1 00:00:01,240 --> 00:00:04,000 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you missed in History Class, the production 2 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:12,840 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radios How Stuff Works. Hello, and welcome 3 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:16,040 Speaker 1: to the podcast. I'm Tracy Vie Wilson and I'm Polly Frying. 4 00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:19,959 Speaker 1: Samuel Peeps has been something of a recurring character on 5 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:23,120 Speaker 1: our show. We have either name dropped him or read 6 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:26,160 Speaker 1: bits of his diaries, and our episodes on and Lister 7 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:29,520 Speaker 1: and the Pirate Henry every and the Straw Hat Riots 8 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:33,600 Speaker 1: and Britain's Theft of Tea from China and the body 9 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:36,839 Speaker 1: House Riots of sixteen sixty eight, uh, and the belief 10 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:39,879 Speaker 1: that the Royal Touch could cure your scraffula. I have 11 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:43,080 Speaker 1: to imagine previous hosts have at some point said something 12 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 1: about Samuel Peeps too, but that's a lot harder for 13 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 1: us to track at this point. I think all historians 14 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 1: eventually talk about Namuel Peeps at all. Eventually comes back 15 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:55,360 Speaker 1: to Peeps. Something that came up in one of these 16 00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:58,880 Speaker 1: discussions between Holly and me, which is was that we 17 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:02,200 Speaker 1: had both read selects from Peep's diary in school, and 18 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:04,520 Speaker 1: yet we did not know until working on this podcast 19 00:01:04,560 --> 00:01:08,200 Speaker 1: how funny it could be. It was like our experience 20 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 1: was the opposite of The Princess Bride, where somebody had 21 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:13,720 Speaker 1: gone through the diary and only left in the boring parts. 22 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:17,040 Speaker 1: When I started working on this episode, I was also 23 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:19,440 Speaker 1: surprised to learn that the funny parts were not the 24 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:23,640 Speaker 1: only thing left out of my Samuel Peep's experience in school. 25 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:27,040 Speaker 1: Our episode on Anne Lister's diaries talked about how much 26 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:30,320 Speaker 1: of them were dedicated to detailing her sexual relationships, and 27 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:34,120 Speaker 1: the same thing. It's true for Samuel Peeps, and parts 28 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:37,959 Speaker 1: of his diary are similarly explicit. Like one passage that 29 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:40,200 Speaker 1: I was reading as I was researching this caused me 30 00:01:40,280 --> 00:01:43,920 Speaker 1: to go whoa out loud at my desk. We aren't 31 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:47,720 Speaker 1: gonna be reading that packet passage, but just like fair warning. See, 32 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:50,360 Speaker 1: I knew there was dirty stuff in the diaries, and 33 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:53,400 Speaker 1: I wonder if, and I don't remember exactly what copy 34 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:56,280 Speaker 1: I read at various points in my education, I wonder 35 00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:58,760 Speaker 1: if maybe in my case, some of the funny stuff 36 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:02,600 Speaker 1: was there, but I didn't at the comedy. I think 37 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:07,800 Speaker 1: probably every every Samuel Peeps thing that I had read 38 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:10,920 Speaker 1: had been in an anthology, like, not a standalone copy 39 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:13,800 Speaker 1: of anything, And I like I went back and looked 40 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:15,079 Speaker 1: as I was working on this to be like am 41 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:17,679 Speaker 1: I am I like fudging my own memory here, and no, 42 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:22,760 Speaker 1: like my Norton Anthology of English Literature from back in 43 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:25,480 Speaker 1: my college days, like only has a couple of passages. 44 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:28,960 Speaker 1: They're only about the fire. They're not funny or racy 45 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 1: in any way, and I think that like was the case, 46 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:34,200 Speaker 1: like anything that I was reading was was excerpted in 47 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 1: another work and not like a standalone, more lengthy thing. Regardless, though, 48 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:45,160 Speaker 1: we're coming up on the anniversary of Peep's last diary entry, 49 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:48,040 Speaker 1: which was written on May thirty one of sixteen sixty nine, 50 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:49,720 Speaker 1: so it seemed like a good time to take a 51 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:52,760 Speaker 1: closer look, not just at the diary, but also at 52 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:56,120 Speaker 1: who Peeps was beyond his famous chronicle of life in 53 00:02:56,240 --> 00:03:00,120 Speaker 1: seventeenth century London. Samuel Peeps was born in London on 54 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:04,480 Speaker 1: February sixteen thirty three. His father was a tailor and 55 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:06,800 Speaker 1: his mother was a butcher's daughter, so they were not 56 00:03:06,919 --> 00:03:11,920 Speaker 1: a particularly prominent or affluent family. Samuel had ten siblings, 57 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:14,680 Speaker 1: but only two of them lived to adulthood, and of 58 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:18,080 Speaker 1: those three, Samuel was the oldest. With the help of 59 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:20,920 Speaker 1: other family, Samuel was able to go to school He 60 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:23,280 Speaker 1: went to Huntington Grammar School and then moved on to 61 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:26,679 Speaker 1: Saint Paul's School. From there he went to Cambridge, where 62 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:29,799 Speaker 1: he started a lifelong friendship with John Dryden, who would 63 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:33,600 Speaker 1: go on to be England's first poet Laureate. Peep's graduated 64 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:36,520 Speaker 1: with a b a in sixteen fifty three. The Peep's 65 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:40,880 Speaker 1: family had one connection that served Samuel extremely well. That 66 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:44,480 Speaker 1: was Edward Montague, who was Samuel's father's cousin and would 67 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:47,840 Speaker 1: eventually become the first Earl of Sandwich. He took an 68 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 1: interest in Samuel and hired him as a secretary. Had 69 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 1: that not happened, Samuel probably would have pursued a career 70 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 1: in law. In sixteen fifty five, Samuel married Elizabeth sa Michelle. 