November 1st. Up betimes, and down to the waterside (calling and
drinking a dram of the bottle at Michell’s, but saw not Betty), and
thence to White Hall and to Sir W. Coventry’s lodging, where he and
I alone a good while, where he gives me the full of the Duke of
Albemarle’s and Prince’s narratives, given yesterday by the House,
wherein they fall foul of him and Sir G. Carteret in something about
the dividing of the fleete, and the Prince particularly charging the
Commissioners of the Navy with negligence, he says the Commissioners of
the Navy whereof Sir W. Coventry is one. He tells me that he is prepared
to answer any particular most thoroughly, but the quality of the persons
do make it difficult for him, and so I do see is in great pain, poor
man, though he deserves better than twenty such as either of them, for
his abilities and true service to the King and kingdom. He says there is
incoherences, he believes, to be found between their two reports,
which will be pretty work to consider. The Duke of Albemarle charges W.
Coventry that he should tell him, when he come down to the fleete with
Sir G. Carteret, to consult about dividing the fleete, that the Dutch
would not be out in six weeks, which W. Coventry says is as false as is
possible, and he can prove the contrary by the Duke of Albemarle’s own
letters. The Duke of Albemarle says that he did upon sight of the Dutch
call a council of officers, and they did conclude they could not avoid
fighting the Dutch; and yet we did go to the enemy, and found them at
anchor, which is a pretty contradiction. And he tells me that Spragg did
the other day say in the House, that the Prince, at his going from the
Duke of Albemarle with his fleete, did tell him that if the Dutch should
come on, the Duke was to follow him, the Prince, with his fleete, and
not fight the Dutch. Out of all this a great deal of good might well be
picked. But it is a sad consideration that all this picking of holes in
one another’s coats--nay, and the thanks of the House to the Prince
and the Duke of Albemarle, and all this envy and design to ruin Sir W.
Coventry--did arise from Sir W. Coventry’s unfortunate mistake the other
day, in producing of a letter from the Duke of Albemarle, touching the
good condition of all things at Chatham just before the Dutch come up,
and did us that fatal mischiefe; for upon this they are resolved to undo
him, and I pray God they do not. He tells me upon my demanding it that
he thinks the King do not like this their bringing these narratives, and
that they give out that they would have said more but that the King hath
hindered them, that I suppose is about my Lord Sandwich. He is getting
a copy of the Narratives, which I shall then have, and so I parted
from him and away to White Hall, where I met Mr. Creed and Yeabsly, and
discoursed a little about Mr. Yeabsly’s business and accounts, and so
I to chapel and there staid, it being All-Hallows day, and heard a fine
anthem, made by Pelham (who is come over) in France, of which there was
great expectation, and indeed is a very good piece of musique, but still
I cannot call the Anthem anything but instrumentall musique with the
voice, for nothing is made of the words at all. I this morning before
chapel visited Sir G. Carteret, who is vexed to see how things are
likely to go, but cannot help it, and yet seems to think himself mighty
safe. I also visited my Lord Hinchingbroke, at his chamber at White
Hall, where I found Mr. Turner, Moore, and Creed, talking of my Lord
Sandwich, whose case I doubt is but bad, and, I fear, will not escape
being worse, though some of the company did say otherwise. But I am
mightily pleased with my Lord Hinchingbroke’s sobriety and few words.
After chapel I with Creed to the Exchange, and after much talk he and I
there about securing of some money either by land or goods to be always
at our command, which we think a thing advisable in this critical time,
we parted, and I to the Sun Taverne with Sir W. Warren (with whom I have
not drank many a day, having for some time been strange to him), and
there did put it to him to advise me how to dispose of my prize, which
he will think of and do to my best advantage. We talked of several
other things relating to his service, wherein I promise assistance,
but coldly, thinking it policy to do so, and so, after eating a short
dinner, I away home, and there took out my wife, and she and I alone to
the King’s playhouse, and there saw a silly play and an old one, “The
Taming of a Shrew,” and so home and I to my office a little, and then
home to supper and to bed.
2nd. Up, and to the office, where busy all the morning; at noon home,
and after dinner my wife and Willett and I to the King’s playhouse, and
there saw “Henry the Fourth:” and contrary to expectation, was pleased
in nothing more than in Cartwright’s speaking of Falstaffe’s speech
about “What is Honour?” The house full of Parliament-men, it being
holyday with them: and it was observable how a gentleman of good habit,
sitting just before us, eating of some fruit in the midst of the play,
did drop down as dead, being choked; but with much ado Orange Moll did
thrust her finger down his throat, and brought him to life again. After
the play, we home, and I busy at the office late, and then home to
supper and to bed.
