Diary, December 1668 | Page 4

OF SAMUEL PEPYS. DECEMBER 1668
December 1st. Up, and to the office, where sat all the morning, and at
noon with my people to dinner, and so to the office, very busy till night,
and then home and made my boy read to me Wilkins's Reall Character,
which do please me mightily, and so after supper to bed with great

pleasure and content with my wife. This day I hear of poor Mr. Clerke,
the solicitor, being dead, of a cold, after being not above two days ill,
which troubles me mightily, poor man!

2nd. Up, and at the office all the morning upon some accounts of Sir D.
Gawden, and at noon abroad with W. Hewer, thinking to have found
Mr. Wren at Captain Cox's, to have spoke something to him about
doing a favour for Will's uncle Steventon, but missed him. And so back
home and abroad with my wife, the first time that ever I rode in my
own coach, which do make my heart rejoice, and praise God, and pray
him to bless it to me and continue it. So she and I to the King's
playhouse, and there sat to avoid seeing Knepp in a box above where
Mrs. Williams happened to be, and there saw "The Usurper;" a pretty
good play, in all but what is designed to resemble Cromwell and Hugh
Peters, which is mighty silly. The play done, we to White Hall; where
my wife staid while I up to the Duchesse's and Queen's side, to speak
with the Duke of York: and here saw all the ladies, and heard the silly
discourse of the King, with his people about him, telling a story of my
Lord Rochester's having of his clothes stole, while he was with a wench;
and his gold all gone, but his clothes found afterwards stuffed into a
feather bed by the wench that stole them. I spoke with the Duke of
York, just as he was set down to supper with the King, about our
sending of victuals to Sir Thomas Allen's fleet hence to Cales [Cadiz]
to meet him. And so back to my wife in my coach, and so with great
content and joy home, where I made my boy to make an end of the
Reall Character, which I begun a great while ago, and do please me
infinitely, and indeed is a most worthy labour, and I think mighty easy,
though my eyes make me unable to attempt any thing in it. To-day I
hear that Mr. Ackworth's cause went for him at Guildhall, against his
accusers, which I am well enough pleased with.

3rd. Up betimes, and by water with W. Hewer to White Hall, and there
to Mr. Wren, who gives me but small hopes of the favour I hoped for
Mr. Steventon, Will's uncle, of having leave, being upon the point of
death, to surrender his place, which do trouble me, but I will do what I
can. So back again to the Office, Sir Jer. Smith with me; who is a silly,
prating, talking man; but he tells me what he hears, that Holmes and

Spragg now rule all with the Duke of Buckingham, as to seabusiness,
and will be great men: but he do prophesy what will be the fruit of it; so
I do. So to the Office, where we sat all the morning; and at noon home
to dinner, and then abroad again, with my wife, to the Duke of York's
playhouse, and saw "The Unfortunate Lovers;" a mean play, I think,
but some parts very good, and excellently acted. We sat under the
boxes, and saw the fine ladies; among others, my Lady Kerneguy, a
who is most devilishly painted. And so home, it being mighty pleasure
to go alone with my poor wife, in a coach of our own, to a play, and
makes us appear mighty great, I think, in the world; at least, greater
than ever I could, or my friends for me, have once expected; or, I think,
than ever any of my family ever yet lived, in my memory, but my
cozen Pepys in Salisbury Court. So to the office, and thence home to
supper and to bed.

4th. Up, and with W. Hewer by water to White Hall, and there did wait
as usual upon the Duke of York, where, upon discoursing something
touching the Ticket-Office, which by letter the Board did give the Duke
of York their advice, to be put upon Lord Brouncker, Sir J. Minnes did
foolishly rise up and complain of the Office, and his being made
nothing of; and this before Sir Thomas Littleton, who would be glad of
this difference among us, which did trouble me mightily; and therefore
I did forbear