Books: The Diary of Samuel Pepys

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6th. To Lincoln's Inn Fields; and it being too soon to go to
dinner, I walked up and down, and looked upon the outside of the
new theatre building in Covent Garden, which will be very fine.
And so to a bookseller's in the Strand, and there bought Hudibras
again, it being certainly some ill humour to be so against that
which all the world cries up to be the example of wit; for which
I am resolved once more to read him, and see whether I can find
it or no.

7th, To White Hall to chapel, where there preached little Dr.
Duport, [James Duport, D.D., Dean of Peterborough 1664, and
Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, 1668. Ob. 1679.] of
Cambridge, upon Josiah's words,--"But I and my house, we will
serve the Lord." Thence with Mr. Creed to the King's Head
ordinary. After dinner Sir Thomas Willis [Sir Thomas Willis,
Bart., Ob. Nov. 1705, aged 90, and was buried at Ditton, in
Cambridgeshire, where he possessed some property. In 1679, he
had been put out of the Commission of the Peace for that County,
for concurring with the Fanatic party in opposing the Court.
COLE'S MSS.] and another stranger, and Creed and I fell a-
talking; they of the errours and corruption of the Navy, and
great expence thereof, not knowing who I was, which at last I did
undertake to confute, and disabuse them: and they took it very
well, and I hope it was to good purpose, they being Parliament-
men. Creed and I and Captn. Ferrers to the Parke, and there
walked finely, seeing people slide, we talking all the while; and
Captn. Ferrers telling me, among other Court passages, how about
a month ago, at a ball at Court, a child was dropped by one of
the ladies in dancing, but nobody knew who, it being taken up by
somebody in their handkercher. The next morning all the Ladies
of Honour appeared early at Court for their vindication, so that
nobody could tell whose this mischance should be. But it seems
Mrs. Wells [Maid of Honour to the Queen, and one of Charles II.'s
numerous mistresses. Vide "MEMOIRES DE GRAMMONT."] fell sick
that afternoon, and hath disappeared ever since, so that it is
concluded it was her. The little Duke of Monmouth, it seems, is
ordered to take place of all Dukes, and so do follow Prince
Rupert now, before the Duke of Buckingham, or any else.

13th. To my office, where late upon business; Mr. Bland sitting
with me, talking of my Lord Windsor's being come home from
Jamaica, unlooked for; which makes us think that these young
Lords are not fit to do any service abroad, though it is said
that he could not have his health there, but hath raced a fort of
the King of Spain upon Cuba, which is considerable, or said to be
so, for his honour.

16th. To Westminster Hall, and there find great expectation what
the Parliament will do, when they come two days hence to sit
again, in matters of religion. The great question is, whether
the Presbyters will be contented to let the Papists have the same
liberty of conscience with them, or no, or rather be denied it
themselves: and the Papists, I hear, are very busy in designing
how to make the Presbyters consent to take their liberty, and to
let them have the same with them, which some are apt to think
they will. It seems a priest was taken in his vests officiating
somewhere in Holborne the other day, and was committed by
Secretary Morris according to law; and they say the Bishop of
London did give him thanks for it.

