Pepy's Diary. 06 Jan 1660. Friday. This morning Mr. Sheply and I did eat our breakfast at Mrs. Harper's, (my brother John (age 19) being with me) upon a cold turkey pie and a goose. From thence I went to my office, where we paid money to the soldiers till one o'clock, at which time we made an end, and I went home and took [her daughter-in-law] my wife (age 19) and went to my cosen, Thomas Pepys, and found them just sat down to dinner, which was very good; only the venison pasty was palpable beef, which was not handsome. After dinner I took my leave, leaving my wife (age 19) with my cozen Stradwick, and went to Westminster to Mr. Vines, where George and I fiddled a good while, Dick and his wife (who was lately brought to bed) and her sister being there, but Mr. Hudson not coming according to his promise, I went away, and calling at my house on the wench, I took her and the lanthorn with me to my cosen Stradwick, where, after a good supper, there being there my [her husband] father (age 58), mother, brothers, and sister (age 19), my cosen Scott and his wife, Mr. Drawwater and his wife, and her brother, Mr. Stradwick, we had a brave cake brought us, and in the choosing, Pall was Queen and Mr. Stradwick was King. After that my wife (age 19) and I bid adieu and came home, it being still a great frost.

Pepy's Diary. 13 Feb 1660. Monday. To my office till noon, thence home to dinner, my mouth being very bad of the cancer and my left leg beginning to be sore again. After dinner to see Mrs. Jem, and in the way met with Catan on foot in the street and talked with her a little, so home and took my wife to my [her husband] father's (age 59). In my way I went to Playford's (age 37), and for two books that I had and 6s. 6d. to boot I had my great book of songs which he sells always for 4s. At my father's (age 59) I staid a while, while my mother sent her maid Bess to Cheapside for some herbs to make a water for my mouth. Then I went to see Mr. Cumberland (age 28), and after a little stay with him I returned, and took my wife home, where after supper to bed. This day Monk (age 51) was invited to White Hall to dinner by my Lords; not seeming willing, he would not come. I went to Mr. Fage from my father's (age 59), who had been this afternoon with Monk (age 51), who do promise to live and die with the City, and for the honour of the City; and indeed the City is very open-handed to the soldiers, that they are most of them drunk all day, and have money given them. He did give me something for my mouth which I did use this night.

Pepy's Diary. 19 Feb 1660. Hence home and brought my wife to Mr. Mossum's to hear him, and indeed he made a very good sermon, but only too eloquent for a pulpit. Here Mr. L'Impertinent helped me to a seat. After sermon to my [her husband] father's (age 59); and fell in discourse concerning our going to Cambridge the next week with my brother John (age 19). To Mrs. Turner (age 37) where her brother, Mr. Edward Pepys (age 43), was there, and I sat a great while talking of public business of the times with him. So to supper to my father's (age 59), all supper talking of John's (age 19) going to Cambridge. So home, and it raining my wife got my mother's French mantle and my brother John's (age 19) hat, and so we went all along home and to bed.

Pepy's Diary. 18 Mar 1667. At night home to supper and so to bed. My father's letter this day do tell me of his own continued illness, and that my mother grows so much worse, that he fears she cannot long continue, which troubles me very much. This day, Mr. Caesar told me a pretty experiment of his, of angling with a minikin, a gut-string varnished over, which keeps it from swelling, and is beyond any hair for strength and smallness. The secret I like mightily.

Pepy's Diary. 20 Mar 1667. Thence home and to bed, very much troubled about my father's and my mother's illness.

Pepy's Diary. 20 Mar 1667. So home to the office a little, where I met with a sad letter from my brother, who tells me my mother is declared by the doctors to be past recovery, and that my father is also very ill every hour: so that I fear we shall see a sudden change there. God fit them and us for it! So to Sir W. Pen's (age 45), where my wife was, and supped with a little, but yet little mirth, and a bad, nasty supper, which makes me not love the family, they do all things so meanly, to make a little bad show upon their backs.

Pepy's Diary. 21 Mar 1667. By and by, in the evening, comes Sir W. Batten's (age 66) Mingo to me to pray me to come to his master and Sir Richard Ford (age 53), who have very ill news to tell me. I knew what it was, it was about our trial for a good prize to-day, "The Phoenix"¹, a worth two or £3000. I went to them, where they told me with much trouble how they had sped, being cast and sentenced to make great reparation for what we had embezzled, and they did it so well that I was much troubled at it, when by and by Sir W. Batten (age 66) asked me whether I was mortified enough, and told me we had got the day, which was mighty welcome news to me and us all. But it is pretty to see what money will do. Yesterday, Walker was mighty cold on our behalf, till Sir W. Batten (age 66) promised him, if we sped in this business of the goods, a coach; and if at the next trial we sped for the ship, we would give him a pair of horses. And he hath strove for us today like a Prince, though the Swedes' Agent was there with all the vehemence he could to save the goods, but yet we carried it against him. This put me in mighty good heart, and then we go to Sir W. Pen (age 45), who is come back to-night from Chatham, Kent [Map], and did put him into the same condition, and then comforted him. So back to my office, and wrote an affectionate and sad letter to my father about his and my mother's illness, and so home to supper and to bed late.

