26th. Up, and to the office, where Sir J. Minnes and my Lord Bruncker and I met, to give our directions to the Commanders of all the ships in the river to bring in lists of their ships' companies, with entries, discharges, &c., all the last voyage, where young Seymour, among 20 that stood bare, stood with his hat on, a proud, saucy young man. Thence with them to Mr. Cuttle's, being invited, and dined nobly and neatly; with a very pretty house and a fine turret at top, with winding stairs and the finest prospect I know about all Greenwich, save the top of the hill, and yet in some respects better than that. Here I also saw some fine writing worke and flourishing of Mr. Hore, he one that I knew long ago, an acquaintance of Mr. Tomson's at Westminster, that is this man's clerk. It is the story of the several Archbishops of Canterbury, engrossed in vellum, to hang up in Canterbury Cathedrall in tables, in lieu of the old ones, which are almost worn out. Thence to the office a while, and so to Captain Cocke's and there talked, and home to look over my papers, and so to bed.
27th. Up, and with Cocke, by coach to London, there home to my wife, and angry about her desiring a mayde yet, before the plague is quite over. It seems Mercer is troubled that she hath not one under her, but I will not venture my family by increasing it before it be safe. Thence about many businesses, particularly with Sir W. Warren on the 'Change, and he and I dined together and settled our Tangier matters, wherein I get above L200 presently. We dined together at the Pope's Head to do this, and thence to the goldsmiths, I to examine the state of my matters there too, and so with him to my house, but my wife was gone abroad to Mrs. Mercer's, so we took boat, and it being darke and the thaw having broke the ice, but not carried it quite away, the boat did pass through so much of it all along, and that with the crackling and noise that it made me fearfull indeed. So I forced the watermen to land us on Redriffe side, and so walked together till Sir W. Warren and I parted near his house and thence I walked quite over the fields home by light of linke, one of my watermen carrying it, and I reading by the light of it, it being a very fine, clear, dry night. So to Captain Cocke's, and there sat and talked, especially with his Counsellor, about his prize goods, that hath done him good turne, being of the company with Captain Fisher, his name Godderson; here I supped and so home to bed, with great content that the plague is decreased to 152, the whole being but 330.
28th. Up and to the office, and thence with a great deal of business in my head, dined alone with Cocke. So home alone strictly about my accounts, wherein I made a good beginning, and so, after letters wrote by the post, to bed.
29th. Up betimes, and all day long within doors upon my accounts, publique and private, and find the ill effect of letting them go so long without evening, that no soul could have ever understood them but myself, and I with much ado. But, however, my regularity in all I did and spent do helpe me, and I hope to find them well. Late at them and to bed.
30th. Up and to the office, at noon home to dinner, and all the afternoon to my accounts again, and there find myself, to my great joy, a great deal worth above L4000, for which the Lord be praised! and is principally occasioned by my getting L500 of Cocke, for my profit in his bargains of prize goods, and from Mr. Gawden's making me a present of L500 more, when I paid him 8000 for Tangier. So to my office to write letters, then to my accounts again, and so to bed, being in great ease of mind.