17th. To my Lord Sandwich, whom I found at cards with Pickering;
but he made an end soon: and so all alone, he told me he had a
great secret to tell me, such as no flesh knew but himself, nor
ought; which was this:--that yesterday morning Eschar, Mr. Edward
Montagu's man, did come to him from his master with some of the
Clerkes of the Exchequer, for my Lord to sign to their books for
the Embassy money; which my Lord very civilly desired not to do
till he had spoke with his master himself. In the afternoon, my
Lord and my Lady Wright being at cards in his chamber, in comes
Mr. Montagu; and desiring to speak with my Lord at the window in
his chamber, he began to charge my Lord with the greatest
ingratitude in the world: that he that had received his earldom,
garter, 4000l. per annum, and whatever he has in the world, from
him, should now study him all the dishonour that he could: and
so fell to tell my Lord, that if he should speak all that he knew
of him, he could do so and so. In a word, he did rip up all
that, could be said they was unworthy, and in the basest terms
they could be spoken in. To which my Lord answered with great
temper, justifying himself, but endeavouring to lessen his heat,
which was a strange temper in him, knowing that he did owe all he
hath in the world to my Lord, and that he is now all that he is
by his means and favour. But my Lord did forbear to increase the
quarrel, knowing that it would be to no good purpose for the
world to see a difference in the family; but did allay them so as
that he fell to weeping. And after much talk (among other things
Mr. Montagu telling him that there was a fellow in the towne,
naming me, that had done ill offices, and that if he knew it to
be so, he would have him cudgelled) my Lord did promise him,
that, if upon account he saw that there was not many tradesmen
unpaid, he would sign the books; but if there was, he could not
bear with taking too great a debt upon him. So this day he sent
him an account, and a letter assuring him there was not above
200l. unpaid; and so my Lord did sign to the Exchequer books.
Upon the whole, I understand fully what a rogue he is, and how my
Lord do think and will think of him for the future; telling me
that thus he has served his father my Lord Manchester, and his
whole family, and now himself: and, which is worst, that he hath
abused, and in speeches every day do abuse my Lord Chancellor,
whose favour he hath lost; and hath no friend but Sir H. Bennet,
and that (I knowing the rise of his friendship) only from the
likeness of their pleasures, and acquaintance, and concealments,
they have in the same matters of lust and baseness; for which,
God forgive them! But he do flatter himself, from promises of
Sir H. Bennet, that he shall have a pension of 2000l. per annum,
and be made an Earl. My Lord told me he expected a challenge
from him, but told me there was no great fear of him, for there
was no man lies under such an imputation as he do in the business
of Mr. Cholmly, who, though a simple sorry fellow, do brave him
and struts before him with the Queene, to the sport and
observation of the whole Court. Mr. Pickering tells me the story
is very true of a child being dropped at the ball at Court; and
that the King had it in his closet a week after, and did dissect
it; and making great sport of it, said that in his opinion it
must have been a month and three houres old; and that, whatever
others think, he hath the greatest loss, (it being a boy, as he
says,) that hath lost a subject by the business. He tells me
too, that Sir H. Bennet is a Catholique, and how all the Court
almost is changed to the worse since his coming in, they being
affraid of him. And that the Queene-Mother's Court is now the
greatest of all; and that our own Queene hath little or no
company come to her, which I know also to be very true, and am
sorry to see it.

18th. Mr. Hater and I alone at the office, finishing our account
of the extra charge of the Navy, not properly belonging to the
Navy, since the King's coming in to Christmas last; and all extra
things being abated, I find that the true charge of the Navy to
that time hath been after the rate of 374,743l. a year. I made
an end by eleven o'clock at night. This day the Parliament met
again, after their long prorogation; but I know not any thing
what they have done, being within doors all day.

19th. This day I read the King's speech to the Parliament
yesterday; which is very short, and not very obliging; but only
telling them his desire to have a power of indulging tender
consciences, and that he will yield to have any mixture in the
uniformity of the Church's discipline; and says the same for the
Papists, but declares against their ever being admitted to have
any offices or places of trust in the kingdom; but, God knows,
too many have.

