being done, we broke up mighty civilly, the bride and bridegroom going to Greenwich, they keeping their dinner here only for my sake. To the office, and anon on a sudden called to meet Sir W. Pen and Sir W. Coventry, who did read me a letter from the Generals to the King, a most scurvy letter, reflecting most upon Sir W. Coventry, and then upon me for my accounts (not that they are not true, but that we do not consider the expense of the fleet), and then upon the whole office, in neglecting them and the King's service, and this in very plain and sharp and menacing terms. But a great supply must be made, and shall be, in grace of God! 29th. Found Sir W. Pen talking to Orange Moll, of the King's house, who, to our great comfort, told us that they began to act on the 18th of this month. So on to St. James's, in the way Sir W. Pen telling me that Mr. Norton that married Sir J. Lawson's daughter is dead. She left £800 a year jointure, a son to inherit the whole estate. She freed from her father-in-law's tyranny, and is in condition to help her mother, who needs it; of which I am glad, the young lady being very pretty. To St. James's, and there Sir W. Coventry took Sir W. Pen and me apart, and read to us his answer to the General's letter to the King that he read last night; wherein he is very plain, and states the matter in full defence of himself, and of me with him, which he could not avoid; which is a good comfort to me, that I happen to be involved with him in the same cause. And then, speaking of the supplies which have been made to this fleet, more than ever in all kinds to any, even that wherein the Duke of York himself was, 'Well,' says he, if this will not do, I will say, as Sir J. Falstaff did to the Prince, "Tell your father, that if he do not like this, let him kill the next Percy himself."'2 31st. Much pleased to-day with thoughts of gilding the backs of all my books alike, in all my new presses. September 1666 September 1st. My wife and I to Polichinello, but were there horribly frighted to see young Killigrew come in, with a great many more young sparks: but we hid ourselves, so as we think they did not see us. 2nd. (Lord's day.) Some of our maids sitting up late last night to get things ready against our feast to-day, Jane called us up about three in the morning, to tell us of a great fire they saw in the City. So I rose, and slipped on my night-gown, and went to her window; and thought it to be on the backside of Mark Lane at the farthest; but, being unused to such fires as followed, I thought it far enough off; and so went to bed again, and to sleep. About seven rose again to dress myself, and there looked out at the window, and saw the fire not so much as it was, and farther off. So to my closet to set things to rights, after yesterday's cleaning. By and by Jane comes and tells me that she hears that above 300 houses have been burned down to-night by the fire we saw, and that it is now burning down all Fish Street, by London Bridge. So I made myself ready presently, and walked to the Tower; and there got up upon one of the high places, Sir J. Robinson's little son going up with me; and there I did see the houses at that end of the bridge all on fire, and an infinite great fire on this and the other side the end of the bridge; which, among other people, did trouble me for poor little Michell and our Sarah on the bridge. So down, with my heart full of trouble, to the Lieutenant of the Tower, who tells me that it began this morning in the King's baker's house in Pudding Lane, and that it hath burned down St. Magnus's Church and most part of Fish Street already. So I down to the waterside, 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 farther, that in a very little time it got as far as the Steelyard, while I was there. Everybody endeavouring to remove their goods, and flinging 1 Faryner. 2 Between Eastcheap and Lower Thames Street. into the river, or bringing them into lighters neck. To the King's message he cried, that lay off; poor people staying in their like a fainting woman, 'Lord! what can houses as long as till the very fire touched I do? I am spent: people will not obey them, and then running into boats, or me. I have been pulling down houses; clambering from one pair of stairs, by the but the fire overtakes us faster than we waterside, to another. And, among other can do it.' That he needed no more things, the poor pigeons, I perceive, were soldiers; and that, for himself, he must go loath to leave their houses, but hovered and refresh himself, having been up all about the windows and balconies, till they night. So he left me, and I him, and burned their wings, and fell down. walked home, seeing people all almost Having