Then Cromwell died and Charles II took the throne in a remarkable reversal of public support for Puritanism. What times he lived in! He was present during the years Puritanism ruled England under Oliver Cromwell, witnessing the execution of Charles I.

He managed to have his cake and eat it too for many years and we are taken along through his diary, a work that ended when his Admiralty responsibilities overwhelmed his time, and, the author surmises, thought twice about the compatibility of full revelation with his position. The son of a barely literate tailor, Samuel was driven by curiosity to educate himself and, with the help of loans, proceed right on up through Magdalene College at Cambridge and then up in the British Admiralty to assume responsibility for the finances of the fleet.Īlong the way he befriended many among the landed gentry and royalty through his gift for conversation and welcome companionship.Īnd while his mind was occupied, so were his roving hands which he applied to women at every opportunity, despite being married, even taking advantage of a business relationship to gain the right to have sex with the wife of a provider of services to the navy. This biography is subtitled 'the unequalled self' because of the way Pepys was fascinated with his own life, warts and all, conscious of the fact that it would be read by posterity.Ī self-made man in the 1600's, Pepys exemplifies the new idea of the time of meritocracy the placing of people not by family ties but by proven ability. Samuel Pepys is a delight to the historian not only because he wrote voluminously about his personal experience, but that he did so in a way that considers the impact of what he does on the lives of others.

The unequalled self