The Diary of Samuel Pepys, Vol. 8, 1667

That wild and crazy guy of the 17th century - Samuel Pepys - continues his escapades in London and environs. In this volume: the aftermath of the Great Fire of London, talk of Nostradamus, the increasingly infamous behavior of the royal court, trouble in Parliament, the end of one war and rumors of new wars brewing, plays aplenty, news from the New World, more science experiments and early brain surgery, and Sam's carousing with his friends! Much too scandalous to be published in its own time, this first person account sheds an entirely different light on Pepys' times. The year begins with rumors of war: "I find the Court full of great apprehensions of the French, who have certainly shipped landsmen, great numbers, at Brest; and most of our people here guess his design for Ireland. We have orders to send all the ships we can possible to the Downes. God have mercy on us! for we can send forth no ships without men, nor will men go without money, every day bringing us news of new mutinies among the seamen; so that our condition is like to be very miserable."