The Diary of Samuel Pepys | Page 6

of the water; and of a newly contrived gun, which

was to change the whole system of the art of war; but which has left it
pretty much upon the old footing. A lover of antique scandal which
taketh away the character, and committeth SCANDALUM
MAGNATUM against the nobility of the seventeenth century, will find
in this work an untouched treasure of curious anecdote for the
accomplishment of his purpose."

PREFACE TO THE ORIGINAL EDITION.
In submitting the following pages to the Public, I feel that it is
incumbent upon me to explain by what circumstances the materials
from which the Work has been compiled were placed at my disposal.
The original Diary, comprehending six volumes, closely written in
short-hand by Mr. Pepys himself, belonged to the valuable collection of
books and prints, bequeathed by him to Magdalene College, Cambridge,
and had remained there unexamined, till the appointment of my Brother,
the present Master, under whose auspices the MS. was deciphered by
Mr. John Smith, with a view to its publication.
My Brother's time, however, being too much engrossed by more
important duties to admit of his editing the work, the task of preparing
it for the press was undertaken by me at his request.
The Diary commences January 1st, 1659-60 and after being regularly
kept for ten years, it is brought to a sudden conclusion, owing to the
weak state of Mr. Pepys's eyes, which precluded him from continuing
or resuming the occupation. As he was in the habit of recording the
most trifling occurrences of his life, it became absolutely necessary to
curtail the MS. materially, and in many instances to condense the
matter; but the greatest care has been taken to preserve the original
meaning, without making a single addition, excepting where, from the
short-hand being defective, some alteration appeared absolutely
necessary. It may be objected by those who are not aware how little is
known from authentic sources of the History of the Stage about the
period of the Restoration, that the notices of theatrical performances
occur too frequently; but as many of the incidents recorded, connected
with this subject, are not to be met with elsewhere, I thought myself
justified in retaining them, at the risk of fatiguing those readers who
have no taste for the concerns of the Drama. The general details may
also, in some instances, even in their abridged form, be considered as

too minute; nor is it an easy task, in an undertaking of this sort, to
please everybody's taste: my principal study in making the selection,
however, has been to omit nothing of public interest; and to introduce
at the same time a great variety of other topics, less important, perhaps,
put tending in some degree to illustrate the manners and habits of the
age.
In justice to Mr. Pepys's literary reputation, the reader is forewarned
that he is not to expect to find in the Diary accuracy of style or finished
composition. We should rather consider the Work as a collection of
reminiscences hastily thrown together at the end of each succeeding
day, for the exclusive perusal of the Author.
The Journal contains the most unquestionable evidences of veracity;
and, as the writer made no scruple of committing his most secret
thoughts to paper, encouraged no doubt by the confidence which he
derived from the use of short-hand, perhaps there never was a
publication more implicitly to be relied upon for the authenticity of its
statements and the exactness with which every fact is detailed. Upon
this point, I can venture to speak with the less hesitation, having, in
preparing the sheets for the press, had occasion to compare many parts
of the Diary with different accounts of the same transactions recorded
elsewhere; and in no instance could I detect any material error or wilful
misrepresentation.
The Notes at the bottom of the pages were introduced to elucidate
obscure passages; and I have been tempted occasionally to insert short
Biographical Sketches of the principal persons who are named,
accompanied by such references as will enable the curious reader to
inform himself more fully respecting them. In some instances I
experienced considerable difficulty in identifying the individuals; but I
trust that the notices will be found, on the whole, sufficiently correct to
answer the object intended.
In justice to the Reverend John Smith, (with whom I am not personally
acquainted,) it may be added, that he appears to have performed the
task allotted to him, of deciphering the short-hand Diary, with diligence
and fidelity, and to have spared neither time nor trouble in the
undertaking.
The best account of Mr. Pepys occurs in the Supplement to Collier's
Historical Dictionary, published soon after his death, and written, as I

have reason to believe, by his relative Roger Gale. Some particulars
may also be