Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) was
England’s Chief Secretary to the Admiralty during the reigns of both Charles II
and James II. He was important for his
major role in building its navy – and Empire, which ultimately came to rule one
quarter of the world.[1]. But Pepys the historical figure was largely
forgotten until 1825 when a major portion of his Diary was transcribed and published, bringing to attention nine
significant years of his life, from January 1659 until May 1669, when owing to
fears that he was losing his vision, he stopped writing. Today historians mine the Diary for its first-hand accounts of the
Great Plague of London in 1665, its depiction of the Great Fire that ravaged
the same city in 1666, and for his sexual secrets, making it a great source on
gender relations. Pepys was, as an early biographer put it: “a man licentious
in thought and deed, an unfaithful husband and a seducer.”[2]
Below is an extensive
selection from Pepys’ Diary from the
plague year. One might imagine that
Pepys was miserable in 1665. Of course,
he feared death and took precautions, for example, by sending his
long-suffering wife away to Woolwich on July 5th, but as he noted in
his Diary of December 31st:
“I have never lived so merrily (besides that I never got so much) as I have done
this plague time.”[3]
The same entry for December also reveals
that he increased the value of his Estate almost three-fold that year. Readers are invited to follow some of his
thoughts as events unfolded, as well as his libidinous ways.
June 1665
10th. Lay long in bed, and then up and at the office all
the morning. At noon dined at home, and
then to the office busy all the afternoon.
In the evening home to supper; and there, to my great trouble, hear that
the plague is come into the City (though it hath these three or four weeks
since its beginning been wholly out of the City); but where should it begin but
in my good friend and neighbour’s, Dr. Burnett, in Fanchurch Street: which in
both points troubles me mightily. To the
office to finish my letters and then home to bed, being troubled at the
sicknesse, and my head filled also with other business enough, and particularly
how to put my things and estate in order, in case it should please God to call
me away, which God dispose of at his glory!
17th…. It struck me very deep this afternoon going
with a hackney coach from my Lord Treasurer’s down Holborne, the coachman I
found to drive easily and easily, at last stood still, and come down hardly
able to stand, and told me that he was suddenly struck very sicke, and almost blind,
he could not see; so I ‘light and went into another coach, with a sad heart for
the poor man and trouble for myself, lest he should have been struck with the
plague, being at the end of the towne that I took him up; but God have mercy
upon us all! Sir John Lawson, I hear, is worse than yesterday: the King went to
see him to-day most kindly. It seems his wound is not very bad; but he hath a
fever, a thrush, and a hickup, all three together, which are, it seems, very
bad symptoms.
18th (Lord’s day). Up, and to church, where Sir W. Pen was the
first time [since he] come from sea, after the battle. Mr. Mills made a sorry
sermon to prove that there was a world to come after this. Home and dined and
then to my chamber, where all the afternoon. Anon comes Mr. Andrews to see and
sing with me, but Mr. Hill not coming, and having business, we soon parted,
there coming Mr. Povy and Creed to discourse about our Tangier business of
money. They gone, I hear Sir W. Batten and my Lady are returned from Harwich. I
went to see them, and it is pretty to see how we appear kind one to another,
though neither of us care 2d. one for another. Home to supper, and there coming
a hasty letter from Commissioner Pett for pressing of some calkers (as I would
ever on his Majesty’s service), with all speed, I made a warrant presently and
issued it. So to my office a little, and then home to bed.
21st. … So homewards and to the Cross Keys at
Cripplegate, where I find all the towne almost going out of towne, the coaches
and waggons being all full of people going into the country. Here I had some of
the company of the tapster’s wife a while, and so home to my office, and then
home to supper and to bed.
July 1665
20th. Up, in a boat among other people to the Tower, and there to the
office, where we sat all the morning. So down to Deptford and there dined, and
after dinner saw my Lady Sandwich and Mr. Carteret and his two sisters over the
water, going to Dagenhams, and my Lady Carteret towards Cranburne ….
So all the company broke up in most extraordinary joy, wherein I am
mighty contented that I have had the good fortune to be so instrumental, and I
think it will be of good use to me. So walked to Redriffe, where I hear the
sickness is, and indeed is scattered almost every where, there dying 1089 of
the plague this week. My Lady Carteret did this day give me a bottle of
plague-water home with me. So home to write letters late, and then home to bed,
where I have not lain these 3 or 4 nights. I received yesterday a letter from
my Lord Sandwich, giving me thanks for my care about their marriage business,
and desiring it to be dispatched, that no disappointment may happen therein,
which I will help on all I can. This afternoon I waited on the Duke of
Albemarle, and so to Mrs. Croft’s, where I found and saluted Mrs. Burrows, who
is a very pretty woman for a mother of so many children. But, Lord! to see how
the plague spreads. It being now all over King’s Streete, at the Axe, and next
door to it, and in other places.
