The Diary · Chapter
October 1666 explained
Pepys navigates the administrative and financial turmoil of the Navy Office, grappling with parliamentary inquiries, personal debts, and the hiring of a new maid.
What happens
Pepys navigates the administrative and financial turmoil of the Navy Office, grappling with parliamentary inquiries, personal debts, and the hiring of a new maid. He finds solace in balancing his accounts and in fleeting encounters with Betty Michell, while the month ends with widespread anxiety over the King's neglect, naval disarray, and the threat of invasion.
Themes in this chapter
Naval Administration and Corruption
Pepys grapples with parliamentary scrutiny of Navy lists, the financial paralysis of the fleet, and the incompetence of officials like Sir J. Minnes.
Money, Debt, and Economy
Pepys settles his personal accounts, borrows and lends money, and reflects on the national economic crisis as the Navy runs out of credit.
Daily Life and Domesticity
Pepys hires a new maid, visits Betty Michell, and enjoys domestic music; his wife deals with family illness and marital discord.
Characters to notice
- Samuel Pepys
Busy with Navy lists for Parliament, hiring a new maid, and settling his accounts; anxious about the state of the Navy and the King's inaction.
- Elizabeth Pepys
Accompanies Pepys on errands; visits her sick brother; involved in discussions about hiring a new maid.
- Sir William Coventry
Dines with Pepys and other Navy officials; provides guidance on parliamentary matters and the state of the fleet.
- Sir William Batten
Joins Pepys at dinner and in committee meetings; arranges a bond for a private man-of-war venture.
- Sir William Penn
Accompanies Pepys to Whitehall and the Committee; departs to join the fleet at the Nore.
- Lord Brouncker
Signs papers for the Navy lists; appears busy with Queen's council.
- Sir George Carteret
Informs Pepys about the referral of Navy lists to a subcommittee.
- Mr. Hewer
Reports to Mrs. Pepys that Mercer is unwilling to return as maid.
Key passages
“Up, and all the morning at the office, getting the list of all the ships and vessels employed since the war, for the Committee of Parliament.”
Pepys spent the morning compiling a list of all ships used during the war for a parliamentary committee.
Highlights Pepys's administrative burden and the political oversight of naval affairs.
“I bless God I do find that I am worth more than ever I yet was, which is £6,200, for which the Holy Name of God be praised!”
Pepys rejoices that his net worth has risen to £6,200, a new personal record.
Reflects Pepys's careful financial management amid national crisis.
“The seamen grow very rude, and everything out of order; commanders having no power over their seamen, but the seamen do what they please.”
Seamen are becoming unruly and disobedient, with commanders unable to enforce discipline.
Illustrates the breakdown of naval order due to unpaid wages.
“My grief only being that the King do not look after his business himself, and thereby will be undone both himself and his nation.”
Pepys laments that the King's neglect of state affairs will ruin both the monarchy and the country.
Expresses Pepys's frustration with Charles II's lack of engagement in governance.