3rd (Lord’s day). Up, and with my wife to church, and thither comes
Roger Pepys to our pew, and thence home to dinner, whither comes by
invitation Mr. Turner, the minister, and my cozen Roger brought with him
Jeffrys, the apothecary at Westminster, who is our kinsman, and we had
much discourse of Cottenhamshire, and other things with great pleasure.
My cozen Roger did tell me of a bargain which I may now have in
Norfolke, that my she-cozen, Nan Pepys, is going to sell, the title
whereof is very good, and the pennyworth is also good enough; but it is
out of the way so of my life, that I shall never enjoy it, nor, it may
be, see it, and so I shall have nothing to do with it. After dinner to
talk, and I find by discourse Mr. Turner to be a man mighty well read in
the Roman history, which is very pleasant. By and by Roger went, and
Mr. Turner spent an hour talking over my Lord Sandwich’s condition as
to this Parliament, which we fear may be bad, and the condition of
his family, which can be no better, and then having little to comfort
ourselves but that this humour will not last always in the Parliament,
and that [it] may well have a great many more as great men as he
enquired into, and so we parted, and I to my chamber, and there busy all
the evening, and then my wife and I to supper, and so to bed, with much
discourse and pleasure one with another.
4th. Up betimes, and by water with Sir R. Ford (who is going to
Parliament) to Westminster; and there landing at the New Exchange
stairs, I to Sir W. Coventry: and there he read over to me the Prince’s
and the Duke of Albemarle’s Narratives; wherein they are very severe
against him and our Office. But [Sir] W. Coventry do contemn them; only
that their persons and qualities are great, and so I do perceive [he] is
afeard of them, though he will not confess it. But he do say that, if he
can get out of these briars, he will never trouble himself with Princes
nor Dukes again. He finds several things in their Narratives, which are
both inconsistent and foolish, as well as untrue, especially as to what
the Duke of Albemarle avers of his knowing of the enemy’s being abroad
sooner than he says it, which [Sir] W. Coventry will shew him his own
letter against him, for I confess I do see so much, that, were I but
well possessed of what I should have in the world, I think I could
willingly retreat, and trouble myself no more with it. Thence home, and
there met Sir H. Cholmly, and he and I to the Excise Office to see what
tallies are paying, and thence back to the Old Exchange, by the way
talking of news, and he owning Sir W. Coventry, in his opinion, to be
one of the worthiest men in the nation, as I do really think he is. He
tells me he do think really that they will cut off my Lord Chancellor’s
head, the Chancellor at this day showing as much pride as is possible to
those few that venture their fortunes by coming to see him; and that the
Duke of York is troubled much, knowing that those that fling down the
Chancellor cannot stop there, but will do something to him, to prevent
his having it in his power hereafter to avenge himself and father-in-law
upon them. And this Sir H. Cholmly fears may be by divorcing the Queen
and getting another, or declaring the Duke of Monmouth legitimate; which
God forbid! He tells me he do verily believe that there will come in
an impeachment of High Treason against my Lord of Ormond; among other
things, for ordering the quartering of soldiers in Ireland on free
quarters; which, it seems, is High Treason in that country, and was one
of the things that lost the Lord Strafford his head, and the law is not
yet repealed; which, he says, was a mighty oversight of him not to
have it repealed, which he might with ease have done, or have justified
himself by an Act. From the Exchange I took a coach, and went to
Turlington, the great spectacle-maker, for advice, who dissuades me from
using old spectacles, but rather young ones, and do tell me that nothing
can wrong my eyes more than for me to use reading-glasses, which do
magnify much. Thence home, and there dined, and then abroad and left
my wife and Willett at her tailor’s, and I to White Hall, where the
Commissioners of the Treasury do not sit, and therefore I to Westminster
to the Hall, and there meeting with Col. Reames I did very cheaply by
him get copies of the Prince’s and Duke of Albemarle’s Narratives, which
they did deliver the other day to the House, of which I am mighty glad,
both for my present information and for my future satisfaction. So back
by coach, and took up my wife, and away home, and there in my chamber
all the evening among my papers and my accounts of Tangier to my great
satisfaction, and so to supper and to bed.
