The Diary of Samuel Pepys

15th. At home, to look after things for dinner. And anon at noon comes Mr. Creed by chance, and by and by the three young ladies: [Lord Sandwich's daughters.] and very merry we...

27th. To the office, where I hear that Sir John Coventry [Nephew to Sir William and Henry Coventry; created K.B. at Charles II.'s coronation, and M.P. for Weymouth in several Pa...

21st. Among other things of news I do hear, that upon the reading of the House of Commons' Reasons of the manner of their proceedings in the business of my Lord Chancellor, the...

10th. Abroad to find out one to engrave my tables upon my new sliding rule with silver plates, it being so small that Browne that made it cannot get one to do it. So I got Cocke...

5th. The Duke of York did call me and Mr. Wren; and my paper that I have lately taken pains to draw up was read, and the Duke of York pleased therewith; and we did all along con...

CORONACON DAY. 23rd. About four I rose and got to the Abbey, where I followed Sir J. Denham, the Surveyor, with some company that he was leading in. [Created at the Restoration...

18th. To Sir W. Coventry's, and there discourse the business of my Treasurer's place at Tangier; wherein he consents to my desire, and concurs therein: which I am glad of, that...

MAY 1. 1667. To Westminster; in the way meeting many milk-maids with their garlands upon their pails, dancing with a fiddler before them; and saw pretty Nelly [Nell Gwynne.] sta...

26th. Mr. Hill of Cambridge tells me, that yesterday put a change to the whole state of England as to the Church; for the King now would be forced to favour Presbytery, or that...

31st. After dinner to Westminster Hall, where all we clerks had orders to wait upon the Committee, at the Star-chamber that is to try Colonel Jones, and to give an account what...

4th. To the Sessions-house, where I have a mind to hear Bazill Fielding's case tried; and so got up to the Bench, my Lord Chief- Justice Keeling [Sir John Keeling, Knight, King'...

19th. I am told for certain, what I have heard once or twice already, of a Jew in town, that in the name of the rest do offer to give any man 10l. to be paid 100l., if a certain...

3rd. About four o'clock in the morning, my Lady Batten sent me a cart to carry away all my money, and plate, and best things, to Sir W. Rider's at Bednall-greene. Which I did, r...

15th. Mr. Carteret, and I to the ferry-place at Greenwich, and there staid an hour crossing the water to and again to get our coach and horses over; and by and by set out, and s...

13th. Captain Cocke says be hath computed that the rents of the houses lost this fire in the City comes to 600,000l. per annum; that this will make the Parliament more quiet tha...

28th. I hear that Nixon is condemned to be shot to death, for his cowardice, by a Council of War. To my Lady Sandwich's, where, to my shame, I had not been a great while. Here,...

10th. Up, to walk up and down in the garden with my father, to talk of all our concernments: about a husband for my sister, whereof there is at present no appearance; but we mus...

15th. To the plaisterer's, and there saw the figure of my face taken from the mould; and it is most admirably like, and I will have another made before I take it away. At the 'C...

18th. To Mr. Lilly's, the painter's; and there saw the heads, some finished, and all begun, of the flaggmen in the late great fight with the Duke of York against the Dutch. The...

27th. To my Lord Sandwich, who now-a-days calls me into his chamber, and alone did discourse with me about the jealousy that the Court have of people's rising; wherein he do muc...

30th. Publick matters in an ill condition of discontent against the height and vanity of the Court, and their bad payments: but that which troubles most, is the Clergy, which wi...

26th (Lord's day). Up and to the Wells, where a great store of citizens, which was the greatest part of the company, though there were some others of better quality. Thence I wa...

3rd. This day, I hear, hath been a conference between the two Houses about the Bill for examining Accounts, wherein the House of Lords their proceedings in petitioning the King...

6th. Up betimes, and with Sir D. Gauden to Sir W. Coventry's chamber; where the first word he said to me was, "Good-morrow, Mr. Pepys, that must be Speaker of the Parliament-hou...

27th. To St. James's; and there with Mr. Wren did correct his copy of my letter, which the Duke of York hath signed in my very words, without alteration of a syllable. And so, p...

12th. This day Holmes come to town; and we do expect hourly to hear what usage he hath from the Duke and the King about his late business of letting the Swedish Embassador go by...

24th. Up, and made myself as fine as I could, with the linning stockings on and wide canons that I bought the other day at Hague. Extraordinary press of noble company, and great...

31st. Up, and by water to Sir W. Coventry's, there to talk with him about business of the Navy, and received from him direction what to advise the Duke of York at this time; whi...