Note 1. There are references to the "Phoenix", a Dutch ship taken as a prize, among the State Papers (see "Calendar", 1666-67, p. 404). Pepys appears to have got into trouble at a later date in respect to this same ship, for among the Rawlinson MSS. (A. 170) are "Papers relating to the charge brought against him in the House of Commons in 1689 with reference to the ship Phoenix and the East India Company in 1681-86"..

Pepy's Diary. 21 Mar 1667. Up, and to the office, where sat all the morning. At noon home to dinner, and had some melancholy discourse with my wife about my mother's being so ill and my father, and after dinner to cheer myself, I having the opportunity of Sir W. Coventry (age 39) and the Duke of York's (age 33) being out of town, I alone out and to the Duke of York's play-house, where unexpectedly I come to see only the young men and women of the house act; they having liberty to act for their own profit on Wednesdays and Fridays this Lent: and the play they did yesterday, being Wednesday, was so well-taken, that they thought fit to venture it publickly to-day; a play of my Lord Falkland's' called "The Wedding Night", a kind of a tragedy, and some things very good in it, but the whole together, I thought, not so. I confess I was well enough pleased with my seeing it: and the people did do better, without the great actors, than I did expect, but yet far short of what they do when they are there, which I was glad to find the difference of.

Pepy's Diary. 25 Mar 1667. Thence home, and there I find letters from my brother, which tell me that yesterday when he wrote my mother did rattle in the throat so as they did expect every moment her death, which though I have a good while expected did much surprise me, yet was obliged to sup at Sir W. Pen's (age 45) and my wife, and there counterfeited some little mirth, but my heart was sad, and so home after supper and to bed, and much troubled in my sleep of my being crying by my mother's bedside, laying my head over hers and crying, she almost dead and dying, and so waked, but what is strange, methought she had hair over her face, and not the same kind of face as my mother really hath, but yet did not consider that, but did weep over her as my mother, whose soul God have mercy of.

Pepy's Diary. 26 Mar 1667. Thence Sir W. Pen (age 45) and I home and to write letters, among others a sad one to my father upon fear of my mother's death, and so home to supper and to bed.

Pepy's Diary. 26 Mar 1667. Up with a sad heart in reference to my mother, of whose death I undoubtedly expect to hear the next post, if not of my father's also, who by his pain as well as his grief for her is very ill, but on my own behalf I have cause to be joyful this day, it being my usual feast day, for my being cut of the stone this day nine years, and through God's blessing am at this day and have long been in as good condition of health as ever I was in my life or any man in England is, God make me thankful for it! But the condition I am in, in reference to my mother, makes it unfit for me to keep my usual feast. Unless it shall please God to send her well (which I despair wholly of), and then I will make amends for it by observing another day in its room.

Pepy's Diary. 27 Mar 1667. Having seen the end of this, I being desirous to be at home to see the issue of any country letters about my mother, which I expect shall give me tidings of her death, I directly home and there to the office, where I find no letter from my father or brother, but by and by the boy tells me that his mistress sends me word that she hath opened my letter, and that she is loth to send me any more news. So I home, and there up to my wife in our chamber, and there received from my brother the newes of my mother's dying on Monday, about five or six o'clock in the afternoon, and that the last time she spoke of her children was on Friday last, and her last words were, "God bless my poor Sam!" The reading hereof did set me a-weeping heartily, and so weeping to myself awhile, and my wife also to herself, I then spoke to my wife respecting myself, and indeed, having some thoughts how much better both for her and us it is than it might have been had she outlived my father and me or my happy present condition in the world, she being helpless, I was the sooner at ease in my mind, and then found it necessary to go abroad with my wife to look after the providing mourning to send into the country, some to-morrow, and more against Sunday, for my family, being resolved to put myself and wife, and Barker and Jane, W. Hewer (age 25) and Tom, in mourning, and my two under-mayds, to give them hoods and scarfs and gloves.

Pepy's Diary. 28 Mar 1667. Thence to Blackwall [Map] and there to Mr. Johnson's (age 44), to see how some works upon some of our repaired ships go on, and at his house eat and drank and mighty extraordinary merry (too merry for me whose mother died so lately, but they know it not, so cannot reproach me therein, though I reproach myself), and in going home had many good stories of Sir W. Batten (age 66) and one of Sir W. Pen (age 45), the most tedious and silly and troublesome (he forcing us to hear him) that ever I heard in my life.