stayed, and in an hour's time seen distracted, and no manner of means used the fire rage every way; and nobody to to quench the fire. The houses, too, so my sight, endeavouring to quench it, but very thick thereabouts, and full of matter to remove their goods, and leave all to the for burning, as pitch and tar, in Thames fire; and, having seen it get as far as the Street; and warehouses of oil, and wines, Steelyard, and the wind mighty high and and brandy, and other things. Here I driving it into the City; and everything, saw Mr. Isaac Houblon, the handsome after so long a drought, proving combus- man, prettily dressed and dirty, at his door tible, even the very stones of churches, at Dowgate, receiving some of his brother's and, among other things, the poor steeple1 things, whose houses were on fire; and, as by which pretty Mrs. lives, and he says, have been removed twice already; whereof my old schoolfellow Elborough is and he doubts, as it soon proved, that parson, taken fire in the very top, and they must be in a little time removed there burned till it fell down; I to White- from his house also, which was a sad hall, with a gentleman with me, who consideration. And to see the churches all desired to go off from the Tower, to see filling with goods by people who themselves the fire, in my boat; and there up to the should have been quietly there at this time. King's closet in the Chapel, where people By this time it was about twelve o'clock; came about me, and I did give them an and so home, and there find my guests, account dismayed them all, and word was who were Mr. Wood and his wife Barbary carried in to the King. So I was called Sheldon, and also Mr. Moone; she mighty for, and did tell the King and Duke of fine, and her husband, for aught I see, a York what I saw; and that unless his likely man. But Mr. Moone's design and Majesty did command houses to be pulled mine, which was to look over my closet, down nothing could stop the fire. They and please him with the sight thereof, which seemed much troubled, and the King he hath long desired, was wholly discommanded me to go to my Lord Mayor appointed; for we were in great trouble from him, and command him to spare no and disturbance at this fire, not knowing houses, but to pull down before the fire what to think of it. However, we had an every way. The Duke of York bid me extraordinary good dinner, and as merry tell him that if he would have any more as at this time we could be. While at soldiers he shall; and so did my Lord dinner, Mrs. Batelier came to enquire after Arlington afterwards, as a great secret. Mr. Woolfe and Stanes, who, it seems, are Here meeting with Captain Cocke, I in his related to them, whose houses in Fish coach, which he lent me, and Creed with Street are all burned, and they in a sad me to Paul's; and there walked along condition. She would not stay in the Watling Street, as well as I could, every fright. Soon as dined, I and Moone away, creature coming away loaden with goods to and walked through the City, the streets save, and here and there sick people carried full of nothing but people and horses and away in beds. Extraordinary good goods carts loaden with goods, ready to run over carried in carts and on backs. At last met one another, and removing goods from one my Lord Mayor in Canning Street, like a burned house to another. They now man spent, with a handkercher about his removing out of Canning Street, which received goods in the morning, into Lombard Street, and farther; and, among 1 St. Lawrence Poultney. others, I now saw my little goldsmith, Stokes receiving some friend's goods, whose house itself was burned the day after. We parted at Paul's; he home, and I to Paul's Wharf, where I had appointed a boat to attend me, and took in Mr. Carcasse and his brother, whom I met in the street, and carried them below and above bridge to and again to see the fire, which was now got farther, both below and above, and no likelihood of stopping it. Met with the King and Duke of York in their barge, and with them to Queenhithe, and there called Sir Richard Browne to them. Their order was only to pull down houses apace, and so below bridge at the waterside; but little was or could be done, the fire coming upon them so fast. Good hopes there was of stopping it at the Three Cranes above, and at Buttulph's Wharf below bridge, if care be used; but the wind carries it into the City, so as we know not by the waterside what it do there. River full of lighters and boats taking in goods, and good goods swimming in the water; and only I observed that hardly one lighter or boat in three that had the goods of a house in, but there was a pair of virginals in it. Having seen as much as I could now, I away to Whitehall by appointment, and there walked to St. James's Park; and there met my wife, and Creed, and Wood and his wife, and 4 1 Humphrey Stocks, of Lombard Street. 