The diary of Samuel Pepys; Chapter thirteen

Diary of Sammy Well Pete and historical entertainment. Produced by radio station Casey you are FM of the University of Missouri at Kansas City. When peeps began his diary and 16 60 he was a poor clerk at the Exchequer and a man of all errands to his great Cousin Edward Montague as an admiral of the fleet. It was Montague who brought Charles second home to England and peeps was aboard the ship as secretary to his cousin in appreciation Charles made Montague Earl of Sandwich and a knight of the Garter through sandwich peeps received his position as clerk of the Acts of the Navy in which he was to become the greatest naval administrator Anglin had ever known. He lived with his French wife Elizabeth and their servants in a house provided with his position in seething lane next to the Navy office. His diary which he kept faithfully for nine years is the most evocative history of the restoration period and the most honest personal record of a man's daily life in

existence. In Chapter 13 of the diary of Samuel peeps. Sam learns about the hair of the dog is smitten by the beautiful Rebecca Allen. And is overwhelmed by the magnificent coronation of Charles second. 11 March 16 16 watched my wife cover shows when she had got a T few done by learning English and out indeed now pretty handsome and I was much pleased with it. Twenty fifth of March in the morning some workman to begin of making me a new pair of steps up out of my parlor which with other work that I have to do I doubt will keep me this two months and so long I shall be old and

do it. But the work do please me very well. To my Lord said which homewards and took up a boy that had a lanthorn that was picking up of rags and got into like me hope and had great discourse with him how he could get sometimes three or four bushels of rags in a day and got thruppence a bushel for them and many other discourse. What and how many ways there awful poor children to get their livings honest it. 26 March this is my great day that three years ago I was cut of the stone and blessed be God. I do yet find myself very free from pain again. Very merry at dinner. Among other things because Mrs. Turner and her company eat no flesh this Lent and I had a great deal of good flesh which made their mouths water. Third April up among my work and my head

aching all day from last night's Dabashi at noon died with Sir W. Batten and Ben who would have me drink two good drafts of sack today to cure me of my last night's disease which I thought strange but I think find it true. 8 April. About eight o'clock we took a barge at the tower to Gravesend by coach to Rochester and thence to her house to Chatham. 9th April so William and I to the dock there viewed all the store houses and the old goods that are this day to be sold. And so back again by coach among other strangers that compass Mr. Allen and two daughters of his. Both very tall and the youngest very handsome so much as I could not forbear to love her exceedingly. Having among other things the best hand that ever I saw the ladies the dyer and the others took barge down we went to see the ship the

sovereign singing all the way and among other pleasures. I put my lady Mrs. Turner Mrs. Hampson and the two Mrs. Allen's into the lanthorn and I went in and kissed them demanding it is a feed do to the principal officer with all which we were exceeding merry and drank some bottles of wine and needs done that scepter. 10th April in the morning to see the dark houses to Hampson zz. Here we head for my sake. Two fiddles. The one a bass viol on which he that played played well some lyre lessons but both together made the worst music that I've ever heard. We had a fine correlation but I took little pleasure in that for the illness of the music and for the 10 minutes of my mind the poems of Rebecca alum. After we had done eating the ladies went to dance and among the men we had I was forced to dance to. It did make an ugly shift.

Mrs. R. Allen danced very well and seems the best humored woman that ever I saw. So to Captain Allen's and heard him play on the harpsichord. And I find him to be a perfectly good musician and there having no mind to leave Mrs. Rebecka. I did what with talk and singing of fatherhood I Mrs. Turner and I stayed there till two o'clock in the morning and was most exceeding Merry and I had the opportunity of kissing Mrs. Rebecca off. Eleven people about nine o'clock after we had breakfasted we set forth for London and indeed I was a little troubled to part with Mrs Rebecca for which God forgive me but of all the journeys that I ever made. This was the merriest and I was in a strange mood for mirth so Ohman found all well and a good deal of work done since I went.

