Editing Samuel Pepys (section)

== Diary ==
[[File:6ann 08 samuelpepys bg 64kb.ogg|thumb|right|Spoken excerpt of Pepys' diary]]
[[File:Pepys diary shorthand.png|thumb|A facsimile of part of the first entry in the diary]]
[[File:Samuel Pepys bookplate 1.jpg|thumb|Samuel Pepys' bookplate. The motto reads ''Mens cujusque is est Quisque'' – "Mind Makes the Man".{{sfnp|Lodge|1861|p=835}}]]

On 1 January 1660 ("1 January 1659/1660" in [[Old Style and New Style dates|contemporary terms]]), Pepys began to keep a [[diary]]. He recorded his daily life for almost 10 years. This record of a decade of Pepys' life is more than a million words long and is often regarded as Britain's most celebrated diary.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pepysdiary.com/indepth/2008/12/12/legends-of-british/|title=Legends of British History: Samuel Pepys|work=The Diary of Samuel Pepys|date=12 December 2008 |access-date=17 September 2015}}</ref> Pepys has been called the greatest diarist of all time due to his frankness in writing concerning his own weaknesses and the accuracy with which he records events of daily British life and major events in the 17th century.{{sfnp|Kuiper|2011|p=206}} Pepys wrote about the contemporary court and theatre (including his amorous affairs with the actresses), his household, and major political and social occurrences.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Pepys|first1=Samuel|editor1-last=Latham|editor1-first=Robert|editor2-last=Latham|editor2-first=Linnet|title=A Pepys anthology : passages from the diary of Samuel Pepys|date=2000|publisher=Univ. of California Pr.|location=Berkeley [u.a.]|isbn=978-0-00-710530-4|edition=1. UK paperback}}</ref> Historians have used his diary to gain greater insight and understanding of life in London in the 17th century. Pepys wrote consistently on subjects such as personal finances, the time he got up in the morning, the weather, and what he ate. He wrote at length about his new watch which he was very proud of (and which had an alarm, a new accessory at the time), a country visitor who did not enjoy his time in London because he felt that it was too crowded, and his cat waking him up at one in the morning.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/famouspeople/samuel_pepys/|title=BBC – Primary History – Famous People – Samuel Pepys|work=bbc.co.uk|access-date=17 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150917165028/http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/famouspeople/samuel_pepys/|archive-date=17 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> Pepys' diary is one of a very few sources which provides such length in details of everyday life of an upper-middle-class man during the 17th century. The descriptions of the lives of his servants like [[Jane Birch]] provide a valuable detailed insight into their lives.<ref>{{Cite ODNB |title=Pepys's servants|date=2004-09-23 |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/93850 |editor-last=Matthew |editor-first=H. C. G. |access-date=2023-08-09 |place=Oxford |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/93850 |editor2-last=Harrison |editor2-first=B. |editor3-last=Goldman |editor3-first=L.}}</ref>

Aside from day-to-day activities, Pepys also commented on the significant and turbulent events of his nation. England was in disarray when he began writing his diary. [[Oliver Cromwell]] had died just a few years before, creating a period of civil unrest and a large power vacuum to be filled. Pepys had been a strong supporter of Cromwell, but he converted to the Royalist cause upon the Protector's death. He was on the ship that returned [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] to England to take up his throne and gave first-hand accounts of other significant events from the early years of [[Stuart Restoration|the Restoration]], such as the coronation of Charles II, the [[Great Plague of London|Great Plague]], the [[Great Fire of London]], and the [[Anglo–Dutch Wars]].

Pepys did not plan on his contemporaries ever seeing his diary, which is evident from the fact that he wrote in [[shorthand]] and sometimes in a "code" of various [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[French language|French]], and [[Italian language|Italian]] words (especially when describing his illicit affairs).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pepys.info/bits.html|title=Pepys coded passages|work=pepys.info|access-date=17 September 2015|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924071040/http://www.pepys.info/bits.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, Pepys often juxtaposed profanities in his native English amidst his "code" of foreign words, a practice which would reveal the details to any casual reader. He did intend for future generations to see the diary, as evidenced by its inclusion in his library and its catalogue before his death along with the shorthand guide he used and the elaborate planning by which he ensured his library survived intact after his death.{{sfnp|Tomalin|2002|pp=645, 653}}

The women he pursued, his friends, and his dealings are all laid out. His diary reveals his jealousies, insecurities, trivial concerns, and his fractious relationship with his wife. It has been an important account of London in the 1660s. The juxtaposition of his commentary on politics and national events, alongside the very personal, can be seen from the beginning. His opening paragraphs, written in January 1660, begin:

{{blockquote|Blessed be God, at the end of the last year I was in very good health, without any sense of my old pain but upon taking of cold. I lived in Axe yard, having my wife and servant Jane, and no more in family than us three. My wife, after the absence of her terms for seven weeks,{{efn|This mention of Elizabeth Pepys' menstruation was omitted from the [[Expurgation|bowdlerised]] Wheatley transcription published in 1893 and used throughout this article. The quotation here uses the copyrighted Latham and Mathews edition to restore the text.}} gave me hopes of her being with child, but on the last day of the year she hath them again.

