Diary of Samuel Pepys, Preface and Life | Page 4

a short list of bookmarks, or pointers, at the end of the
file for those who may wish to sample the author's ideas before making
an 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.
LONDON
GEORGE BELL & SONS YORK ST. COVENT GARDEN
CAMBRIDGE DEIGHTON BELL & CO.
1893

PREFACE
Although the Diary of Samuel Pepys has been in the hands of the
public for nearly seventy years, it has not hitherto appeared in its
entirety. In the original edition of 1825 scarcely half of the manuscript
was printed. Lord Braybrooke added some passages as the various
editions were published, but in the preface to his last edition he wrote:
"there appeared indeed no necessity to amplify or in any way to alter
the text of the Diary beyond the correction of a few verbal errors and
corrupt passages hitherto overlooked."
The public knew nothing as to what was left unprinted, and there was
therefore a general feeling of gratification when it was announced some
eighteen years ago that a new edition was to be published by the Rev.
Mynors Bright, with the addition of new matter equal to a third of the
whole. It was understood that at last the Diary was to appear in its
entirety, but there was a passage in Mr. Bright's preface which
suggested a doubt respecting the necessary completeness. He wrote: "It
would have been tedious to the reader if I had copied from the Diary
the account of his daily work at the office."
As a matter of fact, Mr. Bright left roughly speaking about one-fifth of
the whole Diary still unprinted, although he transcribed the whole, and
bequeathed his transcript to Magdalene College.

It has now been decided that the whole of the Diary shall be made
public, with the exception of a few passages which cannot possibly be
printed. It may be thought by some that these omissions are due to an
unnecessary squeamishness, but it is not really so, and readers are
therefore asked to have faith in the judgment of the editor. Where any
passages have been omitted marks of omission are added, so that in all
cases readers will know where anything has been left out.
Lord Braybrooke made the remark in his "Life of Pepys," that "the
cipher employed by him greatly resembles that known by the name of
'Rich's system.'" When Mr. Bright came to decipher the MS., he
discovered that the shorthand system used by Pepys was an earlier one
than Rich's, viz., that of Thomas Shelton, who made his system public
in 1620.
In his various editions Lord Braybrooke gave a large number of
valuable notes, in the collection and arrangement of which he was
assisted by the late Mr. John Holmes of the British Museum, and the
late Mr. James Yeowell, sometime sub-editor of "Notes and Queries."
Where these notes are left unaltered in the present edition the letter "B."
has been affixed to them, but in many instances the notes have been
altered and added to from later information, and in these cases no mark
is affixed. A large number of additional notes are now supplied, but
still much has had to be left unexplained. Many persons are mentioned
in the Diary who were little known in the outer world, and in some
instances it has been impossible to identify them. In other cases,
however, it has been possible to throw light upon these persons by
reference to different portions of the Diary itself. I would here ask the
kind assistance of any reader who is able to illustrate passages that have
been left unnoted. I have received much assistance from the various
books in which the Diary is quoted. Every writer on the period covered
by the Diary has been pleased to illustrate his subject by quotations
from Pepys, and from these books it has often been possible to find
information which helps to explain difficult passages in the Diary.
Much illustrative matter of value was obtained by Lord Braybrooke
from the "Diurnall" of Thomas Rugge, which is preserved in the British
Museum (Add. MSS. 10,116, 10,117). The following is the description
of this interesting work as given by Lord Braybrooke
"MERCURIUS POLITICUS REDIVIVUS;

or, A Collection of the most materiall occurrances and transactions in
Public Affairs since Anno Dni, 1659, untill 28 March, 1672, serving as
an annuall diurnall for future satisfaction and information, BY
THOMAS RUGGE.
Est natura hominum novitatis avida.--Plinius.
"This MS. belonged, in 1693, to Thomas Grey, second