2 James Carcasse was a clerk in the office for issuing tickets to the seamen. He published a 4to volume of poems in 1679, called Lucida Intervalla, the following extract from which strongly reflecting upon Pepys, has been printed in Notes and Queries (Ser. I.), vol. ii. p. 87 'Get thee behind me, then, dumb devil, begone, 3 Botolph's Wharf, Billingsgate. [B.] 4 A rectangular or oblong spinet (Fr. clavecin rectangulaire. The plural, or rather dual, in organs, regals, virginals, with "pair" signifies a gradation or sequence, as now-a-days a pair of stairs. Grove, Hist. of Music, s.v. : walked to my boat; and there upon the water again, and to the fire up and down, it still increasing, and the wind great. So near the fire as we could for smoke; and all over the Thames, with one's face in the wind, you were almost burned with a shower of fire-drops. This is very true; so as houses were burned by these drops and flakes of fire, three or four, nay, five or six houses, one from another. When we could endure no more upon the water, we to a little alehouse on the Bankside, over against the Three Cranes, and they stayed till it was dark almost, and saw the fire grow; and, as it grew darker, appeared more and more, and in corners and upon steeples, and between churches and houses, as far as we could see up the hill of the City, in a most horrid, malicious, bloody flame, not like the fine flame of an ordinary fire. Barbary and her husband away before us. We stayed till, it being darkish, we saw the fire as only one entire arch of fire from this to the other side the bridge, and in a bow up the hill for an arch of above a mile long it made me weep to see it. The churches, houses, and all on fire, and flaming at once; and a horrid noise the flames made, and the cracking of houses at their ruin. So home with a sad heart, and there find everybody discoursing and lamenting the fire; and poor Tom Hater came with some few of his goods saved out of his house, which was burned upon Fish Street Hill. I invited him to lie at my house, and did receive his goods, but was deceived in his lying there, the news coming every moment of the growth of the fire; so as we were forced to begin to pack up our own goods, and prepare for their removal; and did by moonshine, it being brave dry, and moonshine, and warm weather, carry much of my goods into the garden; and Mr. Hater and I did remove my money and iron chests into my cellar, as thinking that the safest place. And got my bags of gold into my office, ready to carry away, and my chief papers of accountsalso there, and my tallies into a box by themselves. So great was our fear, as Sir W. Batten hath carts come out of the country to fetch away his goods this night. We did put Mr. Hater, poor man! to bed a little; but he got but very little rest, so 1 Barbara Sheldon, u.s. much noise being in my house, taking down of goods. 3rd. About four o'clock in the morning, my Lady Batten sent me a cart to carry away all my money, and plate, and best things, to Sir W. Rider's, at Bednall Green.1 Which I did, riding myself in my nightgown, in the cart; and, Lord! to see how the streets and the highways are crowded with people running and riding, and getting of carts at any rate to fetch away things. I find Sir W. Rider tired with being called up all night, and receiving things from several friends. His house full of goods, and much of Sir W. Batten's and Sir W. Pen's. I am eased at my heart to have my treasure so well secured. Then home, and with much ado to find a way, nor any sleep all this night to me nor my poor wife. But then and all this day she and I and all my people labouring to get away the rest of our things, and did get Mr. Tooker to get me a lighter to take them in, and we did carry them, myself some, over Tower Hill, which was by this time full of people's goods, bringing their goods thither; and down to the lighter, which lay at the next quay, above the Tower Dock. And here was my neighbour's wife, Mrs. with her pretty child, and some few of her things, which I did willingly give way to be saved with mine; but there was no passing with anything through the postern, the crowd was so great. The Duke of York came this day by the office, and spoke to us, and did ride with his guard up and down the City to keep all quiet, he being now General, and having the care of all. This day, Mercer being not at home, but against her mistress's order gone to her mother's, and my wife going thither to speak with W. Hewer, met her there, and was angry; and her mother saying that she was not a 'prentice girl, to ask leave every time she goes abroad, my wife with good reason was angry, and, when she came home, did bid her be gone again. And so she went away, which troubled me, but yet less than it would, because of the condition we are in, in fear of coming in a little time to being less able to keep one in her quality. At night lay down a little upon a quilt of W. Hewer's in the office, all my 1 Bethnal Green. own things being packed up or gone; and after me my poor wife did the like, we having fed upon the remains of yesterday's dinner, having no fire nor dishes, nor any opportunity of dressing anything. 