Wednesday 4 April 1660

This morning I dispatch many letters of my own private business to London. There come Colonel Thomson with the wooden leg, and General Pen, and dined with my Lord and Mr. Blackburne, who told me that it was certain now that the King must of necessity come in, and that one of the Council told him there is something doing in order to a treaty already among them. And it was strange to hear how Mr. Blackburne did already begin to commend him for a sober man, and how quiet he would be under his government, &c.

I dined all alone to prevent company, which was exceeding great to-day, in my cabin.

After these two were gone Sir W. Wheeler and Sir John Petters came on board and staid about two or three hours, and so went away.

The Commissioners came to-day, only to consult about a further reducement of the Fleet, and to pay them as fast as they can.

I did give Davis, their servant, 5l. 10s. to give to Mr. Moore from me, in part of the 7l. that I borrowed of him, and he is to discount the rest out of the 36s. that he do owe me.

At night, my Lord resolved to send the Captain of our ship to Waymouth and promote his being chosen there, which he did put himself into a readiness to do the next morning.


38 Annotations

First Reading

kvk  •  Link

Declaration of Breda
Charles, now residing in the city of Breda, issues this declaration today:
http://www.constitution.org/eng/c…
According to historian John Morrill, "That declaration is no more than a parroting back to Monck of a message he had sent to Charles via Sir John Grenville." (Nature of the Engl. Rev., 497) So if you read this document carefully you can figure out what Monck has been proposing to Charles.

I am not quite sure how this is issued. Apparently, several letters are sent out containing this declaration, addressed to the Commons, Army (Monck), fleet and city of London. According to one of my sources, however, Monck conceals his and only shows it to a few officers. Does this mean he has all the other letters as well? Does the King make a public pronouncement of it as well?

kvk  •  Link

Letter to Commons:
Antonia Fraser quotes these fragments of the letter addressed to the speaker of the House of Commons. It will not be read aloud until Parliament meets later in the month:

"We look on you as wise and dispassionate men and patriots, who will raise up those banks and fences which have been cast down."
He boasts of his devotion to Protestantism.
The only note of revenge is in allusion to his father's execution.
Closes with: "And we hope that we have made that right Christian use of our affliction, and that the observations and experience we have had in other countries hath been such as that we, and we hope all our subjects, shall be beter for what he have seen and suffered."

steve h  •  Link

Circle of acquaintance

It's no news, but it is amazing to me how Pepys's circle of acquaintance, already large, keeps growing. Already in the few months of the diary he has broken bread, lifted a pint, or simply exchanged gossip with what seems like more than two hundred people, let alone the many folks he doesn't mention by name. And, of course, as he rises he keeps meeting more and more people, from servants and bureaucrats to admirals and noblemen. Aside from his atractiveness as a connection to power, it seems that a growing number are drawn to his affability and readiness to converse. But does today's note that "I dined all alone to prevent company, which was exceeding great to-day, in my cabin," indicate that even he can only take so much society?

Jenny Doughty  •  Link

'General Pen' was Admiral Sir William Penn, father of the William Penn (born 1644) who became involved with George Fox and the Quakers and later founded Pennsylvania. See additional annotations on the pages for Admiral Penn and the Quakers.

Pauline  •  Link

“I dined all alone to prevent company..."
I like your take on affable Sam, Steve H. I connect this timeout to dine alone with his missing Elizabeth yesterday. Any new and busy and adventuresome and extensive trip abroad (as in "away from home") has its, predictable, moments of "homesickness" and need to withdraw. He's right on schedule with patterns documented in the 20th century.

Hhomeboy  •  Link

BredaDec: "... excepting only such persons as shall hereafter be excepted by Parliament, those only to be excepted...."

