Books: The Diary of Samuel Pepys

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4th. When Sir W. Coventry did come, and the rest met, I did
appear uuconcerned, and did give him answer pretty satisfactory
what he asked me; so that I did get off this meeting without any
ground lost. Soon as dined, my wife and I out to the Duke's
playhouse, and there saw "Heraclius," [A tragedy, by Lodowick
Carlell, taken from Corneille.] an excellent play, to my
extraordinary content; and the more from the house being very
full, and great company; among others Mrs. Stewart, very fine,
with her locks done up with puffes, as my wife calls them: and
several other great ladies had their hair so, though I do not
like it; but my wife do mightily; but it is only because she sees
it is the fashion. Here I saw my Lord Rochester and his lady,
Mrs. Mallett, who hath after all this ado married him; and, as I
hear some say in the pit, it is a great act of charity, for he
hath no estate. But it was so pleasant to see how every body
rose up when my Lord John Butler, the Duke of 0rmond's son, come
into the pit towards the end of the play, who was a servant to
Mrs. Mallett, and now smiled upon her, and she on him. Home, and
to my chamber, and there finished my Catalogue of my books with
my own-hand.

5th. Heard this morning that the Prince is much better, and hath
good rest. All the talk is that my Lord Sandwich hath perfected
the peace with Spain; which is very good, if true. Sir H.
Cholmly was with me this morning, and told me of my Lord
Bellasses' base dealings with him by getting him to give him
great gratuities to near 2000l. for his friendship in the
business of the Molle, and hath been lately underhand
endeavouring to bring another man into his place as Governor, so
as to receive his money of Sir H. Cholmly for nothing. To the
King's house to see "The Chances." [A comedy, by the Duke of
Buckingham.], a good play I find it, and the actors most good in
it. and pretty to hear Knipp sing in the play very properly,
"All night I weepe;" and sung it admirably. The whole play
pleases me well: and most of all, the sight of many fine ladies;
among others my Lady Castlemaine and Mrs. Middleton: the latter
of the two hath also a very excellent face and body, I think.
And so home in the dark over the ruins with a link.

6th. To Westminster Hall, and walked up and down, and hear that
the Prince do still rest well by day and night, and out of pain;
so as great hopes are conceived of him; though I did meet Dr.
Clerke and Mr. Pierce, and they do say: they believe he will not
recover it, they supposing that his whole head within is eaten by
this corruption, which appeared in this piece of the inner table.
To White Hall to attend the Council; but they sat not to-day. So
to Sir W. Coventry's chamber, and find him within, and with a
letter from the Downes in his hands, telling the loss of the St.
Patricke coming from Harwich in her way to Portsmouth; and would
needs chase two ships (she having the Malago fireship in company)
which from English colours put up Dutch, and he would clap on
board the Vice-Admirall; and after long dispute the Admirall
comes on the other side of him, and both together took her. Our
fireship (Seely) not coming in to fire all three, but come away,
leaving her in their possession, and carried away by them: a
ship built at Bristoll the last year, of fifty guns and upwards,
and a most excellent good ship.

8th. Sir W. Batten come this morning from the House, where the
King hath prorogued this Parliament to October next. I am glad
they are up. The Bill for Accounts was not offered, the party
being willing to let it fall; but the King did tell them he
expected it. They are parted with great heart-burnings, one
party against the other. Pray God bring them hereafter together
in better temper! It is said that the King do intend himself in
this interval to take away Lord Mordaunt's government [Windsor
Castle.], so as to do something to appease the House against
they come together, and let them see he will do that of his own
accord which is fit without their forcing him; and that he will
have his Commission for accounts go on: which will be good
things. At dinner we talked much of Cromwell; all saying he was
a brave fellow, and did owe his crowne he got to himself as much
as any man that ever got one.

9th. Read a piece of a play, "Every Man in his Humour," wherein
is the greatest propriety of speech that; ever I read in my life;
and so to bed. This noon come my wife's watch-maker, and
received 12l. of me for her watch; but Captain Rolt coming to
speak with me about a little business, he did judge of the work
to be very good, and so I am well contented.