21st. To the office, where Sir J. Minnes (most of the rest being
at the Parliament-house,) all the morning answering petitions and
other business. Towards noon there comes a man as if upon
ordinary business, and shows me a writ from the Exchequer, called
a Commission of Rebellion, and tells me that I am his prisoner in
Field's business; which methought did strike me to the heart, to
think that we could not sit in the middle of the King's business.
I told him how and where we were employed, and bid him have a
care; and perceiving that we were busy, he said he would, and did
withdraw for an houre: in which time Sir J. Minnes took coach
and to Court, to see what he could do from thence; and our
solicitor against Field come by chance and told me that he would
go and satisfy the fees of the Court, and would end the business.
So he went away about that, and I staid in my closet, till by and
by the man and four more of his fellows come to know what I would
do; and I told them to stay till I heard from the King or my Lord
Chief Baron, to both whom I had now sent. With that they
consulted, and told me that if I would promise to stay in the
house, they would go and refresh themselves, and come again, and
know what answer I had: so they away, and I home to dinner.
Before I had dined, the bayleys come back again with the
constable, and at the office knock for me, but found me not
there: and I hearing in what manner they were come, did forbear
letting them know where I was; so they stood knocking and
enquiring for me. By and by at my parler-window comes Sir W.
Batten's Mungo, to tell me that his master and lady would have me
come to their house through Sir J. Minnes's lodgings, which I
could not do; but, however, by ladders, did get over the pale
between our yards and their house, where I found them (as they
have reason) to be much concerned for me, my lady, especially.
The fellows staid in the yard swearing with one or two
constables, and some time we locked them into the yard, and by
and by let them out again, and so kept them all the afternoon,
not letting them see me, or know where I was. One time I went up
to the top of Sir W. Batten's house, and out of one of their
windows spoke to my wife out of one of ours; which methought,
though I did it in mirth, yet I was sad to think what a sad thing
it would be for me to be really in that condition. By and by
comes Sir J. Minnes, who (like himself and all that he do) tells
us that he can do no good, but that my Lord Chancellor wonders
that; we did not cause the seamen to fall about their eares:
which we wished we could have done without our being seen in it;
and Captain Grove being there, he did give them some affront, and
would have got some seamen to have drubbed them, but he had not
time, nor did we think it fit to have done it, they having
executed their commission; but there was occasion given that he
did draw upon one of them who did complain that Grove had pricked
him in the breast, but no hurt done; but I see that Grove would
have done our business to them if we had bid him. By and by
comes Mr. Clerke, our sollicitor, who brings us a release from
our adverse atturney, we paying the fees of the commission, which
comes to five markes, and the charges of these fellows, which are
called the commissioners, but are the most rake-shamed rogues
that ever I saw in my life; so he showed them this release, and
they seemed satisfied, and went away with him to their atturney
to be paid by him. But before they went, Sir W. Batten and my
lady did begin to taunt them, but the rogues answered them as
high as themselves, and swore they would come again, and called
me rogue and rebel, and they would bring the sheriffe and untile
his house, before he should harbour a rebel in his house, and
that they would be here again shortly. Well, at last they went
away, and I by advice took occasion to go abroad, and walked
through the street to show myself among the neighbours, that they
might not think worse than the business is. I home to Sir W.
Batten's again, where Sir J. Lawson, Captain Allen, Spragge,
[Afterwards Sir Edward Spragg, a distinguished naval commander,
who perished in a boat, which was sunk during an action with Van
Tromp, in 1673, whilst he was preparing to hoist his flag on
board a third ship, having previously lost two in the
engagement.] and several others, and all our discourse about the
disgrace done to our office to be liable to this trouble, which
we must get removed. Hither comes Mr. Clerke by and by, and
tells me that he hath paid the fees of the Court for the
commission; but the men are not contented with under 5l. for
their charges, which he will not give them, and therefore advises
me not to stir abroad till Monday that he comes or sends to me
again, whereby I shall not be able to go to White Hall to the
Duke of York, as I ought. Here I staid vexing, and yet pleased
to see every body for me; and so home, where my people are
mightily surprised to see this business, but it troubles me not
very much, it being nothing touching my particular person or
estate. Sir W. Batten tells me that little is done yet in the
Parliament-house, but only this day it was moved and ordered that
all the members of the House do subscribe to the renouncing of
the Covenant, which it is thought will try some of them. There
is also a bill brought in for the wearing of nothing but cloth or
stuffs of our own manufacture, and is likely to be passed. Among
other talk this morning, my lady did speak concerning
Commissioner Pett's calling the present King bastard, and other
high words heretofore: and Sir W. Batten did tell us, that he
did give the Duke and Mr. Coventry an account of that and other
like matters in writing under oath, of which I was ashamed, and
for which I was sorry.

22nd (Lord's-day). Went not out all the morning; but after
dinner to Sir W. Batten's and Sir W. Pen's, where discoursing
much of yesterday's trouble and scandal; but that which troubled
me most was Sir J. Minnes coming from Court at night, and instead
of bringing great comfort from thence, (but I expected no better
from him,) he tells me that the Duke and Mr. Coventry make no
great matter of it.