"And to the end that the fear of punishment may not engage any, conscious to themselves of what is past, to a perseverance in guilt for the future, by opposing the quiet and happiness of their country, in the restoration of King, Peers and people to their just, ancient and fundamental rights, we do, by these presents, declare, that we do grant a free and general pardon, which we are ready, upon demand, to pass under our Great Seal of England, to all our subjects, of what degree or quality soever, who, within forty days after the publishing hereof, shall lay hold upon this our grace and favour, and shall, by any public act, declare their doing so, and that they return to the loyalty and obedience of good subjects; excepting only such persons as shall hereafter be excepted by Parliament, those only to be excepted. Let all our subjects, how faulty soever, rely upon the word of a King, solemnly given by this present declaration, that no crime whatsoever, committed against us or our royal father before the publication of this, shall ever rise in judgment, or be brought in question, against any of them, to the least endamagement of them, either in their lives, liberties or estates or (as far forth as lies in our power) so much as to the prejudice of their reputations, by any reproach or term of distinction from the rest of our best subjects; we desiring and ordaining that henceforth all notes of discord, separation and difference of parties be utterly abolished among all our subjects, whom we invite and conjure to a perfect union among themselves, under our protection, for the re-settlement of our just rights and theirs in a free Parliament, by which, upon the word of a King, we will be advised."

Glyn  •  Link

"And it was strange to hear how Mr. Blackburne did already begin to commend him (i.e Charles II) for a sober man, and how quiet he would be under his government, &c"

This is one of the more spectacularly wrong predictions made in the diary so far. During his reign Charles II had numerous mistresses, and the number of his illegitimate children went into double figures (ironically, only his wife couldn't bear him a child).

But the true character of the king must be well known by now: he's only a few years younger than Pepys but still a grown man. Did Blackburne really mean what he is saying, or is he just "whistling in the dark"?

David A. Smith  •  Link

Maybe Blackburne is hoping for a Prince-Hal-to-Henry-V makeover ....

Mary  •  Link

Charles Stuart, the sober man

Not so outlandish for Blackburne to have accepted this description of Charles at this point in his exile. The last couple of years had been less than merry; he was perpetually short of money and also lived with constant rumours of threats of assassination. Immediately prior to his restoration Charles was indeed reported to have become quite melancholy and was certainly not playing the role of libertine. Ref. Antonia Fraser's biography.

M.Stolzenbach  •  Link

All these references by Charles to "the word of a king" (and how splendid it sounds!) bring to mind the famous epigram written later:

AUTHOR: John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester (1647–1680)

QUOTATION: Here lies our sovereign lord the king,
Whose word no man relies on;
He never says a foolish thing,
Nor ever does a wise one.

ATTRIBUTION: Written on the Bedchamber Door of Charles II.

http://www.bartleby.com/100/196.2…

George Peabody  •  Link

I wonder if Mr. Blackburne doesn't mean that he expects or hopes Charles will be sober - moderate - in his approach to government rather than to wine and women? That, after all, was the issue of the Civil War, not Royal morals.

Laura K  •  Link

sober in govt, not partying

Re George Peabody's post above, that was my reading of Blackburne's opinion, too. This would seem more in keeping with Sam's political observations.

helena murphy  •  Link

In the Declaration of Breda Charles'political insight is evident. In the document the tone is conciliatory as he is anxious to heal the divisions of the past. He wishes to make it known that he intends to be king of a nation rather than of a particuliar political faction. He courts Parliament and its members, the authority of which he emphasises. This is a deliberate stance on his part, as his innate belief in the royal prerogative to summon, prorogue and dismiss Parliament, to create peers, bishops and judges, and to declare war and peace will be seen to assert itself in the course of his reign.

helena murpy  •  Link

Around the age of thirty Charles Stuart began to dress in darker shades,blacks and browns and dark blue which emphasised his height but subconsciously mirrored a very sombre personality. He had lived to witness his father, whom he loved, defeated incarcerated and heheaded. Since then, in Scotland where he was crowned and abroad in exile he had met with the cunning machinations and insincerity of men. He was a man who was really only at ease in the company of women because their world had never been threatening to him.