10th (Lord's day). To church, where Mr. Mills made an
unnecessary sermon upon Original Sin, neither understood by
himself nor the people. Home, where come Mr. Carter, [Thomas
Carter, S.T.P. 1669.] my old acquaintance of Magdalene College,
who hath not been here of many years. He hath spent his time in
the country with the Bishop of Carlisle much. He is grown a very
comely person, and of good discourse, and one that I like very
much. We had much talk of all our old acquaintance of the
College, concerning their various fortunes; wherein, to my joy, I
met not with any that have sped better than myself. Mrs. Turner
do tell me very odde stories how Mrs. Williams do receive the
applications of people, and hath presents, and she is the hand
that receives all, while my Lord do the business.

12th. With my Lord Brouncker by coach to his house, there to
hear some Italian musique: and here we met Tom Killigrew, Sir
Robert Murray, and the Italian Signor Baptista, [Giovanni
Baptista Draghi, an Italian musician in the service of Queen
Catherine, and a composer of merit. BURNEY, HISTORY OF MUSIC.]
who hath proposed a play in Italian for the Opera, which T.
Killigrew do intend to have up; and here he did sing one of the
acts. He himself is the poet as well as the musician; which is
very much, and did sing the whole from the words without any
musique prickt, and played all along upon a harpsicon most
admirably, and the composition most excellent. The words I did
not understand, and so know not how they are fitted, but believe
very well, and all in the recitative very fine. But I perceive
there is a proper accent in every country's discourse, and that
do reach in their setting of notes to words, which, therefore,
cannot be natural to any body else but them; so that I am not so
much smitten with it as it may be I should be if I were
acquainted with their accent. But the whole composition is
certainly most excellent; and the poetry, T. Killigrew and Sir R.
Murray, who understood the words, did say most excellent. I
confess I was mightily pleased with the musique. He pretends not
to voice, though it be good, but not excellent. This done, T.
Killigrew and I to talk: and he tells me how the audience at his
house is not above half so much as it used to be before the late
fire. That Knipp is like to make the best actor that ever come
upon the stage, she understanding so well: that they are going
to give her 30l. a-year more. That the stage is now by his pains
a thousand times better and more glorious than ever heretofore.
Now wax-candles, and many of them; then not above 3 lbs. of
tallow: now all things civil, no rudeness any where; then, as in
a bear-garden: then two or three fiddlers, now nine or ten of
the best: then nothing but rushes upon the ground, and every
thing else mean; now all otherwise: then the Queene seldom and
the King never would come; now, not the King only for state, but
all civil people do think they may come as well as any. He tells
me that he hath gone several times (eight or ten times, he tells
me,) hence to Rome, to hear good musique; so much he loves it,
though he never did sing or play a note. That he hath ever
endeavoured in the late King's time and in this to introduce good
musique, but he never could do it, there never having been any
musique here better than ballads. And says "Hermitt poore" and
"Chiny Chese" was all the musique we had; and yet no ordinary
fiddlers get so much money as ours do here, which speaks our
rudeness still. That he hath gathered our Italians from several
Courts in Christendome, to come to make a concert for the King,
which he do give 200l. a-year a-piece to; but badly paid, and do
come in the room of keeping four ridiculous Gundilows, he having
got the King to put them away, and lay out money this way. And
indeed I do commend him for it; for I think it is a very noble
undertaking. He do intend to have some times of the year these
operas to be performed at the two present theatres, since he is
defeated in what he intended in Moorefields on purpose for it.
And he tells me plainly that the City audience was as good as the
Court; but now they are most gone. Baptista tells me that
Giacomo Charissimi [Giacomo Chiarissimi, Maestro di Cappella of
the Church of St. Apollinare in the German College at Rome, an
excellent Italian musician. He lived to be 90.--BURNEY.] is
still alive at Rome, who was master to Vinnecotio, who is one of
the Italians that the King hath here, and the chief composer of
them. My great wonder is, how this man do to keep in memory so
perfectly the musique of the whole act, both for the voice and
the instrument too. I confess I do admire it: but in recitative
the sense much helps him, for there is but one proper way of
discoursing and giving the accents. Having done our discourse,
we all took coaches (my Lord's and T. Killigrew's) and to Mrs.
Knipp's chamber, where this Italian is to teach her to sing her
part. And so we all thither, and there she did sing an Italian
song or two very fine, while he played the bass upon a harpsicon
there; and exceedingly taken I am with her singing, and believe
she will do miracles at that and acting.

