Pepy's Diary. 28 Sep 1664. So to dinner, and after dinner by coach to White Hall, thinking to have met at a Committee of Tangier, but nobody being there but my Lord Rutherford, he would needs carry me and another Scotch Lord to a play, and so we saw, coming late, part of "The Generall", my Lord Orrery's (age 43) (Broghill) second play; but, Lord! to see how no more either in words, sense, or design, it is to his "Harry the 5th" is not imaginable, and so poorly acted, though in finer clothes, is strange. And here I must confess breach of a vowe in appearance, but I not desiring it, but against my will, and my oathe being to go neither at my own charge nor at another's, as I had done by becoming liable to give them another, as I am to Sir W. Pen (age 43) and Mr. Creed; but here I neither know which of them paid for me, nor, if I did, am I obliged ever to return the like, or did it by desire or with any willingness. So that with a safe conscience I do think my oathe is not broke and judge God Almighty will not think it other wise.

Pepy's Diary. 06 Dec 1664. Thence by appointment to the White Horse Tavern in Lombard Street, and there dined with my Lord Rutherford, Povy (age 50), Mr. Gauden, Creed, and others, and very merry, and after dinner among other things Povy (age 50) and I withdrew, and I plainly told him that I was concerned in profit, but very justly, in this business of the Bill that I have been these two or three days about, and he consents to it, and it shall be paid. He tells me how he believes, and in part knows, Creed to be worth £10,000; nay, that now and then he [Povy (age 50)] hath three or £4,000 in his hands, for which he gives the interest that the King (age 34) gives, which is ten per cent., and that Creed do come and demand it every three months the interest to be paid him, which Povy (age 50) looks upon as a cunning and mean tricke of him; but for all that, he will do and is very rich.

Pepy's Diary. 07 Dec 1664. Thence to the Temple [Map] to my cozen Roger Pepys (age 47), thinking to have met the Doctor to have discoursed our business, but he came not, so I home, and there by agreement came my Lord Rutherford, Povy (age 50), Gauden, Creed, Alderman Backewell (age 46), about Tangier business of accounts between Rutherford and Gauden. Here they were with me an hour or more, then after drinking away, and Povy (age 50) and Creed staid and eat with me; but I was sorry I had no better cheer for Povy (age 50); for the foole may be useful, and is a cunning fellow in his way, which is a strange one, and that, that I meet not in any other man, nor can describe in him. They late with me, and when gone my boy and I to musique, and then to bed.

Pepy's Diary. 03 May 1665. Thence to my Lord Ashly (age 43) to a Committee of Tangier for my Lord Rutherford's accounts, and that done we to my Lord Treasurer's (age 58), where I did receive my Lord's warrant to Sir R. Long (age 65) for drawing a warrant for my striking of tallys.

Pepy's Diary. 11 Sep 1665. So to Greenwich, Kent [Map], where when come I find my Lord Rutherford and Creed come from Court, and among other things have brought me several orders for money to pay for Tangier; and, among the rest £7000 and more, to this Lord, which is an excellent thing to consider, that, though they can do nothing else, they can give away the King's money upon their progresse. I did give him the best answer I could to pay him with tallys, and that is all they could get from me. I was not in humour to spend much time with them, but walked a little before Sir J. Minnes's (age 66) door and then took leave, and I by water to Woolwich, Kent [Map], where with my wife to a game at tables¹, and to bed.

Note 1. The old name for backgammon, used by Shakespeare and others. The following lines are from an epitaph entirely made up of puns on backgammon "Man's life's a game at tables, and he may Mend his bad fortune by his wiser play". Wit's Recre., i. 250, reprint, 1817.

Pepy's Diary. 26 Sep 1665. Up by five o'clock and got post horses and so set out for Greenwich, Kent [Map], calling and drinking at Dartford. Being come to Greenwich, Kent [Map] and shifting myself I to the office, from whence by and by my Lord Bruncker (age 45) and Sir J. Minnes (age 66) set out toward Erith, Kent to take charge of the two East India shipps, which I had a hand in contriving for the King's service and may do myself a good office too thereby. I to dinner with Mr. Wright to his father-in-law in Greenwich, Kent [Map], one of the most silly, harmless, prating old men that ever I heard in my life. Creed dined with me, and among other discourses got of me a promise of half that he could get my Lord Rutherford to give me upon clearing his business, which should not be less, he says, than £50 for my half, which is a good thing, though cunningly got of him.

Pepy's Diary. 27 Sep 1665. So by water to Greenwich, Kent [Map], where with Creed and Lord Rutherford, and there my Lord told me that he would give me £100 for my pains, which pleased me well, though Creed, like a cunning rogue, hath got a promise of half of it from me.

Pepy's Diary. 03 Oct 1665. Anon by appointment comes one to tell me my Lord Rutherford is come; so I to the King's Head [Map] to him, where I find his lady (age 25), a fine young Scotch lady, pretty handsome and plain. My wife also, and Mercer, by and by comes, Creed bringing them; and so presently to dinner and very merry; and after to even our accounts, and I to give him tallys, where he do allow me £100, of which to my grief the rogue Creed has trepanned me out of £50. But I do foresee a way how it may be I may get a greater sum of my Lord to his content by getting him allowance of interest upon his tallys.

Pepy's Diary. 23 Oct 1665. Thence to my lodging, where I find my Lord Rutherford, of which I was glad. We supped together and sat up late, he being a mighty wanton man with a daughter in law of my landlady's, a pretty conceited woman big with child, and he would be handling her breasts, which she coyly refused.

Pepy's Diary. 03 Mar 1666. All the morning at the office, at noon to the Old James, being sent for, and there dined with Sir William Rider, Mr. Cutler, and others, to make an end with two Scots Maisters about the freight of two ships of my Lord Rutherford's. After a small dinner and a little discourse I away to the Crowne behind the Exchange [Map] to Sir W. Pen (age 44), Captain Cocke (age 49) and Fen, about getting a bill of Cocke's (age 49) paid to Pen, in part for the East India goods he sold us. Here Sir W. Pen (age 44) did give me the reason in my eare of his importunity for money, for that he is now to marry his daughter (age 15). God send her better fortune than her father deserves I should wish him for a false rogue.

Pepy's Diary. 29 Jul 1667. One thing extraordinary was, this day a man, a Quaker, came naked through the Hall, only very civilly tied about the privities to avoid scandal, and with a chafing-dish of fire and brimstone burning upon his head, did pass through the Hall, crying, "Repent! repent!" I up to the Painted Chamber [Map], thinking to have got in to have heard the King's speech, but upon second thoughts did not think it would be worth the crowd, and so went down again into the Hall and there walked with several, among others my Lord Rutherford, who is come out of Scotland, and I hope I may get some advantage by it in reference to the business of the interest of the great sum of money I paid him long since without interest. But I did not now move him in it.