4th. Up by break of day, to get away the remainder of my things; which I did by a lighter at the Iron gate; and my hands so few, that it was the afternoon before we could get them all away. Sir W. Pen and I to the Tower Street, and there met the fire burning three or four doors beyond Mr. Howell's, whose goods, poor man, his trays, and dishes, shovels, etc., 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 street, 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 parmesan cheese, as well as my wine and some other things. The Duke of York was at the office this day, at Sir W. Pen's; but I happened not to be within. This afternoon, sitting melancholy with Sir W. Pen in our garden, and thinking of the certain burning of this office, without extraordinary means, I did propose for the sending up of all our workmen from the Woolwich and Deptford yards (none whereof yet appeared), and to write to Sir W. Coventry to have the Duke of York's permission to pull down houses, rather than lose this office, which would much hinder the King's business. So Sir W. Pen went down this night, in order to the sending them up to-morrow morning; and I wrote to Sir W. Coventry about the business,2 but received no answer. This 1 Irongate Stairs, Lower Thames Street. 2 The letter, among the Pepys MSS., is printed by [B.] Sir, The fire is now very neere us, as well on Tower Streete as Fanchurch Street side, and we little hope of our escape but by that remedy, to the want whereof we doe certainly owe the loss of the City, namely, the pulling down of houses in the way of the fire. This way Sir W. Pen and myself have so far concluded upon the practising, that he is gone to Woolwich and Deptford to supply himself with men and necessarys in order to the doeing thereof, in case at his returne our condition be not bettered, night Mrs. Turner (who, poor woman, was removing her goods all this day, good, goods, into the garden, and knows not how to dispose of them) and her husband supped with my wife and me at night, in the office, upon a shoulder of mutton from the cook's without any napkin or anything, in a sad manner, but were merry. Only now and then walking into the garden, and saw how horribly the sky looks, all on a fire in the night, was enough to put us out of our wits; and, indeed, it was extremely dreadful, for it looks just as if it was at us, and the whole heaven on fire. I after supper walked in the dark down to Tower Street, and there saw it all on fire, at the Trinity House on that side, and the Dolphin Tavern on this side, which was very near us; and the fire with extraordinary vehemence. Now begins the practice of blowing up of houses in Tower Street, those next the Tower, which at first did frighten people more than anything; but it stopped the fire where it was done, it bringing down the houses to the ground in the same places they stood, and then it was easy to quench what little fire was in it, though it kindled nothing almost. W. Hewer this day went to see how his mother did, and comes late home, telling us how he hath been forced to remove her to Islington, her house in Pye Corner being burned; so that the fire is got so far that way, and all the Old Bailey, and was running down to Fleet Street; and Paul's is burned, and all Cheapside. I wrote to my father this night, but, the post-house being burned, the letter could not go. 5th. I lay down in the office again upon W. Hewer's quilt, being mighty weary, and sore in my feet with going till I was hardly able to stand. About two in the morning my wife calls me up, and tells me of new cries of fire, it being come to Barking Church, which is the bottom of and that he meets with his R. Hs approbation, which I have thus undertaken to learn of you. Pray please to let me have this night, at whatever hour it is, what his R. Hs directions are in this particular. Sir J. Minnes and Sir W. Batten having left us, we cannot add, though we are well assured of their, as well as all the neighbourhood's, concurrence. But our lane.1 I up; and finding it so, resolved 2 But cf. entry of previous day. |