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Samuel Pepys' Diary: on Twitter

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Will Hunt:
I can't really think what thread this fits into. I have recently been enthralled by the diary of Samuel Pepys, which is being tweeted in "real time" on the profile @samuelpepys
It's bloody great. We're currently on 1666. He's either down the brothel, shagging his mates' wives/the servant girls/anyone he can get his grubby hands on, or bemoaning the lack of money his department in the navy has. In the last month or so he's witnessed a dog being given a blood transfusion (the donor fell down dead of course, the recipient is still alive a few days later!), been disappointed that his usual lay at The Swan has married a shoemaker, been to a party with the king and queen, and occasionally gets his gold and plate out of the cellar to check up on it.

Absolutely fascinating and highly recommended.

Oldmanmatt:
Sorry, is this Samuel Pepys or Boris Johnson’s diary?

moose:

--- Quote from: Will Hunt on November 17, 2019, 06:35:18 pm ---I can't really think what thread this fits into. I have recently been enthralled by the diary of Samuel Pepys, which is being tweeted in "real time" on the profile @samuelpepys
It's bloody great. We're currently on 1666. He's either down the brothel, shagging his mates' wives/the servant girls/anyone he can get his grubby hands on, or bemoaning the lack of money his department in the navy has. In the last month or so he's witnessed a dog being given a blood transfusion (the donor fell down dead of course, the recipient is still alive a few days later!), been disappointed that his usual lay at The Swan has married a shoemaker, been to a party with the king and queen, and occasionally gets his gold and plate out of the cellar to check up on it.
Absolutely fascinating and highly recommended.

--- End quote ---

Great Fire of London soon then? and the famous cheese! If you want to learn more, I highly recommend Claire Tomalin's biography The Unequalled Self.  Though the biggest surprises I've read about him have been in books on naval history (I have a weakness for seafaring tales and history); despite all the carousing he was a very able admistrator at the Navy Board - contributed to the modernisation that made it a major source of UK power in later years.

Will Hunt:
I think we've already had the fire. I need to go back and read it, and might make a point of starting right back at the beginning on January 1st 2020/1660.

You can see the anxiety it's caused in his writing. I think his father might have lost his house? Something interesting was that a court ruled that costs would be borne by landlords where the fire had spread naturally to the district, or not if the fire had been set by arson. I think that's why he keeps getting his money and plate out of the cellar. He can't keep from checking on it. This is 30 years before the Bank of England is formed and his entire personal wealth is holed up in the cellar. If its stolen or lost in fire then that's it: he's ruined. Obvious, I suppose, but the personal nature of the writing brings it home (much like Peter Jackson's WW1 documentary brought the history to life).

Will Hunt:
Reporting of the fire starts with this incredibly vivid entry from 2nd September 1666:
https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1666/09/02/

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