23rd. Up by times; and not daring to go by land, did (Griffin
going along with me for fear,) slip to White Hall by water; where
to Mr. Coventry, and, as we used to do, to the Duke; the other of
my fellows being come. But we did nothing of our business, the
Duke being sent for to the King, that he could not stay to speak
with us. This morning come my Lord Windsor [Created Earl of
Plymouth, 6th December, 1682.] to kiss the Duke's hand, being
returned from Jamaica. He tells the Duke that from such a degree
of latitude going thither he began to be sick, and was never well
till his coming so far back again, and then presently begun to be
well. He told the Duke of their taking the fort of St. Jago,
upon Cuba, with his men; but upon the whole, I believe, that he
did matters like a young lord, and was weary of being upon
service out of his own country, where he might have pleasure.
For methought it was a shame to see him this very afternoon,
being the first day of his coming to town, to be at a playhouse.
To my Lord Sandwich: it was a great trouble to me (and I had
great apprehensions of it) that my Lord desired me to go to
Westminster Hall, to the Parliament-house door, about business;
and to Sir Wm. Wheeler, [M.P. for Queensborough.] which I told
him I would, but durst not go for fear of being taken by these
rogues; but was forced to go to White Hall and take boat, and so
land below the Tower at the Iron-gate, and so the back way over
Little Tower Hill; and with my cloak over my face, took one of
the watermen along with me, and staid behind our garden-wall,
while he went to see whether any body stood within the Merchants'
Gate. But there was nobody, and so I got safe into the garden,
and coming to open my office door, something behind it fell in
the opening, which made me start. So that God knows in what a
sad condition I should be if I were truly in debt: and therefore
ought to bless God that I have no such real reason, and to
endeavour to keep myself, by my good deportment and good
husbandry, out of any such condition. At home I find, by a note
that Mr. Clerke in my absence hath left here, that I am free; and
that he hath stopped all matters in Court; and I was very glad of
it. We took coach and to Court, and there saw "The Wilde
Gallant," [A Comedy by Dryden.] performed by the King's house,
but it was ill acted. The King did not seem pleased at all, the
whole play, nor any body else. My Lady Castlemaine was all worth
seeing to-night, and little Steward. [Frances, daughter of
Walter Stewart, son of Lord Blantyre, married Charles, fifth Duke
of Richmond, and died 1702.] Mrs. Wells do appear at Court
again, and looks well; so that, it may be, the late report of
laying the dropped child to her was not true. This day I was
told that my Lady Castlemaine hath all the King's Christmas
presents, made him by the peers, given to her, which is a most
abominable thing; and that at the great ball she was much richer
in jewells than the Queene and Duchesse put both together.

24th. Among other things, my Lord Sandwich tells me, that he
hears the Commons will not agree to the King's late declaration,
nor will yield that the Papists have any ground given them to
raise themselves up again in England, which I perceive by my Lord
was expected at Court.

25th. The Commons in Parliament, I hear, are very high to stand
to the Act of Uniformity, and will not indulge the Papists (which
is endeavoured by the Court Party,) nor the Presbyters.

26th. Sir W. Batten and I by water to the Parliament-house: he
went in, and I walked up and down the Hall. All the newes is the
great oddes yesterday in the votes between them that are for the
Indulgence to the Papists and Presbyters, and those that are
against it, which did carry it by 200 against 30. And pretty it
is to consider how the King would appear to be a stiff Protestant
and son of the Church; and yet willing to give a liberty to these
people, because of his promise at Breda. And yet all the world
do believe that the King would not have the liberty given them at
all.

27th. About 11 o'clock, Commissioner Pett and I walked to
Chyrurgeon's Hall, (we being all invited thither, and promised to
dine there;) where we were led into the Theatre: and by and by
comes the reader, Dr. Tearne, [Christopher Terne, of Leyden,
M.D., originally of Cambridge, and Fellow of the College of
Physicians. Ob. 1673.] with the Master and Company, In a very
handsome manner: and all being settled, he begun his lecture;
and his discourse being ended, we had a fine dinner and good
learned company, many Doctors of Phisique, and we used with
extraordinary great respect. Among other observables we drunk
the King's health out of a gilt cup given by King Henry VIII. to
this Company, with bells hanging at it, which every man is to
ring by shaking after he hath drunk up the whole cup. There is
also a very excellent piece of the King, done by Holbein, stands
up in the Hall, with the officers of the Company kneeling to him
to receive their Charter. Dr. Scarborough took some of his
friends, and I went with them, to see the body of a lusty fellow,
a seaman, that was hanged for a robbery. It seems one Dillon, of
a great family, was, after much endeavours to have saved him,
hanged with a silken halter this Sessions, (of his own
preparing,) not for honour only, but it being soft and sleek it
do slip close and kills, that is, strangles presently: whereas,
a stiff one do not come so close together, and so the party may
live the longer before killed. But all the Doctors at table
conclude, that there is no pain at all in hanging, for that it do
stop the circulation of the blood; and so stops all sense and
motion in an instant. To Sir W. Batten's to speak upon some
business, where I found Sir J. Minnes pretty well fuddled I
thought: he took me aside to tell me how being at my Lord
Chancellor's to-day, my Lord told him that there was a Great Seal
passing for Sir W. Pen, through the impossibility of the
Comptroller's duty to be performed by one man; to be as it were
joynt-comptroller with him, at which he is stark mad; and swears
he will give up his place. For my part, I do hope, when all is
done that my following my business will keep me secure against
all their envys. But to see how the old man do strut, and swear
that he understands all his duty as easily as crack a nut, and
easier, he told my Lord Chancellor, for his teeth are gone; and
that he understands it as well as any man in England; and that he
will never leave to record that he should be said to be unable to
do his duty alone; though, God knows, he cannot do it more than a
child.

