four horses to take us up, and so carried us over London Bridge. But
there, thinking of some business, I did 'light at the foot of the bridge,
and by helpe of a candle at a stall, where some payers were at work, I
wrote a letter to Mr. Hater, and never knew so great an instance of the
usefulness of carrying pen and ink and wax about one: so we, the way being
very bad, to Nonesuch, and thence to Sir Robert Longs house; a fine place,
and dinner time ere we got thither; but we had breakfasted a little at Mr.
Gawden's, he being out of towne though, and there borrowed Dr. Taylor's
sermons, and is a most excellent booke and worth my buying, where had a
very good dinner, and curiously dressed, and here a couple of ladies,
kinswomen of his, not handsome though, but rich, that knew me by report of
The. Turner, and mighty merry we were. After dinner to talk of our
business, the Act of Parliament, where in short I see Sir R. Long mighty
fierce in the great good qualities of it. But in that and many other
things he was stiff in, I think without much judgement, or the judgement I
expected from him, and already they have evaded the necessity of bringing
people into the Exchequer with their bills to be paid there. Sir G.
Carteret is titched--[fretful, tetchy]--at this, yet resolves with me to
make the best use we can of this Act for the King, but all our care, we
think, will not render it as it should be. He did again here alone
discourse with me about my Lord, and is himself strongly for my Lord's not
going to sea, which I am glad to hear and did confirm him in it. He tells
me too that he talked last night with the Duke of Albemarle about my Lord
Sandwich, by the by making him sensible that it is his interest to
preserve his old friends, which he confessed he had reason to do, for he
knows that ill offices were doing of him, and that he honoured my Lord
Sandwich with all his heart. After this discourse we parted, and all of
us broke up and we parted. Captain Cocke and I through Wandsworth. Drank
at Sir Allen Broderick's, a great friend and comrade of Cocke's, whom he
values above the world for a witty companion, and I believe he is so. So
to Fox-Hall and there took boat, and down to the Old Swan, and thence to
Lumbard Streete, it being darke night, and thence to the Tower. Took boat
and down to Greenwich, Cocke and I, he home and I to the office, where did
a little business, and then to my lodgings, where my wife is come, and I
am well pleased with it, only much trouble in those lodgings we have, the
mistresse of the house being so deadly dear in everything we have; so that
we do resolve to remove home soon as we know how the plague goes this
weeke, which we hope will be a good decrease. So to bed.
29th. Up, my wife and I talking how to dispose of our goods, and resolved
upon sending our two mayds Alce (who has been a day or two at Woolwich
with my wife, thinking to have had a feast there) and Susan home. So my
wife after dinner did take them to London with some goods, and I in the
afternoon after doing other business did go also by agreement to meet
Captain Cocke and from him to Sir Roger Cuttance, about the money due from
Cocke to him for the late prize goods, wherein Sir Roger is troubled that
he hath not payment as agreed, and the other, that he must pay without
being secured in the quiett possession of them, but some accommodation to
both, I think, will be found. But Cocke do tell me that several have
begged so much of the King to be discovered out of stolen prize goods and
so I am afeard we shall hereafter have trouble, therefore I will get
myself free of them as soon as I can and my money paid. Thence home to my
house, calling my wife, where the poor wretch is putting things in a way
to be ready for our coming home, and so by water together to Greenwich,
and so spent the night together.
30th. Up, and at the office all the morning. At noon comes Sir Thomas
Allen, and I made him dine with me, and very friendly he is, and a good
man, I think, but one that professes he loves to get and to save. He
dined with my wife and me and Mrs. Barbary, whom my wife brings along with
her from Woolwich for as long as she stays here. In the afternoon to the
office, and there very late writing letters and then home, my wife and
people sitting up for me, and after supper to bed. Great joy we have this
week in the weekly Bill, it being come to 544 in all, and but 333 of the
plague; so that we are encouraged to get to London soon as we can. And my
father writes as great news of joy to them, that he saw Yorke's waggon go
again this week to London, and was full of passengers; and tells me that
my aunt Bell hath been dead of the plague these seven weeks.
DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS.
DECEMBER
1665
December 1st. This morning to the office, full of resolution to spend the
whole day at business, and there, among other things, I did agree with
Poynter to be my clerke for my Victualling business, and so all alone all
the day long shut up in my little closett at my office, drawing up
instructions, which I should long since have done for my Surveyours of the
Ports, Sir W. Coventry desiring much to have them, and he might well have
expected them long since. After dinner to it again, and at night had long
discourse with Gibson, who is for Yarmouth, who makes me understand so
much of the victualling business and the pursers' trade, that I am ashamed
I should go about the concerning myself in a business which I understand
so very very little of, and made me distrust all I had been doing to-day.
