ISamuel Pepys Diary Entries
For 10th – 30th June 1667.

10 June. Up; and news brought us that the Dutch are come up as high as the Nore, and more pressing orders for fireships. W. Batten, W. Penn and I to St James, where the Duke of York gone this morning betimes to send away some men to Chatham. So we three to Whitehall and met Sir W. Coventry who presses all the possible for fireships. And thither comes Sir Francis Hollis, who is to command them all in some exploits he is to do on them to the enemy on the river. So we all down to Depthford and pitch upon ships and set men at work; But Lord, to see how backwardly things move at this pinch. Notwithstanding that by the enemy’s being now come up as high as almost the Hope. Sir J. Mennes (who was gone down to pay some ships there) hath sent up the money and so we are possessed of money to [do] what we will with. Here I eat a bit and then, in the afternoon, took boat and down to Greenwich, where I find the stairs full of people, there being a great riding there today for a man, the constable of the town, whose wife beat him [So] to Gravesend, where I find the Duke of Albemarle just come, with a greast many idle lords and gentlemen with their pistols and fooleries. I homeward as long as it was light reading Mr Boyles book of Hydrostatics, which is a most excellent book as ever I read; and I will take much pains to understand him through if I can, the doctrine being very useful. When it grew to dark to read, I lay down and took a nap, it being a most excellent fine evening; and about I o’clock got home, and after having wrote to Sir William Coventry an account of what I had done and seen (which is entered in my letter-book), I to bed.

11 June. Up, and more letters still from Sir W. Coventry about more fireships; and so W. Batten and I to the office, where Broucker came to us; who is now just going to Chatham upon a desire of commissioner Pett’s. who is in a very fearful stink for fear of the Dutch.
and desires help for God and the King and Kingdom’s sake. So Broucker goes down, and Sir J. Mennes also, from Gravesend. This morning Pett writes us word that Sheerness is lost last night, after two or three hours dispute – the enemy has possessed himself of the place, which is very sad and puts us into great fears of Chatham.

12 June. Powell doth tell me that ill news is come to Court of the Dutch breaking the chain at Chatham, which struck me to the heart, and to Whitehall to hear the truth of it; and there, going up the park stairs, I did hear some lackeys speaking of said news come to Court, saying that hardly anybody in the Court but doth look as if they cried. For the news is true that the Dutch have broke the chain and burned our ships, and particularly the Royal Charles; other particulars I know not, but most sad to be sure.

[The extent of the humiliation was soon revealed the Dutch raiders towed away the . Royal Charles the pride of the Navy; sank or burnt three other great ships; raided Sheppey, and destroyed the fort at Sheerness. Pepys, now makes what arrangements he can to secure his savings – fearing not so much the enemy as riotous mobs. His father has been staying with him since 22 May.]

And the truth is, I do fear so much that the whole Kingdom is undone, that I do this night resolve to study with my father and wife what to do with the little that I have in money by me, for I give all the rest that I have in the King’s hands for Tangier for lost. The manner of my advising this night with my father was: I took him and my wife up to her chamber and shut the door and there told them the sad state of the times; how we are like to be all undone that I do fear some violence will be offered to this office, where all I have it the world is. And resolved upon sending it away – and with that resolution went to bed full of fear and fright; hardly slept all night. 

13 June. No sooner up, but hear the sad news confirmed, of the "Royal Charles" being taken by them and now in fitting by them (which Pett should have carried up higher by our several orders and deserves therefore to be hanged for not doing it) and burning several others, and that another fleet is come up into the Hope; upon which news the King and Duke of York have been below since 4 o’clock in the morning, to command the sinking of ships at Barking Creek and other places, to stop their coming tip higher; which put me into such at fear that I presently resolved of my father’s and wife’s going into the country; and at 2 hours they did go by the coach this day with about 1,3001 in gold in their night bag; pray God give them good passage and good care to hide it when they come home but my heart is full of fear. 
They gone, I continued in frights and fear what to do with the rest. W. Hewer hath been at the banquiers and hath got 5.001 out of Backewell’s hands of his own money; but they are so called upon that they will be all broke, hundreds coming to their for money and their answer is, ‘it is payable at twenty days; when the days are out, we will pay you.’
I must keep the silver by me which sometimes I think to fling into the house of office and then again, know not how I shall come by it if we be made to leave the office. Every minute some 
[one] or other calls for this order or that order; and so I forced to be at the office most of the day about the fireships which are to be suddenly fitted out. in the evening I sent for my cousin Sarah and her husband; who came and I did deliver them my chest of writings about Brampton, and my brother Tom’s papers and my journals, which I valued much – and did send my two silver flagons to Kate and Joyce’s: that so, being scattered what I have, something might be saved. I have also made a girdle, by which with some trouble I do carry about me 3001 in gold about my body, that I may not be without something in case I should be surprised, for I think, in any nation but ours, people that appear (for we are not indeed so)
so faulty as we would have their throats cut. Late at night comes Mr Hudson the cooper my neighbour, and tells me that he came from Chatham this evening at 5 a-clock and saw this afternoon the "Royal James" "Oake" and "London" burnt by the enemy with their fireships. I made my will also this day, and did give all I had equally between my father and wife and lewft copies of it in each of Mr Hater and W. Hewer’s hands, who both witnessed the will; and so to supper and then to bed; and slept pretty well, but yet often waking.

14 June. Up and to the office, where by and by comes Mr Willson and, by direction of his, a man of Mr Gawden’s who came from Chatham last night and saw the three ships burnt, they all lying dry, and boats going from the men-of-war and fire them. But that he tells me of worst consequence is that he himself (I think he said) did hear many Englishmen on board the Dutch ships, speaking to one another in English, And that they did cry and say: “ we did heretofore fight for tickets; now we fight for dollars!” and did ask how such and such a one did, and would commend themselves to them – which is a sad consideration. 