23rd April or coronation day. About four I rose and got to the Abbey and with much ado did get up into a great scaffold across the north end of the abbey where with a great deal of patience I sat from past 10:56 before the king come in. And a great pleasure it was to see the Abbey raised in the middle all covered with red and a throne. That is a chair and footstool on the top of it and all the officers of all kinds some bunches of the very fiddlers in red vests. At last comes in the deed and prepend rivers of Westminster with the bishops and after them the nobility all in their parliament robes which was a most magnificent sight. Then the duke and the king with the scepter carried by my Lord Sandwich and so on and won before

him and the crown to the king in his robes bare headed which was very fine. After all had placed themselves. The king passed through all the ceremonies of the coronation which to my great grief I most in the Abbey could not see the Crown be put on his head. A great shout. Begun. And he come forth to the throne and three times the king at arms went to the three open places on the scaffold and proclaimed that if anyone could show any reason why Charles Stuart should not be king of England that now he should come and speak. And a general pardon also was read by the Lord Chancellor and medals flung up and down by my Lord Cornwallis of silver but I could not come by any but so great a know is that I could make but little of the music and indeed was lost to everybody.

I went out a little while before the king had done all his ceremonies and went round the abbey to Westminster Hall all the way within rails and ten thousand people with the ground covered with blue cloth and scaffolds all the way into the hall I got where it was very fired with hanging scaffolds one about another full of brave ladies and my wife in a little one on the right ahead and upon one of the side stalls I stood and saw the king come in with his crowd on and his scepter to his hand under a canopy borne up by six silver staves carried by better inns of the sank ports and little bells at every end. After a long time he got up to the Father end and all set themselves down at the several tables and that was also a brave sight in the King's first course carried up by knights of the bath. But above

all it was these three noughts Northumberland and Suffolk and the Duke of Ormond coming before the courses on horseback and staying so all dinner time and at last bringing up Dymock the king's champion. All in armor on horseback with his spear and target get it before him and Andrew proclaims that if any dare denied Charles Stuart to be lawful king of England here was a champion that would fight with him. And with these words the champion flings down his gauntlet to which when he is come the king drinks to him and then sends him the cup which is of gold and he drinks it off and then drives back again with the cup in his hand. At the Lord's table I met with him how and he spoke to my lord for me and he did give him four more rabbits and a pullet and I got Mr Mitchell to give us some bread and so we had a stall heated as everybody else did what they could

get. I took a great deal of pleasure to look upon the ladies and hear the music of all sorts. But above all the 24 violins about six at night they had dined and I went up to my wife. And strange it is to think that these two days have held up fair till now that all is done and the king gone out of the hole and then it fell a raining and thundering and lightning as I have not seen it do for some years which people did take great notice of God's blessing of the work of these two days which is a foolery to take too much notice of such things. I took my wife to X yard in which there were three great bonfires and a great many gallons. Men and women and they laid hold of us and would have us drink the king's health upon our knees kneeling upon a faggot which we all did. They drinking to us one after another which we thought a strange frolic. But these gallons continued their a great while and I wondered to

see how the ladies did tipple. At last I sent my wife to bed and Mr. Hunt and I went in with Mr. Thornberry who did give the company all their wine he being Yeoman of the wine cellar to the king and there with his wife and two of his sisters and some gallant sparks that were there. We drank the king's health and nothing else till one of the gentlemen fell down stark drunk and their leg and I went to Benoit's pretty well. But no sooner Abed my head began to turn and I to vomit. And if ever I was foxed it was no bad time I fell asleep and slept till morning. Does did the day end with joy everywhere. Now after all this I can say The besides the pleasure of the sight of these glorious things I made I'll shut my eyes against any other objects known for the future trouble myself to see thing of

state and show as being sure never to see the light again in this world. 24th April waked in the morning with my head in a said taking through the last night's drink which I am very sorry for. The sun rose and went out with Mr. creed to drink our morning draft which he did give me in chocolate to settle my stomach at night set myself to write down these days diary. And while I am about it I hear a noise of the fireworks which are now playing upon the Thames before the King and I wish myself with them being sauteed not to see them. With the entry of 24th April 16 61. We end this series

of readings from the diary of Samuel peeps peeps kept his diary through thirty first May 16 69. During those years he experienced and described such events as the plague and the Great Fire of London. And he was always as Sir Arthur Bryant described him the poet of every day. Human sensation. The diary of Samuel peeps was edited by Gloria Scott read by James Hawes produced by Radio Station Casey you are FM of the University of Missouri at Kansas City and made available to this station by national educational radio. This is the national educational radio network.