Set piece · His vows, plays and meals
His vows, plays and meals
The public events make the diary useful. These make it human, for better and worse.
The vow tracker
Again and again he swore off wine, plays, buying books and spending money, kept a book of his oaths, paid fines into the poor box, and found ingenious ways round them.
No wine or plays till Michaelmas (29 September) 1662
- Made:
by a former resolution it is to be the last play we are to see till Michaelmas
26 May 1662 - Kept:
I have by a late oath obliged myself from wine and plays, of which I find good effect.
31 May 1662 Month-end review. - Kept:
with ease I past the whole dinner without drinking a drop of wine
12 Jun 1662 A tavern dinner without wine. - Kept:
I drank as I still do but my allowance of wine
3 Jul 1662 The oath seems to allow a small daily allowance. - Kept:
I did refuse it, and I hope shall ever do so
5 Jul 1662 Refuses his friend John Creed's urging to go to a play. - Kept:
the greatest part may be imputed to my drinking no wine, and going to no plays
7 Aug 1662 Credits the oath for his pleasure in business. - Wriggled out:
I could not avoid drinking of 5 glasses this afternoon with him
17 Sep 1662 Drinks five glasses in company, well over his allowance. - Kept:
This day my oaths for drinking of wine and going to plays are out
29 Sep 1662 The oath runs out at Michaelmas.
No plays till Easter 1663
- Made:
now resolving to set up my rest as to plays till Easter, if not Whitsuntide next, excepting plays at Court
8 Jan 1663 - Broken:
to put off my mind’s trouble, I took Creed by coach and to the Duke’s playhouse
17 Jan 1663 Nine days later he goes to the Duke's house to see The Five Hours again. - Broken:
venturing upon the breach of my vow, which I found myself sorry for
23 Feb 1663 Sees two plays in one day and pays the forfeit at once. - Wriggled out:
though my oath against going to plays do not oblige me against this house, because it was not then in being
8 May 1663 Argues that the new Theatre Royal did not exist when he swore. - Kept:
for which I have paid the due forfeit by money and abating the times of going to plays at Court
29 May 1663 Settles his account with the vow by forfeits.
One play a month (1664)
- Made:
I will not see above one in a month at any of the publique theatres till the sum of 50s. be spent, and then none before New Year’s Day next
2 Jan 1664 - Kept:
it being a new month, and once a month I may go
1 Feb 1664 Uses February's allowance on its first day. - Wriggled out:
though not exactly agreeing with the letter of my vowe, yet altogether with the sense, to see another this month
8 Mar 1664 Swaps an unused Court play for a second public one. - Kept:
conquered, with much ado, a desire of going to a play
25 Apr 1664 Takes his wife for a drive instead. - Wriggled out:
it being given me, I look upon it as no breach to my oathe
4 Aug 1664 His colleague Sir William Penn pays, so it does not count. - Wriggled out:
she giving me her time of the last month, she having not seen any then; so my vowe is not broke at all
8 Aug 1664 Uses his wife's unused allowance. - Wriggled out:
which is a fallacy that I have found now once, to avoyde my vowe with, but never to be more practised I swear
13 Aug 1664 Lends Creed the money so Creed can pay for their play. - Wriggled out:
So that with a safe conscience I do think my oathe is not broke and judge God Almighty will not think it other wise
28 Sep 1664 Someone else paid and he does not know who.
No more books for a good while
- Made:
do not intend to buy any more of any kind a good while
10 Jun 1662 - Kept:
I thank God, can read and never buy a book, though I have a great mind to it
12 Nov 1662 Browses Paul's Churchyard without buying. - Wriggled out:
which I will make the King pay for as to the office; and so I do not break my vow at all
23 Nov 1663 Orders Rushworth and Scobell and charges them to the office. - Kept:
till I thought of my oathe when I was going to agree for them
13 Jan 1664 Leaves a bookshop “glad at my heart” without buying. - Broken:
when I came home thought of my vowe, and paid 5s. into my poor box for it
22 Feb 1664 Buys two books of city maps and pays the forfeit. - Wriggled out:
which I did not so much (by being against my oath) buy as only lay down money till others be bound better for me
20 Apr 1664 Calls paying for Lawes's Psalms a deposit, not a purchase.
No wine and no plays (New Year 1662)
- Made:
I have newly taken a solemn oath about abstaining from plays and wine, which I am resolved to keep according to the letter of the oath which I keep by me
31 Dec 1661 - Kept:
since my leaving drinking of wine, I do find myself much better and do mind my business better
