1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:02,160 Speaker 1: The Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,240 --> 00:00:07,880 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hi, I'm Eves, and Welcome to this Day 3 00:00:07,880 --> 00:00:10,880 Speaker 1: in History Class, a show that uncovers a little bit 4 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:16,920 Speaker 1: more about history every day. Today is May thirty one, nineteen. 5 00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:28,120 Speaker 1: The day was May thirty feet, sixteen sixty nine. English 6 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:33,720 Speaker 1: naval administrator Samuel Peeps wrote his last diary entry. His 7 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:38,320 Speaker 1: diary entries documented key events in English history, and Peep's 8 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:41,240 Speaker 1: has become known for his writings on these events, as 9 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:44,560 Speaker 1: well as his commentary on life in mid seventeenth century 10 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:49,240 Speaker 1: London and his own life. Samuel was born in London 11 00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:53,720 Speaker 1: on February sixteen thirty three and to a family of 12 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:58,720 Speaker 1: modest means. He attended Cambridge University on a scholarship, and 13 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 1: he graduated with a bachelor's degree in sixteen fifty three. 14 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:06,360 Speaker 1: Two years later, when he was twenty two, he married 15 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:10,360 Speaker 1: Elizabeth St. Michel, who was fourteen years old at the time. 16 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:15,360 Speaker 1: Through his father's cousin, Edward Montague, Peeps had gotten a 17 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:18,919 Speaker 1: job as a secretary, and over the years he worked 18 00:01:18,959 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 1: his way up through governmental post in the Navy, reaching 19 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:26,640 Speaker 1: the position of Chief Secretary of the Admiralty. Samuel and 20 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:31,320 Speaker 1: Elizabeth had a turbulent relationship. Both were dealing with health issues. 21 00:01:31,959 --> 00:01:35,360 Speaker 1: Peeps showed jealousy about the attention she got from other men, 22 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:41,160 Speaker 1: and he had many affairs. Peeps had bladderstone removed in 23 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 1: a surgery in March of sixteen fifty eight, and in 24 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:48,160 Speaker 1: his first diary entry on January first, sixteen sixty, he 25 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:52,160 Speaker 1: wrote about his recovery. Blessed be God. At the end 26 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:54,960 Speaker 1: of the last year, I was in very good health, 27 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:58,840 Speaker 1: without any sense of my old pain. But upon taking 28 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:02,360 Speaker 1: of cold I lived in axe Yard, having my wife 29 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:05,160 Speaker 1: and servant Jane, and no more in the family than 30 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:09,720 Speaker 1: us three. Some of his most notable diary entries are 31 00:02:09,760 --> 00:02:12,760 Speaker 1: about the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London. 32 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:17,280 Speaker 1: On September three, six sixty five, he wrote the following 33 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:21,320 Speaker 1: up and put on my colored silk suit, very fine, 34 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:24,680 Speaker 1: and my new perry wig bought a good while since, 35 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:28,080 Speaker 1: but durst not where, because the plague was in Westminster 36 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:30,600 Speaker 1: when I bought it. And it is a wonder what 37 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:33,359 Speaker 1: will be the fashion after the plague is done as 38 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:36,440 Speaker 1: to perry wigs, for nobody will dare to buy any 39 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:39,600 Speaker 1: hair for fear of the infection that it had been 40 00:02:39,639 --> 00:02:42,040 Speaker 1: cut off the heads of people dead of the plague. 41 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 1: He chronicled the death holes in the plague, and on 42 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:49,600 Speaker 1: the second of September and sixteen sixty six, he wrote 43 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 1: about Londoner's terror and the fire that began tearing through 44 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:57,200 Speaker 1: the city that day. Samuel also wrote about the restoration, 45 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:01,440 Speaker 1: the Second Anglo Dutch War, the navy, his affairs, and 46 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:05,440 Speaker 1: other details of his personal life and his diary. Peeps 47 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 1: beat his servants, and he wrote about his sexual advances 48 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:13,520 Speaker 1: that would today be considered sexual abuse. But by sixteen 49 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:17,160 Speaker 1: sixty nine he feared his eyesight was getting much worse 50 00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:21,600 Speaker 1: and decided to stop writing his entries. On May thirty one, 51 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:25,440 Speaker 1: almost a decade after his first diary entry, Peeps wrote 52 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:30,000 Speaker 1: his last entry. It said, in part, and thus ends 53 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:32,320 Speaker 1: all that I doubt I shall ever be able to 54 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:35,040 Speaker 1: do with my own eyes and the keeping of my journal, 55 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:38,640 Speaker 1: I being not able to do it any longer, having 56 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:41,960 Speaker 1: done now so long as to undo my eyes almost 57 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:43,960 Speaker 1: every time that I take a pit in my hand, 58 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:48,040 Speaker 1: and therefore whatever comes of it, I must forbear, and 59 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:51,520 Speaker 1: therefore resolve from this time forward to have it kept 60 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:55,200 Speaker 1: by my people in Longhand, and must therefore be contented 61 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 1: to set down no more than is fit for them 62 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:03,440 Speaker 1: in all the world to know Peepe's wife, Elizabeth, died 63 00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:06,440 Speaker 1: later that year of some sort of fever. After the 64 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:09,120 Speaker 1: couple went on a trip to France and the Low Countries. 65 00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:13,360 Speaker 1: Peeps went on to become a member of Parliament. He 66 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:16,000 Speaker 1: also helped build up the strength of the Royal Navy. 67 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:20,800 Speaker 1: Accusations that he was secretly Catholic abounded, and he resigned 68 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:24,320 Speaker 1: from his work with the Admiralty. He continued to travel, 69 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:28,039 Speaker 1: worked as a secretary, and eventually was elected president of 70 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:33,479 Speaker 1: the Royal Society, an institution that promotes science. Peeps died 71 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:37,400 Speaker 1: in May of seventeen oh three. His diary entries were 72 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:40,640 Speaker 1: written in shorthand, and the diary contains more than a 73 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:44,039 Speaker 1: million words. Parts of the diary were first published in 74 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:49,320 Speaker 1: eighteen Early versions of the diary were censored for profanity 75 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:54,440 Speaker 1: and content deemed inappropriate, though uncensored editions are available today. 76 00:04:55,400 --> 00:04:58,160 Speaker 1: I'm each Deacote, and hopefully you know a little more 77 00:04:58,200 --> 00:05:03,080 Speaker 1: about history today than you did yesterday. If you like 78 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:06,039 Speaker 1: to learn more about Samuel Peeps, you can listen to 79 00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:08,960 Speaker 1: the episode of stuff you missed in history class called 80 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:14,040 Speaker 1: Samuel peeps beyond the Diary, and if you love listening 81 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:16,880 Speaker 1: to stories about people in history, there's a good chance 82 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:20,719 Speaker 1: you'd enjoy Unpopular, a new podcast I host about people 83 00:05:20,839 --> 00:05:23,719 Speaker 1: who took a stand against the status quo to create 84 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:27,039 Speaker 1: meaningful change. You can listen and subscribe on the I 85 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:30,880 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 86 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:34,880 Speaker 1: this day in History class. Thanks for joining me on 87 00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:38,920 Speaker 1: this trip through history. See you here, same place tomorrow. 88 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:49,479 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the iHeart 89 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:52,000 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 90 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:52,680 Speaker 1: favorite shows.