[Mrs. Jemimah, or Mrs. Jem, was Jemima, eldest daughter of Sir
Edward Montagu. At this time she and her sister, Mrs. Ann, seem to
have been living alone with their maids in London, and Pepys’s duty
was to look after them.]
home, and there she taught me how to play at cribbage. Then I went home, and finding my wife gone to see Mrs. Hunt, I went to Will’s,
[Pepys constantly visited “Will’s” about this time; but this could
not be the famous coffee-house in Covent Garden, because he mentions
visiting there for the first time, February 3rd, 1663–64. It was
most probably the house of William Joyce, who kept a place of
entertainment at Westminster (see Jan. 29th).]
and there sat with Mr. Ashwell talking and singing till nine o’clock, and so home, there, having not eaten anything but bread and cheese, my wife cut me a slice of brawn which. I received from my Lady;—[Jemima, wife of Sir Edward Montagu, daughter of John Crew of Stene, afterwards Lord Crew.]—which proves as good as ever I had any. So to bed, and my wife had a very bad night of it through wind and cold.
3rd. I went out in the morning, it being a great frost, and walked to Mrs. Turner’s
[Jane, daughter of John Pepys of South Creake, Norfolk, married to
John Turner, Sergeant-at-law, Recorder of York; their only child,
Theophila, frequently mentioned as The. or Theoph., became the wife
of Sir Arthur Harris, Bart., of Stowford, Devon, and died 1686,
s.p.]
to stop her from coming to see me to-day, because of Mrs. Jem’s corning, thence I went to the Temple to speak with Mr. Calthrop, and walked in his chamber an hour, but could not see him, so went to Westminster, where I found soldiers in my office to receive money, and paid it them. At noon went home, where Mrs. Jem, her maid, Mr. Sheply, Hawly, and Moore dined with me on a piece of beef and cabbage, and a collar of brawn. We then fell to cards till dark, and then I went home with Mrs. Jem, and meeting Mr. Hawly got him to bear me company to Chancery Lane, where I spoke with Mr. Calthrop, he told me that Sir James Calthrop was lately dead, but that he would write to his Lady, that the money may be speedily paid. Thence back to White Hall, where I understood that the Parliament had passed the act for indemnity to the soldiers and officers that would come in, in so many days, and that my Lord Lambert should have benefit of the said act. They had also voted that all vacancies in the House, by the death of any of the old members, shall be filled up; but those that are living shall not be called in. Thence I went home, and there found Mr. Hunt and his wife, and Mr. Hawly, who sat with me till ten at night at cards, and so broke up and to bed.
4th. Early came Mr. Vanly—[Mr. Vanley appears to have been Pepys’s landlord; he is mentioned again in the Diary on September 20th, 1660.]—to me for his half-year’s rent, which I had not in the house, but took his man to the office and there paid him. Then I went down into the Hall and to Will’s, where Hawly brought a piece of his Cheshire cheese, and we were merry with it. Then into the Hall again, where I met with the Clerk and Quarter Master of my Lord’s troop, and took them to the Swan’ and gave them their morning’s draft,
[It was not usual at this time to sit down to breakfast, but instead
a morning draught was taken at a tavern.]
they being just come to town. Mr. Jenkins shewed me two bills of exchange for money to receive upon my Lord’s and my pay. It snowed hard all this morning, and was very cold, and my nose was much swelled with cold. Strange the difference of men’s talk! Some say that Lambert must of necessity yield up; others, that he is very strong, and that the Fifth-monarchy-men [will] stick to him, if he declares for a free Parliament. Chillington was sent yesterday to him with the vote of pardon and indemnity from the Parliament. From the Hall I came home, where I found letters from Hinchinbroke
[Hinchinbroke was Sir Edward Montagu’s seat, from which he
afterwards took his second title. Hinchinbroke House, so often
mentioned in the Diary, stood about half a mile to the westward of
the town of Huntingdon. It was erected late in the reign of
Elizabeth, by Sir Henry Cromwell, on the site of a Benedictine
nunnery, granted at the Dissolution, with all its appurtenances, to
his father, Richard Williams, who had assumed the name of Cromwell,
and whose grandson, Sir Oliver, was the uncle and godfather of the
Protector. The knight, who was renowned for, his hospitality, had
the honour of entertaining King James at Hinchinbroke, but, getting
into pecuniary difficulties, was obliged to sell his estates, which
were conveyed, July 28th, 1627, to Sir Sidney Montagu of Barnwell,
father of the first Earl of Sandwich, in whose descendant they are
still vested. On the morning of the 22nd January, 1830, during the
minority of the seventh Earl, Hinchinbroke was almost entirely
destroyed by fire, but the pictures and furniture were mostly saved,
and the house has been rebuilt in the Elizabethan style, and the
interior greatly improved, under the direction of Edward Blore,
Esq., R.A.—B.]
and news of Mr. Sheply’s going thither the next week. I dined at home, and from thence went to Will’s to Shaw, who promised me to go along with me to Atkinson’s about some money, but I found him at cards with Spicer and D. Vines, and could not get him along with me. I was vext at this, and went and walked in the Hall, where I heard that the Parliament spent this day in fasting and prayer; and in the afternoon came letters from the North, that brought certain news that my Lord Lambent his forces were all forsaking him, and that he was left with only fifty horse, and that he did now declare for the Parliament himself; and that my Lord Fairfax did also rest satisfied, and had laid down his arms, and that what he had done was only to secure the country against my Lord Lambert his raising of money, and free quarter. I went to Will’s again, where I found them still at cards, and Spicer had won 14s. of Shaw and Vines. Then I spent a little time with G. Vines and Maylard at Vines’s at our viols.
[It was usual to have a “chest of viols,” which consisted of six,
viz., two trebles, two tenors, and two basses (see note in North’s
“Memoirs of Musick,” ed. Rimbault, p. 70). The bass viol was also
called the ‘viola da gamba’, because it was held between the legs.]
So home, and from thence to Mr. Hunt’s, and sat with them and Mr. Hawly at cards till ten at night, and was much made of by them. Home and so to bed, but much troubled with my nose, which was much swelled.
5th. I went to my office, where the money was again expected from the Excise office, but none brought, but was promised to be sent this afternoon. I dined with Mr. Sheply, at my Lord’s lodgings, upon his turkey-pie. And so to my office again; where the Excise money was brought, and some of it told to soldiers till it was dark. Then I went home, and after writing a letter to my Lord and told him the news that the Parliament hath this night voted that the members that were discharged from sitting in the years 1648 and 49, were duly discharged; and that there should be writs issued presently for the calling of others in their places, and that Monk and Fairfax were commanded up to town, and that the Prince’s lodgings were to be provided for Monk at Whitehall. Then my wife and I, it being a great frost, went to Mrs. Jem’s, in expectation to eat a sack-posset, but Mr. Edward—[Edward Montage, son of Sir Edward, and afterwards Lord Hinchinbroke.]—not coming it was put off; and so I left my wife playing at cards with her, and went myself