So I did lay it by till to-morrow morning to think of it afresh, and so
home by promise to my wife, to have mirth there. So we had our
neighbours, little Miss Tooker and Mrs. Daniels, to dance, and after
supper I to bed, and left them merry below, which they did not part from
till two or three in the morning.
2nd. Up, and discoursing with my wife, who is resolved to go to London
for good and all this day, we did agree upon giving Mr. Sheldon L10, and
Mrs. Barbary two pieces, and so I left her to go down thither to fetch
away the rest of the things and pay him the money, and so I to the office,
where very busy setting Mr. Poynter to write out my last night's worke,
which pleases me this day, but yet it is pretty to reflect how much I am
out of confidence with what I had done upon Gibson's discourse with me,
for fear I should have done it sillily, but Poynter likes them, and Mr.
Hater also, but yet I am afeard lest they should do it out of flattery, so
conscious I am of my ignorance. Dined with my wife at noon and took leave
of her, she being to go to London, as I said, for altogether, and I to the
office, busy till past one in the morning.
3rd. It being Lord's day, up and dressed and to church, thinking to have
sat with Sir James Bunce to hear his daughter and her husband sing, that
are so much commended, but was prevented by being invited into Coll.
Cleggatt's pew. However, there I sat, near Mr. Laneare, with whom I
spoke, and in sight, by chance, and very near my fat brown beauty of our
Parish, the rich merchant's lady, a very noble woman, and Madame Pierce. A
good sermon of Mr. Plume's, and so to Captain Cocke's, and there dined
with him, and Colonell Wyndham, a worthy gentleman, whose wife was nurse
to the present King, and one that while she lived governed him and every
thing else, as Cocke says, as a minister of state; the old King putting
mighty weight and trust upon her. They talked much of matters of State
and persons, and particularly how my Lord Barkeley hath all along been a
fortunate, though a passionate and but weak man as to policy; but as a
kinsman brought in and promoted by my Lord of St. Alban's, and one that is
the greatest vapourer in the world, this Colonell Wyndham says; and one to
whom only, with Jacke Asheburnel and Colonel Legg, the King's removal to
the Isle of Wight from Hampton Court was communicated; and (though
betrayed by their knavery, or at best by their ignorance, insomuch that
they have all solemnly charged one another with their failures therein,
and have been at daggers-drawing publickly about it), yet now none greater
friends in the world. We dined, and in comes Mrs. Owen, a kinswoman of my
Lord Bruncker's, about getting a man discharged, which I did for her, and
by and by Mrs. Pierce to speake with me (and Mary my wife's late maid, now
gone to her) about her husband's business of money, and she tells us how
she prevented Captain Fisher the other day in his purchase of all her
husband's fine goods, as pearls and silks, that he had seized in an
Apothecary's house, a friend of theirs, but she got in and broke them open
and removed all before Captain Fisher came the next day to fetch them
away, at which he is starke mad. She went home, and I to my lodgings. At
night by agreement I fetched her again with Cocke's coach, and he come and
we sat and talked together, thinking to have had Mrs. Coleman and my
songsters, her husband and Laneare, but they failed me. So we to supper,
and as merry as was sufficient, and my pretty little Miss with me; and so
after supper walked [with] Pierce home, and so back and to bed. But,
Lord! I stand admiring of the wittinesse of her little boy, which is one
of the wittiest boys, but most confident that ever I did see of a child of
9 years old or under in all my life, or indeed one twice his age almost,
but all for roguish wit. So to bed.
4th. Several people to me about business, among others Captain Taylor,
intended Storekeeper for Harwich, whom I did give some assistance in his
dispatch by lending him money. So out and by water to London and to the
'Change, and up and down about several businesses, and after the observing
(God forgive me!) one or two of my neighbour Jason's women come to towne,
which did please me very well, home to my house at the office, where my
wife had got a dinner for me: and it was a joyfull thing for us to meet
here, for which God be praised! Here was her brother come to see her, and
speake with me about business. It seems my recommending of him hath not
only obtained his presently being admitted into the Duke of Albemarle's
guards, and present pay, but also by the Duke's and Sir Philip Howard's
direction, to be put as a right-hand man, and other marks of special
respect, at which I am very glad, partly for him, and partly to see that I
am reckoned something in my recommendations, but wish he may carry himself
that I may receive no disgrace by him. So to the 'Change. Up and down
again in the evening about business and to meet Captain Cocke, who waited
for Mrs. Pierce (with whom he is mightily stricken), to receive and hide
for her her rich goods she saved the other day from seizure. Upon the
'Change to-day Colvill tells me, from Oxford, that the King in person hath
justified my Lord Sandwich to the highest degree; and is right in his
favour to the uttermost. So late by water home, taking a barrel of
oysters with me, and at Greenwich went and sat with Madam Penington
. . . . and made her undress her head and sit dishevilled all night
sporting till two in the morning, and so away to my lodging and so to bed.
