If you are inclined, they are running a reconstruction of the Diaries of Samuel Pepys (The Father of the Royal Navy and witness to the Great Fire of London. the Reformation etc. etc.) in real time by publishing the entry for the appropriate day. You can sign up for daily emails or follow on various social platforms. I follow on Twitter. There are annotations to enlarge the details of the people and places he mentions, and comments by readers further expand the information.

You can also simply go to the site and read the entire thing at your own pace.

This is today's entry (Jan 1st 1659), in which he is talking about the aftermath of the English Civil War and the beginning of the Restoration of the Monarchy with Charles the Second:

"In the morning before I went forth old East brought me a dozen of bottles of sack, and I gave him a shilling for his pains.

Then I went to Mr. Sheply who was drawing of sack in the wine cellar to send to other places as a gift from my Lord,1 and told me that my Lord had given him order to give me the dozen of bottles.

Thence I went to the Temple to speak with Mr. Calthropp about the 60l. due to my Lord, but missed of him, he being abroad. Then I went to Mr. Crew’s and borrowed 10l. of Mr. Andrewes for my own use, and so went to my office, where there was nothing to do. Then I walked a great while in Westminster Hall, where I heard that Lambert was coming up to London; that my Lord Fairfax was in the head of the Irish brigade, but it was not certain what he would declare for. The House was to-day upon finishing the act for the Council of State, which they did; and for the indemnity to the soldiers; and were to sit again thereupon in the afternoon. Great talk that many places have declared for a free Parliament; and it is believed that they will be forced to fill up the House with the old members. From the Hall I called at home, and so went to Mr. Crew’s (my wife she was to go to her father’s), thinking to have dined, but I came too late, so Mr. Moore and I and another gentleman went out and drank a cup of ale together in the new market, and there I eat some bread and cheese for my dinner. After that Mr. Moore and I went as far as Fleet-street together and parted, he going into the City, I to find Mr. Calthrop, but failed again of finding him, so returned to Mr. Crew’s again, and from thence went along with Mrs. Jemimah home, and there she taught me how to play at cribbage. Then I went home, and finding my wife gone to see Mrs. Hunt, I went to Will’s, and there sat with Mr. Ashwell talking and singing till nine o’clock, and so home, there, having not eaten anything but bread and cheese, my wife cut me a slice of brawn which I received from my Lady; which proves as good as ever I had any. So to bed, and my wife had a very bad night of it through wind and cold."

A glimpse into the world and life of people 600 years and more ago..

Links

Very interesting read, I recognized the term “brawn” there at the end is what we know today as headcheese and “sack” was the ancestor of what we know today as sherry.

Thank you, Pyker. Looking forward to receiving the daily email from the site.

Fascinating. Thanks.

Thanks, I've subscribed. This should be fun!

Pepys was a fascinating guy. I've read around in his diary quite a bit but attempts to read it all straight through have never succeeded.

I started going down the rabbit hole with this and found that Pepys was a colleague and rival of Admiral William Penn, father of THE William Penn who founded Pennsylvania. There’s diary entries of Pepys going out drinking and carousing with a “Mr. Wm. Pen” who it turns out was the younger William Penn who apparently liked to live it up and sow his wild oats when he was a young man. His Admiral father sent him to Ireland for experience and that’s where he learned of the Quaker religion and eventually became a Quaker himself. There’s later Pepys diary entries where he basically mourns the loss of his good drinking buddy to what the English of the time regarded as a cult and then tried to read some of Penn’s religious writings and declaring them shameful and unreadable.

History is just so damn fascinating!

If you're following this, be sure to check out the annotations. Some of them are very interesting.

Anyone following this might also be interested in this lecture from Gresham College about the decade preceding the beginning of Pepy's diary.



Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeaQuP-gb3o&t=349s