The Diary · Chapter
December 1667 explained
In December 1667, Pepys records political turmoil as the Commons and Lords clash over Lord Clarendon, with fears of a constitutional crisis.
What happens
In December 1667, Pepys records political turmoil as the Commons and Lords clash over Lord Clarendon, with fears of a constitutional crisis. He manages his Tangier accounts, enjoys music at home, and deals with domestic concerns including his wife's severe toothache and the dismissal of his French lute lessons. The chapter captures a nation in disarray, with the King's council fracturing and Pepys reflecting on the precarious state of the kingdom.
Themes in this chapter
Political Intrigue and Restoration
The chapter is dominated by political turmoil: the Commons vs. Lords over Clarendon, the King's council purges, and the Duke of Buckingham's rise to power, reflecting the fragile state of the Restoration settlement.
Daily Life and Domesticity
Pepys balances political concerns with domestic life: his wife's severe toothache, entertaining guests with music, managing accounts, and dealing with his boy Tom's refusal to learn the French lute.
Money, Debt, and Economy
Pepys settles his Tangier accounts, discusses the King's improved Treasury management, and considers lending £300 to Cousin Kate Joyce, highlighting the constant financial calculations in his life.
Characters to notice
- Samuel Pepys
Pepys attends church, manages accounts, and entertains guests with music; he is anxious about political instability and his wife's health.
- Elizabeth Pepys
Suffers from severe toothache with facial swelling, causing Pepys great concern; she is bedridden and treated with poultices.
- Mr. Hewer
Dines with Pepys and helps review office letters for advantageous matters.
- Sir George Carteret
Discusses the ruinous state of the kingdom with Pepys, noting the King's removal of able men from the Council and the Duke of Buckingham's dominance.
- Mr. Creed
Dines with Pepys and discusses the rise of Nonconformists and the changing composition of the Cabal.
- Roger Pepys
Meets Pepys in Westminster Hall and expresses fears about the Commons' high vote against the Lords, wishing the King would dissolve Parliament.
- Mrs. Turner
Visits Pepys and reports that William Penn has become a Quaker and is melancholy, and that his father is a hypocritical rogue.
Key passages
“the Lords' answer is come down to the Commons, that they are not satisfied in the Commons' Reasons: and so the Commons are hot, and like to sit all day upon the business what to do herein, most thinking that they will remonstrate against the Lords.”
The House of Lords rejected the Commons' reasons regarding Clarendon, prompting the Commons to consider issuing a formal protest.
This reflects the escalating constitutional conflict between the two houses.
“he do believe that there are so many about the King like to be concerned and troubled by the Parliament, that they will get him to dissolve or prorogue the Parliament; and the rather, for that the King is likely, by this good husbandry of the Treasury, to get out of debt, and the Parliament is likely to give no money.”
Lord Crew thinks the King's advisors, fearing parliamentary scrutiny, will push him to dissolve or suspend Parliament, especially since the King is managing to reduce debt and Parliament is unwilling to grant funds.
Highlights the tension between the Crown and Parliament over finances and political control.
“the present sort of government is looked upon as a sort of government that we never had yet—that is to say, a King and House of Commons against the House of Lords; for so indeed it is, though neither of the two first care a fig for one another, nor the third for them both, only the Bishops are afeard of losing ground, as I believe they will.”
Pepys observes that the current government is unprecedented: the King and Commons are united against the Lords, but neither side truly trusts the other, and the bishops fear losing influence.
Pepys's cynical analysis of the shifting power dynamics in Restoration politics.