31st (Lord's day). All the morning in my chamber, writing fair the state of my Tangier accounts, and so dined at home. In the afternoon to the Duke of Albemarle and thence back again by water, and so to my chamber to finish the entry of my accounts and to think of the business I am next to do, which is the stating my thoughts and putting in order my collections about the business of pursers, to see where the fault of our present constitution relating to them lies and what to propose to mend it, and upon this late and with my head full of this business to bed. Thus ends this year, to my great joy, in this manner. I have raised my estate from L1300 in this year to L4400. I have got myself greater interest, I think, by my diligence, and my employments encreased by that of Treasurer for Tangier, and Surveyour of the Victualls. It is true we have gone through great melancholy because of the great plague, and I put to great charges by it, by keeping my family long at Woolwich, and myself and another part of my family, my clerks, at my charge at Greenwich, and a mayde at London; but I hope the King will give us some satisfaction for that. But now the plague is abated almost to nothing, and I intending to get to London as fast as I can. My family, that is my wife and maids, having been there these two or three weeks. The Dutch war goes on very ill, by reason of lack of money; having none to hope for, all being put into disorder by a new Act that is made as an experiment to bring credit to the Exchequer, for goods and money to be advanced upon the credit of that Act. I have never lived so merrily (besides that I never got so much) as I have done this plague time, by my Lord Bruncker's and Captain Cocke's good company, and the acquaintance of Mrs. Knipp, Coleman and her husband, and Mr. Laneare, and great store of dancings we have had at my cost (which I was willing to indulge myself and wife) at my lodgings. The great evil of this year, and the only one indeed, is the fall of my Lord of Sandwich, whose mistake about the prizes hath undone him, I believe, as to interest at Court; though sent (for a little palliating it) Embassador into Spayne, which he is now fitting himself for. But the Duke of Albemarle goes with the Prince to sea this next year, and my Lord very meanly spoken of; and, indeed, his miscarriage about the prize goods is not to be excused, to suffer a company of rogues to go away with ten times as much as himself, and the blame of all to be deservedly laid upon him.
[According to Granville Penn ("Memorials of Sir W. Penn," ii. 488 n.)
L2000 went to Lord Sandwich and L8000 among eight others.]
My whole family hath been well all this while, and all my friends I know of, saving my aunt Bell, who is dead, and some children of my cozen Sarah's, of the plague. But many of such as I know very well, dead; yet, to our great joy, the town fills apace, and shops begin to be open again. Pray God continue the plague's decrease! for that keeps the Court away from the place of business, and so all goes to rack as to publick matters, they at this distance not thinking of it.
ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS, PEPY'S DIARY,1965 N.S.,COMPLETE:
A fair salute on horseback, in Rochester streets, of the lady
A most conceited fellow and not over much in him
A conceited man, but of no Logique in his head at all
A vineyard, the first that ever I did see
A pretty man, I would be content to break a commandment with him
About two o'clock, too late and too soon to go home to bed
Accounts I never did see, or hope again to see in my days
All the towne almost going out of towne (Plague panic)
Among many lazy people that the diligent man becomes necessary
And feeling for a chamber-pott, there was none
And all to dinner and sat down to the King saving myself
At a loss whether it will be better for me to have him die
Bagwell's wife waited at the door, and went with me to my office
Baseness and looseness of the Court
Because I would not be over sure of any thing
Being able to do little business (but the less the better)
Being the first Wednesday of the month
Best poem that ever was wrote (Siege of Rhodes)
Bottle of strong water; whereof now and then a sip did me good
Buy some roll-tobacco to smell to and chaw
By his many words and no understanding, confound himself
Castlemayne is sicke again, people think, slipping her filly
Church, where a most insipid young coxcomb preached
Clean myself with warm water; my wife will have me
Consult my pillow upon that and every great thing of my life
Contracted for her as if he had been buying a horse
Convenience of periwiggs is so great
Copper to the value of L5,000
Costs me 12d. a kiss after the first
Delight to see these poor fools decoyed into our condition
Desired me that I would baste his coate
Did bear with it, and very pleasant all the while
Did put evil thoughts in me, but proceeded no further
Discourse of Mr. Evelyn touching all manner of learning
Disease making us more cruel to one another than if we are doggs
Doubtfull whether her daughter will like of it or no
