Pepy's Diary. 23 Jul 1661. Then to my father's, where by my desire I met my uncle Thomas, and discoursed of my uncle's will to him, and did satisfy (him) as well as I could. So to my uncle Wight's, but found him out of doors, but my aunt I saw and staid a while, and so home and to bed. Troubled to hear how proud and idle Pall is grown, that I am resolved not to keep her.

Pepy's Diary. 21 Jan 1663. Up early leaving my wife very ill in bed... and to my office till eight o'clock, there coming [his son] Ch. Pepys¹ to demand his legacy of me, which I denied him upon good reason of his father and brother's suing us, and so he went away.

Note 1. Charles Pepys was second son of Thomas Pepys, elder brother of Samuel's father. Samuel paid part of the legacy to Charles and his elder brother Thomas on May 25th, 1664.

Pepy's Diary. 28 Jan 1663. Thence to the Temple [Map] to my cozen Roger Pepys (age 45), and thence to Serjt. Bernard to advise with him and retain him against my uncle, my heart and head being very heavy with the business.

Pepy's Diary. 04 Feb 1663. Up early and to Mr. Moore, and thence to Mr. Lovell about my law business, and from him to Paul's School, it being Apposition-day there. I heard some of their speeches, and they were just as schoolboys' used to be, of the seven liberal sciences; but I think not so good as ours were in our time. Away thence and to Bow Church [Map], to the Court of Arches, where a judge sits, and his proctors about him in their habits, and their pleadings all in Latin. Here I was sworn to give a true answer to my uncle's libells, and so paid my fee for swearing, and back again to Paul's School, and went up to see the head forms posed in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, but I think they did not answer in any so well as we did, only in geography they did pretty well: Dr. Wilkins and Outram were examiners. So down to the school, where Dr. Crumlum did me much honour by telling many what a present I had made to the school, shewing my Stephanus, in four volumes, cost me £4 10s. He also shewed us, upon my desire, an old edition of the grammar of Colett's, where his epistle to the children is very pretty; and in rehearsing the creed it is said "borne of the cleane Virgin Mary". Thence with Mr. Elborough (he being all of my old acquaintance that I could meet with here) to a cook's shop to dinner, but I found him a fool, as he ever was, or worse.

Pepy's Diary. 06 Feb 1663. Thence, after dinner, to the Temple [Map], to my cozen Roger Pepys (age 45), where met us my uncle Thomas and his son; and, after many high demands, we at last came to a kind of agreement upon very hard terms, which are to be prepared in writing against Tuesday next. But by the way promising them to pay my cozen Mary's' legacys at the time of her marriage, they afterwards told me that she was already married, and married very well, so that I must be forced to pay it in some time. My cozen Roger (age 45) was so sensible of our coming to agreement that he could not forbear weeping, and, indeed, though it is very hard, yet I am glad to my heart that we are like to end our trouble. So we parted for to-night, and I to my Lord Sandwich (age 37) and there staid, there being a Committee to sit upon the contract for the Mole, which I dare say none of us that were there understood, but yet they agreed of things as Mr. Cholmely (age 30) and

Pepy's Diary. 11 Feb 1663. In the afternoon several people came to see me, my uncle Thomas, Mr. Creed, Sir J. Minnes (age 63) (who has been, God knows to what end, mighty kind to me and careful of me in my sickness). At night my wife read Sir H. Vane's tryall to me, which she began last night, and I find it a very excellent thing, worth reading, and him to have been a very wise man. So to supper and to bed.

Pepy's Diary. 14 Feb 1663. So home to dinner, my wife and I upon a couple of ducks, and then by coach to the Temple [Map], where my uncle Thomas, and his sons both, and I, did meet at my cozen Roger's (age 45) and there sign and seal to an agreement. Wherein I was displeased at nothing but my cozen Roger's (age 45) insisting upon my being obliged to settle upon them as the will do all my uncle's estate that he has left, without power of selling any for the payment of debts, but I would not yield to it without leave of selling, my Lord Sandwich (age 37) himself and my cozen Thos. Pepys being judges of the necessity thereof, which was done. One thing more that troubles me was my being forced to promise to give half of what personal estate could be found more than £372, which I reported to them, which though I do not know it to be less than what we really have found, yet he would have been glad to have been at liberty for that, but at last I did agree to it under my own handwriting on the backside of the report I did make and did give them of the estate, and have taken a copy of it upon the backside of one that I have. All being done I took the father and his son Thos. home by coach, and did pay them £30, the arrears of the father's annuity, and with great seeming love parted, and I presently to bed, my head akeing mightily with the hot dispute I did hold with my cozen Roger (age 45) and them in the business.

