Diary, October 1667 | Page 4

DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS. OCTOBER 1667
October 1st. All the morning busy at the office, pleased mightily with
my girle that we have got to wait on my wife. At noon dined with Sir G.
Carteret and the rest of our officers at his house in Broad Street, they
being there upon his accounts. After dinner took coach and to my wife,

who was gone before into the Strand, there to buy a nightgown, where I
found her in a shop with her pretty girle, and having bought it away
home, and I thence to Sir G. Carteret's again, and so took coach alone,
it now being almost night, to White Hall, and there in the Boarded-
gallery did hear the musick with which the King is presented this night
by Monsieur Grebus, the master of his musick; both instrumentall--I
think twenty-four violins--and vocall; an English song upon Peace. But,
God forgive me! I never was so little pleased with a concert of musick
in my life. The manner of setting of words and repeating them out of
order, and that with a number of voices, makes me sick, the whole
design of vocall musick being lost by it. Here was a great press of
people; but I did not see many pleased with it, only the instrumental
musick he had brought by practice to play very just. So thence late in
the dark round by the wall home by coach, and there to sing and sup
with my wife, and look upon our pretty girle, and so to bed.

2nd. Up, and very busy all the morning, upon my accounts of Tangier,
to present to the Commissioners of the Treasury in the afternoon, and
the like upon the accounts of the office. This morning come to me Mr.
Gawden about business, with his gold chain about his neck, as being
Sheriffe of the City this year. At noon to the Treasury Office again, and
there dined and did business, and then by coach to the New Exchange,
and there met my wife and girl, and took them to the King's house to
see "The Traytour," which still I like as a very good play; and thence,
round by the wall, home, having drunk at the Cock ale-house, as I of
late have used to do, and so home and to my chamber to read, and so to
supper and to bed.

3rd. Up, and going out of doors, I understand that Sir W. Batten is gone
to bed on a sudden again this morning, being struck very ill, and I
confess I have observed him for these last two months to look very ill
and to look worse and worse. I to St. James's (though it be a sitting day)
to the Duke of York, about the Tangier Committee, which met this
morning, and he come to us, and the Charter for the City of Tangier
was read and the form of the Court Merchant. That being done Sir W.
Coventry took me into the gallery, and walked with me an hour,
discoursing of Navy business, and with much kindness to, and

confidence in, me still; which I must endeavour to preserve, and will do;
and, good man! all his care how to get the Navy paid off, and that all
other things therein may go well. He gone, I thence to my Lady
Peterborough, who sent for me; and with her an hour talking about her
husband's pension, and how she hath got an order for its being paid
again; though, I believe, for all that order, it will hardly be; but of that I
said nothing; but her design is to get it paid again: and how to raise
money upon it, to clear it from the engagement which lies upon it to
some citizens, who lent her husband money, without her knowledge,
upon it, to vast loss. She intends to force them to take their money
again, and release her husband of those hard terms. The woman is a
very wise woman, and is very plain in telling me how her plate and
jewels are at pawne for money, and how they are forced to live beyond
their estate, and do get nothing by his being a courtier. The lady I pity,
and her family. Having done with her, and drunk two glasses of her
meade, which she did give me, and so to the Treasurer's Office, and
there find my Lord Bruncker and [Sir] W. Pen at dinner with Sir G.
Carteret about his accounts, where I dined and talked and settled some
business, and then home, and there took out my wife and Willet,
thinking to have gone to a play, but both houses were begun, and so we
to the 'Change, and thence