John Evelyn to Samuel Pepys
Wednesday 28 February 1665/66
28 February 16661
Sir,
I had immediately yealded obedience to your Commands in going downe to Chatham, and prepard what was necessary to put that affaire in some forwardnesse, if I could have receiv’d the monyes which I have long expected that must enable me to appeare there; not for the carrying on of that Worke, but the discharge of our Sick-mens quarters there, my arreare being so greate, that I dare not shew my face, ‘till I can bring them some refreshment: but so soone as I shall be enabld (and I am daily promisd monye) to appeare amongst them, I shall not retard my journey a moment, and so soone as I have (with the advise of Mr Commissioner Pett) made choyce of a fitting place; I shall either waite on you with the account of it, or transffer the particulars to you, if I find it necessary that my aboade there may more conduce to your Service: Sir, I beseech you be pleas’d to make part of this to the rest of the Principall Officers from2
Source: PRO S.P.29/149, f.59. Endorsed by P, “Says Court 28:Feb:65 Mr Eveline”.
- MS: “Sayes-Court 28:Feb:65/6”. ↩
- P makes no reference to this letter in his diary but records his concern that the Additional Aid Act of 1665 was “putting us out of a power of raising money” (diary, 28 February 1666). He had already outlined the financial shortfall in a letter to Coventry on 19 February (Tanner 1929, no. 94; NMM LBK/8, p.371). There was a deficit of more than £0.8 million, “besides the charge for the sick and wounded, widows and orphans…” (ibid). ↩
Thanks to Guy de la Bédoyère for supplying the text and footnotes for this letter. You can purchase his book, Particular Friends: The Correspondence of Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn, at