Produced by David Widger
(Unabridged)
DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS.
JULY & AUGUST
1662
July 1st. To the office, and there we sat till past noon, and thenCaptain Cuttance and I by water to Deptford, where the Royal James (inwhich my Lord went out the last voyage, though [he] came back in theCharles) was paying off by Sir W. Batten and Sir W. Pen. So to dinner,where I had Mr. Sheply to dine with us, and from thence I sent to my Lordto know whether she should be a first rate, as the men would have her, ora second. He answered that we should forbear paying the officers and suchwhose pay differed upon the rate of the ship, till he could speak with hisRoyal Highness. To the Pay again after dinner, and seeing of Cooper, themate of the ship, whom I knew in the Charles, I spoke to him aboutteaching the mathematiques, and do please myself in my thoughts oflearning of him, and bade him come to me in a day or two. Towards eveningI left them, and to Redriffe by land, Mr. Cowly, the Clerk of the Cheque,with me, discoursing concerning the abuses of the yard, in which he didgive me much light. So by water home, and after half an hour sittingtalking with my wife, who was afeard I did intend to go with my Lord tofetch the Queen mother over, in which I did clear her doubts, I went tobed by daylight, in order to my rising early to-morrow.
2nd. Up while the chimes went four, and to put down my journal, and so tomy office, to read over such instructions as concern the officers of theYard; for I am much upon seeing into the miscarriages there. By and by,by appointment, comes Commissioner Pett; and then a messenger from Mr.Coventry, who sits in his boat expecting us, and so we down to him at theTower, and there took water all, and to Deptford (he in our passage takingnotice how much difference there is between the old Captains for obedienceand order, and the King's new Captains, which I am very glad to hear himconfess); and there we went into the Store-house, and viewed first theprovisions there, and then his books, but Mr. Davis himself was not there,he having a kinswoman in the house dead, for which, when by and by I sawhim, he do trouble himself most ridiculously, as if there was neveranother woman in the world; in which so much laziness, as also in theClerkes of the Cheque and Survey (which after one another we did examine),as that I do not perceive that there is one-third of their dutiesperformed; but I perceive, to my great content, Mr. Coventry will havethings reformed. So Mr. Coventry to London, and Pett and I to the Pay,where Sir Williams both were paying off the Royal James still, and so todinner, and to the Pay again, where I did relieve several of my LordSandwich's people, but was sorry to see them so peremptory, and at everyword would, complain to my Lord, as if they shall have such a command overmy Lord. In the evening I went forth and took a walk with Mr. Davis, andtold him what had passed at his office to-day, and did give him my advice,and so with the rest by barge home and to bed
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