13th. To the Duke of York, and there did our usual business; but
troubled to see that at this time, after our declaring a debt to
the Parliament of 900,000l. and nothing paid since, but the debt
encreased, and now the fleet to set out, to hear that the King
hath ordered but 35,000l. for the setting out of the fleet, out
of the Poll Bill to buy all provisions, when five times as much
had been little enough to have done any thing to purpose. They
have, indeed, ordered more for paying off of seamen and the Yards
to some time, but not enough for that neither. A foul evening
this was to-night, and I mightily troubled to get a coach home;
and, which is now my common practice, going over the ruins in the
night, I rid with my sword drawn in the coach.

14th. By coach to my Lord Chancellor's, and there a meeting:
the Duke of York, Duke of Albemarle, and several other Lords of
the Commission of Tangier. And there I did present a state of my
accounts, and managed them well and my Lord Chancellor did say,
though he was in other things in an ill humour, that no man in
England was of more method, nor made himself better understood,
than myself. But going, after the business of money was over, to
other businesses, of settling the garrison, he did fling out, and
so did the Duke of York, two or three severe words touching my
Lord Bellasses: that he would have no Governor come away from
thence in less than three years: no, though his lady were with
child. "And," says the Duke of York, "there should be no
Governor continue so, longer than three years."--"And," says
Lord Arlington, "when our rules are once set, and upon good
judgment declared, no Governor should offer to alter them." "We
must correct the many things that are amiss there; for (says the
Lord Chancellor) you must think we do hear of more things amiss
than we are willing to speak before our friends' faces." My Lord
Bellasses would not take notice of their reflecting on him, and
did wisely. H. Cholmly and I to the Temple, and there walked in
the dark in the walks talking of news; and he surprises me with
the certain news that the King did last night in Council declare
his being in treaty with the Dutch: that they had sent him a
very civil letter, declaring that if nobody but themselves were
concerned, they would not dispute the place of treaty, but leave
it to his choice; but that being obliged to satisfy therein a
prince of equal quality with himself, they must except any place
in England or Spain. Also the King hath chosen the Hague, and
thither hath chose my Lord Hollis and Harry Coventry to go
Embassadors to treat; which is so mean a thing as all the world
will believe that we do go to beg a peace of them, whatever we
pretend. And it seems all our Court are mightily for a peace,
taking this to be the time to make one while the King hath money,
that he may save something of what the Parliament hath given him
to put him out of debt, so as he may need the help of no more
Parliaments, as to the point of money: but our debt is so great,
and expence daily so encreased, that I believe little of the
money will be saved between this and the making of the peace up.
But that which troubles me most is, that we have chosen a son of
Secretary Morris, a boy never used to any business, to go
Secretary to the Embassy.

14th. This morning come up to my wife's bedside, I being up
dressing myself, little Will Mercer to be her Valentine; and
brought her name writ upon blue paper in gold letters, done by
himself, very pretty; and we were both well pleased with it. But
I am also this year my wife's Valentine, and it will cost me 5l.;
but that I must have laid out if we had not been Valentines.

15th. Pegg Pen is married this day privately: no friends but
two or three relations of his and hers. Borrowed many things of
my kitchen for dressing their dinner. This wedding, being
private, is imputed to its being just before Lent, and so in vain
to make new clothes till Easter, that they might see the fashions
as they are like to be this summer; which is reason good enough.

16th. To my Lord Brouncker's, and there was Sir Robert Murray, a
most excellent man of reason and learning, and understands the
doctrine of musique, and every thing else I could discourse of,
very finely. Here come Mr. Hooke, Sir George Ent, Dr. Wren, and
many others; and by and by the musique, that is to say, Signior
Vincentio, who is the master composer, and six more, whereof two
eunuches (so tall that Sir T. Harvy said well that he believes
they do grow large as our oxen do), and one woman very well
dressed and handsome enough, but would not be kissed, as Mr.
Killigrew, who brought the company in, did acquaint us. They
sent two harpsicons before, and by and by after tuning them they
begun; and, I confess, very good musique they made; that is, the
composition exceeding good, but yet not at all more pleasing to
me than what I have heard in English by Mrs. Knipp, Captain
Cocke, and others. Their justness in keeping time by practice
much before any that we have, unless it be a good band of
practiced fiddlers. I find that Mrs. Pierce's little girl is my
Valentine, she having drawn me; which I was not sorry for, it
easing me of something more that I must have given to others.
But here I do first observe the fashion of drawing of mottos as
well as names; so that Pierce, who drew my wife, did draw also a
motto, and this girl drew another for me. What mine was I have
forgot; but my wife's was, "Most courteous and most fair:" which
as it may be used, or an anagram made upon each name, might be
very, pretty. One wonder I observed to-day, that there was no
musique in the morning to call up our new-married people; which
is very mean methinks.

