Books: The Diary of Samuel Pepys

S >> Samuel Pepys >> The Diary of Samuel Pepys

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76

11th. I with my Lady Pen and her daughter to see Harman; whom we
find lame in bed. His bones of his ancle are broke, but he hopes
to do well soon; and a fine person by his discourse he seems to
be: and he did plainly tell me that at the Council of War before
the fight, it was against his reason to begin the fight then, and
the reasons of most sober men there, the wind being such, and we
to windward, that they could not use their lower tier of guns.
Late comes Sir Jo. Bankes to see me, who tells me that coming up
from Rochester he overtook three or four hundred seamen, and he
believes every day they come flocking from the fleet in like
numbers; which is a sad neglect there, when it will be impossible
to get others, and we have little reason to think these will
return presently again. Walking in the galleries at White Hall,
I find the Ladies of Honour dressed in their riding garbs, with
coats and doublets with deep skirts, just for all the world like
mine, and buttoned their doublets up the breast, with perriwigs
and with hats; so that, only for a long petticoat dragging under
their men's coats, nobody could take them for women in any point
whatever; which was an odde sight, and a sight did not please me.
It was Mrs. Wells and another fine lady that I saw thus.

13th. Sir H. C. Cholmly [Sir Hugh Cholmely of Whitby, Yorkshire,
Bart., was employed in constructing the Mole at Tangier, and
resided there some years. Ob. 1688.] tells me there are great
jarrs between the Duke of York and the Duke of Albemarle, about
the latter's turning out one or two of the commanders put in by
the Duke of York. Among others, Captain Du Tell, a Frenchman,
put in by the Duke of York, and mightily defended by him; and is
therein led by Monsieur Blancford, that it seems hath the same
command over the Duke of York as Sir W. Coventry hath; which
raises ill blood between them. And I do in several little things
observe that Sir W. Coventry hath of late, by the by, reflected
on the Duke of Albemarle and his captains, particularly in that
of old Teddiman, who did deserve to be turned out this fight, and
was so; but I heard Sir W. Coventry say that the Duke of
Albemarle put in one as bad as he in his room, and one that did
as little. Invited to Sir Christopher Mings's funeral, but find
them gone to church. However I into the church (which is a fair
large church, and a great chapel) and there heard the service,
and staid till they buried him, and then out. And there met with
Sir W. Coventry (who was there out of great generosity, and no
person of quality there but he) and went with him into his coach,
and being in it with him there happened this extraordinary case,
--one of the most romantique that ever I heard in my life, and
could not have believed, but that I did see it; which was this.
--About a dozen able, lusty, proper men come to the coach-side
with tears in their eyes, and one of them that spoke for the rest
begun and said to Sir W. Coventry, "We are here a dozen of us,
that have long known and loved, and served our dead commander,
Sir Christopher Mings, and have now done the last office of
laying him in the ground. We would be glad we had any other to
offer after him, and in revenge of him. All we have is our
lives; if you will please to get His Royal Highness to give us a
fire-ship among us all, here are a dozen of us, out of all which
choose you one to be commander, and the rest of us, whoever he
is, will serve him; and, if possible, do that which shall show
our memory of our dead commander, and our revenge." Sir W.
Coventry was herewith much moved, (as well as I, who could hardly
abstain from weeping,) and took their names, and so parted;
telling me that he would move his Royal Highness as in a thing
very extraordinary. The truth is, Sir Christopher Mings was a
very stout man, and a man of great parts, and most excellent
tongue among ordinary men: and as Sir W. Coventry says, could
have been the most useful man at such a pinch of time as this.
He was come into great renowne here at home, and more abroad in
the West Indys. He had brought his family into a way of being
great; but dying at this time, his memory and name (his father
being always and at this day a shoemaker, and his mother a
hoyman's daughter; of which he was used frequently to boast) will
be quite forgot in a few months as if he had never been, nor any
of his name be the better by it; he having not had time to will
any estate, but is dead poor rather than rich. So we left the
church and crowd.

14th. With my wife and father to Hales's, and there looked only
on my father's picture, (which is mighty like); and so away to
White Hall to a committee for Tangier. Where the Duke of York
was, and Sir W. Coventry, and a very full committee: and instead
of having a very prejudiced meeting, they did, though inclined
against Yeabsly, yield to the greatest part of his account, so as
to allow of his demands to the value of 7000l. and more, and only
give time for him to make good his pretence to the rest; which
was mighty joy to me: and so we rose up. But I must observe the
force of money, which did make my Lord Ashly to argue and behave
himself in the business with the greatest friendship, and yet
with all the discretion imaginable; and it will be a business of
admonition and instruction to me concerning him (and other men,
too, for aught I know) as long as I live.