71 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:02,680 Speaker 1: She was the daughter of a French Huguenot who had 72 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:05,600 Speaker 1: come to England as a refugee. They had a religious 73 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 1: ceremony on October ten, sixteen fifty five, when Elizabeth was 74 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:12,040 Speaker 1: fourteen and Samuel was twenty two, and then they had 75 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:15,120 Speaker 1: a civil ceremony on December one, by which point she 76 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:18,520 Speaker 1: had turned fifteen. This was definitely a match made for 77 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:21,960 Speaker 1: love and not for money. The Sa Michelle's had been 78 00:04:21,960 --> 00:04:25,160 Speaker 1: well off and prominent, but they had fallen on hard times, 79 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:29,560 Speaker 1: in part because of her father's religious conversion. Samuel wound 80 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 1: up supporting several of them financially, but at the start 81 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:35,479 Speaker 1: of his marriage to Elizabeth he wasn't in a position 82 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:38,919 Speaker 1: to do that at all. He couldn't even afford lodgings 83 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:40,400 Speaker 1: for the two of them, so they had to live 84 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:44,360 Speaker 1: in his room in Montague's quarters at Whitehall Palace. In 85 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:46,480 Speaker 1: spine of their feelings for one another, which I mean, 86 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:48,400 Speaker 1: they do, seem to have genuinely been very fond of 87 00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:52,839 Speaker 1: each other, and their ages today are highly questionable, but 88 00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:54,679 Speaker 1: at the time, like that was, those are pretty normal 89 00:04:54,680 --> 00:04:57,479 Speaker 1: ages to get married. Their marriage got off to a 90 00:04:57,560 --> 00:05:01,360 Speaker 1: really rocky start. Elizabeth had some sort of recurring, persistent 91 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:04,440 Speaker 1: gynecological problem, and Samuel was in a lot of pain 92 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:07,680 Speaker 1: due to stones and his bladder and urinary tracts, so 93 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:10,800 Speaker 1: from the very beginning their physical relationship was difficult and 94 00:05:10,839 --> 00:05:14,840 Speaker 1: probably painful for both of them. Elizabeth's feelings on this 95 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:19,080 Speaker 1: aren't really recorded anywhere, but it was hugely frustrating for Samuel. Also, 96 00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:23,080 Speaker 1: while Samuel was besotted with his wife, he was deeply 97 00:05:23,160 --> 00:05:28,000 Speaker 1: jealous and possessive. She was lovely, lively, and charming, intended 98 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:31,280 Speaker 1: to attract the attention of other men. As far as 99 00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:34,440 Speaker 1: we know, Elizabeth was always faithful to Samuel, but she 100 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:38,839 Speaker 1: also clearly enjoyed flattery and attention. If Samuel thought a 101 00:05:38,839 --> 00:05:41,440 Speaker 1: man was paying too much attention to her, or that 102 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:44,440 Speaker 1: she was being too flirtatious, he would get angry about it, 103 00:05:44,839 --> 00:05:47,920 Speaker 1: and assigned from that he could be very critical of her. 104 00:05:48,320 --> 00:05:52,000 Speaker 1: All of this together made their relationship really tense. Elizabeth 105 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:54,000 Speaker 1: went back home to her family for a few months 106 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:57,880 Speaker 1: in sixteen fifty seven, returning to Samuel at Whitehall in December. 107 00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:00,640 Speaker 1: They finally moved into a place of their own the 108 00:06:00,640 --> 00:06:04,440 Speaker 1: following August. Although their relationship continued to have just serious 109 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:08,200 Speaker 1: ups and downs. They both had volatile tempers. Peeps had 110 00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:11,039 Speaker 1: a lot of affairs, and they were known to fight 111 00:06:11,080 --> 00:06:13,840 Speaker 1: and even threaten each other when things got really heated. 112 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:16,839 Speaker 1: At least in Peep's diary, though, which is virtually the 113 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:19,760 Speaker 1: only source of information that we have about Elizabeth. They 114 00:06:19,839 --> 00:06:22,600 Speaker 1: also seemed really genuinely fond of each other when things 115 00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:27,400 Speaker 1: were good. On March sixty eight, Peeps had a lethotomy, 116 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:30,920 Speaker 1: which is a surgical procedure to remove a bladder stone. 117 00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:34,440 Speaker 1: A surgeon named Thomas Hollier removed a stone that measured 118 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:38,120 Speaker 1: about two inches in diameter, which Samuel kept in a 119 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:42,159 Speaker 1: specially made case to show to people afterward. He recovered 120 00:06:42,200 --> 00:06:45,880 Speaker 1: with no complications, which is incredible considering that there was 121 00:06:45,960 --> 00:06:49,840 Speaker 1: no anesthesia and the instruments weren't in any way sterile. 122 00:06:50,640 --> 00:06:53,240 Speaker 1: These surgeries weren't uncommon at the time, but deaths and 123 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 1: complications were pretty commonplace. Peeps developed other stones later on, 124 00:06:58,240 --> 00:07:00,600 Speaker 1: but for a time after this procedure, he was almost 125 00:07:00,600 --> 00:07:03,760 Speaker 1: symptom free. I said in this outline that he recovered 126 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:07,120 Speaker 1: with no complications. He and Elizabeth never had any children, 127 00:07:07,160 --> 00:07:09,200 Speaker 1: and one of the things that people site as maybe 128 00:07:09,200 --> 00:07:11,240 Speaker 1: a reason for that is that this procedure might have 129 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:14,120 Speaker 1: been successful at removing the stone, but also might have 130 00:07:14,240 --> 00:07:19,440 Speaker 1: inadvertently made him unable to have children. That's all very speculative, though, 131 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:21,840 Speaker 1: like we don't know exactly why they didn't have any children. 132 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:26,680 Speaker 1: Peeps wrote his first diary entry on January first, sixteen sixty, 133 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:30,120 Speaker 1: and he referred to this ailment in the very first sentence, quote, 134 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:32,800 Speaker 1: Blessed be God. At the end of the last year. 135 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:35,320 Speaker 1: I was in very good health, without any sense of 136 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:38,960 Speaker 1: my old pain, but upon taking of cold. We'll talk 137 00:07:39,160 --> 00:07:42,600 Speaker 1: more about the diary later, especially through this next section 138 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:45,040 Speaker 1: of the episode, but this is when he started keeping it. 139 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:48,800 Speaker 1: Sixteen sixty was a big year for Samuel Peeps. He 140 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:51,080 Speaker 1: finished his master's degree and he was part of the 141 00:07:51,080 --> 00:07:53,840 Speaker 1: fleet that brought King Charles the Second back to England. 142 00:07:54,440 --> 00:07:57,800 Speaker 1: Super quick recap Charles the Second Father Charles the First 143 00:07:58,120 --> 00:08:00,560 Speaker 1: was king during the English Civil War, which were a 144 00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:05,840 Speaker 1: series of conflicts primarily between Royalists and parliamentarians. Charles the 145 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:09,040 Speaker 1: First was executed in sixteen forty nine and Charles the 146 00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:13,680 Speaker 1: Second was forced into exile in sixteen fifty one. Oliver Cromwell, 147 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:16,880 Speaker 1: who had been a general on the parliamentarian side, became 148 00:08:16,960 --> 00:08:20,720 Speaker 1: Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland. Not long after 149 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:24,480 Speaker 1: Cromwell's death in sixteen fifty eight, royalists started working out 150 00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:28,120 Speaker 1: a deal to restore Charles two to the throne. Obviously, 151 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:31,560 Speaker 1: it was a lot more complicated than those quick highlights, 152 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:36,640 Speaker 1: and also complicated were their loyalties of Peep's patron Edward Montague. 