Diary of Samuel Pepys — Volume 39: October 1665

In this unabridged excerpt from a 17th‑century diary, a London clerk‑bureaucrat records his day‑to‑day life amid the turmoil of war and plague. His entries blend official business, personal anxieties, and the small pleasures of shipboard camaraderie, offering a vivid window into Restoration England. The prose captures the rhythm of the navy’s movements, the political chatter about the Dutch fleet, and the ever‑present concern for royal favor.

On October 1, he wakes aboard the Bezan, joins officers in reading the popular epic “The Siege of Rhodes,” and receives a reassuring certificate from his lord, securing rights to captured goods. The following day the ship sails through the night to Gillingham, where he inspects the dockyard, encounters a stubborn commissioner, and even climbs the ruins of Rochester Castle, meeting three young women along the way. Pepys’s candid humor and keen eye for detail make the ordinary moments—late‑night laughter, a card game, the strain of hauling timber—feel immediate and engaging.