Over-fasting all the morning hath filled me mightily with wind, and
nothing else hath done it, that I fear a fit of the cholique.
5th. Up and to the office, where very busy about several businesses all
the morning. At noon empty, yet without stomach to dinner, having spoiled
myself with fasting yesterday, and so filled with wind. In the afternoon
by water, calling Mr. Stevens (who is with great trouble paying of seamen
of their tickets at Deptford) and to London, to look for Captain Kingdom
whom we found at home about 5 o'clock. I tried him, and he promised to
follow us presently to the East India House to sign papers to-night in
order to the settling the business of my receiving money for Tangier. We
went and stopt the officer there to shut up. He made us stay above an
houre. I sent for him; he comes, but was not found at home, but abroad on
other business, and brings a paper saying that he had been this houre
looking for the Lord Ashley's order. When he looks for it, that is not
the paper. He would go again to look; kept us waiting till almost 8 at
night. Then was I to go home by water this weather and darke, and to
write letters by the post, besides keeping the East India officers there
so late. I sent for him again; at last he comes, and says he cannot find
the paper (which is a pretty thing to lay orders for L100,000 no better).
I was angry; he told me I ought to give people ease at night, and all
business was to be done by day. I answered him sharply, that I did [not]
make, nor any honest man, any difference between night and day in the
King's business, and this was such, and my Lord Ashley should know. He
answered me short. I told him I knew the time (meaning the Rump's time)
when he did other men's business with more diligence. He cried, "Nay, say
not so," and stopped his mouth, not one word after. We then did our
business without the order in less than eight minutes, which he made me to
no purpose stay above two hours for the doing. This made him mad, and so
we exchanged notes, and I had notes for L14,000 of the Treasurer of the
Company, and so away and by water to Greenwich and wrote my letters, and
so home late to bed.
6th. Up betimes, it being fast-day; and by water to the Duke of
Albemarle, who come to towne from Oxford last night. He is mighty brisk,
and very kind to me, and asks my advice principally in every thing. He
surprises me with the news that my Lord Sandwich goes Embassador to Spayne
speedily; though I know not whence this arises, yet I am heartily glad of
it. He did give me several directions what to do, and so I home by water
again and to church a little, thinking to have met Mrs. Pierce in order to
our meeting at night; but she not there, I home and dined, and comes
presently by appointment my wife. I spent the afternoon upon a song of
Solyman's words to Roxalana that I have set, and so with my wife walked
and Mercer to Mrs. Pierce's, where Captain Rolt and Mrs. Knipp, Mr.
Coleman and his wife, and Laneare, Mrs. Worshipp and her singing daughter,
met; and by and by unexpectedly comes Mr. Pierce from Oxford. Here the
best company for musique I ever was in, in my life, and wish I could live
and die in it, both for musique and the face of Mrs. Pierce, and my wife
and Knipp, who is pretty enough; but the most excellent, mad-humoured
thing, and sings the noblest that ever I heard in my life, and Rolt, with
her, some things together most excellently. I spent the night in extasy
almost; and, having invited them to my house a day or two hence, we broke
up, Pierce having told me that he is told how the King hath done my Lord
Sandwich all the right imaginable, by shewing him his countenance before
all the world on every occasion, to remove thoughts of discontent; and
that he is to go Embassador, and that the Duke of Yorke is made generall
of all forces by land and sea, and the Duke of Albemarle,
lieutenant-generall. Whether the two latter alterations be so, true or
no, he knows not, but he is told so; but my Lord is in full favour with
the King. So all home and to bed.
7th. Up and to the office, where very busy all day. Sir G. Carteret's
letter tells me my Lord Sandwich is, as I was told, declared Embassador
Extraordinary to Spayne, and to go with all speed away, and that his
enemies have done him as much good as he could wish. At noon late to
dinner, and after dinner spent till night with Mr. Gibson and Hater
discoursing and making myself more fully [know] the trade of pursers, and
what fittest to be done in their business, and so to the office till
midnight writing letters, and so home, and after supper with my wife about
one o'clock to bed.