5th. Up, and all the morning at the office. At noon home to dinner, and
thence out with my wife and girle, and left them at her tailor’s, and
I to the Treasury, and there did a little business for Tangier, and so
took them up again, and home, and when I had done at the office, being
post night, I to my chamber, and there did something more, and so to
supper and to bed.
6th. Up, and to Westminster, where to the Parliament door, and there
spoke with Sir G. Downing, to see what was done yesterday at the
Treasury for Tangier, and it proved as good as nothing, so that I do see
we shall be brought to great straits for money there. He tells me here
that he is passing a Bill to make the Excise and every other part of the
King’s Revenue assignable on the Exchequer, which indeed will be a very
good thing. This he says with great glee as an act of his, and how poor
a thing this was in the beginning, and with what envy he carried it on,
and how my Lord Chancellor could never endure him for it since he first
begun it. He tells me that the thing the House is just now upon is
that of taking away the charter from the Company of Woodmongers, whose
frauds, it seems, have been mightily laid before them. He tells me that
they are like to fly very high against my Lord Chancellor. Thence I
to the House of Lords, and there first saw Dr. Fuller, as Bishop of
Lincoln, to sit among the Lords. Here I spoke with the Duke of York and
the Duke of Albemarle about Tangier; but methinks both of them do look
very coldly one upon another, and their discourse mighty cold, and
little to the purpose about our want of money. Thence homeward, and
called at Allestry’s, the bookseller, who is bookseller to the Royal
Society, and there did buy three or four books, and find great variety
of French and foreign books. And so home and to dinner, and after dinner
with my wife to a play, and the girl--“Macbeth,” which we still like
mightily, though mighty short of the content we used to have when
Betterton acted, who is still sick. So home, troubled with the way
and to get a coach, and so to supper and to bed. This day, in the
Paynted-chamber, I met and walked with Mr. George Montagu, who thinks
it may go hard with my Lord Sandwich, but he says the House is offended
with Sir W. Coventry much, and that he do endeavour to gain them again
in the most precarious manner in all things that is possible.
7th. Up, and at the office hard all the morning, and at noon resolved
with Sir W. Pen to go see “The Tempest,” an old play of Shakespeare’s,
acted, I hear, the first day; and so my wife, and girl, and W. Hewer by
themselves, and Sir W. Pen and I afterwards by ourselves; and forced
to sit in the side balcone over against the musique-room at the Duke’s
house, close by my Lady Dorset and a great many great ones. The house
mighty full; the King and Court there and the most innocent play that
ever I saw; and a curious piece of musique in an echo of half sentences,
the echo repeating the former half, while the man goes on to the latter;
which is mighty pretty. The play [has] no great wit, but yet good, above
ordinary plays. Thence home with [Sir] W. Pen, and there all mightily
pleased with the play; and so to supper and to bed, after having done at
the office.
8th. Called up betimes by Sir H. Cholmly, and he and I to good purpose
most of the morning--I in my dressing-gown with him, on our Tangier
accounts, and stated them well; and here he tells me that he believes it
will go hard with my Lord Chancellor. Thence I to the office, where met
on some special, business; and here I hear that the Duke of York is
very ill; and by and by word brought us that we shall not need to attend
to-day the Duke of York, for he is not well, which is bad news. They
being gone, I to my workmen, who this day come to alter my office, by
beating down the wall, and making me a fayre window both there, and
increasing the window of my closet, which do give me some present
trouble; but will be mighty pleasant. So all the whole day among them
to very late, and so home weary, to supper, and to bed, troubled for the
Duke of York his being sick.