The condition of the State was thus. ''[[Viz.]]'' the [[Rump Parliament|Rump]], after being disturbed by my [[John Lambert (general)|Lord Lambert]], was lately returned to sit again. The officers of the army all forced to yield. [[John Lawson (naval officer)|Lawson]] lie[s] still in the River and [[George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle|Monke]] is with his army in Scotland. Only my Lord Lambert is not yet come in to the Parliament; nor is it expected that he will, without being forced to it.
| {{ws |[[s:Diary of Samuel Pepys/1660/January|''Diary of Samuel Pepys'', January 1660]]}}}}

The entries from the first few months were filled with news of General George Monck's march on London. In April and May of that year, he encountered problems with his wife, and he accompanied Montagu's fleet to the [[Netherlands]] to bring [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] back from exile. Montagu was made Earl of Sandwich on 18 June, and Pepys secured the position of [[Clerk of the Acts]] to the [[Navy Board]] on 13 July.{{sfnp|Knighton|2004}} As secretary to the board, Pepys was entitled to a £350 annual salary plus the various gratuities and benefits that came with the job—including bribes. He rejected an offer of £1,000 for the position from a rival and soon afterward moved to official accommodation in [[Seething Lane]] in the [[City of London]].{{sfnp|Weinreb|Hibbert|Keay|Keay|2008|p=828}}

Pepys stopped writing his diary in 1669. His eyesight began to trouble him and he feared that writing in dim light was damaging his eyes. He did imply in his last entries that he [[amanuensis|might have others write his diary for him]], but doing so would result in a loss of privacy and it seems that he never went through with those plans. In the end, Pepys lived another 34 years without going blind, but he never took to writing his diary again.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pepys.info/faq.html|title=Samuel Pepys FAQ |work=pepys.info |access-date=17 September 2015|archive-date=22 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170522060206/http://www.pepys.info/faq.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

However, Pepys dictated a journal for two months in 1669–70 as a record of his dealings with the Commissioners of Accounts at that period.{{sfnp|Bryant|1933|p=25}} He also kept a diary for a few months in 1683 when he was sent to [[Tangier]] as the most senior civil servant in the Navy, during the [[English Tangier#Evacuation of Tangier|English evacuation]]. The diary mostly covers work-related matters.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kennedy |first=Maev |date=13 November 2015 |title=Samuel Pepys's other diary on display in new exhibition |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/13/samuel-pepys-other-diary-on-display-exhibition-national-maritime-museum |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=15 November 2015 }}</ref>

===Public life===
[[File:PepysLetter.jpg|thumb|A short letter from Samuel Pepys to [[John Evelyn]] at the latter's home in [[Deptford]], written by Pepys on 16 October 1665 and referring to "prisoners" and "sick men" during the [[Second Dutch War]].]]

On the Navy Board, Pepys proved to be a more able and efficient worker than colleagues in higher positions. This often annoyed Pepys and provoked much harsh criticism in his diary. Among his colleagues were [[William Penn (Royal Navy officer)|Admiral Sir William Penn]], [[George Carteret|Sir George Carteret]], [[John Mennes|Sir John Mennes]], and [[William Batten|Sir William Batten]].{{sfnp|Knighton|2004}}

Pepys learned [[arithmetic]] from a private tutor and used models of ships to make up for his lack of first-hand nautical experience, and ultimately came to play a significant role in the board's activities. In September 1660, he was made a [[Justice of the Peace]]; on 15 February 1662, Pepys was admitted as a Younger Brother of [[Trinity House]]; and on 30 April, he received the [[Freedom of the City|freedom of]] [[Portsmouth]]. Through Sandwich, he was involved in the administration of the short-lived [[English Tangier|English colony at Tangier]]. He joined the Tangier committee in August 1662 when the colony was first founded and became its treasurer in 1665. In 1663, he independently negotiated a £3,000 contract for Norwegian masts, demonstrating the freedom of action that his superior abilities allowed. He was appointed to a commission of the royal fishery on 8 April 1664.

Pepys' job required him to meet many people to dispense money and make contracts. He often laments how he "lost his labour" having gone to some appointment at a [[coffee house]] or [[tavern]], only to discover that the person whom he was seeking was not there. These occasions were a constant source of frustration to Pepys.

===Major events===
Pepys' diary provides a first-hand account of the [[English Restoration|Restoration]], and includes detailed accounts of several major events of the 1660s, along with the lesser known [[John Evelyn's Diary|diary of John Evelyn]]. In particular, it is an invaluable source for the study of the [[Second Anglo-Dutch War]] of 1665–7, the [[Great Plague of London|Great Plague]] of 1665, and the Great Fire of London in 1666. In relation to the Plague and Fire, C. S. Knighton has written: "From its reporting of these two disasters to the metropolis in which he thrived, Pepys's diary has become a national monument."{{sfnp|Knighton|2004}} [[Robert Latham (editor)|Robert Latham]], editor of the definitive edition of the diary, remarks concerning the Plague and Fire: "His descriptions of both—agonisingly vivid—achieve their effect by being something more than superlative reporting; they are written with compassion. As always with Pepys it is people, not literary effects, that matter."<ref>{{Cite web
 |title       = Short biography [of] Pepys
 |url         = http://www.magd.cam.ac.uk/pepys/latham.html
 |publisher   = Pepys Library website
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090207113128/http://www.magd.cam.ac.uk/pepys/latham.html
 |archive-date = 7 February 2009
|df          = dmy-all
}}</ref>

====Second Anglo-Dutch War====

[[File:Dutch Attack on the Medway, June 1667 van Soest RMG BHC0295.jpg|thumb|upright=1.7|''[[Dutch Attack on the Medway]], June 1667'' by [[Pieter Cornelisz van Soest]], painted {{circa|1667}}. The captured English ship [[HMS Royal Charles (1650)|''Royal Charles'']] is right of centre.]]

