Produced by David Widger
(Unabridged)
DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS. JULY 1666
July 1st (Sunday). Up betimes, and to the office receiving letters, twoor three one after another from Sir W. Coventry, and sent as many to him,being full of variety of business and hurry, but among the chiefest is thegetting of these pressed men out of the City down the river to the fleete.While I was hard at it comes Sir W. Pen to towne, which I little expected,having invited my Lady and her daughter Pegg to dine with me to-day; whichat noon they did, and Sir W. Pen with them: and pretty merry we were. Andthough I do not love him, yet I find it necessary to keep in with him; hisgood service at Shearnesse in getting out the fleete being much takennotice of, and reported to the King and Duke [of York], even from thePrince and Duke of Albemarle themselves, and made the most of to me andthem by Sir W. Coventry: therefore I think it discretion, great andnecessary discretion, to keep in with him. After dinner to the officeagain, where busy, and then down to Deptford to the yard, thinking to haveseen Bagwell's wife, whose husband is gone yesterday back to the fleete,but I did not see her, so missed what I went for, and so back to the Towerseveral times, about the business of the pressed men, and late at it tilltwelve at night, shipping of them. But, Lord! how some poor women didcry; and in my life I never did see such natural expression of passion asI did here in some women's bewailing themselves, and running to everyparcel of men that were brought, one after another, to look for theirhusbands, and wept over every vessel that went off, thinking they might bethere, and looking after the ship as far as ever they could bymoone-light, that it grieved me to the heart to hear them. Besides, tosee poor patient labouring men and housekeepers, leaving poor wives andfamilies, taking up on a sudden by strangers, was very hard, and thatwithout press-money, but forced against all law to be gone. It is a greattyranny. Having done this I to the Lieutenant of the Tower and bade himgood night, and so away home and to bed.
2nd. Up betimes, and forced to go to my Lord Mayor's, about the businessof the pressed men; and indeed I find him a mean man of understanding anddispatch of any publique business. Thence out of curiosity to Bridewellto see the pressed men, where there are about 300; but so unruly that Idurst not go among them: and they have reason to be so, having been keptthese three days prisoners, with little or no victuals, and pressed out,and, contrary to all course of law, without press-money, and men that arenot liable to it. Here I met with prating Colonel Cox, one of the Citycollonells heretofore a great presbyter: but to hear how the fellow didcommend himself, and the service he do the King; and, like an asse, atPaul's did take me out of my way on purpose to show me the gate (thelittle north gate) where he had two men shot close by him on each hand,and his own hair burnt by a bullet-sho