153 00:08:37,240 --> 00:08:39,920 Speaker 1: Montague had fought on the parliamentarian side and he had 154 00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:43,720 Speaker 1: been closely connected to both Oliver Cromwell and his son Richard, 155 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:47,280 Speaker 1: who tried unsuccessfully to follow in his late father's footsteps. 156 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:51,240 Speaker 1: Montague had actually advocated for Oliver Cromwell to be crowned 157 00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:54,600 Speaker 1: as king. But by the spring of sixteen fifty nine, 158 00:08:54,760 --> 00:08:59,599 Speaker 1: royalists and parliamentarians alike, we're wondering if Montague's allegiance was 159 00:08:59,679 --> 00:09:03,640 Speaker 1: shift ding Charles the Seconds. Representatives made overtures to him, 160 00:09:03,640 --> 00:09:07,360 Speaker 1: while Parliament stripped him of his Admiralty commission, and for 161 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:10,840 Speaker 1: good reason, he was negotiating in secret for the return 162 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:15,040 Speaker 1: of the king. But after a very politically chaotic end 163 00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:19,000 Speaker 1: of sixteen fifty nine and beginning of sixteen sixty, Montague 164 00:09:19,040 --> 00:09:22,280 Speaker 1: was reappointed to the Admiralty Commission and made General of 165 00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:25,559 Speaker 1: the Sea, along with George Monk, who was actively working 166 00:09:25,559 --> 00:09:29,120 Speaker 1: to restore Charles the Second to the throne. Once a 167 00:09:29,200 --> 00:09:33,440 Speaker 1: deal was negotiated for Charles's return, Montague secured the fleet 168 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:36,240 Speaker 1: that traveled to the Netherlands to bring him back to England, 169 00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:40,400 Speaker 1: and thanks to Montague's influence, Samuel Peeps was on board 170 00:09:40,520 --> 00:09:43,840 Speaker 1: with that fleet. The fleet landed back at Dover with 171 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:48,120 Speaker 1: the King on sixteen sixty, and almost immediately Charles the 172 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:51,600 Speaker 1: Second made Montague and Earl. That was the beginning of 173 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:55,680 Speaker 1: a tremendously eventful decade for Peeps personally and for Britain 174 00:09:55,679 --> 00:09:57,480 Speaker 1: in general. And then we're going to talk more about 175 00:09:57,520 --> 00:10:09,080 Speaker 1: all of that after a sponsor break. After Edward Montague 176 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:12,440 Speaker 1: became the Earl of Sandwich, he told Samuel Peeps quote, 177 00:10:12,520 --> 00:10:15,280 Speaker 1: we must have a little patience and we will rise together. 178 00:10:15,480 --> 00:10:17,559 Speaker 1: In the meantime, I will do you all the good 179 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:21,280 Speaker 1: jobs I can. This worked out really well for Peeps 180 00:10:21,280 --> 00:10:24,080 Speaker 1: through the Earl's influence. In the summer of sixteen sixty, 181 00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:26,840 Speaker 1: he was named Clerk of the Acts at the Navy Board. 182 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:30,400 Speaker 1: That's the administrative board responsible for running the Royal Navy 183 00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:33,800 Speaker 1: and keeping it maintained and supplied. This position came along 184 00:10:33,800 --> 00:10:36,480 Speaker 1: with a salary and a house, and it also meant 185 00:10:36,520 --> 00:10:38,600 Speaker 1: that Peeps became a Justice of the peace in the 186 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:42,079 Speaker 1: counties where the dockyards were located. This was the beginning 187 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:46,040 Speaker 1: of a lifelong career as a naval administrator. Peeps was 188 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:49,560 Speaker 1: a very hard worker, but he didn't actually know anything 189 00:10:49,600 --> 00:10:54,040 Speaker 1: about the navy like at all. Nearly his entire experience 190 00:10:54,120 --> 00:10:56,520 Speaker 1: was going on that voyage to bring Charles the Second 191 00:10:56,520 --> 00:10:59,160 Speaker 1: back to England. So at first he mostly just deferred 192 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:01,040 Speaker 1: to the rest of the words, some of whom had 193 00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:04,600 Speaker 1: decades of navy experience. But over the next couple of years, 194 00:11:04,640 --> 00:11:07,319 Speaker 1: Peeps realized that having a long career in the Navy 195 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:11,760 Speaker 1: didn't necessarily make a person an upstanding naval administrator or 196 00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:14,319 Speaker 1: any good at it. He started to see a lot 197 00:11:14,360 --> 00:11:17,960 Speaker 1: of laziness and waste and corruption, and he became especially 198 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:21,000 Speaker 1: distrustful of the men whose commands had been passed down 199 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:23,599 Speaker 1: to them through their families rather than rising through the 200 00:11:23,679 --> 00:11:27,000 Speaker 1: ranks based on their merit. But none of these opinions 201 00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:30,400 Speaker 1: erased the fact that these men had knowledge and experience 202 00:11:30,480 --> 00:11:33,360 Speaker 1: that Peeps just didn't, so he got to work trying 203 00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:36,240 Speaker 1: to close that gap as much as he could. His 204 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:39,040 Speaker 1: own education had been really weak in maths, so he 205 00:11:39,120 --> 00:11:43,040 Speaker 1: got a tutor and started learning multiplication tables. He immersed 206 00:11:43,160 --> 00:11:46,480 Speaker 1: himself in the terminology and procedures and measurements that were 207 00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:50,360 Speaker 1: needed to build, maintain, and supply ships. Soon he stopped 208 00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:53,040 Speaker 1: following the lead of the more senior board members and 209 00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:55,880 Speaker 1: started trying to make things more efficient and orderly, which 210 00:11:56,040 --> 00:11:59,160 Speaker 1: really drew the ire of some of his colleagues. Peeps 211 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:02,319 Speaker 1: was taking on an additional roles as well. He became 212 00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:05,439 Speaker 1: secretary of the committee that ran the English colony at Tangier, 213 00:12:05,559 --> 00:12:08,560 Speaker 1: which had been part of Catherine of Braganza's dowry when 214 00:12:08,559 --> 00:12:12,120 Speaker 1: she married Charles the Second. He was elected as Fellow 215 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:15,920 Speaker 1: of the Royal Society in sixteen sixty five. The Second 216 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:18,680 Speaker 1: Anglo Dutch War started later that year, and many of 217 00:12:18,679 --> 00:12:20,959 Speaker 1: the rest of the board were aging or at sea, 218 00:12:21,679 --> 00:12:24,840 Speaker 1: so Peeps found himself overseeing a large part of the 219 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:30,640 Speaker 1: Navy's wartime administration, including setting up a centralized provisioning system. 