Dying this last week of the plague 112, from 43 the week before
Endeavouring to strike tallys for money for Tangier
Every body is at a great losse and nobody can tell
Every body's looks, and discourse in the street is of death
Fell to sleep as if angry
Find that now and then a little difference do no hurte
First thing of that nature I did ever give her (L10 ring)
For my quiet would not enquire into it
For, for her part, she should not be buried in the commons
France, which is accounted the best place for bread
French have taken two and sunk one of our merchant-men
Give the other notice of the future state, if there was any
Going with her woman to a hot-house to bathe herself
Good discourse and counsel from him, which I hope I shall take
Great many silly stories they tell of their sport
Great thaw it is not for a man to walk the streets
Had what pleasure almost I would with her
Hath sent me masters that do observe that I take pains
Hath a good heart to bear, or a cunning one to conceal his evil
Hear that the plague is come into the City
Heard noises over their head upon the leads
His wife and three children died, all, I think, in a day
His disease was the pox and that he must be fluxed (Rupert)
His enemies have done him as much good as he could wish
Houses marked with a red cross upon the doors
How sad a sight it is to see the streets empty of people
How little merit do prevail in the world, but only favour
How little heed is had to the prisoners and sicke and wounded
How Povy overdoes every thing in commending it
How unhppily a man may fall into a necessity of bribing people
I kissed the bride in bed, and so the curtaines drawne
I have promised, but know not when I shall perform
I know not how their fortunes may agree
I met a dead corps of the plague, in the narrow ally
I am a foole to be troubled at it, since I cannot helpe it
If the exportations exceed importations
In our graves (as Shakespeere resembles it) we could dream
It is a strange thing how fancy works
King shall not be able to whip a cat
King himself minding nothing but his ease
King is not at present in purse to do
L10,000 to the Prince, and half-a-crowne to my Lord of Sandwich
Law against it signifies nothing in the world
Law and severity were used against drunkennesse
Lechery will never leave him
Left him with some Commanders at the table taking tobacco
Less he finds of difference between them and other men
Lord! in the dullest insipid manner that ever lover did
Luxury and looseness of the times
Money I have not, nor can get
Mr. Evelyn's translating and sending me as a present
Must be forced to confess it to my wife, which troubles me
My wife after her bathing lying alone in another bed
My old folly and childishnesse hangs upon me still
Nan at Moreclacke, very much pleased and merry with her
Never could man say worse himself nor have worse said
No man is wise at all times
Not had the confidence to take his lady once by the hand
Not liking that it should lie long undone, for fear of death
Not to be censured if their necessities drive them to bad
Offer to give me a piece to receive of me 20
One whom a great belly becomes as well as ever I saw any
Ordered him L2000, and he paid me my quantum out of it
Ordered in the yarde six or eight bargemen to be whipped
Out of my purse I dare not for fear of a precedent
Pest coaches and put her into it to carry her to a pest house
Plague claimed 68,596 victims (in 1665)
Plague, forty last night, the bell always going
Pleases them mightily, and me not at all
Poor seamen that lie starving in the streets
Pretends to a resolution of being hereafter very clean
Pretty to see the young pretty ladies dressed like men
Pride of some persons and vice of most was but a sad story
Quakers and others that will not have any bell ring for them
Resolving not to be bribed to dispatch business
Sat an hour or two talking and discoursing....
Saying me to be the fittest man in England
Searchers with their rods in their hands
See how a good dinner and feasting reconciles everybody
Sicke men that are recovered, they lying before our office doors
So to bed, to be up betimes by the helpe of a larum watch
So great a trouble is fear
The coachman that carried [us] cannot know me again
The boy is well, and offers to be searched
This absence makes us a little strange instead of more fond
Those bred in the North among the colliers are good for labour
Though neither of us care 2d. one for another
Tied our men back to back, and thrown them all into the sea
Told us he had not been in a bed in the whole seven years
Too much of it will make her know her force too much
Two shops in three, if not more, generally shut up
Up, leaving my wife in bed, being sick of her months
Wanton as ever she was, with much I made myself merry and away
Well enough pleased this morning with their night's lodging
What silly discourse we had by the way as to love-matters
When she least shews it hath her wit at work
Where money is free, there is great plenty
Which may teach me how I make others wait
Who is the most, and promises the least, of any man
Wife that brings me nothing almost (besides a comely person)