Quotations from Diary of Samuel Pepys

by Samuel Pepys

DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS, OCTOBER 1667 [sp66g10.txt]

Commons, where there is nothing done but by passion, and faction
Disquiet all night, telling of the clock till it was daylight
Painful to keep money, as well as to get it
Sorry thing to be a poor King
Spares not to blame another to defend himself
Wise man's not being wise at all times

DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS, NOVEMBER 1667 [sp67g10.txt]

Anthem anything but instrumentall musique with the voice
Chief Court of judicature (House of Lords)
Confidence, and vanity, and disparages everything
Had the umbles of it for dinner
I am not a man able to go through trouble, as other men
Liberty of speech in the House
Nor offer anything, but just what is drawn out of a man
Through my wife's illness had a bad night of it, and she a worse
What I said would not hold water

DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS, DECEMBER 1967 [sp68g10.txt]

A gainful trade, but yet make me great trouble
Every body leads, and nobody follows
Lady Castlemayne's nose out of joynt
Make a man wonder at the good fortune of such a fool
Mr. William Pen a Quaker again
Run over their beads with one hand, and point and play and talk
Silence; it being seldom any wrong to a man to say nothing
Speaks rarely, which pleases me mightily
Sport to me to see him so earnest on so little occasion
Supper and to bed without one word one to another
Voyage to Newcastle for coles

DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS, 1667 N.S. COMPLETE [sp69g10.txt]