30th (Lord’s day). Up, and in
my night gowne, cap and neckcloth, undressed all day long, lost not a minute,
but in my chamber, setting my Tangier accounts to rights. Which I did by night
to my very heart’s content, not only that it is done, but I find every thing
right, and even beyond what, after so long neglecting them, I did hope for. The
Lord of Heaven be praised for it! Will was with me to-day, and is very well
again. It was a sad noise to hear our bell to toll and ring so often to-day,
either for deaths or burials; I think five or six times. At night weary with my
day’s work, but full of joy at my having done it, I to bed, being to rise
betimes tomorrow to go to the wedding at Dagenhams. So to bed, fearing I have
got some cold sitting in my loose garments all this day.
31st. … At night to supper, and so to
talk; and which, methought, was the most extraordinary thing, all of us to
prayers as usual, and the young bride and bridegroom too and so after prayers,
soberly to bed; only I got into the bridegroom’s chamber while he undressed
himself, and there was very merry, till he was called to the bride’s chamber,
and into bed they went. I kissed the
bride in bed, and so the curtaines drawne with the greatest gravity that could
be, and so good night. But the modesty
and gravity of the business was so decent, that it was to me indeed ten times
more delightfull that if it had been twenty times more merry and joviall ….
August 1665
3rd. … By and by met my Lord Crew returning, after having accompanied
them a little way, and so after them, Mr. Marr telling me by the way how a
mayde servant of Mr. John Wright’s (who lives thereabouts) falling sick of the
plague, she was removed to an out-house, and a nurse appointed to look to her;
who, being once absent, the mayde got out of the house at the window, and run
away. The nurse coming and knocking, and having no answer, believed she was
dead, and went and told Mr. Wright so; who and his lady were in great strait
what to do to get her buried. At last resolved to go to Burntwood hard by,
being in the parish, and there get people to do it. But they would not; so he
went home full of trouble, and in the way met the wench walking over the
common, which frighted him worse than before; and was forced to send people to
take her, which he did; and they got one of the pest coaches and put her into
it to carry her to a pest house. And passing in a narrow lane, Sir Anthony
Browne, with his brother and some friends in the coach, met this coach with the
curtains drawn close. The brother being a young man, and believing there might
be some lady in it that would not be seen, and the way being narrow, he thrust
his head out of his own into her coach, and to look, and there saw somebody
look very ill, and in a sick dress, and stunk mightily; which the coachman also
cried out upon. And presently they come up to some people that stood looking
after it, and told our gallants that it was a mayde of Mr. Wright’s carried
away sick of the plague; which put the young gentleman into a fright had almost
cost him his life, but is now well again. …
4th. Up at five o’clock, and by six walked out alone, with my Lady
Slanning, to the Docke Yard, where walked up and down, and so to Mr. Pett’s,
who led us into his garden, and there the lady, the best humoured woman in the
world, and a devout woman (I having spied her on her knees half an houre this
morning in her chamber), clambered up to the top of the banquetting-house to
gather nuts, and mighty merry, and so walked back again through the new rope
house, which is very usefull; and so to the Hill-house to breakfast and mighty
merry.
15th. Up by 4 o’clock and walked to Greenwich, where called
at Captain Cocke’s and to his chamber, he being in bed, where something put my
last night’s dream into my head, which I think is the best that ever was
dreamt, which was that I had my Lady Castlemayne in my armes and was admitted
to use all the dalliance I desired with her, and then dreamt that this could not
be awake, but that it was only a dream; but since it was a dream, and that I
took so much real pleasure in it, what a happy thing it would be if when we are
in our graves (as Shakespeere resembles it) we could dream, and dream but such
dreams as this, that when we should not need to be so fearful of death, as we
are this plague time. …
December 1665
31st (Lord’s day). … Thus ends this year, to my great joy, in this
manner. I have raised my estate from £1300 in this year to £4400. 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.….
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.
Samuel Pepys Diary (from 1865)[4]
[4] Source: Project Gutenberg Diary of Samuel Pepys, Complete, last
updated August 9, 2016. Cf. Samuel Pepys, Diary
of Samuel Pepys, Complete, transcribed by Rev. Bright, ed. Harry B. Wheatley
(London: George Bell, 1893).
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