In early 1665, the start of the Second Anglo-Dutch War placed great pressure on Pepys. His colleagues were either engaged elsewhere or incompetent, and Pepys had to conduct a great deal of business himself. He excelled under the pressure, which was extreme due to the complexity and underfunding of the Royal Navy.{{sfnp|Knighton|2004}} At the outset, he proposed a centralised approach to supplying the fleet. His idea was accepted, and he was made surveyor-general of [[Food|victualling]] in October 1665. The position brought a further £300 a year.{{sfnp|Knighton|2004}}

Pepys wrote about the Second Anglo-Dutch War: "In all things, in wisdom, courage, force and success, the Dutch have the best of us and do end the war with victory on their side". And King Charles II said: "Don't fight the Dutch, imitate them".

In 1667, with the war lost, Pepys helped to discharge the navy.{{sfnp|Knighton|2004}} The Dutch had defeated England on open water and now began to threaten English soil itself. In June 1667, they conducted their [[Raid on the Medway]], broke the defensive chain at [[Gillingham, Kent|Gillingham]], and towed away the {{HMS|Royal Charles|1660|2}}, one of the Royal Navy's most important ships. As he had done during the Fire and the Plague, Pepys again removed his wife and his gold from London.{{sfnp|Knighton|2004}}

The Dutch raid was a major concern in itself, but Pepys was personally placed under a different kind of pressure: the Navy Board and his role as Clerk of the Acts came under scrutiny from the public and from Parliament. The war ended in August and, on 17 October, the [[House of Commons of England|House of Commons]] created a committee of "miscarriages".{{sfnp|Knighton|2004}} On 20 October, a list was demanded from Pepys of ships and commanders at the time of the division of the fleet in 1666.{{sfnp|Knighton|2004}} However, these demands were actually quite desirable for him, as tactical and strategic mistakes were not the responsibility of the Navy Board.

The Board did face some allegations regarding the Medway raid, but they could exploit the criticism already attracted by Commissioner of [[Chatham Dockyard|Chatham]] [[Peter Pett (shipwright, died 1672)|Peter Pett]] to deflect criticism from themselves.{{sfnp|Knighton|2004}} The committee accepted this tactic when they reported in February 1668. The Board was, however, criticised for its use of tickets to pay seamen. These tickets could only be exchanged for cash at the Navy's treasury in London.{{sfnp|Knighton|2004}} Pepys made a long speech at the bar of the Commons on 5 March 1668 defending this practice. It was, in the words of C. S. Knighton, a "virtuoso performance".{{sfnp|Knighton|2004}}

The commission was followed by an investigation led by a more powerful authority, the commissioners of accounts. They met at Brooke House, [[Holborn]] and spent two years scrutinising how the war had been financed. In 1669, Pepys had to prepare detailed answers to the committee's eight "Observations" on the Navy Board's conduct. In 1670, he was forced to defend his own role. A seaman's ticket with Pepys' name on it was produced as incontrovertible evidence of his corrupt dealings but, thanks to the intervention of the king, Pepys emerged from the sustained investigation relatively unscathed.{{sfnp|Knighton|2004}}

====Great Plague====
{{Further|Great Plague of London}}
Outbreaks of plague were not unusual events in London; major epidemics had occurred in 1592, 1603, 1625 and 1636.{{sfnp|Tomalin|2002|p=167}} Furthermore, Pepys was not among the group of people who were most at risk. He did not live in cramped housing, he did not routinely mix with the poor, and he was not required to keep his family in London in the event of a crisis.{{sfnp|Tomalin|2002|p=168}} It was not until June 1665 that the unusual seriousness of the plague became apparent, so Pepys' activities in the first five months of 1665 were not significantly affected by it.{{sfnp|Tomalin|2002|p=168}} [[Claire Tomalin]] wrote that 1665 was, to Pepys, one of the happiest years of his life. He worked very hard that year, and the outcome was that he quadrupled his fortune.{{sfnp|Tomalin|2002|p=168}} In his annual summary on 31 December, he wrote, "I have never lived so merrily (besides that I never got so much) as I have done this plague time".<ref>{{ws |[[s:Diary of Samuel Pepys/1665/December#31st (Lord's day)|''Diary of Samuel Pepys'', Sunday, 31 December 1665]]}}</ref>

Nonetheless, Pepys was certainly concerned about the plague. On 16 August he wrote:
{{blockquote|But, Lord! how sad a sight it is to see the streets empty of people, and very few upon the 'Change. Jealous of every door that one sees shut up, lest it should be the plague; and about us two shops in three, if not more, generally shut up.| {{ws |[[s:Diary of Samuel Pepys/1665/August#16th|''Diary of Samuel Pepys'', Wednesday, 16 August 1665]]}}}}

He also chewed [[tobacco]] as a protection against infection, and worried that [[wig-makers]] might be using hair from the corpses as a raw material. Furthermore, it was Pepys who suggested that the Navy Office should evacuate to [[Greenwich]], although he did offer to remain in town himself. He later took great pride in his stoicism.{{sfnp|Tomalin|2002|pp=174–175}} Meanwhile, Elisabeth Pepys was sent to [[Woolwich]].{{sfnp|Knighton|2004}} She did not return to Seething Lane until January 1666 and was shocked by the sight of [[St Olave Hart Street|St Olave]]'s churchyard, where 300 people had been buried.{{sfnp|Tomalin|2002|pp=177–178}}

