New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-11-07
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
A BOOK ABOUT PEPYS.
SAMUEL PEPYs AND THE WORLD HE LIVED

70 one who has read through his celebrated Diary.
His charming naivete. his amiable domestic ch'r-
acter his constant intercourse with the great people
of his time. his propensity to record everything
have made lis volumes rescued by the ingenuity
of cryptoQraphers from the cipher in which he
concealed ms stoIy. among the most interesting ana
important of modern reprints. Mr. Wheatley, IN
this compilation has cndeavored 10 draw together
some Of the most interesting incidents of the
Diary relating to PepysS life, and to the manners
of his time and also to illustrate them from other
sources There is, to begin with. chapter upon
"Pepys Before the Diary We have some account
Or him during his residence at Magdalcne College
the college books having been searched to hnu some
tlacc OF him. Under date Of October Il 1902 IL -
recorded that Pepys and Hind were soemhiy Sd
monished for having been scandalously oVer-served
with drink the night before. Yet he Is thought 10
have brought away from the University good
stock of classical learning. He there made the ac
uualntance of the celebrated Selden, from whom he
borrowed the collection of ballads which proved the
basis of the famous PepySian collection. 1t was
like him to marry, in 1868, Elizabeth st. Michael
n beautiful and portionlcss girl of iftcen-the
famous Mis-. Pepys of the Diary. When PopyS
took this stcp he stil poor and without settled
means of support. lie lived as he could until after
the Restoration. lie went with the fleet which
brought back Charles H. After that he gets
''Ai'ttA''
the Privy Seal. Readers OF the Diary will he III
tegested in the following summary OF Pepys's
foiblcs:
Pcnvs acknowledged to two weaknesses OF
which hc tr-d 10 cure himself by means OF Vows
ftt [tp, l,u.>s vas too great addiction 10 the
bottle and the second TOO frequent alt'hi'i,V 'l
theatres. ON July -, 1901. we hnd hlm making
inns confession: "Iiaviu- the beginning oi tlhs
week mad, e VOW to myself 20 duak no WINE 'aIo
vrck-fuliug 10 unfit me t. look after business
fs rt IS
much troubled icr il; hat holt goa VIII Io,.ilt
mem Ca NicbJr.mas Day. 1861, he loon 80 mug"
wine that he was even almost loNcd so that ht
burst not read PRAYER ioT tear OF b'lnH Prl,C\ru
bv my servants ~ what case was. NcAl year.
the same Iar hc finds ,nal ms oathS 10Y "'ili'-
ing OF wine and gong ID PLAYS are oEi. ana So ne
resolves 10 take SOME liberty. "ahb then Ian TO
them again" ON December 80. LOO, We IHd nun
writing After dinner duuHius hNr OF 81
claS-,s of wine, winch liberty l now take TIL
On Octo1rr - loss he drinks some hppocras
which consist, o. WHO mixed with sugar ana
Spices under tc belief that Jazz Is not hicJ4n3 nus
vow. becau>e il is only mixed compound GIHH.