16th. The King, Duke of York, and Sir W. Coventry are gone down
to the fleet. It seems the Dutch do mightily insult of their
victory, and they have great reason. Sir William Barkeley was
killed before his ship taken; and there he lies dead in a sugar-
chest, for every body to see, with his flag standing up by him.
And Sir George Ascue is carried up and down the Hague for people
to see.

18th. Sir W. Coventry is returned this night from the fleet; he
being the activest man, in the world, and we all (myself
particularly) more afraid of him than of the King or his service,
for aught I see; God forgive us! This day the great news is come
of the French, their taking the island of St. Christopher from
us; and it is to be feared they have done the like of all those
islands thereabouts: this makes me mad.

19th. I to Sir G. Carteret's by appointment; where I perceive by
him the King is going to borrow some money of the City; but I
fear it will do no good, but hurt. He tells me how the Generall
is displeased, and there have been some high words between the
Generall and Sir W. Coventry. And it may be so; for I do not
find Sir W. Coventry so highly commending the Duke as he used to
be, but letting fall now and then some little jerkes: as this
day, speaking of news from Holland, he says, "I find their
victory begins to shrinke there as well as ours here." Here I
met with Captain Cocke, and he tells me that the first thing the
Prince said to the King upon his coming was, complaining of the
Commissioners of the Navy: that they could have been abroad in
three or four days but for us; that we do not take care of them:
which I am troubled at, and do fear may in violence break out
upon this office some time or other; for we shall not be able to
carry on the business.

21st. Up, and at the office all the morning; where by several
circumstances I find Sir W. Coventry and the Duke of Albemarle do
not agree as they used to do; Sir W. Coventry commending Aylett,
(in some reproach to the Duke), whom the Duke hath put out for
want of courage; and found fault with Steward, whom the Duke
keeps in, though as much in fault as any commander in the fleet.
Sir George Smith tells me that this day my Lord Chancellor and
some of the Court have been with the City, and that the City have
voted to lend the King 100,000l.; which, if soon paid, (as he
says he believes it will,) will be a greater service than I did
ever expect at this time from the City.

23rd. Reading Pompey the Great, (a play translated from the
French by several noble persons; among others, my Lord
Buckhurst,) that to me is but a mean play, and the words and
sense not very extraordinary. From Deptford I walked to
Redriffe, and in my way was overtaken by Bagwell, lately come
from sea in the Providence, who did give me an account of several
particulars in the late fight, and how his ship was deserted
basely by the York, Captain Swanly, commander.

