Diary of Samuel Pepys — Volume 55: July 1667

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Project Gutenberg's Diary of Samuel Pepys, July 1667, by Samuel PepysThis eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it,give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online atwww.gutenberg.netTitle: Diary of Samuel Pepys, July 1667Author: Samuel PepysRelease Date: December 1, 2004 [EBook #4178]Language: English*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS, JULY 1667 ***Produced by David WidgerTHE DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS M.A. F.R.S.CLERK OF THE ACTS AND SECRETARY TO THE ADMIRALTYTRANSCRIBED FROM THE SHORTHAND MANUSCRIPT IN THE PEPYSIAN LIBRARY MAGDALENE COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE BY THE REV. MYNORS BRIGHTM.A. LATE FELLOW AND PRESIDENT OF THE COLLEGE(Unabridged)WITH LORD BRAYBROOKE'S NOTESEDITED WITH ADDITIONS BYHENRY B. WHEATLEY F.S.A.DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS.JULY 1667July 1st. Up betimes, about 9 o'clock, waked by a damned noise between a sow gelder and a cow and a dog, nobodyafter we were up being able to tell us what it was. After being ready we took coach, and, being very sleepy, droused mostpart of the way to Gravesend, and there 'light, and down to the new batterys, which are like to be very fine, and there didhear a plain fellow cry out upon the folly of the King's officers above, to spend so much money in works at Woolwich andDeptford, and sinking of good ships loaden with goods, when, if half the charge had been ...

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Publié par

chowyar

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Nombre de lectures

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THE DIARY OFSAMUEL PEPYS M.A.F.R.S.TCHLEE RAKD MOIFR TAHLET YACTS AND SECRETARY TOTRANSCRIBED FROM THE SHORTHANDMANUSCRIPT IN THE PEPYSIAN LIBRARYMAGDALENE COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE BY THEREV. MYNORS BRIGHT M.A. LATE FELLOWAND PRESIDENT OF THE COLLEGE(Unabridged)WITH LORD BRAYBROOKE'S NOTESEDITED WITH ADDITIONS BYHENRY B. WHEATLEY F.S.A.DSIAAMRUY EOLF1P6E6P7YS. JULYJuly 1st. Up betimes, about 9 o'clock, waked by a

damned noise between a sow gelder and a cowand a dog, nobody after we were up being able totell us what it was. After being ready we tookcoach, and, being very sleepy, droused most partof the way to Gravesend, and there 'light, anddown to the new batterys, which are like to be veryfine, and there did hear a plain fellow cry out uponthe folly of the King's officers above, to spend somuch money in works at Woolwich and Deptford,and sinking of good ships loaden with goods, when,if half the charge had been laid out here, it wouldhave secured all that, and this place too, beforenow. And I think it is not only true in this, but thatthe best of the actions of us all are so silly, that themeanest people begin to see through them, andcontemn them. Besides, says he, they spoil theriver by it. Then informed ourselves where wemight have some creame, and they guided us toone Goody Best's, a little out of the towne towardsLondon road, and thither we went with the coach,and find it a mighty clean, plain house, and had adish of very good creame to our liking, and soaway presently very merry, and fell to reading ofthe several Advices to a Painter, which made usgood sport, and indeed are very witty, and Creeddid also repeat to me some of the substance ofletters of old Burleigh in Queen Elizabeth's time,which he hath of late read in the printed Cabbala,which is a very fine style at this day and fit to beimitated. With this, and talking and laughing at thefolly of our masters in the management of things atthis day, we got home by noon, where all well, andthen to dinner, and after dinner both of us laiddown upon the couch and chairs and to sleep,

which I did for an hour or two, and then to theoffice, where I am sorry to hear that Sir J. Minnesis likely to die this night, or to-morrow, I forgot toset down that we met this morning upon the roadwith Mrs. Williams going down to my LordBruncker; we bowed without speaking one toanother, but I am ashamed at the folly of the manto have her down at this serious busy time, whenthe town and country is full of people and full ofcensure, and against him particularly. At Sir W.Batten's my Lady tells me that she hears forcertain that my Lord's maid of his lodging here dogive out that Mrs. Williams hath been fain of late tosell her best clothes and jewels to get a littlemoney upon, which is a sad condition. Thence tothe office, and did write to my Lord Bruncker togive me a little satisfaction about the certainty ofthe chain's being broke, which I begin to doubt,and the more from Sir W. Pen's discourse. It isworth while to read my letter to him entered in myletter book. Home in the evening to supper, and sopretty betimes, about 10 o'clock, to bed, and sleptwell. This day letters are come that my sister isvery ill.2nd. Up, and put on my new silke camelott suit,made of my cloak, and suit now made into a vest.So to the office, where W. Pen and myself, and SirT. Harvy met, the first time we have had a meetingsince the coming of the Dutch upon this coast. Ouronly business (for we have little else to do, nobodybeing willing to trust us for anything) was to speakwith the owners of six merchantmen which wehave been taking up this fortnight, and are yet in