17th. Staid till the council was up, and attended the King and
Duke of York round the Park, and was asked several questions by
both; but I was in pain lest they should ask me what I could not
answer; as the Duke of York did the value of the hull of the St.
Patricke lately lost, which I told him I could not presently
answer: though I might have easily furnished myself to answer
all those questions. They stood a good while to see the ganders
and geese in the water. At home by appointment comes Captain
Cocke to me, to talk of State matters and about the peace; who
told me that the whole business is managed between Kevet,
Burgomaster, of Amsterdam, and my Lord Arlington, who hath
through his wife there some interest. [See note Nov. 15, 1666.]
We have proposed the Hague, but know not yet whether the Dutch
will like it; or if they do, whether the French will. We think
we shall have the help of the information of their affairs and
state, and the helps of the Prince of Orange his faction: but
above all, that De Witt, who hath all this while said he cannot
get peace, his mouth will now be stopped, so that he will be
forced to offer fit terms for fear of the people; and lastly, if
France or Spain do not please us, we are in a way presently to
clap up a peace with the Dutch, and secure them. But we are also
in treaty with France, as he says; but it must be to the
excluding our alliance with the King of Spain or House of
Austria: which we do not know presently what will be determined
in. He tells me the Vice-chamberlaine is so great with the King,
that let the Duke of York, and Sir W. Coventry, and this office,
do or say what they will, while the King lives Sir G. Carteret
will do what he will; and advises me to be often with him, and
eat and drink with him; and tells me that he doubts he is jealous
of me, and was mighty mad to-day at our discourse to him before
the Duke of York. But I did give him my reasons, that the office
is concerned to declare that without money the King's work cannot
go on. He assures me that Henry Brouncker is one of the
shrewdest fellows for parts in England, and a dangerous man:
that while we want money so much in the Navy, the officers of the
Ordnance have at this day 300,000l. good in tallies, which they
can command money upon: that Harry Coventry, who is to go upon
this treaty with Lord Hollis (who he confesses to be a very wise
man) into Holland, is a mighty, quick, ready man, but not so
weighty as he should be, he knowing him so well in his drink as
he do: that unless the King do something against my Lord
Mordaunt and the Patents for the Canary Company before the
Parliament next meets, he do believe there will be a civil war
before there will be any more money given, unless it may be at
their perfect disposal; and that all things are now ordered to
the provoking of the Parliament against they come next, and the
spending the King's money, so as to put him into a necessity of
having it at the time it is prorogued for, or sooner. This
evening going to the Queene's side to see the ladies, I did find
the Queene, the Duchesse of York, and another or two, at cards,
with the room full of great ladies and men; which I was amazed at
to see on a Sunday, having not believed it, but contrarily,
flatly denied the same a little while since to my cosen Roger
Pepys.

18th. To the King's house to "The Mayd's Tragedy;" but vexed all
the while with two talking ladies and Sir Charles Sedley; yet
pleased to hear their discourse, he being a stranger. And one of
the ladies would and did sit with her mask on all the play; and
being exceedingly witty as ever I heard woman, did talk most
pleasantly with him; but was, I believe, a virtuous woman, and of
quality. He would fain know who she was, but she would not tell;
yet did give him many pleasant hints of her knowledge of him, by
that means setting his brains at work to find out who she was,
and did give him leave to use all means to find out who she was,
but pulling off her mask. He was mighty witty, and she also
making sport with him very inoffensively, that a more pleasant
rencontre I never heard. But by that means lost the pleasure of
the play wholly, to which now and then Sir Charles Sedley's
exceptions against both words and pronouncing were very pretty.