220 00:12:30,679 --> 00:12:34,400 Speaker 1: In the mid sixteen sixties, Peeps witnessed two catastrophes in 221 00:12:34,559 --> 00:12:37,600 Speaker 1: very quick succession, the Great Plague of London and the 222 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:41,079 Speaker 1: Great Fire of London. The plague struck London in sixteen 223 00:12:41,080 --> 00:12:44,760 Speaker 1: sixty five, although Peep's diary also includes news of the 224 00:12:44,800 --> 00:12:49,360 Speaker 1: diseases spread elsewhere in the years before that, On April thirtieth, 225 00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:52,520 Speaker 1: sixteen sixty five, he wrote, quote, great fears of the 226 00:12:52,559 --> 00:12:55,400 Speaker 1: sickness here in the city, it being said that two 227 00:12:55,480 --> 00:12:59,080 Speaker 1: or three houses are already shut up. God preserve us. 228 00:12:59,120 --> 00:13:02,920 Speaker 1: All his entries through sixteen sixty five and into sixteen 229 00:13:02,960 --> 00:13:06,640 Speaker 1: sixty six, detail fear of the plague and death tolls, 230 00:13:06,679 --> 00:13:10,080 Speaker 1: some of which were enormous. On August thirty one, he wrote, 231 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:12,920 Speaker 1: quote in the city died this week seven thousand, four 232 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:16,200 Speaker 1: hundred ninety six and all of them six thousand, one 233 00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:19,360 Speaker 1: hundred two of the plague. But it is feared that 234 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:21,320 Speaker 1: the true number of the dead this week is near 235 00:13:21,360 --> 00:13:24,600 Speaker 1: ten thousand, partly from the poor that cannot be taken 236 00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:27,440 Speaker 1: notice of through the greatness of the number, and partly 237 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:29,800 Speaker 1: from the Quakers and others that will not have any 238 00:13:29,840 --> 00:13:32,440 Speaker 1: bell ring for them. For the first few months of 239 00:13:32,440 --> 00:13:36,480 Speaker 1: sixteen sixty six, he records numbers that decrease, and an increase, 240 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:39,560 Speaker 1: and the decrease again, then finally noting a day of 241 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:43,000 Speaker 1: thanksgiving for the plagues end on November twenty, although he 242 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:46,680 Speaker 1: acknowledges that people were still dying, the plague was in 243 00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:49,679 Speaker 1: its last months when the fire began on September two, 244 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:53,480 Speaker 1: sixteen sixty six. Peep's chronicled the fire much like he 245 00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:56,920 Speaker 1: did the plague, detailing people's fears along with what was 246 00:13:56,960 --> 00:13:59,720 Speaker 1: burning and the progression of the fire itself, and how 247 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:02,800 Speaker 1: this that he tried to stop it. The fire affected 248 00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:06,760 Speaker 1: Peeps for months after it was over. The following February 249 00:14:06,840 --> 00:14:09,400 Speaker 1: he wrote, quote, the weather for three or four days 250 00:14:09,480 --> 00:14:12,959 Speaker 1: being come to be exceedingly cold again as any time 251 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:15,960 Speaker 1: this year. I did within these six days see smoke 252 00:14:16,120 --> 00:14:18,680 Speaker 1: still remaining of the late fire in the city. And 253 00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:21,200 Speaker 1: it is strange to think how to this day I 254 00:14:21,240 --> 00:14:24,760 Speaker 1: cannot sleep at night without great terrors of fire. And 255 00:14:24,840 --> 00:14:27,320 Speaker 1: this very night I could not sleep till almost two 256 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:31,040 Speaker 1: in the morning through thoughts of fire. The Second Anglo 257 00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:33,320 Speaker 1: Dutch War was going on through all of this, and 258 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:37,560 Speaker 1: peace negotiations started in August of sixteen sixty six and 259 00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:41,640 Speaker 1: lasted into the following year. As the negotiations progressed, the 260 00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:44,640 Speaker 1: British government decided to recall the fleet and scale down 261 00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:47,640 Speaker 1: the navy while still trying to protect England from a 262 00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:51,800 Speaker 1: Dutch attack. On March twenty three, Peeps wrote, quote, at 263 00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:55,000 Speaker 1: the office where Sir w Pen come, being returned from 264 00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:58,760 Speaker 1: Chatham from considering the means of fortifying the River Medway 265 00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:01,320 Speaker 1: by a chain at the dakes, and ships laid there 266 00:15:01,320 --> 00:15:03,920 Speaker 1: with guns to keep the enemy from coming up to 267 00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:07,680 Speaker 1: burn our ships. All our care being now to fortify 268 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:11,480 Speaker 1: ourselves against their invading US. So basically they didn't have 269 00:15:11,640 --> 00:15:14,760 Speaker 1: enough money to keep maintaining the navy like at the 270 00:15:14,800 --> 00:15:17,520 Speaker 1: strength that it had been while they were more actively 271 00:15:17,560 --> 00:15:21,400 Speaker 1: at war. But the peace treaty had not been signed yet, 272 00:15:21,440 --> 00:15:23,800 Speaker 1: so they needed to still have some kind of defense, 273 00:15:23,880 --> 00:15:26,480 Speaker 1: and they were attempting to do this with a chain 274 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:30,760 Speaker 1: stretched across the mouth of the river. But a Dutch 275 00:15:30,760 --> 00:15:33,800 Speaker 1: force did indeed attack the river midway. That happened on 276 00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:37,920 Speaker 1: June nine, sixty seven. They broke through that chain, destroyed 277 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:40,720 Speaker 1: some of the ships, and captured others, including capturing the 278 00:15:40,720 --> 00:15:45,080 Speaker 1: fleet's flagship, the Royal Charles. This was disastrous for the navy. 279 00:15:45,160 --> 00:15:47,800 Speaker 1: It was terrifying for the British people since it put 280 00:15:47,840 --> 00:15:50,720 Speaker 1: the Dutch in striking distance of London. Of course, then 281 00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:53,840 Speaker 1: people questioned the judgment of the king over the whole thing, 282 00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:57,040 Speaker 1: but the war did end with the Treaty of Bretta 283 00:15:57,120 --> 00:16:00,720 Speaker 1: a month later. Peeps, being the administrator who had arranged 284 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:05,320 Speaker 1: so much of the withdrawal, was investigated repeatedly in the end, 285 00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:08,000 Speaker 1: though the officers who made the decisions took more of 286 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:10,400 Speaker 1: the blame than the Navy board, who had figured out 287 00:16:10,560 --> 00:16:13,720 Speaker 1: just how to carry out those decisions soon, though Peep's 288 00:16:13,760 --> 00:16:18,040 Speaker 1: had other problems to worry about. On October eight his 289 00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:21,160 Speaker 1: wife caught him with one of their maids, Deborah Willett. 290 00:16:21,720 --> 00:16:24,800 Speaker 1: Deb was eighteen and she had been hired primarily as 291 00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:29,560 Speaker 1: Elizabeth's companion, and Elizabeth was of course outraged. They were 292 00:16:29,560 --> 00:16:33,160 Speaker 1: not caught talking. Peeps was explicit in his diary about 293 00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:37,040 Speaker 1: exactly what was going on. On October thirty one, he wrote, quote, 294 00:16:37,080 --> 00:16:40,040 Speaker 1: so ends this month with some quiet in my mind, 295 00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:42,840 Speaker 1: though not perfect, after the greatest falling out with my 296 00:16:42,960 --> 00:16:45,840 Speaker 1: poor wife, and through my folly with the girl that 297 00:16:45,920 --> 00:16:48,480 Speaker 1: I ever had, and I have reason to be sorry 298 00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:50,640 Speaker 1: and ashamed of it, and more to be troubled for 299 00:16:50,640 --> 00:16:53,520 Speaker 1: the poor girl's sake, whom I fear I shall, by 300 00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:56,920 Speaker 1: this means prove the ruin of though I shall think 301 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:00,120 Speaker 1: myself concerned both to love and be a friend to her. 302 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:04,400 Speaker 1: In November, Elizabeth forced Samuel to dismiss deb from their 303 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:07,679 Speaker 1: staff and agree to never see her again, but he 304 00:17:07,720 --> 00:17:10,359 Speaker 1: did not keep that promise. He figured out where deb 305 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:13,560 Speaker 1: had gone and went to visit and give her some money. 306 00:17:13,600 --> 00:17:16,200 Speaker 1: It is not clear whether he continued their affair after 307 00:17:16,280 --> 00:17:18,920 Speaker 1: she was out of the household, though, and also this 308 00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:21,920 Speaker 1: was not the only affair that Peeps detailed in his diary. 