28th. The House have this noon been with the King to give him
their reasons for refusing to grant any indulgence to Presbyters
or Papists; which he, with great content and seeming pleasure,
took, saying, that he doubted not but he and they should agree in
all things, though there may seem a difference in judgements, he
having writ and declared for an indulgence: and that he did
believe never prince was happier in a House of Commons, than he
was in them. At the Privy Seale I did see the docquet by which
Sir W. Pen is made the Comptroller's assistant, as Sir J. Minnes
told me last night.

MARCH 3, 1662-63. This afternoon Roger Pepys tells me, that for
certain the King is for all this very highly incensed at the
Parliament's late opposing the Indulgence; which I am sorry for,
and fear it will breed great discontent.

5th. To the Lobby, and spoke with my cousin Roger, who is going
to Cambridge to-morrow. In the Hall I do hear that the
Catholiques are in great hopes for all this, and do set hard upon
the King to get Indulgence. Matters, I hear, are all naught in
Ireland, and the people, that is the Papists, do cry out against
the Commissioners sent by the King; so that they say the English
interest will be lost there.

6th. This day it seems the House of Commons have been very high
against the Papists, being incensed by the stir which they make
for their having an Indulgence; which, without doubt, is a great
folly in them to be so hot upon at this time, when they see how
averse already the House have showed themselves from it. This
evening Mr. Povy tells me that my Lord Sandwich is this day so
ill that he is much afraid of him, which puts me to great pain,
not more for my own sake than for his poor family's.

7th. Creed told me how for some words of my Lady Gerard's,
against my Lady Castlemaine to the Queene, the King did the other
day apprehend her in going out to dance with her at a ball, when
she desired it as the ladies do, and is since forbid attending
the Queene by the King; which is much talked of, my Lord her
husband being a great favourite.

8th (Lord's day). To White Hall to-day; I heard Dr. King, Bishop
of Chichester, make a good and eloquent sermon upon these words,
"They that sow in tears, shall reap in joy." Whence (the chapel
in Lent being hung with black, and no anthem after sermon, as at
other times,) to my Lord Sandwich at Sir W. Wheeler's. I found
him out of order, thinking himself to be in a fit of ague. After
dinner up to my Lord, there being Mr. Rumball. My Lord, among
other discourse, did tell me of his great difficultys passed in
the business of the Sound, and of his receiving letters from the
King there, but his sending them by Whetstone was a great folly;
and the story how my Lord being at dinner with Sydney, [The
famous Algernon Sydney, one of the Ambassadors sent to Sweden and
Denmark by Richard Cromwell.] one of his fellow plenipotentiarys
and his mortal enemy, did see Whetstone, and put off his hat
three times to him, and the fellow would not be known, which my
Lord imputed to his coxcombly humour, (of which he was full) and
bid Sydney take notice of him too, when at the very time he had
letters [These letters are, in Thurloe's State Papers, vol. vii.
One was from the King the other from Chancellor Hyde.] in his
pocket from the King, as it proved afterwards. And Sydney
afterwards did find it out at Copenhagen, the Dutch Commissioners
telling him how my Lord Sandwich had desired one of their ships
to carry back Whetstone to Lubeck, he being come from Flanders
from the King. But I cannot but remember my Lord's equanimity in
all these affairs with admiration.

9th. About noon Sir J. Robinson, Lord Mayor, desiring way
through the garden from the Tower, called in at the office and
there invited me (and Sir W. Pen, who happened to be in the way)
to dinner, and we did go, and there had a great Lent dinner of
fish, little flesh. There dined with us to-day Mr. Slingsby of
the Mint, [Master of the Mint, frequently mentioned by Evelyn.]
who showed us all the new pieces both gold and silver (examples
of them all) that were made for the King, by Blondeau's way; and
compared them with those made for Oliver. The pictures of the
latter made by Symons, [Thomas Simon, an engraver of coins and
medals.] and of the King by one Rotyr, [There were three
brothers named Rotier, all Medallists; Philip intoduced the
likeness of Mrs. Stewart in the figure of Britannia.] a German;
I think, that dined with us also. He extolls those of Rotyr
above the others; and, indeed, I think they are the better,
because the sweeter of the two; but, upon my word, those of the
Protector are more like in my mind, than the King's, but both
very well worth seeing. The crownes of Cromwell are now sold,
it seems, for 25s. and 30s. a-piece.