The Diary · Chapter
May 1669 explained
Pepys records his final entries in shorthand, detailing his struggles with failing eyesight, his petition to the Duke of York for leave to travel abroad, and his last attempts to manage naval affairs.
What happens
Pepys records his final entries in shorthand, detailing his struggles with failing eyesight, his petition to the Duke of York for leave to travel abroad, and his last attempts to manage naval affairs. The chapter captures the King's birthday celebrations, social outings with his wife, and his lingering thoughts about Deb. Pepys resolves to abandon his private journal and have it kept in longhand, marking a poignant end to his personal record.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
The emotional and psychological peak occurs when the news of the impending naval battle throws the Board into…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Naval Administration and Corruption
Pepys works on Commanders' Instructions and discusses naval reform with Sir W. Coventry and the Duke of York.
- Daily Life and Domesticity
Pepys records domestic details: his wife's toothache, their outings, and his struggle with his eyesight.
- Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality
Pepys's jealousy over Deb and his wife's suspicions; his amours are noted as past.
Characters to notice
- Samuel Pepys
Pepys is the narrator, struggling with his eyesight and preparing to give up his diary.
- Elizabeth Pepys
Pepys's wife accompanies him on outings; she has a tooth drawn and shows jealousy regarding Deb.
- Sir William Coventry
Pepys visits him while he is indisposed; they discuss Commanders' Instructions.
- Edward Montagu, Earl of Sandwich
Mentioned indirectly through the Duke of York's interest in Lord Middleton regarding Tangier.
- Lord Brouncker
Pepys visits him; he is ill with the gout and his lodgings are blamed for it.
- Mr. Hewer
Assists Pepys with examining and stating his accounts.
- Mr. Creed
Dines with Pepys and discusses reckonings; expects a change in religion.
- Sir William Batten
Not directly mentioned in excerpts, but referenced as part of the Navy Board context.
Key passages
“And thus ends all that I doubt I shall ever be able to do with my own eyes in the keeping of my journal, I being not able to do it any longer, having done now so long as to undo my eyes almost every time that I take a pen in my hand; and, therefore, whatever comes of it, I must forbear”
Pepys concludes that he can no longer keep his diary by hand due to his failing eyesight, and must stop writing it himself.
This marks the end of Pepys's personal shorthand diary entries.
“I must endeavour to keep a margin in my book open, to add, here and there, a note in shorthand with my own hand. And so I betake myself to that course, which is almost as much as to see myself go into my grave”
Pepys plans to leave a margin for occasional shorthand notes, but feels this is like witnessing his own decline.
Pepys expresses melancholy about the loss of his private journaling.