309 00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:24,919 Speaker 1: He wrote about dalliances with his friends wives and his 310 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:27,639 Speaker 1: wife's friends and maids in their household, and on and 311 00:17:27,680 --> 00:17:30,720 Speaker 1: on and on, and his attentions and these episodes were 312 00:17:30,720 --> 00:17:34,760 Speaker 1: not always welcome. On August eighteenth of sixteen sixty seven, 313 00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:38,479 Speaker 1: he wrote about going to church, where he quote stood 314 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:41,159 Speaker 1: by a pretty modest maid, whom I did labor to 315 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:43,679 Speaker 1: take by the hand and the body, but she would not, 316 00:17:44,280 --> 00:17:46,800 Speaker 1: but got further and further from me, and at last 317 00:17:46,840 --> 00:17:49,280 Speaker 1: I could perceive her to take pins out of her 318 00:17:49,320 --> 00:17:51,879 Speaker 1: pocket to prick me if I should touch her again, 319 00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:54,840 Speaker 1: which seeing I did forbear, and was glad I did 320 00:17:54,880 --> 00:17:57,840 Speaker 1: spy her design. And then I fell to gaze upon 321 00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:00,240 Speaker 1: another pretty maid and a few close to me, and 322 00:18:00,359 --> 00:18:02,840 Speaker 1: she on me, and I did go about to take 323 00:18:02,880 --> 00:18:05,080 Speaker 1: her by the hand, which she suffered a little, and 324 00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:08,480 Speaker 1: then withdrew. So the sermon ended, and the church broke up, 325 00:18:08,560 --> 00:18:12,040 Speaker 1: and my wars ended too, And so took coach and home, 326 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:14,880 Speaker 1: and there took up my wife and to Islington with her. 327 00:18:16,640 --> 00:18:20,320 Speaker 1: Oh Peeps, as he was writing about the fallout of 328 00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:23,399 Speaker 1: his wife's discovery of his affair. Peeps was also writing 329 00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:27,480 Speaker 1: about problems with his eyes. His diary entries record pain, 330 00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:31,840 Speaker 1: sensitivity to light, and trouble seeing. He found that drinking 331 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:34,240 Speaker 1: made it worse, but he didn't want to give up drink. 332 00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:37,159 Speaker 1: He loved going to the theater, but the light bothered 333 00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:40,199 Speaker 1: him there and he was forced to stop going. He 334 00:18:40,280 --> 00:18:43,480 Speaker 1: tried all kinds of compresses and potions and pills to 335 00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:46,399 Speaker 1: no effect, and he was granted several months of leave 336 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:50,000 Speaker 1: to try to recover. On May thirty one, sixteen sixty nine, 337 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:53,359 Speaker 1: he wrote his last diary entry, saying, in part quote, 338 00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:56,080 Speaker 1: and thus ends all that I doubt I shall ever 339 00:18:56,160 --> 00:18:58,439 Speaker 1: be able to do with my own eyes in the 340 00:18:58,520 --> 00:19:01,000 Speaker 1: keeping of my journal, I being not able to do 341 00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:04,000 Speaker 1: it any longer, having done now so long as to 342 00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:06,879 Speaker 1: undo my eyes almost every time that I take a 343 00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:10,320 Speaker 1: pen in my hand, And therefore, whenever comes of it, 344 00:19:10,359 --> 00:19:14,160 Speaker 1: I must forbear, and therefore resolve from this time forward, 345 00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:17,119 Speaker 1: to have it kept by my people in Longhand, and 346 00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:20,080 Speaker 1: must therefore be contented to set down no more than 347 00:19:20,240 --> 00:19:22,359 Speaker 1: is fit for them and all the world to know, 348 00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:26,120 Speaker 1: or if there be anything which cannot be much, how 349 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:29,400 Speaker 1: my amours to deb are past, and my eyes hindering 350 00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:32,760 Speaker 1: me in almost all other pleasures, I must endeavor to 351 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:35,640 Speaker 1: keep a margin in my book open, to add here 352 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:38,240 Speaker 1: and there a note in shorthand with my own hand. 353 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:40,920 Speaker 1: And so I would take myself to that course, which 354 00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:43,919 Speaker 1: is almost as much as to see myself go into 355 00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:46,880 Speaker 1: my grave. For which and all the discomforts that will 356 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:50,199 Speaker 1: accompany my being blind, the Good God prepare me. Not 357 00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:53,800 Speaker 1: long after, Samuel and Elizabeth went to the Low Countries 358 00:19:53,840 --> 00:19:57,520 Speaker 1: in France, where she contracted some sort of fever. She 359 00:19:57,680 --> 00:20:00,639 Speaker 1: died on November ten, sixty nine, at the age of 360 00:20:00,640 --> 00:20:04,600 Speaker 1: twenty nine. Samuel never remarried, but he did start an 361 00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:08,280 Speaker 1: ongoing relationship with a woman named Mary Skinner not long after. 362 00:20:09,040 --> 00:20:11,359 Speaker 1: She eventually moved into his home and seems to have 363 00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:14,720 Speaker 1: acted as his wife in everything but name. But in 364 00:20:14,760 --> 00:20:18,480 Speaker 1: spite of this real certainty in the last diary entry 365 00:20:18,520 --> 00:20:20,639 Speaker 1: that he was going blind, Peeps did not lose his 366 00:20:20,680 --> 00:20:22,959 Speaker 1: sight as he feared that he would, and his career 367 00:20:23,080 --> 00:20:26,720 Speaker 1: continued on for almost two decades after his wife's death. 368 00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:33,000 Speaker 1: We'll have more on that after another quick sponsor break. 369 00:20:38,040 --> 00:20:41,200 Speaker 1: As Samuel Peeps was struggling with his eyesight and traveling 370 00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:43,320 Speaker 1: with his wife. He was also up for election to 371 00:20:43,359 --> 00:20:45,399 Speaker 1: the House of Commons, and that was an election that 372 00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:48,800 Speaker 1: he lost. He also started facing rumors that he was 373 00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:53,080 Speaker 1: a crypto papist or a secret Catholic. Catholics were highly 374 00:20:53,200 --> 00:20:56,920 Speaker 1: suspect in England at this point, and Peeps had Catholic friends, 375 00:20:57,119 --> 00:21:00,199 Speaker 1: some Catholic family members. There were some Catholic books in 376 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:03,560 Speaker 1: his library. All of this raised a lot of eyebrows. 377 00:21:04,080 --> 00:21:07,200 Speaker 1: The Third Anglo Dutch War started in March of sixteen 378 00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:10,880 Speaker 1: seventy two, and Peep's old benefactor, the Earl of Sandwich, 379 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:14,320 Speaker 1: was killed in action. The two men hadn't been close 380 00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:16,560 Speaker 1: for a while. The Earl had been caught up in 381 00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:20,360 Speaker 1: a scandal about the distribution of wartime prizes, and Peeves 382 00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:22,280 Speaker 1: had made enough of a name for himself that he 383 00:21:22,320 --> 00:21:26,520 Speaker 1: didn't really need the Earl's patronage anymore. Even so, Peeps 384 00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:30,160 Speaker 1: was a banner bearer at the funeral. In sixteen seventy three, 385 00:21:30,240 --> 00:21:34,240 Speaker 1: Parliament passed a test Act which banned Catholics and nonconforming 386 00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:38,399 Speaker 1: Protestants from holding public office. King Charles the Second's brother, 387 00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:41,680 Speaker 1: the Duke of York, refused to take the required oaths 388 00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:45,560 Speaker 1: that were uh mandatory for Catholics, which he was, so 389 00:21:45,640 --> 00:21:49,359 Speaker 1: he was forced to resign as Lord High Admiral. Afterward, 390 00:21:49,520 --> 00:21:53,199 Speaker 1: the King established an Admiralty Commission and Peeps became its secretary. 