====Great Fire of London====
{{Further|Great Fire of London}}

[[File:Great fire of london map.png|thumb|Map of London after the [[Great Fire of London|Great Fire]] in 1666, showing Pepys' home]]

In the early hours of 2 September 1666, Pepys was awakened by Jane the maid, his servant, who had spotted a fire in the [[Billingsgate]] area. He decided that the fire was not particularly serious and returned to bed. Shortly after waking, his servant returned and reported that 300 houses had been destroyed and that [[London Bridge]] was threatened. Pepys went to the [[Tower of London]] to get a better view. Without returning home, he took a boat and observed the fire for over an hour. In his diary, Pepys recorded his observations as follows:

{{blockquote|I down to the water-side, and there got a boat and through bridge, and there saw a lamentable fire. Poor Michell's house, as far as the Old Swan, already burned that way, and the fire running further, that in a very little time it got as far as the Steeleyard, while I was there. Everybody endeavouring to remove their goods, and flinging into the river or bringing them into lighters that layoff; poor people staying in their houses as long as till the very fire touched them, and then running into boats, or clambering from one pair of stairs by the water-side to another. And among other things, the poor pigeons, I perceive, were loth to leave their houses, but hovered about the windows and balconys till they were, some of them burned, their wings, and fell down. Having staid, and in an hour's time seen the fire: rage every way, and nobody, to my sight, endeavouring to quench it, but to remove their goods, and leave all to the fire, and having seen it get as far as the Steele-yard, and the wind mighty high and driving it into the City; and every thing, after so long a drought, proving combustible, even the very stones of churches, and among other things the poor steeple by which pretty Mrs.———— lives, and whereof my old school-fellow Elborough is parson, taken fire in the very top, and there burned till it fell down...| {{ws |[[s:Diary of Samuel Pepys/1666/September#2nd (Lord's day)|''Diary of Samuel Pepys'', Sunday, 2 September 1666]]}}}}

The wind was driving the fire westward, so he ordered the boat to go to [[Palace of Whitehall|Whitehall]] and became the first person to inform the king of the fire. According to his entry of 2 September 1666, Pepys recommended to the king that homes be pulled down in the path of the fire in order to stem its progress. Accepting this advice, the king told him to go to [[Lord Mayor of the City of London|Lord Mayor]] [[Thomas Bloodworth]] and tell him to start pulling down houses. Pepys took a coach back as far as [[Old St Paul's Cathedral|St Paul's Cathedral]] before setting off on foot through the burning city. He found the Lord Mayor, who said, "Lord! what can I do? I am spent: people will not obey me. I have been pulling down houses; but the fire overtakes us faster than we can do it." At noon, he returned home and "had an extraordinary good dinner, and as merry, as at this time we could be", before returning to watch the fire in the city once more. Later, he returned to Whitehall, then met his wife in [[St James's Park]]. In the evening, they watched the fire from the safety of [[Bankside]]. Pepys writes that "it made me weep to see it". Returning home, Pepys met his clerk Tom Hayter who had lost everything. Hearing news that the fire was advancing, he started to pack up his possessions by moonlight.

[[File:Old.St.Pauls.Ruins.1666.png|thumb|The ruins of the [[old St Paul's Cathedral]], by [[Thomas Wyck]], as it looked roughly seven years after the fire]]

A cart arrived at 4 a.m. on 3 September and Pepys spent much of the day arranging the removal of his possessions. Many of his valuables, including his diary, were sent to a friend from the Navy Office at [[Bethnal Green]].{{sfnp|Tomalin|2002|p=230}} At night, he "fed upon the remains of yesterday's dinner, having no fire nor dishes, nor any opportunity of dressing any thing." The next day, Pepys continued to arrange the removal of his possessions. By then, he believed that Seething Lane was in grave danger, so he suggested calling men from [[Deptford]] to help pull down houses and defend the king's property.{{sfnp|Tomalin|2002|p=230}} He described the chaos in the city and his curious attempt at saving his own goods:

{{blockquote|Sir W. Pen and I to Tower-streete, and there met the fire burning three or four doors beyond Mr. Howell's, whose goods, poor man, his trayes, and dishes, shovells, &c., were flung all along Tower-street in the kennels, and people working therewith from one end to the other; the fire coming on in that narrow streete, on both sides, with infinite fury. Sir W. Batten not knowing how to remove his wine, did dig a pit in the garden, and laid it in there; and I took the opportunity of laying all the papers of my office that I could not otherwise dispose of. And in the evening Sir W. Pen and I did dig another, and put our wine in it; and I my Parmazan cheese, as well as my wine and some other things.| {{Ws |[[s:Diary of Samuel Pepys/1666/September#4th|''Diary of Samuel Pepys'', Tuesday, 4 September 1666]]}}}}

Pepys had taken to sleeping on his office floor; on Wednesday, 5 September, he was awakened by his wife at 2 a.m. She told him that the fire had almost reached [[All Hallows-by-the-Tower]] and that it was at the foot of Seething Lane. He decided to send her and his gold — about £2,350 — to Woolwich. In the following days, Pepys witnessed looting, disorder, and disruption. On 7 September, he went to Paul's Wharf and saw the ruins of St Paul's Cathedral, of his old school, of his father's house, and of the house in which he had had his bladder stone removed.{{sfnp|Tomalin|2002|p=232}} Despite all this destruction, Pepys' house, office, and diary were saved.