michael f vincent  •  Link

" how Mr. Blackburne .""king"".sober man, and how quiet he would be under his government, &c" the ""&c"" says it all. Pure Politically Correct ; looking out for hisown future . Sam did not want to hear anymore malarky.
So SP ate by 'imself. Just my take :

I wish one of you legal types would dissect this "Breda declaration" and show how it would be written now.

john s.  •  Link

Sober in govt....continued:
One of the better exchanges between Rochester and The King:
"Rochester:Were I in your Majesty's place I would not govern at all.
The King: How then?
Rochester: I would send for my good Lord Rochester and command him to govern.
The King: But the singular modesty of that nobleman-
Rochester: He would certainly conform himself to your Majesty's bright example. How gloriously would the two grand social virtues flourish under his auspices!
The King: O, prisca fides! What can these be?
Rochester: The love of wine and women.
The King: God bless your majesty!"

Hhomeboy  •  Link

Breda and Monck...

I posted the full paragraph re: taking revenge on the regicides to illustrate one of the topics of negotiation more or less dictated by Monck...

Once his regime was fully restored, however, Charles and his circle were free to ignore or revise the Breda declaration undertakings...
Meanwhile, the elevated old soldier Monck could enjoy life at his new country estate while he and his wife benefited from the generous spoils of royal patronage.

Yonmei  •  Link

A (very late) comment to M.Stolzenbach - did you know Charles II's comment on the Earl of Rochester's epigram?

"This is very true: for my words are my own, and my actions are my ministers."

http://www.bartleby.com/66/70/648…

Second Reading

jeannine  •  Link

Journal of the Earl of Sandwich; Navy Records Society, edited by R.C. Anderson
“5th. Thursday. We sailed out of the Hope and came back to an anchor between the buoy of the Nore and Blacktail. “

Bill  •  Link

"I did give Davis, their servant, 5l. 10s. to give to Mr. Moore from me, in part of the 7l. that I borrowed of him, and he is to discount the rest out of the 36s. that he do owe me."

So it would appear that Sam only owed 5l. 4s., perhaps the physical currency was a problem, but it seems he overpaid 6s. How much was that? A web search indicated that 6s is worth 35 pounds in 2013 retail purchasing power. Seems like a lot to forgive. Or is it?

Dick Wilson  •  Link

The extra six shillings Pepys paid Moore might be interest, or a fee of some kind. Usually, interest-bearing notes were discounted in advance. For example a creditor would pay nine pounds, and the debtor would sign a note that says "I will pay you ten pounds one year from this date." I wonder how Moore and Pepys wound up owing money to each other. Pepys borrowed seven pounds from Moore. How came Moore to owe Pepys one pound sixteen shillings? Any ideas?
It has been quite some time since our boy has been able to pinch a wench's bottom. It is not a seventeenth century adjective, but the word "horny" comes to mind.

Eric Rowe  •  Link

I see that Gutenburg has re-issued The Diary today, (Wheatley version) presumably with the scan errors corrected.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"There come Colonel Thomson with the wooden leg, and General Pen, and dined with my Lord and Mr. Blackburne"

L&M note George Thompson and William Penn, sen., were Admiralty Commissioners; Robert Blackborne was the Secretary to the Admiralty Committee.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Mr. Blackburne...told me that it was certain now that the King must of necessity come in, and that one of the Council told him there is something doing in order to a treaty already among them."

Cf. http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1… On 3 April a report to the King warned him to be in readiness to receive overtures shortly. The special measures which the Council undertook to ensure secrecy seem to have been to no avail. (Per L&M pootnote)

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"After these two were gone Sir W. Wheeler and Sir John Petters came on board and staid about two or three hours, and so went away."

Wheeler was a Presbyterian merchant and a friend of Mountagu; Pettus a wealthy royalist who had supplied money from England the the King in exile. (L&M note)

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"At night, my Lord resolved to send the Captain of our ship to Waymouth and promote his being chosen there, which he did put himself into a readiness to do the next morning."