26 Jan 1662 A month in, he credits giving up wine with better health and work. - Wriggled out:
here I drank wine upon necessity, being ill for want of it
17 Feb 1662 Drinks wine “upon necessity” at Woolwich, fearing that giving it up too suddenly harms him.
Sworn rules on spending
- Made:
I set to make some strict rules for my future practice in my expenses, which I did bind myself in the presence of God by oath to observe upon penalty therein set down
3 Mar 1662 - Kept:
did not buy it, I having no mind to break my oath
9 May 1662 Turns down a picture offered for 20s. - Kept:
bought nothing because of my oath, though I had a great mind to it
3 Oct 1662 Walks through Paul's Churchyard without buying. - Kept:
I must by my oath give half as much more to the poor
4 May 1663 Pays for dancing lessons and owes half as much again to the poor under his oath.
No wine or plays till Christmas 1662
- Made:
this night I have again bound myself to Christmas next
30 Sep 1662 - Broken:
my conscience that I ought not to have gone by my vow
20 Oct 1662 Goes to the Duke's house and pays a crown into the poor's box as the forfeit. - Kept:
all I do impute almost wholly to my late temperance, since my making of my vowes against wine and plays
31 Oct 1662 Month-end review. - Kept:
without drinking a drop of wine
12 Nov 1662 Dines without wine. - Kept:
my time is now out that I did undertake it for
26 Dec 1662 The oath has run out, so he goes to a play.
No plays till Christmas 1663
- Made:
I resolved to bid farewell, as shall appear by my oaths tomorrow against all plays either at publique houses or Court till Christmas be over
13 Jun 1663 - Kept:
the first play I have been at these six months, according to my last vowe
1 Jan 1664 Goes to Henry the Eighth on New Year's Day, six months on.
No strong drink till November 1663
- Made:
increased them by a vow against all strong drink till November next of any sort or quantity
19 Jul 1663 - Wriggled out:
did only taste a drop of Sack
20 Jul 1663 A drop of Captain Cocke's thirty-year-old Malaga. - Wriggled out:
a note under his hand to drink wine with my beere, without which I was obliged, by my private vowe, to drink none
19 Aug 1663 Gets his doctor to prescribe wine with his beer. - Kept:
though I drunk no wine, though mightily urged to it
4 Sep 1663 Refuses wine at Povey's lavish table. - Wriggled out:
I did all alone, for health’s sake, drink half a pint of Rhenish wine at the Still-yard, mixed with beer
21 Oct 1663 Wine “for health’s sake”, mixed with beer. - Wriggled out:
I only drinking some hypocras, which do not break my vowe, it being, to the best of my present judgement, only a mixed compound drink, and not any wine
29 Oct 1663 At the Lord Mayor's feast he decides hippocras is not wine.
No wine till his accounts are passed
- Made:
I have made an oathe this night for the drinking no wine, &c., on such penalties till I have passed my accounts and cleared all
21 Dec 1665 - Broken:
even sacke for lacke of a little wine, which I was forced to drink against my oathe, but without pleasure
24 Jan 1666 Drinks sack at supper. - Wriggled out:
I this day on this occasion drank a glasse of wine, which I have not professedly done these two years
20 Feb 1666 A glass at a christening, as a special occasion. - Kept:
I drinking no wine, had metheglin
25 Jul 1666 At the King's back-stairs table he drinks mead, not wine. - Wriggled out:
I only burnt wine, as my whole custom of late hath been, as an evasion, God knows, for my drinking of wine
26 Mar 1667 Calls burnt wine an “evasion” and resolves to stop.
No pleasures till Whitsun 1667
- Made:
so from this day take upon me to leave it till Whit-Sunday
19 Apr 1667 - Broken:
being in the humour to see one, went to the Duke of York’s house
20 Apr 1667 The next day he goes to The Wits, then vows again to see no more plays till Whitsun. - Kept:
I was very near making a forfeit, but I did command myself
21 May 1667 Walks away from the door of the Duke's playhouse.
No plays till Michaelmas (29 September) 1667
- Made:
my belly now full with plays, that I do intend to bind myself to see no more till Michaelmas
24 Aug 1667 - Broken:
my mind a little troubled at my late breach of vowes, which however I will pay my forfeits
8 Sep 1667 He has seen plays on 26 August and 4 and 5 September; he promises to pay the forfeits. - Wriggled out:
the liberty I give myself of going to plays upon pretence of the weakness of my eyes
14 Sep 1667 Excuses his playgoing by his weak eyes, and is “mightily troubled in mind” at it.
Burn L'Escholle des filles, a French pornographic book
- Made:
I resolve, as soon as I have read it, to burn it
8 Feb 1668 - Kept:
And after I had done it I burned it, that it might not be among my books to my shame
9 Feb 1668 Reads it on Sunday and burns it.
His theatre verdicts, ranked
He went to the theatre at least 339 times and saw 140 different plays. 136 got a clear verdict from him, ranked here by an AI reading of his own verdicts.