===Personal life===
[[File:Punch Plaque Covent Garden.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.9|Plaque in [[St Paul's, Covent Garden|St Paul's Church]], [[Covent Garden]], London commemorating Pepys as a witness to the first performance of the puppet show [[Punch and Judy]] in 1662]]
The diary gives a detailed account of Pepys' personal life. He was fond of [[wine]], plays, and the company of other people. He also spent time evaluating his fortune and his place in the world. He was always curious and often acted on that curiosity, as he acted upon almost all his impulses. Periodically, he would resolve to devote more time to hard work instead of leisure. For example, in his entry for New Year's Eve, 1661, he writes: "I have newly taken a solemn oath about abstaining from plays and wine…" The following months reveal his lapses to the reader; by 17 February, it is recorded, "Here I drank wine upon necessity, being ill for the want of it."

Pepys was one of the most important civil servants of his age, and was also a widely cultivated man, taking an interest in books, music, the theatre, and science. Aside from English, he was fluent in French and read many texts in [[Latin]]. His favourite author was [[Virgil]]. He was passionately interested in music; he composed, sang, and played for pleasure, and even arranged music lessons for his servants. He played the [[lute]], [[viol]], [[violin]], [[flageolet]], [[Recorder (musical instrument)|recorder]], and [[spinet]] to varying degrees of proficiency.{{sfnp|Knighton|2004}} He was also a keen singer, performing at home, in coffee houses, and even in [[Westminster Abbey]].{{sfnp|Knighton|2004}} He and his wife took flageolet lessons from master [[Thomas Greeting]].<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://flageolets.com/biographies/greeting.php |title=Biography of Thomas Greeting |website=The Pleasant Companion-The Flageolets Site|last1=Head |first1=Jacob }}</ref> He also taught his wife to sing and paid for dancing lessons for her (although these stopped when he became jealous of the dancing master).

Pepys was an investor in the [[Royal African Company|Company of Royal Adventurers Trading to Africa]], which held the Royal monopoly on trading along the [[West Africa|west coast of Africa]] in [[gold]], [[silver]], [[ivory]], and [[Atlantic slave trade|slaves]].{{sfnp|Parker|2011|p=126}}

====Sexual relations====

Propriety did not prevent him from engaging in a number of extramarital liaisons with various women that were chronicled in his diary, often in some detail when relating the intimate details. The most dramatic of these encounters was with [[Deb Willet|Deborah Willet]], a young woman engaged as a [[Lady's companion|companion]] for Elisabeth Pepys. On 25 October 1668, Pepys was surprised by his wife as he embraced Deb Willet; he writes that his wife "coming up suddenly, did find me imbracing the girl con ''[with]'' my hand sub ''[under]'' su ''[her]'' coats; and endeed I was with my main ''[hand]'' in her cunny. I was at a wonderful loss upon it and the girl also...." Following this event, he was characteristically filled with remorse, but (equally characteristically) continued to pursue Willet after she had been dismissed from the Pepys household.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/6051128.stm |title=Mystery of Pepys's affair solved |publisher=BBC News 24 |date=14 October 2006}}</ref> Pepys also had a habit of fondling the breasts of his maid Mary Mercer while she dressed him in the morning.{{sfnp|Bryson|2010|p=123|ps=: "Of one maid, Mary Mercer, the Dictionary of National Biography serenely notes: "Samuel seems to have made a habit of fondling Mercer's breasts while she dressed him in the morning"…When they weren't dressing him, absorbing his blows, or providing roosts for his gropes, Pepys's servants were expected to comb his hair and wash his ears."}}

Pepys may also have dallied with a leading actress of the Restoration period, [[Mary Knep]]. "Mrs Knep was the wife of a [[Smithfield, London|Smithfield]] horsedealer, and the mistress of Pepys"—or at least "she granted him a share of her favours".{{sfnp|Cunningham|1908|pp=12, 171}} Scholars disagree on the full extent of the Pepys/Knep relationship, but much of later generations' knowledge of Knep comes from the diary. Pepys first met Knep on 6 December 1665. He described her as "pretty enough, but the most excellent, mad-humoured thing, and sings the noblest that I ever heard in my life." He called her husband "an ill, melancholy, jealous-looking fellow"<ref>Pepys's Diary entry of 8 December 1665.</ref> and suspected him of abusing his wife. Knep provided Pepys with backstage access and was a conduit for theatrical and social gossip. When they wrote notes to each other, Pepys signed himself "Dapper Dickey", while Knep was "[[Barbara Allen (song)|Barbry Allen]]" (a popular song that was an item in her musical repertory).
Pepys' reference to purchasing the pornographic book ''[[L'Escole des Filles]]'' appears to be the first English reference to pornography. He writes in his diary that it was a "mighty lewd book", and burned it after reading it.{{sfnp|Foxen|1963}}