Pepy's Diary. 28 Feb 1663. Then to the Temple [Map] to meet my uncle Thomas, who I found there, but my cozen Roger (age 45) not being come home I took boat and to Westminster, where I found him in Parliament this afternoon. The House have this noon been with the King (age 32) to give him their reasons for refusing to grant any indulgence to Presbyters or Papists; which he, with great content and seeming pleasure, took, saying, that he doubted not but he and they should agree in all things, though there may seem a difference in judgement, he having writ and declared for an indulgence: and that he did believe never prince was happier in a House of Commons, than he was in them.

Pepy's Diary. 26 Mar 1663. This morning my uncle Thomas was with me according to agreement, and I paid him the £50, which was against my heart to part with, and yet I must be contented; I used him very kindly, and I desire to continue so voyd of any discontent as to my estate, that I may follow my business the better. At the Change [Map] I met him again, with intent to have met with my uncle Wight to have made peace with him, with whom by my long absence I fear I shall have a difference, but he was not there, so we missed.

Pepy's Diary. 27 Mar 1663. Up betimes and at my office all the morning, at noon to the Exchange [Map], and there by appointment met my uncles Thomas and Wight, and from thence with them to a tavern, and there paid my uncle Wight three pieces of gold for himself, my aunt, and their son that is dead, left by my uncle Robert, and read over our agreement with my uncle Thomas and the state of our debts and legacies, and so good friendship I think is made up between us all, only we have the worst of it in having so much money to pay.

Pepy's Diary. 14 Jul 1663. Up a little late, last night recovering my sleepiness for the night before, which was lost, and so to my office to put papers and things to right, and making up my journal from Wednesday last to this day. All the morning at my office doing of business; at noon Mr. Hunt came to me, and he and I to the Exchange [Map], and a Coffee House, and drank there, and thence to my house to dinner, whither my uncle Thomas came, and he tells me that he is going down to Wisbech [Map], there to try what he can recover of my uncle Day's estate, and seems to have good arguments for what he do go about, in which I wish him good speed. I made him almost foxed, the poor man having but a bad head, and not used I believe nowadays to drink much wine.

Pepy's Diary. 22 Jul 1663. Up, and by and by comes my uncle Thomas, to whom I paid £10 for his last half year's annuity, and did get his and his son's hand and seal for the confirming to us Piggott's mortgage, which was forgot to be expressed in our late agreement with him, though intended, and therefore they might have cavilled at it, if they would.

Pepy's Diary. 11 Aug 1663. Upon the 'Change [Map] my brother, and Will bring me word that Madam Turner (age 40) would come and dine with me to-day, so I hasted home and found her and Mrs. Morrice there (The. Joyce being gone into the country), which is the reason of the mother rambling. I got a dinner for them, and after dinner my uncle Thomas and aunt Bell came and saw me, and I made them almost foxed with wine till they were very kind (but I did not carry them up to my ladies).

Pepy's Diary. 07 Sep 1663. Up pretty betimes, and awhile to my vyall, and then abroad to several places, to buy things for the furnishing my house and my wife's closet, and then met my uncle Thomas, by appointment, and he and I to the Prerogative Office in Paternoster Row [Map], and there searched and found my uncle Day's will, end read it over and advised upon it, and his wife's after him, and though my aunt Perkins testimony is very good, yet I fear the estate being great, and the rest that are able to inform us in the matter are all possessed of more or less of the estate, it will be hard for us ever to do anything, nor will I adventure anything till I see what part will be given to us by my uncle Thomas of all that is gained. But I had another end of putting my uncle into some doubt, that so I might keep him: yet from going into the country that he may be there against the Court at his own charge, and so I left him and his son at a loss what to do till I see them again.

Pepy's Diary. 12 Sep 1663. Thence by water to my office, in here all the morning, and so to the 'Change [Map] at noon, and there by appointment met and bring home my uncle Thomas, who resolves to go with me to Brampton on Monday next. I wish he may hold his mind. I do not tell him, and yet he believes that there is a Court to be that he is to do some business for us there. The truth is I do find him a much more cunning fellow than I ever took him for, nay in his very drink he has his wits about him. I took him home to dinner, and after dinner he began, after a glass of wine or two, to exclaim against Sir G. Carteret (age 53) and his family in Jersey, bidding me to have a care of him, and how high, proud, false, and politique a fellow he is, and how low he has been under his command in the island.

Pepy's Diary. 06 Oct 1663. At noon Lewellin coming to me I took him and Deane (age 29), and there met my uncle Thomas, and we dined together, but was vexed that, it being washing-day, we had no meat dressed, but sent to the Cook's, and my people had so little witt to send in our meat from abroad in that Cook's dishes, which were marked with the name of the Cook upon them, by which, if they observed anything, they might know it was not my own dinner.

