person, might attend to see it done. What shall be approved for one man in this matter, will soone bee altered for others alsoe, and at last it will fall into hands to make ill use of it. Why might not the money be as well paid to the Treasurer, and then issued only for ticketts? but, I suppose, the answer may bee, money will thus issue only by small summes, and soe easier compassed. To that I can reply nothing, but that, if it can bee done noe otherwise to take off the reproach to the King's service and abuse to the seamen, I am of opinion there ought to bee a checque upon it. If you thinke fitt to speake with Sir G. Carteret upon it, perhaps some good may come of it: if any thing bee done, pray lett me heare. I am cleare of opinion the King had better beare twice the losse of 12d. per T. then lett the seamen bear itt. It is most necessary the men to the westward should bee then supplied with clothes: it is well if the slopsellers can furnish the rest of the ships. If Sir John Skelton or any else can furnish them, hee shall doe a good service. If the price were greater, and the cloathes better, the seaman would bee a gainer. I shall, the first Councill Day, propose Mr. Furiers complaint of the Justice. I doubt I have burned Captain Reynolds his letter of his brave retreate from the Dutch fleet: if I find it, I will send it to you, but I thinke it will not conduce to your purpose, hee having bin only at Hull, as I conceave, and not at Newcastle, where, I suppose, Mr Deerings ships are. I am, your affectionate humble Servant, According to the hopes there may be of having the ships ready, which are building at or neere Bristoll, so must there be provision made of victualls for them at Bristoll, and not at Milford; that soe noe time may bee lost to run from one port to another for victualls. Pray know by what time each contract-ship building may be ready, and send mee word how many ships we expect to bee built in all, for I think some were ordered and others forbid after I went to sea. Sir Wm Penn hath sent mee reasons which seeme to me of good force, for paying the Soveraigne by ticketts, rather than by a pay at Chatham. I hope the Board will think so. B.L. orig.] William, Lord Brouncker to S. Pepys. Chatham, 3d July, 1667. Sir-Not only, in my opinion, is the chain broke, but, in the opinion of, I think, all who have been with me there at any time, and have well considered the lyeing of the floots, whereof but three at most remain. And hitherto wee could do no more than guesse, because yet wee could nether spare hands nor lighter to underrunn it but now I entend to remove it as high as the battery next below the castle, and place before, that is, below it, a boome of masts; which done, I will trye the force thereof with the Guilder de Rose, which was never done at Gillingham; nor was it laid, as is said, above two or three dayes before the enemy appear'd; nor was it made of Spanish iron. I found in my chamber an Indian staffe, which I suppos'd was yours, and therefore sent it you yesterday by Mrs Williams, who came hither the day before to give me a visit. Adieu! I am, &c. BROUNCKER. B.L. orig.] John Evelyn to S. Pepys. Sayes-Court, 20th January-67-8. Sir-I am heartily asham'd I could not performe your commands before now. It was Friday ere I could possibly get home; and, since I am here, I have ben so ill, that I was not able to bestow the paines I intended on the scheme' I send you, which will onely serve you to preserve our reproach in memory, and my little skill in designing: but I have done it as I could, and as it appear'd to me from the hill above Gillingham. The draught, which I follow for Chatham River, is from an old paper lying by me, and not from any printed map; and some of the flexures I have presumed to reforme, as I think at least, as the river then presented itself to my eye. You must excuse the defects of, c.] Sir, your most humble servant, J. EVELYN. The extreame whiteness of my ink also deceived me. S. Pepys to John Evelyn. 8th February, 1667-8. Sir-You will not wonder at the backwardness of my thanks for the present you made me, so many days since, of the Prospect of Medway, while the Hollander rode master in it, when I have seriously told you that the sight of it hath led me to such reflections on my particular interest, by my employment, in the reproach due to that miscarriage, as have given me little less disquiet than 1 See the engraving, taken from the original sketch in the Bodleian Library. he is fancied to have, who found his face in Michael Angelo's Hell.' The same should serve me also, in excuse for my silence in the celebrating your mastery shown in the design and draught, did not indignation rather than courtship urge me so far to commend them, as to wish the furniture of our House of Lords changed from the story of 882 to that of 67 (of Evelyn's designing), till the pravity of this were reformed to the temper of that age, wherein God Almighty found his blessing more operative than, I fear, he doth in our's, his judgments. Adieu ! Your most affectionate and most humble Servant, S. P. c.] S. Pepys to the Earl of Sandwich. 