Much of Pepys' behavior towards women, which he cataloged himself in his diary, would today be considered sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape.<ref name=Loveman>{{cite journal | url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/historical-journal/article/women-and-the-history-of-samuel-pepyss-diary/8470046189D88A8805F8B1ACC886475F | doi=10.1017/S0018246X21000716 | title=Women and the History of Samuel Pepys's Diary | date=2022 | last1=Loveman | first1=Kate | journal=The Historical Journal | volume=65 | issue=5 | pages=1221–1243 }}</ref> Despite his kindness and emotional loyalty towards some women in his life, Pepys ultimately believed men were entitled to the bodies of girls and women. Kate Loveman of Cambridge University describes this belief: "[In his diary] Pepys's sexual language of being 'kind', 'touching', and 'tumbling' emphasized his indulgence and playfulness, while masking coercion and violence; meanwhile, [his victim] Lane's claims of assault he regarded as exemplifying a woman's 'falseness', not because he thought there had been no violence, but because she had no moral right to protest."<ref name=Loveman/>

===Text of the diary===
The diary was written in one of the many standard forms of [[shorthand]] used in Pepys' time, in this case called [[Thomas Shelton (stenographer)#Shelton's shorthand|tachygraphy]], and devised by [[Thomas Shelton (stenographer)|Thomas Shelton]]. It is clear from its content that it was written as a purely personal record of his life and not for publication, yet there are indications that Pepys took steps to preserve the bound manuscripts of his diary. He wrote it out in fair copy from rough notes, and he also had the loose pages bound into six volumes, catalogued them in his library with all his other books, and is likely to have suspected that eventually someone would find them interesting.<ref>{{Cite web |last=www.bibliopolis.com |title=The Diary of Samuel Pepys, M.A., F.R.S., Clerk of the Acts and Secretary to the Admiralty, For the First Time Fully Transcribed from the Shorthand Manuscript in the Pepysian Library, Magdalene College, Cambridge, by the Rev. |url=https://www.yesterdaysmuse.com/pages/books/2335036/samuel-pepys-mynors-bright-henry-b-wheatley/the-diary-of-samuel-pepys-m-a-f-r-s-clerk-of-the-acts-and-secretary-to-the-admiralty-for-the-first-time |access-date=2024-01-28 |website=Yesterday's Muse Books |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Simplified Pepys family tree ===
This tree summarizes, in a more compact form and with a few additional details, trees published elsewhere in a box-like form.{{sfnp|Tomalin|2002|pp=xii-xiii}}<ref name="Latham & Matthews (1970-83) Vol. X - Companion">Latham & Matthews (1970–83), Vol. X – Companion.</ref> It is meant to help the reader of the ''Diary'' and also integrates some biographical information found in the same sources.