8th. Up, well pleased in my mind about my Lord Sandwich, about whom I
shall know more anon from Sir G. Carteret, who will be in towne, and also
that the Hambrough [ships] after all difficulties are got out. God send
them good speed! So, after being trimmed, I by water to London, to the
Navy office, there to give order to my mayde to buy things to send down to
Greenwich for supper to-night; and I also to buy other things, as oysters,
and lemons, 6d. per piece, and oranges, 3d. That done I to the 'Change,
and among many other things, especially for getting of my Tangier money, I
by appointment met Mr. Gawden, and he and I to the Pope's Head Taverne,
and there he did give me alone a very pretty dinner. Our business to talk
of his matters and his supply of money, which was necessary for us to talk
on before the Duke of Albemarle this afternoon and Sir G. Carteret. After
that I offered now to pay him the L4000 remaining of his L8000 for
Tangier, which he took with great kindnesse, and prayed me most frankly to
give him a note for L3500 and accept the other L500 for myself, which in
good earnest was against my judgement to do, for [I] expected about L100
and no more, but however he would have me do it, and ownes very great
obligations to me, and the man indeed I love, and he deserves it. This
put me into great joy, though with a little stay to it till we have time
to settle it, for for so great a sum I was fearfull any accident might by
death or otherwise defeate me, having not now time to change papers. So
we rose, and by water to White Hall, where we found Sir G. Carteret with
the Duke, and also Sir G. Downing, whom I had not seen in many years
before. He greeted me very kindly, and I him; though methinks I am
touched, that it should be said that he was my master heretofore, as
doubtless he will. So to talk of our Navy business, and particularly
money business, of which there is little hopes of any present supply upon
this new Act, the goldsmiths being here (and Alderman Backewell newly come
from Flanders), and none offering any. So we rose without doing more than
my stating the case of the Victualler, that whereas there is due to him on
the last year's declaration L80,000, and the charge of this year's amounts
to L420,000 and odd, he must be supplied between this and the end of
January with L150,000, and the remainder in 40 weeks by weekly payments,
or else he cannot go through his business. Thence after some discourse
with Sir G. Carteret, who, though he tells me that he is glad of my Lord's
being made Embassador, and that it is the greatest courtesy his enemies
could do him; yet I find he is not heartily merry upon it, and that it was
no design of my Lord's friends, but the prevalence of his enemies, and
that the Duke of Albemarle and Prince Rupert are like to go to sea
together the next year. I pray God, when my Lord is gone, they do not fall
hard upon the Vice-Chamberlain, being alone, and in so envious a place,
though by this late Act and the instructions now a brewing for our office
as to method of payments will destroy the profit of his place of itself
without more trouble. Thence by water down to Greenwich, and there found
all my company come; that is, Mrs. Knipp, and an ill, melancholy,
jealous-looking fellow, her husband, that spoke not a word to us all the
night, Pierce and his wife, and Rolt, Mrs. Worshipp and her daughter,
Coleman and his wife, and Laneare, and, to make us perfectly happy, there
comes by chance to towne Mr. Hill to see us. Most excellent musique we
had in abundance, and a good supper, dancing, and a pleasant scene of Mrs.
Knipp's rising sicke from table, but whispered me it was for some hard
word or other her husband gave her just now when she laughed and was more
merry than ordinary. But we got her in humour again, and mighty merry;
spending the night, till two in the morning, with most complete content as
ever in my life, it being increased by my day's work with Gawden. Then
broke up, and we to bed, Mr. Hill and I, whom I love more and more, and he
us.
9th. Called up betimes by my Lord Bruncker, who is come to towne from his
long water worke at Erith last night, to go with him to the Duke of
Albemarle, which by his coach I did. Our discourse upon the ill posture
of the times through lacke of money. At the Duke's did some business, and
I believe he was not pleased to see all the Duke's discourse and
applications to me and everybody else. Discoursed also with Sir G.
Carteret about office business, but no money in view. Here my Lord and I
staid and dined, the Vice-Chamberlain taking his leave. At table the
Duchesse, a damned ill-looked woman, complaining of her Lord's going to
sea the next year, said these cursed words: "If my Lord had been a coward
he had gone to sea no more: it may be then he might have been excused, and
made an Embassador" (meaning my Lord Sandwich).