29th September, 1668. May it please your Lordship-Just now are arrived the tidings of your Lordship's safe arrival at Portsmouth, which I beg your Lordship to believe me to receive with that welcomeness which is due to whatever, by the greatest obligations of duty and gratitude, I ought most to be concerned for. I am not without hopes of getting leave to wait upon your Lordship before you reach London; therefore shall spare the troubling your Lordship with any other present matters, than that being yesterday made acquainted by my Lord of Hinchingbroke, and Mr. Sidney Montagu, with the straights they found themselves under of providing a sum of money for the answering your Lordship's present occasions; and, being unwilling your Lordship should want what part thereof I could by any shift supply, I undertook, for the present, furnishing your Lordship with 5007.; and not knowing what present use thereof your Lordship might have at Portsmouth, nor what conveniencies my Lord of Hinchingbroke might have of a speedy remitting any thither, I acquainted his Lordship this night, that I would take care for your Lordship's being furnished with 2007. there; which 66 1 Vasari, (vol. xiv., p. 165, ed. Milano, 1811,) relates that Michael Angelo, being much displeased by the remarks made by Biagio da Cesena, Master of the Ceremonies, on the nudities of the Last Judgment, then nearly completed, painted him as Minos, with a great tail coiled round his body. Messer Biagio complained to the Pope (Paul III.), asking for redress. His Holiness enquired where he was represented. The other replied, “in Hell.” Ah," said the Pope, "if you were only in Purgatory I might help you, but in Hell nulla est redemptio!" This is evidently the story mentioned by Pepys. In the same spirit Kneller, in painting the staircase at Hanbury, drew a likeness of Dr. Sacheverell, as being carried off by one of the furies. See Nash's Worcestershire, vol. i., p. 548. 2 The tapestry representing the defeat of the Armada, destroyed when the House of Lords was burnt. The designs are preserved in Pyne's engravings. I have done by the enclosed bill to Mr. Salisbury, not only for that sum, but that your Lordship might be the less straightened, for the whole 500l.: though the more your Lordship leaves to receive here, the better it would suit with my occasions to comply there with. I shall need not to say any thing particularly touching the healthful state of your Lordship's family, believing that that will be abundantly told your Lordship by others. The freshest Court news is, that Sir John Trevor was this day sworn Secretary of State in the room of Sir William Morrice, and Prince Rupert invested in the Constableship of Windsor Castle; both purchased: the former for 80007., and latter for 35007. The King and Queen are at this time at supper at my Lady Carteret's. To-morrow morning his Majesty and the Duke of York set out for a month's progress towards Norfolk and Suffolk. I have written to Mr. Deane, his Majesty's shipwright at Portsmouth, an ingenious as well as a sober man, to attend your Lordship, for the receiving your commands and any thing wherein he may be serviceable to your Lordship during your stay there, who I know will readily embrace them. So, with the tenders of my most humble duty to your Lordship, I take my leave. May it please your Lordship, your Lordship's most obedient and faithful Servant, S. P. The ill state of my eyes has not allowed me to read or write thus much for several months, but by the help of another's, which, I hope, will excuse me to your Lordship, in my not appearing with my own hand here. c.] S. Pepys to Captain Thomas Elliott, Aldborough, July 1, 1669. Captain Elliott-Upon the late arrival of the news of Sir Robert Brookes's death, who served as one of the Burgesses for the town of Aldborough, his R. H. was pleased, upon considerations of his own, to command me to endeavour after the procurement of the election of myself into this vacancy, an honour which I should not of myself have pretended to, as among other reasons, so in particular from my being wholly a stranger to that corporation. But his R. H. having been thus pleased to think upon me, with a resolution of engaging his whole interest in the accomplishing of it, I think it my duty to obey him therein; and, in order thereto, to direct my first applications to yourself, whom his R. H. is pleased pitch upon, as one of whose endeavours in the promoting of all, his Highness rests most assured: and in an especial manner relies upon your capacity and influence for doing the same in this particular. The inclosed will deliver you his Highness's mind under his own hand; and more particularly by another from Mr. Wren, to which I must be referred, having never yet had the good fortune of serving you in any thing that might oblige you to the exercise of your interest and kindness in my behalf. But as your favour herein will be very acceptable to his R. H., so will it engage, not only myself singly, but the whole body of this Office, upon all future occasions, to press their sense of your kindness shown to one of its members. Besides, that if his Highness's desire herein do succeed, I do not despair of having opportunity of showing myself a faithful and useful servant to the corporation. I shall not think it needful to offer you any advice touching the method of your proceedings, but submit the whole to your prudence and I pray you to believe, that I will see you fully and thankfully reimbursed for what charges shall attend the same; and pray that you will please to give me a speedy account of your thoughts and advice how his R. H.'s influence, or any other recommendation, may be most advantageously employed and directed for the obtaining of these our desires. c.] : This is all the trouble you shall at present receive from your most affect. friend and humble servt., The Duke of York to Lord Henry Howard. S. P. July 10, 1669. My Lord Howard—I receive with very great kindness your answer to my late request about Mr. Pepys, it being such as gives me not only assurance of your respects to me in general, but grounds of expecting a good issue to my desire, by the assistance of your interest in this particular; though Mr. Duke is not likely to contribute any thing to it. I shall make such use of the blank you entrust me with to the town, as you shall be well satisfied with; and, being very sensible of the readiness with which you have obliged me in this matter, For my Lord Howard. Remain your affectionate friend, JAMES. c.] The Duke of York to the Town of Aldborough in Suffolk. July 16, 1669. Gentlemen-Being informed of the death of Sir Robert Brookes, who served in Parliament as one of the Burgesses of your Cor |