Diary, October 1665 | Page 4

entire meal of them. D.W.]

THE DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS M.A. F.R.S.
CLERK OF THE ACTS AND SECRETARY TO THE ADMIRALTY
TRANSCRIBED FROM THE SHORTHAND MANUSCRIPT IN
THE PEPYSIAN LIBRARY MAGDALENE COLLEGE
CAMBRIDGE BY THE REV. MYNORS BRIGHT M.A. LATE

FELLOW AND PRESIDENT OF THE COLLEGE
(Unabridged)
WITH LORD BRAYBROOKE'S NOTES
EDITED WITH ADDITIONS BY
HENRY B. WHEATLEY F.S.A.

DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS. OCTOBER 1665
October 1st (Lord's day). Called up about 4 of the clock and so dressed
myself and so on board the Bezan, and there finding all my company
asleep I would not wake them, but it beginning to be break of day I did
stay upon the decke walking, and then into the Maister's cabbin and
there laid and slept a little, and so at last was waked by Captain Cocke's
calling of me, and so I turned out, and then to chat and talk and laugh,
and mighty merry. We spent most of the morning talking and reading
of "The Siege of Rhodes," which is certainly (the more I read it the
more I think so) the best poem that ever was wrote. We breakfasted
betimes and come to the fleete about two of the clock in the afternoon,
having a fine day and a fine winde. My Lord received us mighty kindly,
and after discourse with us in general left us to our business, and he to
his officers, having called a council of wary, we in the meantime
settling of papers with Mr. Pierce and everybody else, and by and by
with Captain Cuttance. Anon called down to my Lord, and there with
him till supper talking and discourse; among other things, to my great
joy, he did assure me that he had wrote to the King and Duke about
these prize-goods, and told me that they did approve of what he had
done, and that he would owne what he had done, and would have me to
tell all the world so, and did, under his hand, give Cocke and me his
certificate of our bargains, and giving us full power of disposal of what
we have so bought. This do ease my mind of all my fear, and makes my
heart lighter by L100 than it was before. He did discourse to us of the
Dutch fleete being abroad, eighty-five of them still, and are now at the
Texell, he believes, in expectation of our Eastland ships coming home
with masts and hempe, and our loaden Hambrough ships going to
Hambrough. He discoursed against them that would have us yield to no
conditions but conquest over the Dutch, and seems to believe that the
Dutch will call for the protection of the King of France and come under
his power, which were to be wished they might be brought to do under

ours by fair means, and to that end would have all Dutch men and
familys, that would come hither and settled, to be declared denizens;
and my Lord did whisper to me alone that things here must break in
pieces, nobody minding any thing, but every man his owne business of
profit or pleasure, and the King some little designs of his owne, and
that certainly the kingdom could not stand in this condition long, which
I fear and believe is very true. So to supper and there my Lord the
kindest man to me, before all the table talking of me to my advantage
and with tenderness too that it overjoyed me. So after supper Captain
Cocke and I and Temple on board the Bezan, and there to cards for a
while and then to read again in "Rhodes" and so to sleep. But, Lord! the
mirth which it caused me to be waked in the night by their snoaring
round about me; I did laugh till I was ready to burst, and waked one of
the two companions of Temple, who could not a good while tell where
he was that he heard one laugh so, till he recollected himself, and I told
him what it was at, and so to sleep again, they still snoaring.

2nd. We having sailed all night (and I do wonder how they in the dark
could find the way) we got by morning to Gillingham, and thence all
walked to Chatham; and there with Commissioner Pett viewed the Yard;
and among other things, a teame of four horses come close by us, he
being with me, drawing a piece of timber that I am confident one man
could easily have carried upon his back. I made the horses be taken
away, and a man or two to take the timber away with their hands. This
the Commissioner did see, but said nothing, but I think had cause to be
ashamed