" This narrative
has all the advantage of being written at the time of the event,
which kind of record has been pronounced preferable to "a cart-
load of pencillings." Of this very attractive particularity is
the Diary of Pepys, which is here submitted to the reader in the
most elegant and economical as well as complete form.
Of the origin of this work, details are given the accompanying
Preface, by the noble Editor--Lord Braybrooke. The diarist--Mr.
Secretary Pepys--was a great virtuoso in collections of English
history, both by land and sea, much relating to the admiralty and
maritime affairs. He gathered very much from records in the
Tower, had many fine models, and new inventions of ships, and
historical paintings of them; had many books of mathematics and
other sciences; many very costly curiosities relating to the City
of London, as views, maps, palaces, churches, coronations,
funerals, mayoralties, habits, heads of all our famous men, drawn
as well as painted, the most complete collection of anything of
its kind. He was a man whose free and generous spirit appeared
in his pen, and his ingenious fancy at his finger's end.
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