Diary of Samuel Pepys — Volume 12: September/october 1661
September 1661. The Restoration is barely a year old, and Samuel Pepys is 28 years old, newly installed at the Navy Board, and keeping a secret diary in a cipher no one can read. What he writes is staggering: court intrigue, diplomatic theatrics, his wife's cold shoulder, his own embarrassments and desires, the plague of rats eating the Navy Office cheese. Pepys is vain, anxious, occasionally awful, and utterly compelling. He judges everyone and spares no one, including himself. This volume captures a pivotal moment: the new king's court still finding its footing, English naval power expanding into war, and one man writing down everything before anyone knows they're being watched. For anyone who wants to step inside 17th-century London and never leave, there has never been a better tour guide, and never a more honest one.