Pepy's Diary. 16 Jan 1664. Up, and having paid some money in the morning to my uncle Thomas on his yearly annuity, to the office, where we sat all the morning.

Pepy's Diary. 20 Oct 1664. At noon my uncle Thomas came, dined with me, and received some money of me.

Pepy's Diary. 22 Oct 1664. At noon comes my uncle Thomas and his daughter [his daughter] Mary about getting me to pay them the £30 due now, but payable in law to her husband. I did give them the best answer I could, and so parted, they not desiring to stay to dinner.

Pepy's Diary. 09 Jan 1666. Up, and then to the office, where we met first since the plague, which God preserve us in! At noon home to dinner, where uncle Thomas with me, and in comes Pierce lately come from Oxford, and Ferrers.

Pepy's Diary. 01 Apr 1666. At noon by coach home, and there by invitation met my uncle and aunt Wight (age 47) and their cozen Mary, and dined with me and very merry.

Pepy's Diary. 29 Apr 1666. Thence walked back again reading and so took water and home, where I find my uncle and aunt Wight (age 47), and supped with them upon my leads with mighty pleasure and mirthe, and they being gone I mighty weary to bed, after having my haire of my head cut shorter, even close to my skull, for coolnesse, it being mighty hot weather.

Pepy's Diary. 09 Oct 1666. At noon home, and my uncle Thomas was there, and dined with my brother and I (my father and I were gone abroad), and then to the office again in the afternoon, and there close all day long, and did much business.

Pepy's Diary. 08 Jan 1667. Up, and to the office, where we sat all the morning. At noon home to dinner, where my uncle Thomas with me to receive his quarterage. He tells me his son [his son] Thomas is set up in Smithfield [Map], where he hath a shop-I suppose, a booth.

Pepy's Diary. 26 May 1667. By and by to supper, all our discourse about Brampton [Map], and my intentions to build there if I could be free of my engagement to my Uncle Thomas and his [his son] son, that they may not have what I have built, against my will, to them whether I will or no, in case of me and my brothers being without heirs male; which is the true reason why I am against laying out money upon that place, together with my fear of some inconvenience by being so near Hinchingbroke [Map]; being obliged to be a servant to that family, and subject to what expence they shall cost me; and to have all that I shall buy, or do, esteemed as got by the death of my uncle, when indeed what I have from him is not worth naming. After supper to read and then to bed.

Pepy's Diary. 26 Dec 1667. Up and to Westminster, and there to the Swan [Map], and by chance met Mr. Spicer and another 'Chequer clerk, and there made them drink, and there talked of the credit the 'Chequer is now come to and will in a little time, and so away homeward, and called at my bookseller's, and there bought Mr. Harrington's (age 56) works, "Oceana", &c., and two other books, which cost me £4, and so home, and there eat a bit, and then with my wife to the King's playhouse, and there saw "The Surprizall"; which did not please me to-day, the actors not pleasing me; and especially Nell's (age 17) acting of a serious part, which she spoils. Here met with Sir W. Pen (age 46), and sat by him, and home by coach with him, and there to my office a while, and then home to supper and to bed. I hear this day that Mrs. Stewart (age 20) do at this day keep a great court at Somerset House [Map], with her husband the Duke of Richmond (age 28), she being visited for her beauty's sake by people, as the Queen (age 29) is, at nights; and they say also that she is likely to go to Court again, and there put my Baroness Castlemayne's (age 27) nose out of joynt. God knows that would make a great turn. This day I was invited to have gone to my cozen [his daughter] Mary Pepys' burial, my uncle Thomas' daughter, but could not.

Pepy's Diary. 31 Dec 1667. Up, without words to my wife, or few, and those not angry, and so to White Hall, and there waited a long time, while the Duke of York (age 34) was with the King (age 37) in the Caball, and there I and Creed stayed talking without, in the Vane-Room, and I perceive all people's expectation is, what will be the issue of this great business of putting these great Lords out of the council and power, the quarrel, I perceive, being only their standing against the will of the King (age 37) in the business of the Chancellor (age 58). Anon the Duke of York (age 34) comes out, and then to a Committee of Tangier, where my Lord Middleton (age 59) did come to-day, and seems to me but a dull, heavy man; but he is a great soldier, and stout, and a needy Lord, which will still keep that poor garrison from ever coming to be worth anything to the King (age 37). Here, after a short meeting, we broke up, and I home to the office, where they are sitting, and so I to them, and having done our business rose, and I home to dinner with my people, and there dined with me my uncle Thomas, with a mourning hat-band on, for his daughter [his daughter] Mary, and here I and my people did discourse of the Act for the accounts, which do give the greatest power to these people, as they report that have read it (I having not yet read it, and indeed its nature is such as I have no mind to go about to read it, for fear of meeting matter in it to trouble me), that ever was given to any subjects, and too much also.