Pepys, Samuel

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English naval administrator and diarist. His Diary (1660–69) is a unique record of the daily life of the period, the historical events of the Restoration, the manners and scandals of the court, naval administration, and Pepys's own interests, weaknesses, and intimate feelings. Written in shorthand, it was not deciphered until 1825. Highlights include his accounts of the Great Plague of London in 1665, the Fire of London in 1666, and the sailing up the Thames of the Dutch fleet in 1667.

Pepys was born in London, the son of John Pepys, a tailor. References in his Diary show that he was educated at St Paul's School, London, and Magdalene College, Cambridge. Pepys entered the Navy Office in 1660 and was secretary to the Admiralty 1672–79. He was imprisoned in 1679 in the Tower of London on suspicion of being connected with the Popish Plot (see Titus Oates). He was reinstated as secretary to the Admiralty in 1684, but was finally deprived of his post after the 1688 Revolution. He published Memoires of the Navy in 1690. Pepys abandoned writing his diary because he believed, mistakenly, that his eyesight was about to fail – in fact, it continued to serve him for 30 or more years of active life.

The original manuscript of the Diary, preserved in Cambridge together with other papers, is in six volumes, containing more than 3,000 pages. It is closely written in cipher (a form of shorthand), which Pepys probably used in case his journal should fall into unfriendly hands during his life or be rashly published after his death.

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