391 00:21:53,359 --> 00:21:56,720 Speaker 1: This was a promotion. It came with more income, more prestige, 392 00:21:56,760 --> 00:21:59,879 Speaker 1: and a lot more influence. On November four, sixteen seventies, 393 00:22:00,359 --> 00:22:03,720 Speaker 1: Peeps was elected to the House of Commons, but once 394 00:22:03,760 --> 00:22:07,080 Speaker 1: again rumors surface that he was secretly Catholic, which led 395 00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:10,399 Speaker 1: to another investigation. In the end, he kept his seat, 396 00:22:10,680 --> 00:22:13,600 Speaker 1: although his work as an MP mostly stuck to matters 397 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:16,399 Speaker 1: of the navy, and he kept picking up new roles 398 00:22:16,440 --> 00:22:19,600 Speaker 1: outside the government and his job with the Admiralty, including 399 00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:22,760 Speaker 1: becoming a governor of Christ's Hospital, the Master of the 400 00:22:22,760 --> 00:22:26,000 Speaker 1: Cloth Workers Company, and the Master of Trinity House. He 401 00:22:26,119 --> 00:22:29,920 Speaker 1: also worked to reform and revitalize the Navy, especially when 402 00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:33,400 Speaker 1: it came to setting standards and establishing regulations for how 403 00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:37,159 Speaker 1: things should be done. He successfully lobbied for funding to 404 00:22:37,240 --> 00:22:40,320 Speaker 1: build new ships, convincing the House of Commons to allocate 405 00:22:40,359 --> 00:22:43,240 Speaker 1: six hundred thousand pounds for it in sixteen seventy seven. 406 00:22:44,040 --> 00:22:47,679 Speaker 1: Largely due to Peep's influence, and planning. The strength of 407 00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:52,200 Speaker 1: the Royal Navy nearly doubled while he was with the Admiralty. 408 00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:55,800 Speaker 1: He did all this in the face of ongoing accusations 409 00:22:55,840 --> 00:22:59,000 Speaker 1: that he was a crypto papist. His opponents even went 410 00:22:59,040 --> 00:23:02,240 Speaker 1: so far as to accute his clerk of murder. In 411 00:23:02,359 --> 00:23:05,520 Speaker 1: May of sixteen seventy nine, Peeps and Sir Anthony Dean 412 00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:09,120 Speaker 1: were accused of leaking British secrets to France, and Peeps 413 00:23:09,160 --> 00:23:13,000 Speaker 1: was again accused of secretly being Catholic. He resigned his 414 00:23:13,040 --> 00:23:15,720 Speaker 1: position with the Admiralty and he and Dean were both 415 00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:18,760 Speaker 1: sent to the tower. As this was going on, it 416 00:23:18,800 --> 00:23:21,800 Speaker 1: was widely believed that Catholics were planning to assassinate the 417 00:23:21,920 --> 00:23:24,359 Speaker 1: king and put his brother, the Duke of York, on 418 00:23:24,400 --> 00:23:28,240 Speaker 1: the throne. This so called Popish plot did not exist, 419 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:32,160 Speaker 1: but people were certain that it did. Peeps started trying 420 00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:34,479 Speaker 1: to put together his defense, but it turned out that 421 00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:37,040 Speaker 1: the prosecution really did not have much of a case. 422 00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:40,080 Speaker 1: One of the key witnesses against him was a butler 423 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:44,120 Speaker 1: that he had previously fired, and the charges were eventually dropped. 424 00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:47,359 Speaker 1: Peep spent the next few years mostly out of the 425 00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:51,080 Speaker 1: public eye, traveling, collecting books for his library, and acting 426 00:23:51,119 --> 00:23:54,040 Speaker 1: as a secretary to Lord Dartmouth during an expedition to 427 00:23:54,240 --> 00:23:57,879 Speaker 1: evacuate the British colony of Tangier after Britain decided to 428 00:23:57,920 --> 00:24:02,280 Speaker 1: abandon it. Peep's returned to the Admiralty in four in 429 00:24:02,320 --> 00:24:05,560 Speaker 1: a position that was created for him. That same year, 430 00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:09,360 Speaker 1: he was elected President of the Royal Society. His biggest 431 00:24:09,359 --> 00:24:11,359 Speaker 1: claim to fame in this role is that he arranged 432 00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:15,080 Speaker 1: for the publication of Isaac Newton's prince Shipia Mathematica, with 433 00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:20,920 Speaker 1: peeps imprimature featured very prominently on the frontispiece. This was, however, 434 00:24:21,119 --> 00:24:25,520 Speaker 1: funded by Edmund Halley, not by Peeps or the Royal Society. 435 00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:28,800 Speaker 1: This was because Peeps had already spent the Society's budget 436 00:24:28,880 --> 00:24:32,200 Speaker 1: and some of his own money on the elaborately illustrated 437 00:24:32,280 --> 00:24:35,800 Speaker 1: History of Fish by Francis Willoughby, which then had been 438 00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:39,160 Speaker 1: a total commercial flop, like we talked about in our 439 00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:43,520 Speaker 1: Christmas Time episode, or we talked about Charles Dickens and 440 00:24:43,800 --> 00:24:46,960 Speaker 1: uh Christmas Carol and how he just really wanted all 441 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:49,520 Speaker 1: of these engravings and illustrations. All those things were very, 442 00:24:49,640 --> 00:24:52,639 Speaker 1: very expensive, and Peeps that run through the whole entire budget. 443 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:55,520 Speaker 1: But if you look, there's i mean plenty of scans 444 00:24:55,800 --> 00:24:59,880 Speaker 1: of the the frontispiece of of Newton's Princeship of Mathematica, 445 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:04,359 Speaker 1: and it's Samuel Peeps's name is one of the bigger 446 00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:10,760 Speaker 1: things on that document. In sixteen eighty five, King Charles 447 00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:13,080 Speaker 1: the Second died, and his brother, the Duke of York 448 00:25:13,240 --> 00:25:16,720 Speaker 1: finally did become king, becoming James the Second and seventh. 449 00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:20,360 Speaker 1: Peeps continued on with the admiralty under the new monarch, 450 00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:23,480 Speaker 1: resuming his plans to strengthen the Royal Navy, while also 451 00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:26,480 Speaker 1: just endlessly criticizing the people that had been in charge 452 00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:29,480 Speaker 1: while he was gone. But none of this preparation did 453 00:25:29,520 --> 00:25:32,360 Speaker 1: the king a lot of good. In sixteen eighty eight, William, 454 00:25:32,520 --> 00:25:36,800 Speaker 1: the third Prince of Orange overthrew James and the Glorious Revolution. 455 00:25:37,320 --> 00:25:40,119 Speaker 1: William became co regent with his wife Mary, who was 456 00:25:40,160 --> 00:25:45,080 Speaker 1: also James's daughter. The new administration purged Charles's supporters from office. 457 00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:49,679 Speaker 1: Peeps resigned, was briefly detained under suspicion for treason, and 458 00:25:49,760 --> 00:25:53,639 Speaker 1: was ultimately released on medical grounds. Peeps spent most of 459 00:25:53,680 --> 00:25:57,000 Speaker 1: his remaining life reading and studying, and amassing a huge 460 00:25:57,040 --> 00:26:01,440 Speaker 1: library which he just continually reorganized and curated. He also 461 00:26:01,560 --> 00:26:05,160 Speaker 1: published a book, Memoirs of the Royal Navy in sixteen ninety. 