no readiness, they not fitting their ships withoutmoney advanced to them, we owing them for whattheir ships have earned the last year. So everything stands still for money, while we want moneyto pay for some of the most necessary things thatwe promised ready money for in the height of ourwants, as grapnells, &c. At noon home to dinner,and after dinner my wife and Jane (mighty fine thegirle) to go to see Jane's old mistress, who was tosee her, and did see my wife the other day, and itis pleasant to hear with what kindness her oldmistress speaks of this girle, and how she wouldstill have her, and how the wench cried when shetold her that she must come to her old mistress mywife. They gone, I to my chamber, and theredallied a little with my maid Nell . . . . and so to theoffice where busy till night, and then comes Mrs.Turner, and walks with me in the garden to talkwith me about her husband's business, and to tellme how she hears at the other end of the townhow bad our office is spoken of by the King andPrince and Duke of Albemarle, and that there is nota good word said of any of us but of me; and methey all do speak mightily of, which, whether true orno, I am mighty glad to hear, but from all puttogether that I hear from other people, I am likelyto pass as well as anybody. So, she gone, comesmy wife and to walk in the garden, Sir J. Minnesbeing still ill and so keeping us from singing, and byand by Sir W. Pen come and walked with us andgave us a bottle of Syder, and so we home tosupper and to bed. This day I am told that poorTooker is dead, a very painfull poor man as ever I.wenk

3rd. Up, and within most of the morning, my tailor'sboy coming to alter something in my new suit I puton yesterday. Then to the office and did business,and then (my wife being a little ill of those in bed) Ito Sir W. Batten's and dined, and there comes inSir Richard Ford, tells us how he hath been at theSessions-house, and there it is plain that there is acombination of rogues in the town, that do make ittheir business to set houses on fire, and that onehouse they did set on fire in Aldersgate Streete lastEaster; and that this is proved by two young men,whom one of them debauched by degrees to stealtheir fathers' plate and clothes, and at last to be oftheir company; and they had their places to takeup what goods were flung into the streets out ofthe windows, when the houses were on fire; andthis is like to be proved to a great number ofrogues, whereof five are already found, and somefound guilty this day. One of these boys is the sonof a Montagu, of my Lord Manchester's family; butwhose son he could not tell me. This is a strangething methinks, but I am glad that it is proved sotrue and discovered. So home, and to enter myJournall of my late journey to this hour, and then tothe office, where to do a little business, and thenby water to White Hall (calling at Michell's in myway, but the rogue would not invite me in, I havinga mind para voir his wife), and there to the Council-chamber, to deliver a letter to their Lordships aboutthe state of the six merchantmen which we havebeen so long fitting out. When I come, the Kingand the whole table full of Lords were hearing of apitifull cause of a complaint of an old man, with a

great grey beard, against his son, for not allowinghim something to live on; and at last come to theordering the son to allow his father L10 a year.This cause lasted them near two hours; which,methinks, at this time to be the work of theCouncil-board of England, is a scandalous thing,and methought Sir W. Coventry to me did own asmuch. Here I find all the newes is the enemy'slanding 3,000 men near Harwich,[Richard Browne, writing to Williamson fromAldeburgh, on July 2nd, says: "The Dutchfleet of 80 sail has anchored in the bay; theywere expected to land, but they tackedabout, and stood first northward and thensouthward, close by Orford lighthouse, andhave now passed the Ness towards Harwich;they have fired no guns, but made falsefires" ("Calendar of State Papers," 1667, p.258).]and attacking Landguard Fort, and being beat offthence with our great guns, killing some of theirmen, and they leaving their ladders behind them;but we had no Horse in the way on Suffolk side,otherwise we might have galled their Foot. TheDuke of York is gone down thither this day, whilethe General sat sleeping this afternoon at theCouncil-table. The news so much talked of thisExchange, of a peace, I find by Sir Richard Brownearises from a letter the Swedes' agent hathreceived from Bredah and shewed at Court to-day,that they are come very near it, but I do not findanybody here relying upon it. This cause being