It is said they did in open streets yesterday at Westminster, cry ‘A Parliament ! a Parliament !” and I do believe it will cost blood to answer for these miscarriages. Mr Hater tells me at noon that some rude people have been, as he hears, at my Lord Chancellor’s, where they have cut down the trees before his house and broke his windows; and a gibbet, either set up before, or painted upon his gate, and these words writ: “Three signs to be seen; Dunkirke, Tangier, and a barren Queen” At dinner we discoursed of Tom the Wood, a fellow that lives like a hermit near Woolwich, who, as they say, [did] foretell the burning of the City and now says that a greater desolation is at hand.

17 June. Up, and to my office, where busy all the morning. Particularly setting my people to work in transcribinh pieces of letters public and private, which I do collect against a black day to defend the office with and myself. Everybody cries out of the Office of the Ordinance for their neglects, both at Gravesend and Upnor and everywhere else.

18 June. Word was brought me that Commissioner Pett is brought to the Tower and there laid up close prisoner which puts me into a fright, lest they do the same with us as they do with him. Thgis puts me upon hastening what I am doing with my people, and collecting out of my papers my defence.

19 June. Hearing by Yorke the carrier that my wife was coming to town, I did make hasdete to see her, that she might not find me abroad. [She] did give me so bad an account of her and my father’s method in burying of our gold, that made me mad and she herself is not pleased with it, she believing that my sister knows of it My father and she did it on Sunday when were gone to church, in open daylight in the midst of the garden, where for aught they knew, many eyes might see them, which put me into much trouble , that I was almost mad about it.

21 June. Sir H. Chomly came to me this day, and tells me the Court is as mad as ever and that the night the Dutch burned our ships, the King did sup with my Lady Castlemayne and the Duchess of Monmouth and they were all mad in hunting of a poor moth. All the Court affeared of a Parliament but he thinks nothing can save us but the King’s giving up all to a Parliament.

22 June. In the evening came captain Hart and Hayword to me about the six merchant ships now taken for men-of-war, and in talk they told me of the taking of the "Royall Charles", that nothing but carelessness lost the ship, for they might have saved her the very tide that the Dutch came up, if they would have but used means and had had but boats, and that the want of boats plainly lost all the other ships. That the Dutch did take her with a boat of nine men, who found not a man on board (and laying her so near them was a main temptation to take them to come on}; and presently a man came up and struck her flag and jacke, her trumpeter sounded upon her “Joan placket is torn” That they did carry her down at a time, for both tides and wind when the best pilot in Chatham would not have undertaken it, they heeling her on one side to make her draw little water, and so carried her away safe.

24 June. Sir H. Cholmly tells me great news, that this day in council the King has declared that he will call his Parliament in thirty days which is the best news I have heard a great while, and will, if anything, safe the Kingdom. How the King came to be advised to this, I know not; but he tells me that it was against the Duke of Yorke’s mind flatly, who did rather advise the King to raise money as he pleased; and against the Chancellors who told the King that Queen Elisabeth did do all her business in ’88 without calling a Parliament, and so might he do for anything he saw, but blessed be God, it is done, and pray God it may hold, though some of us must surely go to the pot, for all must be flung up to them or nothing will be done.

28 June. I dined with my Lady [Carteret], and good company and good dinner. At table my Lady and Sit Phill. Carteret have great and good discourse of the present King of France, what great things he has done, that a man may pass it any hour in the night all over that wild city, with a purse in his hand and no danger. That is not a beggar to be seen in it, nor dirt lying in it. That he hath married two of Colbert’s daughters to two of the greatest princes of France and given them portions. Bought the greatest dukedom in France and given it to Colbert, and ne’er a prince in France dared whisper against it. By coach home and there find my wife making of tea, a drink which Mr Pelling, the pothecary, tells her is good for her for her cold and defluxions.

30 June. Lords Day [to Chatham and ] here I was told that in all the late attept there was but one man that they knew killed on shore; and that was a man that had laid upon his belly, upon one of the hillson the other side of the river, to see the action; and then a bullet came and took the ground away just under his belly and ripped up his belly, and so was killed. Thence by barge, it raining hard, down to the chain; and in our own way did see the sad wrackes of the 
poor "Royal Oake", "Royal James", and "Loyal London", and several other of our ships by us sunk; and several of the enemy’s, whereof three men-of-war, that they could not get off and so burned. We did also see several dead bodies lie by the sides of the water. So to the chain and there saw it fast at the end on Upnor side of the river; very fast and borne up upon the severat stages across the river – and where it is broke, nobody can tell me. I went on shore on Upnor side to hook upon the end of the chain; and caused the link to be measured, and it was 6 inch and a quarter in circumference, They have burned the crane house that was to haul it tought.

It seems very remarkable to me, and of great honour to the Dutch, that those of them that did go on shore to Gillingham, though they went in fear of their lives and were some of them killed, and not withstanding their provocation at Scelling (Holmes bonfire, the ransacking of Terschalling) yet killed none of our people nor plundered their houses; but did take some things of easy carriage and left the rest, and not a house burned; and, which is to our eternal disgrace, that what my Lord Dunglasse’s men who come after them, or yet indeed, the crew of the "Royal Charles" (who were put ashore by thew Dutch raiding party that took the ship ) found there, they plundered an took all away. And the waterman that carried us did further tell us that our own soldiers are far more terrible to those people of the country towns than the Dutch themselves. 

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