24th. In the gallery among others met with Major Halsey, a great
creature of the Duke of Albemarle's: who tells me that the Duke
by name hath said that he expected to have the work here up in
the River done, having left Sir W. Batten and Mr. Phipps there.
He says that the Duke of Albemarle do say that this is a victory
we have had, having, as he was sure, killed them 8000 men, and
sunk about fourteen of their ships; but nothing like this appears
true. He lays much of the little success we have had, however,
upon the fleet's being divided by order from above, and the want
of spirit in the commanders; and that he was commanded by order
to go out of the Downes to the Gunfleete, and in the way meeting
the Dutch fleet, what should he do? should he not fight them?
especially having beat them heretofore at as great disadvantage.
He tells me further, that having been downe with the Duke of
Albemarle, he finds that Holmes and Spragge do govern most
business of the Navy; and by others I understand that Sir Thomas
Allen is offended thereat: that he is not so much advised with
as he ought to be. He tells me also, as he says of his own
knowledge, that several people before the Duke went out did offer
to supply the King with 100,000l. provided he would be treasurer
of it, to see it laid out for the Navy; which he refused, and so
it died. But I believe none of this. This day I saw my Lady
Falmouth, [Elizabeth, daughter of Hervey Bagot, Esq., and widow
of Charles Berkeley, Earl of Falmouth, married secondly, Charles
first Duke of Dorset. She had been Maid of Honour to the Duchess
of York.] with whom I remember now I have dined at my Lord
Barkeley's heretofore, a pretty woman: she was now in her second
or third mourning, and pleasant in her looks. By and by the
Council rises, and Sir W. Coventry come out; and he and I went
aside; and discoursed of much business of the Navy; and
afterwards took his coach, and to Hide-Parke, he and I alone:
there we had much talk. First, he stated a discourse of a talk
he hears about the town, which, says he, is a very bad one, and
fit to be suppressed, if we knew how: which is, the comparing of
the success of the last year with that of this; saying that that
was good, and that bad. I was as sparing in speaking as I could,
being jealous of him and myself also, but wished it could be
stopped; but said I doubted it could not otherwise than by the
fleet's being abroad again, and so finding other work for men's
minds and discourse. Then to discourse of himself, saying, that
he heard that he was under the lash of people's discourse about
the Prince's not having notice of the Dutch being out, and for
him to come back again, nor the Duke of Albemarle notice that the
Prince was sent for back again: to which he told me very
particularly how careful he was the very same night that it was
resolved to send for the Prince back, to cause orders to be writ,
and waked the Duke, who was then in bed, to sign them; and that
they went by express that very night, being the Wednesday night
before the fight, which begun on the Friday; and that for sending
them by the post express, and not by gentlemen on purpose, he
made a sport of it, and said, I knew of none to send it with but
would at least have lost more time in fitting themselves out,
than any diligence of theirs beyond that of the ordinary post
would have recovered. I told him that this was not so much the
towne talk as the reason of dividing the fleete. To this he told
me he ought not to say much; but did assure me in general that
the proposition did first come from the fleet, and the resolution
not being prosecuted with orders so soon as the Generall thought
fit, the Generall did send Sir Edward Spragge up on purpose for
them; and that there was nothing in the whole business which was
not done with the full consent and advice of the Duke of
Albemarle. But he did adde, (as the Catholiques call LE SECRET
DE LA MASSE) that Sir Edward Spragge--who had even in Sir
Christopher Mings's time, put in to be the great favourite of the
Prince, but much more now had a mind to be the great man with
him, and to that end had a mind to have the Prince at a distance
from the Duke of Albemarle, that they might be doing something
alone--did, as he believed, put on this business of dividing the
fleet, and that thence it came. He tells me as to the business
of intelligence, the want whereof the world did complain much of,
that for that it was not his business, and as he was therefore to
have no share in the blame, so he would not meddle to lay it any
where else. That De Ruyter was ordered by the States not to make
it his business to come into much danger, but to preserve himself
as much as was fit out of harm's way, to be able to direct the
fleet. He do, I perceive, with some violence, forbear saying any
thing to the reproach of the Duke of Albemarle; but, contrarily,
speaks much of his courage; but I do as plainly see that he do
not like the Duke of Albemarle's proceedings, but, contrarily, is
displeased therewith. And he do plainly diminish the commanders
put in by the Duke, and do lessen the miscarriages of any that
have been removed by him. He concurs with me, that the next bout
will be a fatal one to one side or other, because, if we be
beaten, we shall not be able to set out our fleet again. He do
confess with me that the hearts of our seamen are much saddened;
and for that reason, among others, wishes Sir Christopher Mings
was alive, who might inspire courage and spirit into them.
Speaking of Holmes, how great a man he is, and that he do for the
present, and hath done all the voyage, kept himself in good order
and within bounds: but, says he, a cat will be a cat still, and
some time or other out his humours must break again. He do not
disowne but that the dividing of the fleet upon the presumptions
that were then had (which, I suppose, was the French fleet being
come this way,) was a good resolution.

25th. News from Sir W. Coventry that the Dutch are certainly
come out. Mrs. Pen carried us to two gardens at Hackny, (which I
every day grow more and more in love with,) Mr. Drake's one,
where the garden is good, and house and the prospect admirable;
the other my Lord Brooke's [Robert Lord Brooke, ob. 1676. Evelyn
mentions this garden as Lady Brooke's. Brooke House at Clapton,
was lately occupied as a private madhouse.] where the gardens
are much better, but the house not so good, nor the prospect good
at all. But the gardens are excellent; and here I first saw
oranges grow: some green, some half, some a quarter, and some
full ripe, on the same tree, and one fruit of the same tree do
come a year or two after the other. I pulled off a little one by
stealth (the man being mightily curious of them) and eat it, and
it was just as other little green small oranges are: as big as
half the end of my little finger. Here were also great variety
of other exotique plants, and several labarinths, and a pretty
aviary.

26th. In the morning come Mr. Chichly [Mr., afterwards Sir
Thomas Chicheley, a Privy-Counsellor and Commissioner of the
Ordnance.] to Sir W. Coventry, to tell him the ill success of
the guns made for the Loyall London; which is, that in the trial
every one of the great guns, the whole cannon of seven (as I take
it), broke in pieces.