25th (Lord's day). Up, and to my office awhile, and thither comes Lead with my vizard, with a tube fastened within both eyes; which, with the help which he prompts me to, of a g...

2nd. Took coach, and no sooner in the coach but something broke, that we were fain there to stay till a smith could be fetched, which was above an hour, and then it costing me 6...

3rd. The Officers and Commissioners of the Navy met at Sir G. Carteret's chamber, and agreed upon orders for the Council to supersede the old ones, and empower us to act. [Sir G...

14th. To the Duke, where I heard a large discourse between one that goes over an agent from the King to Legorne and thereabouts, to remove the inconveniences his ships are put t...

15th. Up, and by water with W. Hewer to the Temple; and thence to the Rolls, where I made enquiry for several rolls, and was soon informed in the manner of it: and so spent the...

25th. Great talk of the effects of this late great wind; and I heard one say that he had five great trees standing together blown down; and, beginning to lop them, one of them,...

MARCH 1, 1659-60. I went to Mr. Crewe's, whither Mr. Thomas was newly come to town, being sent with Sir H. Yelverton, my old school-fellow at Paul's School, to bring the thanks...

28th. To Chelsey, where we found my Lord all alone with one joynt of meat at dinner, and mightily extolling the manner of his retirement, and the goodness of his diet: the mistr...

11th. I met Harris the player, and talked of "Catiline," which is to be suddenly acted at the King's house; and there all agree that it cannot be well done at that house, there...

9th. To Mrs. Pierce's by appointment, where we find good company: a fair lady, my Lady Prettyman, Mrs. Corbet, Knipp; and for men, Captain Downing, Mr. Lloyd, Sir W. Coventry's...

JULY 1, 1663. Being in the Parliament lobby, I there saw my Lord of Bristoll come to the Commons House to give his answer to their question, about some words he should tell the...

31st. Up; and by coach, with W. Griffin with me, and our Contract-books, to Durham Yard, to the Commissioners for Accounts; the first time I ever was there; and staid awhile bef...

2nd. To White Hall, where I saw the boats coming very thick to Lambeth, and all the stairs to be full of people. I was told the Queen was a-coming; so I got a sculler for sixpen...

21st. This day dined Sir John Boys [Gentleman of the Privy- Chamber.] and some other gentlemen formerly great Cavaliers, and among the rest one Mr. Norwood, [A Major Norwood had...

29th. Our parson Mills having the offer of another benefice [The Rectory of Wansted in Essex, to which he was presented.] by Sir Robert Brookes, who was his tutor, he by my Lord...

4th. Mr. Clerke the solicitor dined with me and my clerks. After dinner I carried and set him down at; the Temple, he observing to me how St. Sepulchre's church steeple is repai...

14th. The King and Duke of York and the whole Court is mighty joyful at the Duchesse of York's being brought to bed this day, or yesterday, of a son; which will settle men's min...

December 3, 1665. To Captn. Cocke's, and there dined with him, and Colonell Wyndham, a worthy gentleman, whose wife was nurse to the present King, and one that while she lived g...

26th. Sir W. Batten told me how Sir Richard Temple hath spoke very discontentful words in the house about the Triennial Bill; but it hath been read the second time to-day, and c...

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...

DECEMBER 3, 1664. The Duke of York is expected to-night with great joy from Portsmouth, after his having been abroad at sea, three or four days with the fleet; and the Dutch are...

JULY 1, 1668. To White Hall, and so to St. James's where we met; and much business with the Duke of York. And I find the Duke of York very hot for regulations in the Navy; and I...

29th. To church; and there did first find a strange reader, who could not find in the Service-book the place for churching women, but was fain to change books with the clerke: a...

7th. Though the King and my Lady Castlemaine are friends again, she is not at White Hall, but at Sir D. Harvy's, whither the King goes to her; and he says she made him ask her f...

11th This morning we began to pull down all the State's arms in the fleet, having first sent to Dover for painters and others to come to set up, the King's. There dined here my...

19th. Mr. Cutler come, and walked and talked with me a great while; and then to the 'Change together; and it being early, did tell me several excellent examples of men raised up...

23rd. To Woolwich, and there called on Mr. Bodham: and he and I to see the batterys newly raised; which, indeed, are good works to command the River below the ships that are sun...

20th. I up and to walk forth to see the place; and I find it to be a very noble seat in a noble forest, with the noblest prospect towards Windsor, and round about over many coun...