[When Lord Sandwich was away a new commander had to be chosen, and
rank and long service pointed out Prince Rupert for the office, it
having been decided that the heir presumptive should be kept at
home. It was thought, however, that the same confidence could not
be placed in the prince's discretion as in his courage, and
therefore the Duke of Albemarle was induced to take a joint command
with him, "and so make one admiral of two persons" (see Lister's
"Life of Clarendon," vol. ii., pp. 360,361).]
This made me mad, and I believed she perceived my countenance change, and
blushed herself very much. I was in hopes others had not minded it, but
my Lord Bruncker, after we were come away, took notice of the words to me
with displeasure. Thence after dinner away by water, calling and taking
leave of Sir G. Carteret, whom we found going through at White Hall, and
so over to Lambeth and took coach and home, and so to the office, where
late writing letters, and then home to Mr. Hill, and sang, among other
things, my song of "Beauty retire," which he likes, only excepts against
two notes in the base, but likes the whole very well. So late to bed.
10th (Lord's day). Lay long talking, Hill and I, with great pleasure, and
then up, and being ready walked to Cocke's for some newes, but heard none,
only they would have us stay their dinner, and sent for my wife, who come,
and very merry we were, there being Sir Edmund Pooly and Mr. Evelyn.
Before we had dined comes Mr. Andrews, whom we had sent for to Bow, and so
after dinner home, and there we sang some things, but not with much
pleasure, Mr. Andrews being in so great haste to go home, his wife looking
every hour to be brought to bed. He gone Mr. Hill and I continued our
musique, one thing after another, late till supper, and so to bed with
great pleasure.
11th. Lay long with great pleasure talking. So I left him and to London
to the 'Change, and after discoursed with several people about business;
met Mr. Gawden at the Pope's Head, where he brought Mr. Lewes and T.
Willson to discourse about the Victualling business, and the alterations
of the pursers' trade, for something must be done to secure the King a
little better, and yet that they may have wherewith to live. After dinner
I took him aside, and perfected to my great joy my business with him,
wherein he deals most nobly in giving me his hand for the L4,000, and
would take my note but for L3500. This is a great blessing, and God make
me thankfull truly for it. With him till it was darke putting in writing
our discourse about victualling, and so parted, and I to Viner's, and
there evened all accounts, and took up my notes setting all straight
between us to this day. The like to Colvill, and paying several bills due
from me on the Tangier account. Then late met Cocke and Temple at the
Pope's Head, and there had good discourse with Temple, who tells me that
of the L80,000 advanced already by the East India Company, they have had
L5000 out of their hands. He discoursed largely of the quantity of money
coyned, and what may be thought the real sum of money in the kingdom. He
told me, too, as an instance of the thrift used in the King's business,
that the tools and the interest of the money-using to the King for the
money he borrowed while the new invention of the mill money was perfected,
cost him L35,000, and in mirthe tells me that the new fashion money is
good for nothing but to help the Prince if he can secretly get copper
plates shut up in silver it shall never be discovered, at least not in his
age. Thence Cocke and I by water, he home and I home, and there sat with
Mr. Hill and my wife supping, talking and singing till midnight, and then
to bed. [That I may remember it the more particularly, I thought fit to
insert this additional memorandum of Temple's discourse this night with
me, which I took in writing from his mouth. Before the Harp and Crosse
money was cried down, he and his fellow goldsmiths did make some
particular trials what proportion that money bore to the old King's money,
and they found that generally it come to, one with another, about L25 in
every L100. Of this money there was, upon the calling of it in, L650,000
at least brought into the Tower; and from thence he computes that the
whole money of England must be full L6,250,000. But for all this believes
that there is above L30,000,000; he supposing that about the King's coming
in (when he begun to observe the quantity of the new money) people begun
to be fearfull of this money's being cried down, and so picked it out and
set it a-going as fast as they could, to be rid of it; and he thinks
L30,000,000 the rather, because if there were but L16,250,000 the King
having L2,000,000 every year, would have the whole money of the kingdom in
his hands in eight years. He tells me about L350,000 sterling was coined
out of the French money, the proceeds of Dunkirke; so that, with what was
coined of the Crosse money, there is new coined about L1,000,000 besides
the gold, which is guessed at L500,000. He tells me, that, though the
King did deposit the French money in pawn all the while for the L350,000
he was forced to borrow thereupon till the tools could be made for the new
Minting in the present form, yet the interest he paid for that time came
to L35,000, Viner having to his knowledge L10,000 for the use of L100,000
of it.]--(The passage between brackets is from a piece of paper inserted
in this place.)