Capt. Roger Cuttance was a native of Weymouth; for the results of the election, see http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1… (L&M)

Third Reading

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Recently a paper entitled, "News from Brussels in a Letter from a Near Attendant on His Majesty's Person ...," was published by Praise-God Barbon MP (AKA Barebones) and contained stories about Charles II's morals, just in case people had forgotten the gossip peddled by the previous administration to titilate/outrage their Puritan constituents.

I think Mr. Blackburne's comments have nothing to do with rumors of Charles II's alcohol use or fast living. The text:
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo…

I think "... Mr. Blackburne did already begin to commend him for a sober man, and how quiet he would be under his government, &c." means Charles would be thoughtful (sober) king, and not start unnecessary factionalism or wars (quiet).

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Another (very late) comment to M.Stolzenbach:

John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester is 12 at this time. This saucy bit of trivia does not belong in this part of the Diary.

@@@

At the age of 12, on 18 January, 1660, John Wilmot, 2nd Duke of Rochester was entered at Wadham College, Oxford. In the several editions of his works are preserved a copy of verses, said to have been composed by him at this early age, addressed to Charles II on his Restoration. The young poet professes:
"One whose ambition 'tis for to be known,
By daring loyalty your Wilmot's son."

Anthony Wood questions the authenticity of this early specimen of Rochester's muse. As the verses possess no higher merit than usually attaches itself to similar precocious juvenilities, the question is of little importance.

In the study of the classical authors Rochester made rapid progress, and is said to have early acquired a taste for their beauties which he retained to the last. Unfortunately, while he was infected with all the indecency of Ovid, he caught none of his refinement.

Rochester entered the school under the tutorship of the mathematician, Phineas Bury. A more influential tutor was the physician Robert Whitehall of Merton College, who may have inducted John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester into the life of debauchery. It is said that Whitehall doted on him and taught him to drink deeply at the Oxford taverns, where he gained admittance in the disguise provided by a borrowed master's gown. This is unsubstantiated storytelling, although it gains credibility by the fact that Rochester left 4 silver pint pots to his college on going down from university. Such gifts were common tokens of esteem from students to their colleges.

For more about Rochester the poet, see
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/b…

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Charles II and his retainers arrive in Breda today?

The Declaration of Breda "was actually written in the Spanish Netherlands, where Charles had been residing since March 1656; however, at the time of writing, England had been at war with Spain since 1655. To overcome the difficulties, both practical and in terms of public relations, of a prospective King of England addressing his subjects from enemy territory, Monck advised Charles to relocate himself to the United Netherlands, and to date his letters as if they were posted from Breda. Charles left Brussels, his last residence in the Spanish Netherlands, and passing through Antwerp arrived in Breda on April 4, and resided there until May." https://europeanroyalhistory.word…

"From the beginning of March the traffic between London and Brussels was intense, as the royal court sought to probe Monck's intentions and to establish contact with the presbyterians who dominated the Long Parliament. Not until the very end of March did Monck end the speculation by accepting a personal message from Charles. He asked for guarantees which would secure the assent of the military — an indemnity, payment of arrears, confirmation of purchases of royal and church lands, and religious toleration — but he gave no backing to the attempts of a group of presbyterian grandees to restrict royal powers, and it began to appear possible that the king could achieve a Restoration without having to make significant concessions.
"At Monck's suggestion the king left Brussels for Dutch territory, freeing himself from the importunities of the Spanish and the French concerning his future policy towards Dunkirk and Portugal. On 4 April he arrived at Breda ..."
https://www.oxforddnb.com/display…

Is this April 4 N.S. or O.S.? They don't tell us -- I suspect it's 14 April London time.
It was only at the end of March that Monck suggested the change of location. You don't move a King without finding appropriate lodgings for him to move into first, and although he didn't own much at this point, some protocol had to be observed, especially as the assassins were still around.
https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

As he wrote letters in his cabin all morning, Pepys could see the petitioners assembled to talk to Montagu through his inside cabin window. "I dined all alone to prevent company, which was exceeding great today, in my cabin."

