office again, leaving Mr. Hill if he can to get Mrs. Coleman at night.  About nine at night I come home, and there find Mrs. Pierce come and little Fran.  Tooker, and Mr. Hill, and other people, a great many dancing, and anon comes Mrs. Coleman with her husband and Laneare.  The dancing ended and to sing, which Mrs. Coleman do very finely, though her voice is decayed as to strength but mighty sweet though soft, and a pleasant jolly woman, and in mighty good humour was to-night.  Among other things Laneare did, at the request of Mr. Hill, bring two or three the finest prints for my wife to see that ever I did see in all my life.  But for singing, among other things, we got Mrs. Coleman to sing part of the Opera, though she won’t owne that ever she did get any of it without book in order to the stage; but, above all, her counterfeiting of Captain Cooke’s part, in his reproaching his man with cowardice, “Base slave,” &c., she do it most excellently.  At it till past midnight, and then broke up and to bed.  Hill and I together again, and being very sleepy we had little discourse as we had the other night.  Thus we end the month merrily; and the more for that, after some fears that the plague would have increased again this week, I hear for certain that there is above 400 [less], the whole number being 1,388, and of them of the plague, 1,031.  Want of money in the Navy puts everything out of order.  Men grow mutinous; and nobody here to mind the business of the Navy but myself.  At least Sir W. Batten for the few days he has been here do nothing.  I in great hopes of my place of Surveyor-Generall of the Victualling, which will bring me L300 per annum.

     ETEXT editor’s bookmarks: 

     A conceited man, but of no Logique in his head at all
     Best poem that ever was wrote (Siege of Rhodes)
     French have taken two and sunk one of our merchant-men
     Hath sent me masters that do observe that I take pains
     How little heed is had to the prisoners and sicke and wounded
     How unhppily a man may fall into a necessity of bribing people
     Lechery will never leave him
     Money I have not, nor can get
     Mr. Evelyn’s translating and sending me as a present
     Poor seamen that lie starving in the streets
     Saying me to be the fittest man in England
     Searchers with their rods in their hands

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