{{Hidden begin
| titlestyle = background:LightGrey; text-align:center;
|title=Simplified Pepys family tree}}
{{Tree list}}
* '''William Pepys''' of Cottenham (Cambs.) <small>(? – 1519)</small>
** '''Thomas Pepys'''
*** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''Richard Pepys''' <small>(? – ''c.'' 1571)</small>
**** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''William Pepys''' of Norwich, ''draper'' <small>(1561 – ''c.'' 1639)</small>
***** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''Richard Pepys''' of London, ''upholsterer'' <small>(? – 1679)</small>
** '''John Pepys''' of South Creak (Norf.) <small>(? – 1542)</small>
*** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''Thomas Pepys''' <small>(? – 1569)</small>
**** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''Jerome Pepys''' <small>(1548–1634)</small>
***** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''John Pepys''' of Ashtead (Surrey), ''man of business to Chief Justice [[Edward Coke]]'' <small>(1576–1652)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+<small>(1610)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Anne Walpole'''
****** '''Edward Pepys''' of Broomsthorpe (Norf.), ''lawyer'' <small>(1617–1663)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Elizabeth Walpole'''
****** '''Elizabeth Pepys'''&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Thomas Dyke'''
****** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''Jane Pepys ("Madam Turner")''' <small>(1623–1686)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+<small>(1650)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''John Turner''', ''Yorkshire lawyer'' <small>(1631–1689)</small>
******* '''Charles Turner'''&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Margaret Cholmley'''
******* '''Theophila Turner ("The")''' <small>(1652–1702)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+<small>(1673)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''[[Sir Arthur Harris, 1st Baronet, of Stowford]]''', ''M.P. for Okehampton'' <small>(''c.'' 1650 – 1686)</small>
******* '''William Turner'''&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Mary Foulis'''
******* {{Tree list/final branch}} '''Elizabeth Turner ("Betty")'''&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''William Hooker'''
** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''William Pepys''' of Cottenham (Cambs.)
*** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''John Pepys''' of Cottenham and Impington (Cambs.) <small>(? – 1589)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(1) +&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''? ?'''&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(2) +&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Edith Talbot''' <small>(? – 1583)</small>
**** '''John Pepys'''<sup>&nbsp;1</sup> <small>(? – 1604)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Elizabeth Bendish''' of Essex
***** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''[[Richard Pepys|Sir Richard Pepys]]''', ''M.P. for Sudbury and Lord Chief Justice of Ireland'' <small>(1589–1659)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(1) +<small>(1620)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Judith Cutte'''&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(2) +&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Mary Gosnold'''
****** '''Richard Pepys'''  of Ashen (Essex), ''lawyer'' (? – 1664), ancestor of [[Charles Pepys, 1st Earl of Cottenham]]
****** '''Samuel Pepys''' of Dublin, ''clergyman''
****** '''Elizabeth Pepys'''&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Thomas Strudwick''', ''confectioner''
****** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''Judith Pepys''' <small>(? – 1664)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Benjamin Scott''', ''pewterer'' <small>(? – 1664)</small>
**** '''Thomas Pepys ("the Black")'''<sup>&nbsp;1</sup> <small>(? – 1606)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Mary Day'''
***** '''Robert Pepys''' of Brampton (Hunts.), ''bailiff at Hinchingbrooke'' <small>(? – 1661)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Anne, widow Trice'''
***** '''Thomas Pepys''' of St Alphage <small>(1595–1676)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Mary Syvret [Chiveret]'''
****** '''Thomas Pepys ("the turner")''', ''trader with the W. Indies''&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+<small>(1664)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Elizabeth Howes'''
****** '''Charles Pepys ("the joiner")''', ''Master-Joiner with the Chatham yard'' <small>(''c.'' 1632 – ''c.'' 1701)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+<small>(1662)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Joan, widow Smith'''
****** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''Mary Pepys''' <small>(? – 1667)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+<small>(1662)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Samuel de Santhune''', ''weaver of Huguenot origin''
***** '''Jane Pepys''' <small>(? – 1666)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''John Perkin''' of Parson Drove (Cambs.)
****** '''Jane Perkin'''
****** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''Frank Perkin''', ''miller and fiddler''
***** '''Mary Pepys''' <small>(1597 – ?)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Robert Holcroft'''
****** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''John Holcroft'''
***** '''Edith Pepys ("Aunt Bell")''' <small>(1599–1665)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''John Bell'''
***** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''John Pepys''', ''tailor in Salisbury Court'' <small>(1601–1680)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+<small>(1626)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Margaret Kite''', ''washmaid'' <small>(? – 1667)</small>
****** '''Mary Pepys''' <small>(1627–1640)</small>
****** '''Paulina Pepys''' <small>(1628–1632)</small>
****** '''Esther Pepys''' <small>(1630–1631)</small>
****** '''John Pepys''' <small>(1632–1640)</small>
****** '''<span style="color:red">Samuel Pepys</span>''', ''diarist, naval administrator, and M.P. for Castle Rising and Harwich'' <small>(1633–1703)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+<small>(1655)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''[[Elisabeth Pepys|Élisabeth de Saint-Michel]]''', ''born from an Anglo-French wedding, of Angevin gentry by her father'' <small>(1640–1669)</small>
****** '''Thomas Pepys ("Tom")''', ''tailor against his will'' <small>(1634–1664)</small>
******* {{Tree list/final branch}} '''Elizabeth Taylor''', ''an illegitimate daughter with his maid Margeret''
****** '''Sarah Pepys''' <small>(1635–1641)</small>
****** '''Jacob Pepys''' <small>(1637–1637)</small>
****** '''Robert Pepys''' <small>(1638–1638)</small>
****** '''Paulina Pepys ("Pall")''' <small>(1640–1689)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+<small>(1668)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''John Jackson''', ''farmer in Ellington (Hunts.)'' <small>(? – 1680)</small>
******* '''Samuel Jackson''' <small>(1669 – ?)</small>
******* '''John Jackson''', ''secretary and heir to SP'' <small>(1673–1724)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Anne Edgeley'''
******** '''John Jackson''' <small>(? – 1780)</small>
******** ''1 other son and 2 daughters''
******** '''Anne Jackson'''&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Brabazon Hallows'''
******** '''Paulina Jackson'''&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Admiral R. Collins'''
******** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''Frances Jackson''' <small>(1722–1769)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+<small>(1747)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''John Cockerell''' of Bishops Hull (Somer.) <small>(1714–1767)</small>
********* '''John Cockerell'''
********* '''Charles Cockerell'''
********* {{Tree list/final branch}} '''Samuel Pepys Cockerell''', ''architect'' <small>(1754–1827)</small>
********** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''[[Charles Robert Cockerell]]''', ''architect'' <small>(1788–1863)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+<small>(1828)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Anna Rennie''' <small>(1803–1872)</small>
*********** '''[[Frederick Pepys Cockerell]]''', ''architect'' <small>(1833–1878)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+<small>(1867)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Mary Mulock'''
************ {{Tree list/final branch}} ''6 children''
*********** {{Tree list/final branch}} ''9 other children''
******* {{Tree list/final branch}} ''2 other children dead in infancy''
****** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''John Pepys''', ''naval administrator, unmarr.'' <small>(1642–1677)</small>
**** '''Thomas Pepys ("the Red")'''<sup>&nbsp;1</sup> of Hatcham Barnes (Surrey) <small>(? – 1615)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Kezia ?'''