9th. Up and to my workmen, who are at work close again, and I at the
office all the morning, and there do hear by a messenger that Roger
Pepys would speak with me, so before the office up I to Westminster, and
there find the House very busy, and like to be so all day, about my Lord
Chancellor’s impeachment, whether treason or not, where every body is
mighty busy. I spoke with my cozen Roger, whose business was only to
give me notice that Carcasse hath been before the Committee; and to warn
me of it, which is a great courtesy in him to do, and I desire him to
continue to do so. This business of this fellow, though it may be a
foolish thing, yet it troubles me, and I do plainly see my weakness
that I am not a man able to go through trouble, as other men, but that
I should be a miserable man if I should meet with adversity, which God
keep me from! He desirous to get back into the House, he having his
notes in his hand, the lawyers being now speaking to the point of
whether treason or not treason, the article of advising the King to
break up the Parliament, and to govern by the sword. Thence I down to
the Hall, and there met Mr. King, the Parliament-man for Harwich, and
there he did shew, and let me take a copy of, all the articles against
my Lord Chancellor, and what members they were that undertook to bring
witnesses to make them good, of which I was mighty glad, and so away
home, and to dinner and to my workmen, and in the afternoon out to get
Simpson the joyner to come to work at my office, and so back home and to
my letters by the post to-night, and there, by W. Pen, do hear that this
article was overvoted in the House not to be a ground of impeachment of
treason, at which I was glad, being willing to have no blood spilt, if
I could help it. So home to supper, and glad that the dirty bricklayers’
work of my office is done, and home to supper and to bed.
10th (Lord’s day). Mighty cold, and with my wife to church, where a lazy
sermon. Here was my Lady Batten in her mourning at church, but I took no
notice of her. At noon comes Michell and his wife to dine with us, and
pretty merry. I glad to see her still. After dinner Sir W. Pen and I
to White Hall, to speak with Sir W. Coventry; and there, beyond all we
looked for, do hear that the Duke of York hath got, and is full of, the
small-pox; and so we to his lodgings; and there find most of the family
going to St. James’s, and the gallery doors locked up, that nobody might
pass to nor fro and a sad house, I am sure. I am sad to consider the
effects of his death, if he should miscarry; but Dr. Frazier tells
me that he is in as good condition as a man can be in his case. The
eruption appeared last night; it seems he was let blood on Friday.
Thence, not finding [Sir] W. Coventry, and going back again home, we met
him coming with the Lord Keeper, and so returned and spoke with him in
White Hall Garden, two or three turns, advising with him what we
should do about Carcasse’s bringing his letter into the Committee of
Parliament, and he told us that the counsel he hath too late learned
is, to spring nothing in the House, nor offer anything, but just what
is drawn out of a man: that this is the best way of dealing with a
Parliament, and that he hath paid dear, and knows not how much more he
may pay, for not knowing it sooner, when he did unnecessarily produce
the Duke of Albemarle’s letter about Chatham, which if demanded would
have come out with all the advantages in the world to Sir W. Coventry,
but, as he brought it out himself, hath drawn much evil upon him. After
some talk of this kind, we back home, and there I to my chamber busy all
the evening, and then to supper and to bed, my head running all night
upon our businesses in Parliament and what examinations we are likely to
go under before they have done with us, which troubles me more than it
should a wise man and a man the best able to defend himself, I believe,
of our own whole office, or any other, I am apt to think.
11th. Up, and to Simpson at work in my office, and thence with Sir
G. Carteret (who come to talk with me) to Broad Streete, where great
crowding of people for money, at which he blamed himself. Thence with
him and Lord Bruncker to Captain Cocke’s (he out of doors), and there
drank their morning draught, and thence [Sir] G. Carteret and I toward
the Temple in coach together; and there he did tell me how the King do
all he can in the world to overthrow my Lord Chancellor, and that notice
is taken of every man about the King that is not seen to promote the
ruine of the Chancellor; and that this being another great day in
his business, he dares not but be there. He tells me that as soon as
Secretary Morrice brought the Great Seale from my Lord Chancellor, Bab.
May fell upon his knees, and catched the King about the legs, and joyed
him, and said that this was the first time that ever he could call
him King of England, being freed from this great man: which was a most
ridiculous saying. And he told me that, when first my Lord Gerard, a
great while ago, come to the King, and told him that the Chancellor did
say openly that the King was a lazy person and not fit to govern,
which is now made one of the things in the people’s mouths against the
Chancellor, “Why,” says the King, “that is no news, for he hath told me
so twenty times, and but the other day he told me so;” and made matter
of mirth at it: but yet this light discourse is likely to prove bad to
him. I ‘light at the Temple, and went to my tailor’s and mercer’s about
a cloake, to choose the stuff, and so to my bookseller’s and bought some
books, and so home to dinner, and Simpson my joyner with me, and after
dinner, my wife, and I, and Willett, to the King’s play-house, and there
saw “The Indian Emperour,” a good play, but not so good as people cry it
up, I think, though above all things Nell’s ill speaking of a great part
made me mad. Thence with great trouble and charge getting a coach (it
being now and having been all this day a most cold and foggy, dark,
thick day), we home, and there I to my office, and saw it made clean
from top to bottom, till I feared I took cold in walking in a damp room
while it is in washing, and so home to supper and to bed. This day I had
a whole doe sent me by Mr. Hozier, which is a fine present, and I had
the umbles of it for dinner. This day I hear Kirton, my bookseller, poor
man, is dead, I believe, of grief for his losses by the fire.