27th. To Sir W. Coventry's chamber (where I saw his father my
Lord Coventry's picture hung up, done by Stone, who then brought
it home. It is a good picture, drawn in his judge's robes, and
the great seal by him. And while it was hanging up, "This," says
Sir W. Coventry, merrily, "is the use we make of our fathers.")
But what I observed most from the discourse was this of Sir W.
Coventry, that he do look upon ourselves in a desperate
condition. The issue of all standing upon this one point, that
by the next fight, if we beat, the Dutch will certainly be
content to take eggs for their money, (that was his expression);
or if we be beaten, we must be contented to make peace, and glad
if we can have it without paying too dear for it. And withall we
do rely wholly upon the Parliament's giving us more money the
next sitting, or else we are undone. I did this afternoon visit
my Lord Bellasses, who professes all imaginable satisfaction in
me. My Lord is going down to his garrison to Hull, by the King's
command, to put it in order for fear of an invasion: which
course I perceive is taken upon the sea-coasts round; for we have
a real apprehension of the King of France's invading us.

28th. The Dutch are now known to be out, and we may expect them
every hour upon our coast. But our fleet is in pretty good
readiness for them.

29th. To the office; where I met with a letter from Dover, which
tells me (and it did come by express) that news is brought over
by a gentleman from Callice that the Dutch fleet, 130 sail, are
come upon the French coast; and that the country is bringing in
picke-axes, and shovells, and wheel-barrows into Callice; that
there are 6000 men armed with head, back, and breast, (Frenchmen)
ready to go on board the Dutch fleet, and will be followed by
1200 more. That they pretend they are to come to Dover; and that
thereupon the Governor of Dover Castle is getting the
victuallers' provision out of the town into the Castle to secure
it. But I do think this is a ridiculous conceit; but a little
time will show.

30th. Mightily troubled all this morning with going to my Lord
Mayor, (Sir Thomas Bludworth, a silly man I think, [As his
conduct during the Great Fire fully proved.]) and other places,
about getting shipped some men that they have these two last
nights pressed in the City out of houses: the persons wholly
unfit for sea, and many of them people of very good fashion,
which is a shame to think of, and carried to Bridewell they are,
yet without being impressed with money legally as they ought to
be. But to see how the King's business is done; my Lord Mayor
himself did scruple at this time of extremity to do this thing,
because he had not money to pay the pressed-money to the men. I
did out of my own purse disburse 15l. to pay for their pressing
and diet last night and this morning; which is a thing worth
record of my Lord Mayor. Busy about this all the morning, and
about the getting off men pressed by our officers of the fleet
into the service; even our own men that are at the office, and
the boats that carry us. So that it is now become impossible to
have so much as a letter carried from place to place, or any
message done for us: nay, out of Victualling ships full loaden
to go down to the fleet, and out of the vessels of the officers
of the Ordnance, they press men, so that for want of discipline
in this respect I do fear all will be undone.

July 1, 1666. Comes Sir W. Pen to town, which I little expected,
having invited my Lady and her daughter Pegg to dine with me to-
day; which at noon they did, and Sir W. Pen with them: and
pretty merry we were. And though I do not love him, yet I find
it necessary to keep in with him: his good service at Shearnesse
in getting out the fleet being much taken notice of; and reported
to the King and Duke, even from the Prince and Duke of Albemarle
themselves, and made the most of to me and them by Sir W.
Coventry; therefore I think it discretion, great and necessary
discretion, to keep in with him. To the Tower several times,
about the business of the pressed men, and late at it till twelve
at night shipping of them. But, Lord! how some poor women did
cry; and in my life I never did see such natural expression of
passion as I did here in some women's bewailing themselves, and
running to every parcel of men that were brought, one after
another, to look for their husbands, and wept over every vessel
that went off, thinking they might be there, and looking after
the ship as far as ever they could by moone-light, that it
grieved me to the heart to hear them. Besides, to see poor
patient labouring men and housekeepers leaving poor wives and
families, taken up on a sudden by strangers, was very hard, and
that without press-money, but forced against all law to be gone.
It is a great tyranny.