over, the Trinity House men, whom I did not expectto meet, were called in, and there Sir W. Pen madea formal speech in answer to a question of theKing's, whether the lying of the sunk ships in theriver would spoil the river. But, Lord! how gingerlyhe answered it, and with a deal of do that he didnot know whether it would be safe as to the enemyto have them taken up, but that doubtless it wouldbe better for the river to have them taken up.Methought the Council found them answer likefools, and it ended in bidding them think more of it,and bring their answer in writing. Thence I toWestminster Hall, and there hear how they talkagainst the present management of things, andagainst Sir W. Coventry for his bringing in of newcommanders and casting out the old seamen,which I did endeavour to rectify Mrs. Michell andthem in, letting them know that he hath opposed itall his life the most of any man in England. After adeal of this tittle tattle, I to Mrs. Martin's, and thereshe was gone in before, but when I come, contraryto my expectation, I find her all in trouble, and whatwas it for but that I have got her with child . . . .and is in exceeding grief, and swears that the childis mine, which I do not believe, but yet do comforther that either it cannot be so, or if it be that I willtake care to send for her husband, though I dohardly see how I can be sure of that, the ship beingat sea, and as far as Scotland, but however I mustdo it, and shall find some way or other of doing it,though it do trouble me not a little. Thence, notpleased, away to White Hall to Mr. Williamson, andby and by my Lord Arlington about Mr. Lanyon'sbusiness, and it is pretty to see how Mr. Williamson

did altogether excuse himself that my businesswas not done when I come to my Lord and told himmy business; "Why," says my Lord, "it hath beendone, and the King signed it several days ago,"and so it was and was in Mr. Williamson's hands,which made us both laugh, and I in innocent mirth,I remember, said, it is pretty to see in what acondition we are that all our matters now-a-daysare undone, we know not how, and done we knownot when. He laughed at it, but I have sincereflected on it, and find it a severe speech as itmight be taken by a chief minister of state, asindeed Mr. Williamson is, for he is indeed theSecretary. But we fell to other pleasant talk, and afine gentleman he is, and so gave him L5 for hisfee, and away home, and to Sir W. Batten's to talka little, and then to the office to do a little business,and so home to supper and read myself asleep,and then to bed.4th. Up, and, in vain expecting Sir R. Ford's callingon me, I took coach and to the Sessions-house,where I have a mind to hear Bazill Fielding's case—[See May 9th, 1667]—tried; and so got up to theBench, my Lord Chief-Justice Keeling being Judge.Here I stood bare, not challenging, though I mightwell enough, to be covered. But here were severalfine trials; among others, several brought in formaking it their trade to set houses on fire merely toget plunder; and all proved by the two little boysspoken of yesterday by Sir R. Ford, who did giveso good account of particulars that I never heardchildren in my life. And I confess, though I wasunsatisfied with the force given to such little boys,

to take away men's lives, yet, when I was told thatmy Lord Chief-Justice did declare that there wasno law against taking the oath of children abovetwelve years old, and then heard from Sir R. Fordthe good account which the boys had given of theirunderstanding the nature and consequence of anoath, and now my own observation of the sobrietyand readiness of their answers, further than of anyman of any rank that come to give witness thisday, though some men of years and learning, Iwas a little amazed, and fully satisfied that theyought to have as much credit as the rest. Theyproved against several, their consulting severaltimes at a bawdy-house in Moore-Fields, called theRussia House, among many other rogueries, ofsetting houses on fire, that they might gather thegoods that were flung into the streets; and it isworth considering how unsafe it is to have childrenplay up and down this lewd town. For these twoboys, one is my Lady Montagu's (I know not whatLady Montagu) son, and the other of goodcondition, were playing in Moore-Fields, and onerogue, Gabriel Holmes, did come to them andteach them to drink, and then to bring him plateand clothes from their fathers' houses, and carryhim into their houses, and leaving open the doorsfor him, and at last were made of their conspiracy,and were at the very burning of this house inAldersgate Street, on Easter Sunday at night last,and did gather up goods, as they had resolvedbefore and this Gabriel Holmes did advise to havehad two houses set on fire, one after another, that,while they were quenching of one, they might beburning another. And it is pretty that G. Holmes did

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