462 00:26:05,480 --> 00:26:09,000 Speaker 1: Samuel Peeps died on May seventeen o three, at the 463 00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:11,640 Speaker 1: age of seventy. He was buried next to his late 464 00:26:11,640 --> 00:26:15,280 Speaker 1: wife Elizabeth, at St Olive Church. He left his three 465 00:26:15,280 --> 00:26:19,320 Speaker 1: thousand volume library to Magdalen College at the University of Cambridge, 466 00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:22,000 Speaker 1: with the stipulation that they be kept separate from the 467 00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:25,760 Speaker 1: rest of the college's collection. Today, those are housed as 468 00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:28,399 Speaker 1: Peep's Library, which is open to the public and to 469 00:26:28,480 --> 00:26:32,760 Speaker 1: scholars alike. Peep's diaries were part of this collection. During 470 00:26:32,800 --> 00:26:35,200 Speaker 1: the nine years that he was keeping the diary, Peeps 471 00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:38,040 Speaker 1: would note each day's activities, often ending with and so 472 00:26:38,160 --> 00:26:40,520 Speaker 1: to bed, and then every few days he would edit 473 00:26:40,560 --> 00:26:43,040 Speaker 1: them a little bit. He didn't seem to meaningfully change 474 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:44,760 Speaker 1: the content, but he can't clean u up a little 475 00:26:44,760 --> 00:26:48,360 Speaker 1: bit and copy them into a master journal. In addition 476 00:26:48,400 --> 00:26:51,560 Speaker 1: to writing these in shorthand, he also used a hodgepodge 477 00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:55,000 Speaker 1: of codes and other languages for the most salacious parts 478 00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:58,160 Speaker 1: of it. The result was a set of six large 479 00:26:58,280 --> 00:27:02,560 Speaker 1: volumes containing more than wanted a quarter million words for 480 00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:05,560 Speaker 1: more than one hundred years after Peepe's death, no one 481 00:27:05,680 --> 00:27:08,680 Speaker 1: knew what was in these diaries. It was only after 482 00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:12,680 Speaker 1: John Evelyn's diaries were published in eighteen eighteen that scholars 483 00:27:12,680 --> 00:27:16,640 Speaker 1: started trying to transcribe Peeps as well. Evelyn and Peeps 484 00:27:16,640 --> 00:27:19,640 Speaker 1: lived at the same time. They were also friends. Yeah, 485 00:27:19,640 --> 00:27:23,840 Speaker 1: they're sort of the two companion diarists of this time 486 00:27:23,880 --> 00:27:27,399 Speaker 1: in London. At the time, the people working with the 487 00:27:27,480 --> 00:27:29,840 Speaker 1: diary thought that it was written in code, and a 488 00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:33,359 Speaker 1: Cambridge undergraduate named John Smith took on the task of 489 00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:36,760 Speaker 1: decoding it. King Charles the Second had dictated an account 490 00:27:36,840 --> 00:27:40,680 Speaker 1: of his sixteen fifty one escaped from England to Samuel Peeps. 491 00:27:40,840 --> 00:27:44,120 Speaker 1: Peeps had taken the dictation in Shorthand and then later 492 00:27:44,200 --> 00:27:48,639 Speaker 1: transcribed it into longhand, intending to publish it. Smith compared 493 00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:51,800 Speaker 1: these two versions to work out how to transcribe the diaries. 494 00:27:52,160 --> 00:27:56,199 Speaker 1: This work wasn't actually necessary though. Peeps was really writing 495 00:27:56,200 --> 00:27:59,600 Speaker 1: in Thomas Shelton's system of Shorthand, and the handbook for it, 496 00:27:59,680 --> 00:28:03,960 Speaker 1: title Tutor to Techiography, was there in Peep's library as well. 497 00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:07,480 Speaker 1: Somebody apparently told John Smith like some years later, by 498 00:28:07,520 --> 00:28:10,760 Speaker 1: the way, the manual to this. It was like, it 499 00:28:10,800 --> 00:28:13,359 Speaker 1: was right there. You didn't really I don't know what 500 00:28:13,560 --> 00:28:19,320 Speaker 1: his reaction was. I envisioned some hair pulling and some screaming, 501 00:28:19,440 --> 00:28:22,760 Speaker 1: but maybe that would just be me. It's it's either 502 00:28:23,040 --> 00:28:25,480 Speaker 1: hair pulling and screaming. Were like. That was a fun challenge, 503 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:27,239 Speaker 1: though I don't mind that I did a bunch of 504 00:28:27,240 --> 00:28:33,760 Speaker 1: totally unnecessary, tedious work. Portions of the transcribed diary were 505 00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:37,200 Speaker 1: published starting in eight five, with longer editions coming out 506 00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:40,920 Speaker 1: in the years that followed. A mostly complete addition, edited 507 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:45,880 Speaker 1: by HB. Wheatley, came out in ten volumes across through 508 00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:50,760 Speaker 1: eight and all these nineteenth century versions, profanity and the 509 00:28:50,760 --> 00:28:54,560 Speaker 1: most explicit parts are all edited out. There are phrases, sentences, 510 00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:58,880 Speaker 1: or sometimes whole days removed. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote about 511 00:28:58,880 --> 00:29:02,520 Speaker 1: the Diaries in eighteen eighty six. He expressed some chagrin 512 00:29:02,560 --> 00:29:04,880 Speaker 1: at the idea that some parts of them were quote 513 00:29:04,960 --> 00:29:09,120 Speaker 1: unfit for publication, saying, quote we may think, without being sorted, 514 00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:13,120 Speaker 1: that when we purchased six huge and distressingly expensive volumes, 515 00:29:13,400 --> 00:29:16,160 Speaker 1: we are entitled to be treated rather more like scholars 516 00:29:16,320 --> 00:29:20,480 Speaker 1: and rather less like children. The first edition that didn't 517 00:29:20,640 --> 00:29:24,000 Speaker 1: edit out the sex and profanity came out almost another 518 00:29:24,200 --> 00:29:28,120 Speaker 1: century later. It was another series of volumes published between 519 00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:31,200 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy and nine eight three. So if you have 520 00:29:31,360 --> 00:29:33,600 Speaker 1: only read the parts of the diary that are in 521 00:29:33,640 --> 00:29:37,680 Speaker 1: the public domain and are probably also about either the 522 00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:39,760 Speaker 1: plague or the fire, like we talked about at the 523 00:29:39,800 --> 00:29:42,520 Speaker 1: top of the episode, you might have a very different 524 00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:46,240 Speaker 1: impression of this diary than if you read other parts 525 00:29:46,320 --> 00:29:50,880 Speaker 1: of an unexpurgated version. Just as examples. On October thirteen, 526 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:53,959 Speaker 1: sixteen sixty, he went out to see a public hanging, 527 00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:57,640 Speaker 1: something that he seems to have really enjoyed doing this. 528 00:29:57,720 --> 00:30:00,800 Speaker 1: One was Major General Thomas Harrison, who had been convicted 529 00:30:00,800 --> 00:30:03,760 Speaker 1: of regicide in the execution of King Charles the First. 530 00:30:04,280 --> 00:30:06,680 Speaker 1: Peep's wrote quote, I went out to Charing Cross to 531 00:30:06,720 --> 00:30:10,240 Speaker 1: see Major General Harrison hanged, drawn and quartered, which was 532 00:30:10,280 --> 00:30:13,480 Speaker 1: done there. He looking as cheerful as any man could 533 00:30:13,600 --> 00:30:16,600 Speaker 1: in that condition. While on the boat with Charles the 534 00:30:16,640 --> 00:30:19,600 Speaker 1: Second during his return to England, Peeps wrote about a 535 00:30:19,680 --> 00:30:23,000 Speaker 1: dog defecating on the deck, saying quote, I went with 536 00:30:23,120 --> 00:30:25,880 Speaker 1: Mr Mansell and one of the King's footmen with a 537 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:29,680 Speaker 1: dog that the King loved, which expletive deleted the boat, 538 00:30:29,880 --> 00:30:32,400 Speaker 1: which made us laugh, which made me think that a 539 00:30:32,480 --> 00:30:34,680 Speaker 1: king and all that belonged to him are but just 540 00:30:34,960 --> 00:30:38,840 Speaker 1: as others are. He also didn't temper his opinions. On 541 00:30:38,880 --> 00:30:43,400 Speaker 1: September sixty two, he wrote, quote, we saw Midsummer Night's Dream, 542 00:30:43,440 --> 00:30:46,200 Speaker 1: which I had never seen before, nor shall ever again, 543 00:30:46,640 --> 00:30:49,240 Speaker 1: for it is the most insipid, ridiculous play that I 544 00:30:49,320 --> 00:30:52,640 Speaker 1: ever saw in my life. I saw I confess, some 545 00:30:52,720 --> 00:30:56,240 Speaker 1: good dancing and some handsome women, which was all my pleasure. 546 00:30:56,880 --> 00:31:01,120 Speaker 1: So yes, Peep's diaries include a pretty straight forward eyewitness 547 00:31:01,120 --> 00:31:04,880 Speaker 1: account of several major historical events in the sixteen sixties. 