The best
- Sir Martin Mar-all · John Dryden, from the Duke of Newcastle's translation of Molière · seen 8×
though I have seen it, I think, ten times, yet the pleasure I have is yet as great as ever, and is undoubtedly the best comedy ever was wrote
22 May 1668 - The Maiden Queen · John Dryden · seen 7×
the more I see, the more I love, and think one of the best plays I ever saw
24 Jan 1668 - The Bondman · Philip Massinger · seen 7×
There is nothing more taking in the world with me than that play.
28 Jul 1664 - Mustapha · Earl of Orrery · seen 4×
I never saw such good acting of any creature as Smith’s part of Zanger
11 Feb 1668 - The Island Princess · John Fletcher · seen 2×
which I like mighty well, as an excellent play
9 Feb 1669 - Volpone · Ben Jonson · seen 1×
a most excellent play; the best I think I ever saw
14 Jan 1665
The worst (136 is the bottom)
- A Midsummer Night's Dream · William Shakespeare · seen 1×
which I had never seen before, nor shall ever again, for it is the most insipid ridiculous play that ever I saw in my life
29 Sep 1662 - Romeo and Juliet · William Shakespeare · seen 1×
a play of itself the worst that ever I heard in my life, and the worst acted that ever I saw these people do
1 Mar 1662 - The Royal Shepherdess · Thomas Shadwell · seen 1×
the silliest for words and design, and everything, that ever I saw in my whole life
25 Feb 1669 - The Coffee-house · Thomas St Serfe · seen 1×
the most ridiculous, insipid play that ever I saw in my life
15 Oct 1667 - Queen Elizabeth's Troubles · Thomas Heywood · seen 1×
the play is the most ridiculous that sure ever come upon the stage
17 Aug 1667 - The Humorous Lovers · Duke of Newcastle (Pepys thought it his wife's) · seen 1×
the most silly thing that ever come upon a stage. I was sick to see it
30 Mar 1667
What he ate
Counts are mentions in the diary: each time Pepys names a dish or drink on a given day counts once, so they measure what he chose to write down, not every meal he ate.
| Kind | Mentions | Most named |
|---|---|---|
| Wine & spirits | 311 | wine, sack (strong white wine from Spain), Rhenish wine, strong water (spirits), claret |
| Fish & shellfish | 191 | oysters, lobster, anchovies, fish, eels |
| Meat | 163 | chine of beef, neat's tongue (ox tongue), roast beef, lamb, leg of mutton |
| Ale, beer & other drinks | 137 | ale, beer, cider, mum (strong German beer), buttered ale |
| Fowl & game | 112 | pullet, venison, fowl, rabbit, turkey |
| Pies & pastries | 104 | venison pasty, mince pie, tart, cheesecake, pie |
| Fruit, vegetables & pottage | 88 | fruit, oranges, cherries, melon, peas |
| Bread, cakes & sweets | 81 | cake, sweetmeats, bread and butter, bread, Twelfth cake |
| Dairy & eggs | 77 | cream, bread and cheese, whey, cheese, milk |
| Tea, coffee & chocolate | 12 | chocolate, coffee, tea |
Meals to remember
- His first cup of tea, “a China drink”, which he had never tasted before:
afterwards I did send for a cup of tee
25 Sep 1660 - The morning after the coronation, nursing a hangover:
which he did give me in chocolate to settle my stomach
24 Apr 1661 - A dinner for his uncle and aunt Wight:
We had a good dinner, the chief dish a swan roasted, and that excellent meate.
12 Jan 1664 - At his cousin's, a “venison” pasty that was really beef:
only the venison pasty was palpable beef, which was not handsome
6 Jan 1660 - At sea on the day of the Restoration landing, the King and his brothers try the sailors' fare:
they eat of nothing else but pease and pork, and boiled beef
25 May 1660 - At the coronation banquet in Westminster Hall, from the Lords' table:
he did give me four rabbits and a pullet
23 Apr 1661 - A dinner party at home, his wife up at five to go to market for it:
I had for them, after oysters, at first course, a hash of rabbits, a lamb, and a rare chine of beef.
13 Jan 1663 - His yearly stone feast, in thanks for surviving the operation to remove a bladder stone in 1658, held late this year:
a lamprey pie (a most rare pie), a dish of anchovies, good wine of several sorts, and all things mighty noble and to my great content
4 Apr 1663 - A new French wine, Haut-Brion (he writes “Ho Bryan”):
drank a sort of French wine, called Ho Bryan, that hath a good and most particular taste that I never met with
10 Apr 1663 - Good Friday:
had an excellent Good Friday dinner of peas porridge and apple pye
8 Apr 1664 - On the hottest day he can remember, the day he first sees plague houses:
there drunk whey, with much entreaty getting it for our money
7 Jun 1665 - Oysters in plague time:
there sat and talked and eat our oysters with great pleasure
24 Nov 1665 - In Bristol, at the house of Deb Willet's uncle, with the sherry he calls “Bristoll milk”:
a whole venison-pasty, cold, and plenty of brave wine, and above all Bristoll milk
13 Jun 1668