piece of casai,.r, t. That OF Ficding's Ncweale
CHAPLAIN VINO preferred plnch TO wine hr.Hu-. Ihr
former was liquor nowhere spoken against III
Scripture
There is q great deal in the Diary Of Nh. Pepyss
clothes: and here is ono OF the first notices which
We have in the present volume of This passion;
The I'M sure Of extravaganza ane iruga!lty that
Is con.faqtiv cvhlDitcd m tue Diary is most
AMUSING paIticul 'Tly jpn Che case OF clothes IhuS
When he hcsrs That tae Queen is III. he stops the
making Of ms velvet cloak uuiu Ire sees whether
she lives dies. In spite ii TINS ioIrth0u&hl, ne
finds. on casting mp Al5 accounts 'hat nc 't'ht
Zoo on his own clothes. although. as q Sft-Qu
against tins large sum, Ms. Pcpy>'s clothes only
rO,t SD. THIS love O. line clothes IS continually
pccpng ont. and il has been suggested th@t hc IN
hcritcd il with the tailor blooG OF his father a
better reason. however may bc found III the lact
that at one time he was very poor. and forced 10
sneak like Il hcggaI tor want of clothes; - thai,
now he is IN funds, he tries 70 make up for his
1pftff
handsomely. =,
A few years after this he expresses himself as
ashamed Of the shahhiresS OF his clothes when he
wished to speak to the King. but dld not like 10 90
So because ms linen was dirty and his clothes neal
During the great fire in London in 1866. Pepys
showed his common sense strongly. He was the
first to seek Whitehall to tell the King and the
Duke of York of the impending danger, ana his
Majesty instructed him to 60 to the Lord Mayor and
"command hun to pull down houses in every
direction" AT this time Pcpys had saved a large
sum of money, and he seems to have been much
troubled to know how to take care of it, Gentle
men who TeioIcs in modern methods of safety Will
appreciate the difficulties OF the Diarst:
In these days Of banks and other means for the I
6euost of money il H. not easy TO realize the diff
cultlcs OF men who possessed money IN the seven
teqnth century. Pcpys sent some down To Bramp-
ton to lie buried. but his wife and father did the
business entrusted to them SO badly that he was
quite wilI and uneasy with fears that il might be
found by others. Therefore. at the hlst oppoI-
I
treasure; aud the description OF the hunt after 1t Is
certainly of the most entertaining passages IL |
the Diary" He and his father and wife 20 ont
into the garden Win 4 dark lantern, and grope |
about a long time before they come ON the trace.
Then they find that the bags are rotten. and gold
and notes all spread about and covered with |
dirt the latter being scarcely dlstlneulShahlc |
Then there is gathering Of IT UP to be washed and
In the end not much IS lost, although throughout
the proceedings PcpyS in dread that the ncighbOrs
VIII see and hear what is gong on
Mr. Whcatley thus epitomizes with judicial ac
curacy the character Of pepys:
Pepvs's nature was sngularly contradictory, and |
I'm summing up the chief points OF his character, we
can do little more than make a catalogue of his |
various qualities, giving the bad ones first. and |
then cnumrTating the good ones as setOt. Thus,
lac was mfaithinl to his wife and "A coward. vet |
he knew his faults, and could Try to amend them. |
He VAN. Ignorant. cIeduOus, and superstl- |
ti0us; yet he had scholarly tastes. and his orderly
and business habits were SO marked that they |
alone would point 10 him aS man out OF the COM
mon lie was mean. ana yet ne was also gen
eIOus. This harsh verdict, but u can easily
be proved to he true, and we Will proceed to notice
the several points seridtm.
lie was coward, for on one occasion he was so
angry with the cOol>mad that he kicked her. He
was rot sorry for doing this bpt he was vexed that
Sir William Penns fcotbUy saw him, and would
probably tell the family
His vanity may he taken for granted as every
line of the Diary" shows IT. He was ignorant
OF history, for he expected to find an account of
Engands dominion on the sea in DOnesdaY
Book As to his credulitY. he appears 10 have
believed everything that was told him. however
absurd. Ills superstition Is SHOWN In MS DeIIel III
charms and in most of the popular dclusiOnS of his
time; and also by his subteriuges, when he
opens letter, and does not look at 1t until the
money has fallen out. that he may be able 10 say
that he saw no money III the paper IT he should be
questioned abOut IL.
Perhaps on the whole, the most remarkable |
OF the man was his total want CT the
imaginative faculty Here VAS one who had been
well educated. and had kept up his learning
through life; who had an artistic taste. and WAS
"a thorough musician; who could MT so much as
true wit or the higher poetry. Mid
summer Nights Dream " was inspid ana ridiculous
TO hin. and he founG IludiDras' so silly that ne
was ashamed OF II.
There is in this volume an interesting chapter