22nd. At Blackwell. Here is observable what Johnson tells us, that in digging the late Docke, they did 12 feet under ground find perfect trees over-covered with earth. Nut trees...

18th. At noon, to the Royall Oak taverne in Lombard Street; where Sir William Petty and the owners of the double-bottomed boat (the Experiment) did entertain my Lord Brouncker,...

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 w...

23rd. To White Hall, there to attend the Duke of York; but came a little too late, and so missed it: only spoke with him, and heard him correct my Lord Barkeley who fell foul on...

To Magdalene College, Cambridge, he left an invaluable collection of manuscript naval memoirs, of prints, and ancient English poetry, which has often been consulted by critics a...

18th. To St. James's after my fellows; and here, among other things, before us all, the Duke of York did say, that now at length is come to a sure knowledge that the Dutch did l...

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 Du...

25th. To church, and heard a good sermon of Mr. Woodcocke's at our church: only in his latter prayer for a woman in childbed, he prayed that; God would deliver her from the here...

9th. To the Duke, where, when we come into his closet, he told us that; Mr. Pepys was so altered with his new perriwigg that he did not know him. So to our discourse, and among...

20th. This afternoon at the Privy Seale, where reckoning with Mr. Moore, he had got 100l. for me together, which I was glad of, guessing that the profit of this month would come...

3th. Creed and I to the Duke of York's playhouse; and there coming late, up to the balcony-box, where we find my Lady Castlemaine and several great ladies; and there we sat with...

5th. By water to Woolwich: in my way saw the yacht lately built by our virtuosoes (my Lord Brunkard and others, with the help of Commissioner Pett also,) set out from Greenwich...

7th. Sir W. Coventry says that he hath no more mind to be found meddling with the Navy, lest it should do it hurt as well as him. So to talk of general things: and telling him t...

10th. I began to discourse with Sir W. Coventry the business of Tangier, which by the removal of my Lord Bellasses is now to have a new Governor; and did move him, that at this...

2nd. This day is kept in the City as a publick fast for the fire this day twelve months: but I was not at church, being commanded with the rest to attend the Duke of York; and t...

14th. Up, and to the office; where Mr. Fryer comes and tells me that there are several Frenchman and Flemish ships in the River with passes from the Duke of York for carrying of...

27th. This day at a leisure, the King and Duke of York being gone down to Sheerenesse this morning to lay out the design for a fortification there to the river Medway; and so we...

12th. I found my Lord within, and he and I went out through the garden towards the Duke's chamber, to sit upon the Tangier matters; but a lady called to my Lord out of my Lady C...

18th. Sir W. Coventry and I did look over the list of commanders, and found that we could presently recollect thirty- seven commanders that have been killed in actuall service t...

There are over a thousand footnotes in the printed text that were added by the editor. Most of these are very short biographical and similar notes, and have been inserted into t...

26th. I had a letter from Mr. Creed, who hath escaped narrowly in the King's yacht, and got safe to the Downes after the late storm; and he says that there the King do tell him,...

24th. With Sir G. Carteret and Sir J. Minnes; and they did talk of my Lord Brouncker; whose father it seems did give Mr. Ashburnham and the present Lord Digby [The Earl of Brist...

14th. I met with Sir Stephen Fox, who told me much right I have done myself, and how well it is represented by the Committee to the House my readiness to give them satisfaction...

6th. By and by walking a little further, Sir Philip Frowde [Secretary to the Duchess of York.] did meet the Duke with an express to Sir W. Coventry (who was by) from Captain Tay...

28th. Knipp's maid comes to me to tell me that the women's day at the playhouse is to-day, and that therefore I must be there to encrease their profit. By water to St. James's,...

30th (Fast day). The first time that this day hath been yet observed: and Mr. Mills made a most excellent sermon, upon "Lord forgive us our former iniquities;" speaking excellen...

5th. The business of putting out of some of the Privy-council is over, the King being at last advised to forbear it; for whereas he did design it to make room for some of the Ho...

17th. With Captain Erwin, discoursing about the East Indys, where he hath often been. And among other things, he tells me how the King of Syam seldom goes out without thirty or...

31st. This month the greatest news is, the height and heat that the Parliament is in, in enquiring into the revenue, which displeases the Court, and their backwardness to give t...

12th. At St. James's we attended the Duke all of us. And there, after my discourse, Mr. Coventry of his own accord begun to tell the Duke how he found that discourse abroad did...

26th. To White Hall, where all the morning. Dined with Mr. Chevins, with Alderman Backewell, and Spragg. The Court full of the news from Captain Hubbert of "The Milford," touchi...