If Pepys had had lunch with 2 or 3 of the assembled mob, it would have implied favoritism, and it sounds like he didn't really know any of them. This was the cheapest and easiest way not to create a problem.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Oh dear, the well-intentioned but incorrect spoilers continue:
The first two annotations have the Declaration of Breda being made today.

In fact, it reached London and was read into the Parliamentary record on May 1 -- approved for reprinting which probably was done overnight, and distributed yesterday:
https://www.rct.uk/collection/the…

Thursday 3 May 1660 -- Pepys reports:
This morning my Lord showed me the King’s declaration and his letter to the two Generals to be communicated to the fleet.

We bring our 21st century assumptions to the Diary. There were no phones, faxes, internet. Just trusted horsemen dodging highwaymen, galloping from post house to post house, to hand off the secret correspondence to the next courier, only to have one of them have to sit on the beach, waiting for the tide to turn. The packet boat would dodge the pirates as best they could, and then the process was repeated on the other side of the channel.

In 1679 Charles II was very ill. It took 5 days for an expectant James, Duke of York to ride from Brussels to Windsor on the fastest horses available. {Aug. 29 - Sept. 2) However, he took rest and meal breaks, so with relays of couriers let's guess 3 days, each way.

Then the exhausted courier arrives at 3 a.m., and the dispatch is given to the Pepys on duty, who goes back to sleep and only remembers to give the correspondence to the person in question at breakfast.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"At night, my Lord resolved to send the Captain of our ship to Waymouth and promote his being chosen there, which he did put himself into a readiness to do the next morning."

To be clear, this means "At night, my Lord [Montagu] resolved to send the Captain [Roger Cuttance] of our ship to Waymouth and promote his [Montagu's] being chosen there, which he [Cuttance] did put himself into a readiness to do the next morning."

Montagu has gone from retired country gentleman to political powerhouse very quickly; he needs to be a member of parliament to keep his power base.

I wonder why he chose Weymouth?

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

I wonder why no one reigned in Hhomboy:

"Meanwhile, the elevated old soldier Monck could enjoy life at his new country estate while he and his wife benefited from the generous spoils of royal patronage."

No they didn't -- Monck continued to earned his 'royal patronage' by standing right behind Charles II for another 10 years, until his health gave out. He stayed in London to oversee the fight against the plague when the Court skiddaddled off to Oxford. He commanded ships during the second Anglo-Dutch War. He is a councilor and trusted advisor the whole way through the Diary. My apologies for this Spoiler, but someone has to say that Hhomeboy needs a fact checker.

Eric the Bish  •  Link

“I dined all alone to prevent company, which was exceeding great to-day, in my cabin.”

Not to avoid company, but to eat before they arrive: “prevent” has the meaning “go before”, as in the Collect (prayer): “Prevent us O Lord in all our doings …”.

With so many meetings to attend Pepys has to carve out time for a hurried meal - dining alone ensures that he can eat quickly and get back to work.

Scube  •  Link

ETB - interesting interpretation. That makes sense. Question I have is for which position was Sandwich looking to be chosen? ("At night, my Lord resolved to send the Captain of our ship to Waymouth and promote his being chosen there, which he did put himself into a readiness to do the next morning.") I must have missed it somewhere along the line?

Jim Mullins  •  Link

I believe the sense is that Montagu wants Capt. Cuttance to be chosen for Parliament from Weymouth, where Cuttance is from.

Stephane Chenard  •  Link

Hello, "General Pen". Welcome to the Diary. Pardon our Sam, he's new to naval affairs and ranks. It would seem you two didn't really hit it off on first meet. I'd wager you'll meet again. Here's to you two becoming best friends forever!

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