Diary, January 1667/68 | Page 4

OF SAMUEL PEPYS. JANUARY 1667-1668
January 1st. Up, and all the morning in my chamber making up some
accounts against this beginning of the new year, and so about noon
abroad with my wife, who was to dine with W. Hewer and Willet at
Mrs. Pierces, but I had no mind to be with them, for I do clearly find

that my wife is troubled at my friendship with her and Knepp, and so
dined with my Lord Crew, with whom was Mr. Browne, Clerk of the
House of Lords, and Mr. John Crew. Here was mighty good discourse,
as there is always: and among other things my Lord Crew did turn to a
place in the Life of Sir Philip Sidney, wrote by Sir Fulke Greville,
which do foretell the present condition of this nation, in relation to the
Dutch, to the very degree of a prophecy; and is so remarkable that I am
resolved to buy one of them, it being, quite throughout, a good
discourse. Here they did talk much of the present cheapness of corne,
even to a miracle; so as their farmers can pay no rent, but do fling up
their lands; and would pay in corne: but, which I did observe to my
Lord, and he liked well of it, our gentry are grown so ignorant in every
thing of good husbandry, that they know not how to bestow this corne:
which, did they understand but a little trade, they would be able to
joyne together, and know what markets there are abroad, and send it
thither, and thereby ease their tenants and be able to pay themselves.
They did talk much of the disgrace the Archbishop is fallen under with
the King, and the rest of the Bishops also. Thence I after dinner to the
Duke of York's playhouse, and there saw "Sir Martin Mar-all;" which I
have seen so often, and yet am mightily pleased with it, and think it
mighty witty, and the fullest of proper matter for mirth that ever was
writ; and I do clearly see that they do improve in their acting of it. Here
a mighty company of citizens, 'prentices, and others; and it makes me
observe, that when I begun first to be able to bestow a play on myself, I
do not remember that I saw so many by half of the ordinary 'prentices
and mean people in the pit at 2s. 6d. a-piece as now; I going for several
years no higher than the 12d. and then the 18d. places, though, I
strained hard to go in then when I did: so much the vanity and
prodigality of the age is to be observed in this particular. Thence I to
White Hall, and there walked up and down the house a while, and do
hear nothing of anything done further in this business of the change of
Privy-counsellors: only I hear that Sir G. Savile, one of the Parliament
Committee of nine, for examining the Accounts, is by the King made a
Lord, the Lord Halifax; which, I believe, will displease the Parliament.
By and by I met with Mr. Brisband; and having it in my mind this
Christmas to (do what I never can remember that I did) go to see the
manner of the gaming at the Groome-Porter's, I having in my coming

from the playhouse stepped into the two Temple-halls, and there saw
the dirty 'prentices and idle people playing; wherein I was mistaken, in
thinking to have seen gentlemen of quality playing there, as I think it
was when I was a little child, that one of my father's servants, John
Bassum, I think, carried me in his arms thither. I did tell Brisband of it,
and he did lead me thither, where, after staying an hour, they begun to
play at about eight at night, where to see how differently one man took
his losing from another, one cursing and swearing, and another only
muttering and grumbling to himself, a third without any apparent
discontent at all: to see how the dice will run good luck in one hand, for
half an hour together, and another have no good luck at all: to see how
easily here, where they play nothing but guinnys, a L100 is won or lost:
to see two or three gentlemen come in there drunk, and putting their
stock of gold together, one 22 pieces, the second 4, and the third 5
pieces; and these to play one with another, and forget how much each
of them brought, but he that brought the 22 thinks that he brought no
more than the rest: to see the different humours of gamesters to change
their luck, when it is bad, how ceremonious they are as to call for new