***** '''Thomas Pepys ("the Executor")''', ''lawyer'' <small>(1611–1675)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(1) +<small>(1654)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Anne Cope'''&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(2) +<small>(1660)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Ursula Stapleton''' <small>(? – ''c.'' 1693)</small>
****** {{Tree list/final branch}} ''1 son and 1 daughter by the second wedding''
***** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''Elizabeth Pepys'''&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+<small>(1633)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Percival Angier''', ''business man'' <small>(? – 1665)</small>
**** '''Elizabeth Pepys'''<sup>&nbsp;1</sup>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+<small>(1593)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Henry Alcock'''
***** {{Tree list/final branch}} ''issue''
**** '''Apollo Pepys'''<sup>&nbsp;1</sup> <small>(1576–1645)</small>
**** '''Paulina Pepys'''<sup>&nbsp;2</sup> <small>(1581–1638)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+<small>(1618)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''[[Sidney Montagu (MP, died 1644)|Sidney Montagu]]''' <small>(? – 1644)</small>
***** '''Elizabeth Montagu''' <small>(1620 – ?)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+<small>(1638)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''[[Sir Gilbert Pickering, 1st Baronet]]''', ''Lord Chamberlain to [[Oliver Cromwell|Oliver]] and [[Richard Cromwell]]'' <small>(1613–1668)</small>
****** '''Elizabeth Pickering'''&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+<small>(1668)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''John Creed''', ''secretary to [[Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich|Edward Montagu]] and SP's principal rival'' <small>(? – 1701)</small>
******* {{Tree list/final branch}} ''11 children''
****** {{Tree list/final branch}} ''11 other children''
***** '''Henry Montagu''' <small>(1622–1625)</small>
***** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''[[Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich]] ("My Lord")''' <small>(1625–1672)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+<small>(1642)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Jemima Crew ("My Lady")''' <small>(1625–1674)</small>
****** '''Jemima Montagu ("Lady Jem")''' <small>(1646–1671)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+<small>(1665)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''[[Philip Carteret FRS|Philip Carteret]]''', ''commissioned lieutenant in the Navy'' <small>(1643–1672)</small>
******* '''[[George Carteret, 1st Baron Carteret]]''', <small>(1667–1695)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Lady Grace Granville''' <small>(1654–1744)</small>
******** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''[[John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville]]''', ''Prime Minister to [[George II of Great Britain|George II]]'' <small>(1690–1763)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Lady Frances Worsley'''
******* {{Tree list/final branch}} ''2 other sons''
****** '''[[Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Sandwich]] ("Ned")''' <small>(1648–1688)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+<small>(1668)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Lady Anne Boyle''' <small>(? – 1671)</small>
******* {{Tree list/final branch}} ''descent of the Earls of Sandwich''
****** '''Paulina Montagu''' <small>(1649–1669)</small>
****** '''Sidney Montagu, later Wortley-Montagu''' <small>(1650–1727)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''? ?''', ''Yorkshire heiress''
******* {{Tree list/final branch}} ''issue''
****** '''Anne Montagu''' <small>(1653–1729)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(1) +<small>(1671)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''[[Richard Edgcumbe (1640-1688)|Richard Edgcumbe]]''' <small>(1640–1688)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(2) +&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Christopher Montagu'''
****** '''Oliver Montagu''' <small>(1655–1693)</small>
****** '''[[John Montagu (Trinity)|John Montagu]]''', ''Dean of Durham'' <small>(1655–1729)</small>
****** '''Charles Montagu''' <small>(1658–1721)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(1) +&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Elizabeth Forester'''&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(2) +&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Sarah Rogers'''
******* {{Tree list/final branch}} ''issue by both weddings''
****** '''Catherine Montagu''' <small>(1661–1757)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(1) +&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''[[Nicholas Bacon (Ipswich MP)|Nicholas Bacon]]''', ''M.P. for Ipswich'' <small>(1622–1687)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(2) +&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Balthazar Gardeman''', ''clergyman''
****** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''James Montagu''' <small>(1664 – ?)</small>
**** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''[[Talbot Pepys]]'''<sup>&nbsp;2</sup> of Impington (Cambs.), ''Recorder and M.P. for Cambridge, remarried 3 times'' <small>(1583–1666)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Beatrice Castell'''
***** '''[[Roger Pepys]]''' of Impington (Cambs.), ''Recorder and M.P. for Cambridge'' <small>(1617–1688)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(1) +&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Anne Banks'''&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(2) +<small>(''c.'' 1646)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Barbara Bacon''' <small>(? – 1657)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(3) +&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Parnell Duke'''&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(4) +<small>(1669)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Esther, widow Dickenson ("the good-humoured fat widow")'''
****** '''Talbot Pepys'''<sup>&nbsp;2</sup> <small>(1647–1681)</small>
****** '''Barbara Pepys ("Bab")'''<sup>&nbsp;2</sup> <small>(1649–1689)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+<small>(1674)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''[[Thomas Gale|Dr Thomas Gale]]''', ''High Master of St Paul's School and Dean of York'' <small>(1635–1702)</small>
******* '''Charles Gale'''
******* '''Thomas Gale'''
******* '''Elizabeth Gale'''
******* '''[[Roger Gale (antiquary)|Roger Gale]]''', ''antiquary'' <small>(1672–1744)</small>
******* {{Tree list/final branch}} '''[[Samuel Gale]]''', ''antiquary'' <small>(1682–1754)</small>
****** '''Elizabeth Pepys ("Betty")'''<sup>&nbsp;2</sup> <small>(1651–1716)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+<small>(1680)</small>+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Charles Long''', ''fellow of Caius College and rector of Risby (Suff.)''
****** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''John Pepys'''<sup>&nbsp;3</sup>
***** '''Dr John Pepys''', ''fellow of Trinity Hall and lawyer'' <small>(1618–1692)</small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Catherine, widow Hobson'''
***** '''Dr Thomas Pepys''', ''physician, poorly appreciated by SP, unmarr.''
***** {{Tree list/final branch}} '''Paulina Pepys'''&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'''Hammond Claxton''' of Booton (Norf.)
{{Tree list/end}}
{{Hidden end}}