Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 44.djvu/376

 at the bottom of the whole proceeding (ib. i. 205); and James, in his confession, said that Harbord had bribed him. Scott killed a coachman in 1682 and had to fly the country, though he returned in 1696. He appears to have been a thorough scoundrel and a supporter of Oates (see Hewer to Pepys, 13 May 1682, and E. Wright to Pepys, 12 Nov. 1696).

Pepys was out of office for a time, but still in communication with the king and the duke. In October 1680 he was at Newmarket with Charles, and took down the story of his escape from Worcester (first published by Lord Hailes in 1766). In 1681 he was invited by his friends to apply for the provostship of King's College, Cambridge. He expresses some diffidence from his want of ‘academic knowledge,’ but was attracted by the retirement which would give leisure for putting together his collections upon the history of the navy. He said that he would give up the whole of the first year's income and half the income of succeeding years to the college. The scheme, however, dropped. In 1682 he accompanied the Duke of York to Scotland. He ‘narrowly escaped’ the shipwreck, in which the duke himself and the future Duke of Marlborough were nearly lost, by sailing in a different ship. He was present at two councils in Edinburgh, and visited Glasgow. In August 1683 George Legge, first lord Dartmouth [q. v.], was ordered to sail to Tangier to demolish the works and bring home the garrison. Pepys was appointed to accompany him, and wrote a journal (published in, vol. i.), which is of considerable value. It shows Pepys's shrewdness; though the peculiarities which give interest to his earlier diaries had disappeared, whether because he had become more cautious or because he was really more demure. Charles II now became himself lord high admiral. Pepys was appointed secretary of the admiralty, with a salary of 500l. a year (patent dated 10 June 1686). Pepys was now at the height of consideration. He was chosen president of the Royal Society in November 1684 (having been elected a fellow on 15 Feb. 1664–5), and he was again president in the following year. He afterwards received the society at his house in York Buildings on Saturday evenings, and Evelyn regrets the discontinuance of these meetings caused by the infirmity of the host. He had settled in this house, which was upon the site of York House, demolished in 1672, soon after leaving the navy office. Pepys was in the procession at the coronation of James II as one of the barons of the Cinque ports; and was again named first master of the Trinity House in 1685, upon its receipt of a new charter. Evelyn attended a great dinner upon the occasion (20 July). On the election of parliament in May 1685 Pepys was returned for Harwich and for Sandwich, and elected to serve for Harwich. He was in correspondence with Dartmouth, who commanded the fleet intended to meet William's expedition. James II, just before his flight, was sitting to Kneller for a portrait intended for Pepys; and Pepys acted as secretary until 20 Feb. 1688–9. On 9 March following he was directed to hand over his papers to Phineas Bowles, who succeeded him. On 25 June 1689 he was committed to the Gatehouse on a charge of giving information to the French, but allowed to return to his house, on the plea of ill-health, in July. On 15 Oct. 1690 he asked some friends who had bailed him to ‘eat a piece of mutton with him to-morrow,’ in celebration of his being ‘once again a free man in every respect.’

After his retirement Pepys lived chiefly at Clapham with William Hewer, who had been his clerk. He kept up a correspondence with many distinguished people, including Sir Isaac Newton, Sir Christopher Wren, Evelyn, and Sir Hans Sloane. Dryden imitated Chaucer's ‘Good Parson’ at his request. He took an interest in Christ's Hospital, of which he was a governor. He sent Kneller to Oxford in 1701 to paint a portrait of John Wallis, and presented it to the university in 1702, for which he was elaborately thanked. He died at Clapham on 26 May 1703, when a large stone was found in his kidney. He received the sacrament in his last illness from George Hickes, the nonjuror, who was much edified by his behaviour. He was buried at St. Olave's, Hart Street, by the side of his wife, on 5 June. Rings and mourning were distributed to a large number of persons. He left his fortune to his nephew, John Jackson, son of his sister Paulina. He is at present represented by the family of Pepys Cockerell, one of Jackson's daughters having married John Cockerell of Bishop's Hall, Somerset. At the time of Pepys's death a sum of 28,000l. was due to him from the crown, which was never paid. Pepys left his library to Jackson for his life. It was to go upon his death to some college, Magdalene by preference, and to be kept separate, with various restrictions as to its use. Upon Jackson's death in 1726 it was accordingly given to Magdalene, where it is placed in a building to which Pepys had subscribed. Pepys had taken great pains in selecting and arranging his books, and they remain in the old presses mentioned in the ‘Diary’ of 24 Aug. 1666. The