20s. in money, and what wine she needed, for the burying him
A gainful trade, but yet make me great trouble
Act of Council passed, to put out all Papists in office
Advantage a man of the law hath over all other people
And a deal of do of which I am weary
Angling with a minikin, a gut-string varnished over
Anthem anything but instrumentall musique with the voice
Archbishop is a wencher, and known to be so
As he called it, the King's seventeenth whore abroad
Baker's house in Pudding Lane, where the late great fire begun
Beginnings of discontents take so much root between us
Being taken with a Psalmbook or Testament
Better now than never
Bill against importing Cattle from Ireland
Bold to deliver what he thinks on every occasion
Bring me a periwig, but it was full of nits
But do it with mighty vanity and talking
But my wife vexed, which vexed me
Buying his place of my Lord Barkely
Buying up of goods in case there should be war
Cast stones with his horne crooke
Certainly Annapolis must be defended,—where is Annapolis?
Chief Court of judicature (House of Lords)
Clap of the pox which he got about twelve years ago
Come to us out of bed in his furred mittens and furred cap
Commons, where there is nothing done but by passion, and faction
Confidence, and vanity, and disparages everything
Consider that this is all the pleasure I live for in the world
Court full of great apprehensions of the French
Court is in a way to ruin all for their pleasures
Credit of this office hath received by this rogue's occasion
Dash the brains of it out before the King's face
Declared he will never have another public mistress again
Desk fastened to one of the armes of his chayre
Did take me up very prettily in one or two things that I said
Dinner, an ill and little mean one, with foul cloth and dishes
Disquiet all night, telling of the clock till it was daylight
Do outdo the Lords infinitely (debates in the Commons)
Dog, that would turn a sheep any way which
Dutch fleets being in so many places
Eat some of the best cheese-cakes that ever I eat in my life
Enough existed to build a ship (Pieces of the true Cross)
Enviously, said, I could not come honestly by them
Erasmus "de scribendis epistolis"
Every body leads, and nobody follows
Father, who to supper and betimes to bed at his country hours
Feared she hath from some [one] or other of a present
Fell a-crying for joy, being all maudlin and kissing one another
Fool's play with which all publick things are done
For I will not be inward with him that is open to another
For I will be hanged before I seek to him, unless I see I need
Found to be with child, do never stir out of their beds
Give the King of France Nova Scotia, which he do not like
Gold holds up its price still
Good purpose of fitting ourselves for another war (A Peace)
Had his hand cut off, and was hanged presently!
Had the umbles of it for dinner
Hates to have any body mention what he had done the day before
Hath given her the pox, but I hope it is not so
Have not any awe over them from the King's displeasure (Commons)
He was charged with making himself popular
He is not a man fit to be told what one hears
He will do no good, he being a man of an unsettled head
He is a man of no worth in the world but compliment
Heeling her on one side to make her draw little water
History of this day's growth, we cannot tell the truth
House of Lords is the last appeal that a man can make
How do the children?
Hugged, it being cold now in the mornings . . . .
Hunt up and down with its mouth if you touch the cheek
I would not enquire into anything, but let her talk
I am not a man able to go through trouble, as other men
I having now seen a play every day this week
I perceive no passion in a woman can be lasting long
I did get her hand to me under my cloak
I love the treason I hate the traitor
I find her painted, which makes me loathe her (cosmetics)
If the word Inquisition be but mentioned
Ill-bred woman, would take exceptions at anything any body said
Ill sign when we are once to come to study how to excuse
Just set down to dinner, and I dined with them, as I intended
King do resolve to declare the Duke of Monmouth legitimate
King is at the command of any woman like a slave
King the necessity of having, at least, a show of religion
King is offended with the Duke of Richmond's marrying
King of France did think other princes fit for nothing
King governed by his lust, and women, and rogues about him
King's service is undone, and those that trust him perish
Kingdom will fall back again to a commonwealth
Know yourself to be secure, in being necessary to the office
Lady Castlemayne's nose out of joynt
Lady Castlemayne is compounding with the King for a pension
Liberty of speech in the House
Little content most people have in the peace
Little worth of this world, to buy it with so much pain
Looks to lie down about two months hence
Make a man wonder at the good fortune of such a fool
Mazer or drinking-bowl turned out of some kind of wood
Mean, methinks, and is as if they had married like dog and bitch
Mirrors which makes the room seem both bigger and lighter
Mr. William Pen a Quaker again
Mrs. Stewart's sending the King his jewels again
Much difficulty to get pews, I offering the sexton money
Musique in the morning to call up our new-married people
Must yet pay to the Poll Bill for this pension (unreceived)
My wife will keep to one another and let the world go hang
My intention to learn to trill
My people do observe my minding my pleasure more than usual
My wife this night troubled at my leaving her alone so much
Necessary, and yet the peace is so bad in its terms
Never laughed so in all my life. I laughed till my head ached
Never was known to keep two mistresses in his life (Charles II.)
Never, while he lives, truckle under any body or any faction
Never to keep a country-house, but to keep a coach
New medall, where, in little, there is Mrs. Steward's face
Night the Dutch burned our ships the King did sup with Castlemayne
No man knowing what to do, whether to sell or buy
Nobody knows which side will be uppermost
Nobody being willing to trust us for anything
Nor offer anything, but just what is drawn out of a man
Not more than I expected, nor so much by a great deal as I ought
Not thinking them safe men to receive such a gratuity
Now above six months since (smoke from the cellars)
Officers are four years behind-hand unpaid
Only because she sees it is the fashion (She likes it)
Outdo for neatness and plenty anything done by any of them
Painful to keep money, as well as to get it
Pit, where the bears are baited
Poll Bill
Pressing in it as if none of us had like care with him
Prince's being trepanned, which was in doing just as we passed
Proud that she shall come to trill
Receive the applications of people, and hath presents
Reparation for what we had embezzled
Run over their beads with one hand, and point and play and talk
Said to die with the cleanest hands that ever any Lord Treasurer
Saying, that for money he might be got to our side
Says of wood, that it is an excrescence of the earth
Seems she hath had long melancholy upon her
Sermon ended, and the church broke up, and my amours ended also
Sermon upon Original Sin, neither understood by himself
Sermon without affectation or study
Shame such a rogue should give me and all of us this trouble
She has this silly vanity that she must play
Sick of it and of him for it
Silence; it being seldom any wrong to a man to say nothing
Singing with many voices is not singing
So every thing stands still for money
Some ends of my own in what advice I do give her
Sorry thing to be a poor King
Spares not to blame another to defend himself
Sparrowgrass
Speaks rarely, which pleases me mightily
Spends his time here most, playing at bowles
Sport to me to see him so earnest on so little occasion
Street ordered to be continued, forty feet broad, from Paul's
Supper and to bed without one word one to another
Suspect the badness of the peace we shall make
Swear they will not go to be killed and have no pay
Take pins out of her pocket to prick me if I should touch her
The pleasure of my not committing these things to my memory
The world do not grow old at all
The gates of the City shut, it being so late
Their condition was a little below my present state
Then home, and merry with my wife
They are all mad; and thus the kingdom is governed!
They want where to set their feet, to begin to do any thing
Think never to see this woman—at least, to have her here more
Though he knows, if he be not a fool, that I love him not
Through my wife's illness had a bad night of it, and she a worse
To my joy, I met not with any that have sped better than myself
Troubled to think what trouble a rogue may without cause give
Uncertainty of all history
Used to make coal fires, and wash my foul clothes
Very great tax; but yet I do think it is so perplexed
Voyage to Newcastle for coles
We find the two young ladies come home, and their patches off
Weary of it; but it will please the citizens
Weigh him after he had done playing
What way a man could devise to lose so much in so little time
What I said would not hold water
Whatever I do give to anybody else, I shall give her
Where a piece of the Cross is
Which he left him in the lurch
Whip this child till the blood come, if it were my child!
Who continues so ill as not to be troubled with business
Whom, in mirth to us, he calls Antichrist
Whose red nose makes me ashamed to be seen with him
Wise man's not being wise at all times
Wise men do prepare to remove abroad what they have
Wonders that she cannot be as good within as she is fair without
Wretch, n., often used as an expression of endearment
Yet let him remember the days of darkness
Young fellow, with his hat cocked like a fool behind

DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS, JANUARY 1667/68 [sp70g10.txt]

And they did lay pigeons to his feet
As all other women, cry, and yet talk of other things
Carry them to a box, which did cost me 20s., besides oranges
Declared, if he come, she would not live with me
Fear that the goods and estate would be seized (after suicide)
Fears some will stand for the tolerating of Papists
Greater number of Counsellors is, the more confused the issue
He that will not stoop for a pin, will never be worth a pound
In my nature am mighty unready to answer no to anything
It may be, be able to pay for it, or have health
Lady Castlemayne do rule all at this time as much as ever
No man was ever known to lose the first time
She loves to be taken dressing herself, as I always find her
The devil being too cunning to discourage a gamester
The manner of the gaming
This kind of prophane, mad entertainment they give themselves
Turn out every man that will be drunk, they must turn out all
Where I expect most I find least satisfaction