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The Diary of Samuel Pepys | Introduction

The Diary of Samuel Pepys has been called a literary work like no other. Unlike other diarists of his time, Pepys had no aspirations for publication. This freed him up to paint a frank, uncensored portrait of life in London at the time of the Restoration. Throughout the work, which spans from 1660 to 1669, Pepys offers his firsthand perspective on the major events during the Restoration, including his own role in helping to bring Charles II back from exile to become king, and his aid in both the Great Plague of 1665 and the Great Fire of 1666. This coverage gives The Diary of Samuel Pepys a historic distinction as well as a literary one.

Pepys did his part to make sure that prying eyes could not read his work during his lifetime. He wrote The Diary of Samuel Pepys in a cryptic code, which was his own variation on an existing form of shorthand. Fearing that he was going blind from writing, Pepys stopped recording entries in his diary in 1669 and had his entire diary bound for his personal library, which he left to Magdalene College, Cambridge University—his alma mater. It wasn’t rediscovered until 1819, more than one hundred fifty years later, at which point the Master of the College had a student decipher Pepys’s codes. The first edition was edited by Lord Braybrooke and released in an abridged form in 1825 in two volumes. It has since been revised and enlarged to six volumes, ten volumes, and finally, eleven volumes— the complete diary.

This entry studies the abridged, one-volume Modern Library edition, released in 2001, which is widely available.

The Diary of Samuel Pepys Summary

1660
Pepys starts The Diary of Samuel Pepys on January 1, 1660, with a summary of the latest events of the times. After the defeat of Oliver Cromwell, England is seeking a new king. The decision is made to crown Charles II, who is in exile in France.

Pepys is asked by his employer, Lord Montagu (generally referred to throughout the diary as his ‘‘Lord’’), to accompany him and his fleet on the journey to bring back the exiled son of King Charles I. Pepys serves as secretary to the Admiral on this historic journey.

Upon his return, Pepys starts a new administrative position as Clerk of the Acts for the Navy Board, a position that includes a new house for him and his wife. Fiercely devoted to his wife, he nevertheless records many experiences where he looks at, kisses, and ‘‘dallies with’’ other women, a trend that he will continue throughout The Diary of Samuel Pepys, and a trend that will slowly invoke the ire of his wife, Elizabeth. Also, on a number of occasions, he notes how his excessive drinking is making him ill. Due to widespread unrest in Parliament, the new king, Charles II, dissolves it.

1661
Pepys comes in for dinner one night and finds a Frenchman kissing his wife, although he does not make a big deal out of it. Following their Valentine’s day tradition, Pepys and his wife swap gifts with another couple. Because of his increasing stature and salary, Pepys is able to afford such luxuries as fixing his wife’s teeth and buying her expensive lace and other clothing.

Pepys is present at the official Coronation for Charles II, April 23, 1661, where he witnesses the event itself and then takes part in the celebration. The next morning, Pepys has a hangover, which he cures by drinking hot chocolate, a common remedy for settling upset stomachs.

He goes to see Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, which he enjoys thoroughly. His sister, Pall, whose unmarried status is a burden to her father, is sent to visit Pepys, although he finds her annoying and sends her back home.

1662
Pepys mentions the vow that he has made to himself to give up wine. In the coming years, he will break this vow on occasion, and make and break others, including abstaining from women and plays. He attends a performance of Shakepeare’s Romeo and Juliet and hates it. Although his reputation and salary continue to increase, Pepys informs his wife that their spending habits will not.

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