12th. Up, and to the Office, where sat all the morning; and there hear
the Duke of York do yet do very well with his smallpox: pray God he may
continue to do so! This morning also, to my astonishment, I hear that
yesterday my Lord Chancellor, to another of his Articles, that of
betraying the King’s councils to his enemies, is voted to have matter
against him for an impeachment of High Treason, and that this day the
impeachment is to be carried up to the House of Lords which is very
high, and I am troubled at it; for God knows what will follow, since
they that do this must do more to secure themselves against any that
will revenge this, if it ever come in their power! At noon home to
dinner, and then to my office, and there saw every thing finished, so as
my papers are all in order again and my office twice as pleasant as ever
it was, having a noble window in my closet and another in my office, to
my great content, and so did business late, and then home to supper and
to bed.
13th. Up, and down to the Old Swan, and so to Westminster; where I find
the House sitting, and in a mighty heat about Commissioner Pett, that
they would have him impeached, though the Committee have yet brought in
but part of their Report: and this heat of the House is much heightened
by Sir Thomas Clifford telling them, that he was the man that did, out
of his own purse, employ people at the out-ports to prevent the King of
Scots to escape after the battle of Worcester. The House was in a great
heat all this day about it; and at last it was carried, however, that it
should be referred back to the Committee to make further enquiry. I here
spoke with Roger Pepys, who sent for me, and it was to tell me that
the Committee is mighty full of the business of buying and selling of
tickets, and to caution me against such an enquiry (wherein I am very
safe), and that they have already found out Sir Richard Ford’s son to
have had a hand in it, which they take to be the same as if the
father had done it, and I do believe the father may be as likely to be
concerned in it as his son. But I perceive by him they are resolved to
find out the bottom of the business if it be possible. By and by I
met with Mr. Wren, who tells me that the Duke of York is in as good
condition as is possible for a man, in his condition of the smallpox.
He, I perceive, is mightily concerned in the business of my Lord
Chancellor, the impeachment against whom is gone up to the House of
Lords; and great differences there are in the Lords’ House about it, and
the Lords are very high one against another. Thence home to dinner, and
as soon as dinner done I and my wife and Willet to the Duke of York’s,
house, and there saw the Tempest again, which is very pleasant, and full
of so good variety that I cannot be more pleased almost in a comedy,
only the seamen’s part a little too tedious. Thence home, and there to
my chamber, and do begin anew to bind myself to keep my old vows, and
among the rest not to see a play till Christmas but once in every other
week, and have laid aside L10, which is to be lost to the poor, if I do.
This I hope in God will bind me, for I do find myself mightily wronged
in my reputation, and indeed in my purse and business, by my late
following of my pleasure for so long time as I have done. So to supper
and then to bed. This day Mr. Chichly told me, with a seeming trouble,
that the House have stopped his son Jack (Sir John) his going to France,
that he may be a witness against my Lord Sandwich: which do trouble me,
though he can, I think, say little.
14th. At the office close all the morning. At noon, all my clerks with
me to dinner, to a venison pasty; and there comes Creed, and dined with
me, and he tells me how high the Lords were in the Lords’ House about
the business of the Chancellor, and that they are not yet agreed to
impeach him. After dinner, he and I, and my wife and girl, the latter
two to their tailor’s, and he and I to the Committee of the Treasury,
where I had a hearing, but can get but L6000 for the pay of the
garrison, in lieu of above L16,000; and this Alderman Backewell gets
remitted there, and I am glad of it. Thence by coach took up my wife and
girl, and so home, and set down Creed at Arundell House, going to the
Royal Society, whither I would be glad to go, but cannot. Thence home,
and to the Office, where about my letters, and so home to supper, and to
bed, my eyes being bad again; and by this means, the nights, now-a-days,
do become very long to me, longer than I can sleep out.