548 00:31:05,320 --> 00:31:08,720 Speaker 1: But Peep's clearly also thought everything around him was interesting 549 00:31:08,720 --> 00:31:12,080 Speaker 1: and worth noticing. So these diaries are also a fascinating 550 00:31:12,080 --> 00:31:14,920 Speaker 1: account of daily life in London, including what people ate 551 00:31:14,960 --> 00:31:16,840 Speaker 1: and what they saw at the theater and what music 552 00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:20,440 Speaker 1: was popular, and then little details like discovering that the 553 00:31:20,440 --> 00:31:22,800 Speaker 1: wig you bought was full of knits, or what to 554 00:31:22,840 --> 00:31:24,800 Speaker 1: do when you had tummy trouble while you were staying 555 00:31:24,800 --> 00:31:27,120 Speaker 1: at somebody else's house and the maid forgot to leave 556 00:31:27,160 --> 00:31:29,800 Speaker 1: you a chamber pot. It's full of all kinds of 557 00:31:29,920 --> 00:31:32,600 Speaker 1: random things that he saw and was just delighted or 558 00:31:32,640 --> 00:31:36,400 Speaker 1: surprised by, and of course all of those many, many affairs, 559 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:42,440 Speaker 1: and it's all online for free, except those most explicit parts. Uh. 560 00:31:42,440 --> 00:31:44,760 Speaker 1: If you go to Peep's diary dot com, it's been 561 00:31:44,760 --> 00:31:47,040 Speaker 1: putting up an entry a day at a time since 562 00:31:47,200 --> 00:31:50,760 Speaker 1: two thousand thirteen, along with lots of annotations and letters 563 00:31:50,800 --> 00:31:54,520 Speaker 1: and other information. And there are additions at Project Guttenberg 564 00:31:54,640 --> 00:31:57,480 Speaker 1: and archive dot org as well, so you have plenty 565 00:31:57,520 --> 00:32:00,840 Speaker 1: to dig through. If you want to learn more, you 566 00:32:00,840 --> 00:32:02,920 Speaker 1: can just click on some random stuff. You might have 567 00:32:02,960 --> 00:32:05,360 Speaker 1: a day where he was in the office and everything 568 00:32:05,440 --> 00:32:09,200 Speaker 1: was sort of just political administrative stuff. Or you might 569 00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:11,080 Speaker 1: get one about a dog pooping on the deck of 570 00:32:11,120 --> 00:32:13,680 Speaker 1: a boat. Do you have a little bit of listener mail? 571 00:32:14,240 --> 00:32:18,080 Speaker 1: I do have listener mail. This from Maureen, Uh jumps 572 00:32:18,080 --> 00:32:20,240 Speaker 1: back to a little bit older episode, but I still 573 00:32:20,240 --> 00:32:23,080 Speaker 1: thought it was super interesting, so Marine says Hi, Tracy 574 00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:25,400 Speaker 1: and Holly. I've been jumping around in the archive, so 575 00:32:25,440 --> 00:32:28,800 Speaker 1: I know you've already received many emails on Sir Walter Raleigh. However, 576 00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:32,280 Speaker 1: I thought you may enjoy this family story. My grandfather 577 00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:34,920 Speaker 1: was a member of the Merchant Marines during World War Two, 578 00:32:35,160 --> 00:32:37,560 Speaker 1: he always claimed that he had been on a boat 579 00:32:37,640 --> 00:32:40,200 Speaker 1: that was sunk off the coast of Africa, not one, 580 00:32:40,280 --> 00:32:43,400 Speaker 1: but two times during the war. Both times they were 581 00:32:43,440 --> 00:32:45,400 Speaker 1: close enough to the shore that he was able to 582 00:32:45,400 --> 00:32:49,120 Speaker 1: swim to safety. One of these times the locals came 583 00:32:49,160 --> 00:32:52,160 Speaker 1: out in boats to rescue them. However, before being allowed 584 00:32:52,200 --> 00:32:54,120 Speaker 1: to board the boat, each man had to pay for 585 00:32:54,200 --> 00:32:59,000 Speaker 1: his passage with cigarettes. My grandfather apparently had the wrong brand. 586 00:32:59,200 --> 00:33:01,840 Speaker 1: Either it was as Sir Walter Raleigh brand and they 587 00:33:01,880 --> 00:33:05,840 Speaker 1: wanted something else, or vice versa. Regardless, only those crewmen 588 00:33:05,920 --> 00:33:08,280 Speaker 1: with the appropriate brand were allowed to ride in the boats, 589 00:33:08,320 --> 00:33:11,520 Speaker 1: while the rest had to swim the remaining distance. While 590 00:33:11,560 --> 00:33:14,040 Speaker 1: he was stationed in Africa, we have a picture of 591 00:33:14,120 --> 00:33:16,760 Speaker 1: him and uniform in front of the pyramids. My dad 592 00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:19,920 Speaker 1: was always skeptical of this story, as my grandfather was 593 00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:22,960 Speaker 1: known to be fond of a good story. However, recently, 594 00:33:22,960 --> 00:33:26,120 Speaker 1: when doing some genealogy research, I came across an admittance 595 00:33:26,240 --> 00:33:29,480 Speaker 1: document for him to the Port of New York in 596 00:33:29,600 --> 00:33:33,000 Speaker 1: ninety four. There was a space to explain why he 597 00:33:33,080 --> 00:33:36,680 Speaker 1: didn't have the appropriate paperwork, and it said went down 598 00:33:36,720 --> 00:33:39,960 Speaker 1: with the ship, so we do at least have verification 599 00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:43,920 Speaker 1: that he survived one shipwreck. On a separate note, I 600 00:33:43,920 --> 00:33:46,800 Speaker 1: recently listened to your trans Atlantic cruising episode, Holly. If 601 00:33:46,840 --> 00:33:48,960 Speaker 1: you ever do choose to go on at Disney Cruise, 602 00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:51,320 Speaker 1: I recommend you choose either The Magic or the Wonder. 603 00:33:51,360 --> 00:33:53,960 Speaker 1: Those two ships have adults only areas that are truly 604 00:33:53,960 --> 00:33:57,320 Speaker 1: removed from kids on the ship. The Dream and Fantasy 605 00:33:57,480 --> 00:34:00,640 Speaker 1: have awkwardly placed central adult suddenly areas where kids or 606 00:34:00,680 --> 00:34:03,720 Speaker 1: adults with small kids accidentally have to walk through to 607 00:34:03,760 --> 00:34:07,440 Speaker 1: get one side of the ship to the other. Bless 608 00:34:07,480 --> 00:34:11,400 Speaker 1: you for this knowledge you have bestowed. Uh. That reminds 609 00:34:11,400 --> 00:34:14,960 Speaker 1: me of the Some of the the cruise ships that 610 00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:18,160 Speaker 1: I have been on have the casino awkwardly placed so 611 00:34:18,239 --> 00:34:19,960 Speaker 1: that you have to walk through it to get from 612 00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:22,560 Speaker 1: one part of the ship to the other end. The 613 00:34:22,600 --> 00:34:25,279 Speaker 1: casino has traditionally been one of the places on the 614 00:34:25,280 --> 00:34:28,680 Speaker 1: ship where smoking is allowed, so there has been sort 615 00:34:28,680 --> 00:34:31,160 Speaker 1: of like if you would really rather not be around 616 00:34:31,280 --> 00:34:34,440 Speaker 1: the smoke, some uh, some funagling to figure out how 617 00:34:34,480 --> 00:34:36,400 Speaker 1: to get from one place on the ship to the 618 00:34:36,440 --> 00:34:39,960 Speaker 1: other without walking through there anyway. She ends with an 619 00:34:40,000 --> 00:34:42,680 Speaker 1: episode suggestion and thanks us for the detailed research and 620 00:34:42,760 --> 00:34:45,320 Speaker 1: keeping her company on her commune. Thank you so much, Maureen, 621 00:34:45,840 --> 00:34:47,479 Speaker 1: thank you for this note. I love it when people 622 00:34:47,520 --> 00:34:50,080 Speaker 1: have family stories that connected the podcast in some way. 623 00:34:50,120 --> 00:34:53,439 Speaker 1: That always delights me so much. And I also really 624 00:34:53,440 --> 00:34:55,399 Speaker 1: like it when people have their stories to share about 625 00:34:55,400 --> 00:34:57,880 Speaker 1: their family members in the service, because I had have family, 626 00:34:57,920 --> 00:35:00,399 Speaker 1: my family members who have been in the of US, 627 00:35:00,400 --> 00:35:02,720 Speaker 1: and I feel a little kinship when I hear people's 628 00:35:02,760 --> 00:35:07,480 Speaker 1: other wartime military service stories. So thank you, Maureen. Thank 629 00:35:07,520 --> 00:35:09,680 Speaker 1: you everyone to send who sends us emails if you 630 00:35:09,719 --> 00:35:11,960 Speaker 1: would like to write to us about this or any 631 00:35:11,960 --> 00:35:14,360 Speaker 1: other podcast, or just to say hello. We love emails, 632 00:35:14,480 --> 00:35:18,680 Speaker 1: just say hello and emails with people's pets, pictures, and them. 633 00:35:18,680 --> 00:35:21,080 Speaker 1: We're a history podcast at how stuff Works dot com, 634 00:35:21,080 --> 00:35:23,280 Speaker 1: and then we're also all over social media at missed 635 00:35:23,280 --> 00:35:25,920 Speaker 1: in History. That is where you'll find our Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, 636 00:35:25,960 --> 00:35:28,600 Speaker 1: and Twitter. You can come to our website, which is 637 00:35:28,680 --> 00:35:30,880 Speaker 1: missed in History dot com, where you will find the 638 00:35:30,880 --> 00:35:32,719 Speaker 1: show notes for all the episodes that Holly and I 639 00:35:32,760 --> 00:35:35,320 Speaker 1: have done together, and you will find a searchable archive 640 00:35:35,400 --> 00:35:38,040 Speaker 1: of every episode ever. And you can subscribe to the 641 00:35:38,040 --> 00:35:41,360 Speaker 1: show on Apple podcast, I Heart Radio app and wherever 642 00:35:41,400 --> 00:35:48,920 Speaker 1: else you get your podcasts. Stuffy Missed in History Class 643 00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:51,640 Speaker 1: is a production of I heart Radio's How Stuff Works. 644 00:35:51,680 --> 00:35:54,120 Speaker 1: For more podcasts for my heart Radio, visit the i 645 00:35:54,160 --> 00:35:57,279 Speaker 1: heart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 646 00:35:57,320 --> 00:36:00,200 Speaker 1: your favorite shows. Two