2nd. Up betimes, and forced to go to my Lord Mayor's, about the
business of the pressed men; and indeed I find him a mean man of
understanding and dispatch of any publick business. Thence out
of curiosity to Bridewell to see the pressed men, where there are
about 300; but so unruly that I durst not go among them: and
they have reason to be so, having been kept these three days
prisoners, with little or no victuals, and pressed out and
contrary to all course of law, without press-money, and men that
are not liable to it. Were I met with prating Colonel Cox, one
of the City collonells, heretofore a great presbyter: but to
hear how the fellow did commend himself, and the service he do
the King; and, like an asse, at Paul's did take me out of my way
on purpose to show me the gate, (the little north gate) where he
had two men shot close by him on each time, and his own hair
burnt by a bullet-shot in the insurrection of Venner, and himself
escaped. I found one of the vessels loaden with the Bridewell
birds in a great mutiny, and they would not sail, not they; but
with good words, and cajoling the ringleader into the Tower,
(where, when he was come, he was clapped up in the Hole) they
were got very quietly; but I think it is much if they do not run
the vessel on ground.

3rd. Mr. Finch, one of the Commissioners of Excise, and I fell
to discourse of the Parliament, and the great men there; and
among others, Mr. Vaughan, whom he reports as a man of excellent
judgement and learning, but most passionate and opiniastre. He
had done himself the most wrong (though he values it not), that
is, the displeasure of the King in his standing so long against
the breaking of the Act for a triennial parliament; but yet do
believe him to be a most loyall gentleman. He told me Mr. Prin's
character; that he is a man of mighty labour and reading, and
memory, but the worst judge of matters, or layer together of what
he hath read, in the world, (which I do not, however, believe him
in;) that he believes him very true to the King in his heart, but
can never be reconciled to episcopacy; that the House do not lay
much weight upon him, or any thing he says. News came yesterday
from Harwich, that the Dutch had appeared upon our coast with
their fleet, and we believe did go to the Gun-fleete, and they
are supposed to be there now, but I have heard nothing of them
to-day. Yesterday Dr. Whistler, at Sir W. Pen's, told me that
Alexander Broome, [Alexander Broome, an attorney in the Lord
Mayor's Court, author of "Loyal Songs and Madrigals," much sung
by the Cavaliers, and of a translation of Horace. He was
regretted as an agreeable companion.] the great song-maker, is
lately dead.

4th. Thanks be to God, the plague is, as I hear, encreased but
two this week; but in the country in several places it rages
mightily, and particularly in Colchester, where it hath, long
been, and is believed will quite depopulate the place. With the
Duke, all of us discoursing about the places where to build ten
great ships: the King and Council have resolved on none to be
under third-rates; but it is impossible to do it, unless we have
more money towards the doing it than yet we have in any view.
But, however, the show must be made to the world. In the evening
Sir W. Pen came to me, and we walked together, and talked of the
late fight. I find him very plain, that the whole conduct of the
late fight was ill; that two-thirds of the commanders of the
whole fleet have told him so: they all saying, that they durst
not oppose it at the Council of War, for fear of being called
cowards, though it was wholly against their judgement to fight
that day with the disproportion of force, and then we not being
able to use one gun of our lower tier, which was a greater
disproportion than the other. Besides, we might very well have
staid in the Downs without fighting, or any where else, till the
Prince could have come up to them; or at least till the weather
was fair, that we might have the benefit of our whole force in
the ships that we had. He says three things must be remedied, or
else we shall be undone by this fleet. 1. That we must fight in
a line, whereas we fight promiscuously, to our utter and
demonstrable ruine: the Dutch fighting otherwise; and we,
whenever we beat them,--2. We must not desert ships of our own in
distress, as we did, for that makes a captain desperate, and he
will fling away his ship, when there are no hopes left him of
succour.--3. That ships when they are a little shattered, must
not take the liberty to come in of themselves, but refit
themselves the best they can, and stay out--many of our ships
coming in with very small disableness. He told me that our very
commanders, nay, our very flag-officers, do stand in need of
exercising among themselves, and discoursing the business of
commanding a fleet: he telling me that even one of our flag-men
in the fleet, did not know which tacke lost the wind, or kept it,
in the last engagement. He says it was pure dismaying and fear
that made them all run upon the Galloper, not having their wits
about them: and that it was a miracle they were not all lost.
He much inveighs upon my discoursing of Sir John Lawson's saying
heretofore, that sixty sail would do as much as one hundred; and
says that he was a man of no counsel at all, but had got the
confidence to say as the gallants did, and did propose to himself
to make himself great by them, and saying as they did: but was
no man of judgement in his business, but hath been out in the
greatest points that have come before them. And then in the
business of fore-castles, which he did oppose, all the world sees
now the use of them for shelter of men. He did talk very
rationally to me, insomuch that I took more pleasure this night
in hearing him discourse, than I ever did in my life in any thing
that he said.