily, and so to bed. Many guns were heard this
afternoon, it seems, at White Hall and in the Temple garden very plain;
but what it should be nobody knows, unless the Dutch be driving our ships
up the river. To-morrow we shall know.
30th. Up and to the office, where we sat busy all the morning. At noon
home to dinner, where Daniel and his wife with us, come to see whether I
could get him any employment. But I am so far from it, that I have the
trouble upon my mind how to dispose of Mr. Gibson and one or two more I am
concerned for in the Victualling business, which are to be now discharged.
After dinner by coach to White Hall, calling on two or three tradesmen and
paying their bills, and so to White Hall, to the Treasury-chamber, where I
did speak with the Lords, and did my business about getting them to assent
to 10 per cent. interest on the 11 months tax, but find them mightily put
to it for money. Here I do hear that there are three Lords more to be
added to them; my Lord Bridgewater, my Lord Anglesey, and my Lord
Chamberlaine. Having done my business, I to Creed's chamber, and thence
out with Creed to White Hall with him; in our way, meeting with Mr.
Cooling, my Lord Chamberlain's secretary, on horseback, who stopped to
speak with us, and he proved very drunk, and did talk, and would have
talked all night with us, I not being able to break loose from him, he
holding me so by the hand. But, Lord! to see his present humour, how he
swears at every word, and talks of the King and my Lady Castlemayne in the
plainest words in the world. And from him I gather that the story I
learned yesterday is true--that the King hath declared that he did not get
the child of which she is conceived at this time, he having not as he says
lain with her this half year. But she told him, "God damn me, but you
shall own it!" It seems, he is jealous of Jermin, and she loves him so,
that the thoughts of his marrying of my Lady Falmouth puts her into fits
of the mother; and he, it seems, hath lain with her from time to time,
continually, for a good while; and once, as this Cooling says, the King
had like to have taken him a-bed with her, but that he was fain to creep
under the bed into her closet . . . . But it is a pretty thing he told
us how the King, once speaking of the Duke of York's being mastered by his
wife, said to some of the company by, that he would go no more abroad with
this Tom Otter (meaning the Duke of York) and his wife. Tom Killigrew,
being by, answered, "Sir," says he, "pray which is the best for a man, to
be a Tom Otter to his wife or to his mistress?" meaning the King's being
so to my Lady Castlemayne. Thus he went on; and speaking then of my Lord
Sandwich, whom he professed to love exceedingly, says Creed, "I know not
what, but he is a man, methinks, that I could love for himself, without
other regards." . . . He talked very lewdly; and then took notice of my
kindness to him on shipboard seven years ago, when the King was coming
over, and how much he was obliged to me; but says, pray look upon this
acknowledgement of a kindness in me to be a miracle; for, says he, "it is
against the law at Court for a man that borrows money of me, even to buy
his place with, to own it the next Sunday;" and then told us his horse was
a bribe, and his boots a bribe; and told us he was made up of bribes, as
an Oxford scholar is set out with other men's goods when he goes out of
town, and that he makes every sort of tradesman to bribe him; and invited
me home to his house, to taste of his bribe wine. I never heard so much
vanity from a man in my life; so, being now weary of him, we parted, and I
took coach, and carried Creed to the Temple. There set him down, and to
my office, where busy late till my eyes begun to ake, and then home to
supper: a pullet, with good sauce, to my liking, and then to play on the
flageolet with my wife, which she now does very prettily, and so to bed.
31st. Up, and after some time with Greeting upon my flageolet I to my
office, and there all the morning busy. Among other things, Sir W.
Batten, [Sir] W. Pen, and myself did examine a fellow of our private
man-of-war, who we have found come up from Hull, with near L500 worth of
pieces of eight, though he will confess but 100 pieces. But it appears
that there have been fine doings there. At noon dined at home, and then
to the office, where busy again till the evening, when Major Halsey and
Kinaston to adjust matters about Mrs. Rumbald's bill of exchange, and here
Major Halsey, speaking much of my doing business, and understanding
business, told me how my Lord Generall do say that I am worth them all,
but I have heard that Halsey hath said the same behind my back to others.
Then abroad with my wife by coach to Marrowbone, where my Lord Mayor and
Aldermen, it seem, dined to-day: and were just now going away, methought,
in a disconsolate condition, compared with their splendour they formerly
had, when the City was standing. Here my wife and I drank at the gate,
not 'lighting, and then home with much pleasure, and so to my chamber, and
my wife and I to pipe, and so to supper and to bed.
ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS:
20s. in money, and what wine she needed, for the burying him
Archbishop is a wencher, and known to be so
Bold to deliver what he thinks on every occasion
Cast stones with his horne crooke
Court is in a way to ruin all for their pleasures
Dash the brains of it out before the King's face
Dog, that would turn a sheep any way which
Dutch fleets being in so many places
Fool's play with which all publick things are done
Good purpose of fitting ourselves for another war (A Peace)
He was charged with making himself popular
King governed by his lust, and women, and rogues about him
King is at the command of any woman like a slave
King the necessity of having, at least, a show of religion
Never to keep a country-house, but to keep a coach
Nobody being willing to trust us for anything
She has this silly vanity that she must play
So every thing stands still for money
They are all mad; and thus the kingdom is governed!
What way a man could devise to lose so much in so little time
End of Project Gutenberg's Diary of Samuel Pepys, July 1667, by Samuel Pepys