20th. They talked how the King's viallin, Bannister, is mad;
that the King hath a Frenchman come to be chief of some part of
the King's musique. I with Lord Bellasses, to Lord Chancellor's.
Lord Bellasses tells me how the King of France hath caused the
stop to be made to our proposition of treating in the Hague; that
he being greater than they, we may better come and treat at
Paris: so that God knows what will become of the peace! He
tells me, too, as a grand secret, that he do believe the
offensive and defensive between Spain and us is quite finished,
but must not be known, to prevent the King of France's present
falling upon Flanders. He do believe the Duke of York will be
made General of the Spanish Armies there, and Governor of
Flanders, if the French should come against it, and we assist the
Spaniard: that we have done the Spaniard abundance of mischief
in the West Indys by our privateers at Jamaica, which they lament
mightily, and I am sorry for it to have it done at this time. By
and by come to my Lord Chancellor, who heard mighty quietly my
complaints for lack of money, and spoke mighty kind to me, but
little hopes of help therein.

24th. To White Hall, and there meeting my Lord Arlington, he by
I know not what kindness offered to carry me along with him to my
Lord Treasurer's, whither I told him I was going. I believe he
had a mind to discourse of some Navy businesses, but Sir Thomas
Clifford coming into the coach to us, we were prevented; which I
was sorry for, for I had a mind to begin an acquaintance with
him. He speaks well, and hath pretty slight superficial parts, I
believe. He, in our going, talked much of the plain habit of the
Spaniards; how the King and Lords themselves wear but a cloak of
Colchester bayze, and the ladies mantles in cold weather of white
flannell: and that the endeavours frequently of setting up the
manufactory of making these stuffs there, have only been
prevented by the Inquisition. Captain Cocke did tell me what I
must not forget: that the answer of the Dutch, refusing the
Hague for a place of treaty, and proposing Boysse, Bredah,
Bergen-op-Soome, or Mastricht, was seemingly stopped by the
Swedes Embassador (though he did show it the King, but the King
would take no notice of it, nor does not,) from being delivered
to the King; and he hath wrote to desire them to consider better
of it. So that, though we know their refusal of the place, yet
they know not that we know it, nor the King obliged to show his
sense of the affront. That the Dutch are in very great straits,
so as to be said to be not able to set out their fleet this year.
By and by comes Sir Robert Viner and Lord Mayor [Sir William
Bolton.] to ask the King's direction about measuring out the
streets according to the new Act for building of the City,
wherein the King is to be pleased. But he says that the way
proposed in Parliament by Colonel Birch would have been the best,
to have chosen some persons in trust, and sold the whole ground,
and let it be sold again by them with preference to the old
owner, which would have certainly caused the City to be built
where these Trustees pleased; whereas now great differences will
be, and the streets built by fits, and not entire till all
differences be decided. This, as he tells it, I think would have
been the best way. I enquired about the Frenchman that was said
to fire the City, and was hanged for it by his own confession,
that he was hired for it by a Frenchman of Roane, and that he did
with a stick reach in a fire-ball in at a window of the house:
whereas the master of the house, who is the King's baker, and his
son, and daughter, do all swear there was no such window, and
that the fire did not begin there-abouts. Yet the fellow, who,
though a mopish besotted fellow, did not speak like a madman, did
swear that he did fire it: and did not this like a madman; for
being tried on purpose and landed with his keeper at the Town-
Wharf, he could carry the keeper to the very house. Asking Sir
R. Viner what he thought was the cause of the fire, he tells me,
that the baker, son, and his daughter, did all swear again and
again, that their oven was drawn by ten o'clock at night: that
having occasion to light a candle about twelve, there was not so
much fire in the bakehouse as to light a match for a candle, so
that they were fain to go into another place to light it: that
about two in the morning they felt themselves almost choked with
smoke, and rising did find the fire coming upstairs; so they rose
to save themselves; but that at that time the bavins were not on
fire in the yard. So that they are, as they swear, in absolute
ignorance how this fire should come; which is a strange thing,
that so horrid an effect should have so mean and uncertain a
beginning.

25th. Lay long in bed, talking with pleasure with my poor wife,
how she used to make coal fires, and wash my foul clothes with
her own hand for me, poor wretch! in our little room at my Lord
Sandwich's; for which I ought for ever to love and admire her,
and do: and persuade myself she would do the same thing again,
if God should reduce us to it. At my goldsmith's did observe the
King's new medall, where in little there is Mrs. Stewart's face
as well done as ever I saw any thing in my whole life, I think:
and a pretty thing it is, that he should choose her face to
represent Brittannia by.