Newly decoded extracts from Samuel Pepys's diary have revealed the celebrated 17th-century diarist and naval administrator as a rapacious sexual abuser, according to historian Guy de la Bédoyère. The diary, covering 1660 to 1669, has long been treasured for its vivid account of middle-class life in Restoration London, including the plague and the Great Fire. However, passages written in a mix of languages and shorthand, intended to conceal his sexual exploits, have now been fully translated for the first time.
De la Bédoyère's book, The Confessions of Samuel Pepys, presents these coded entries end-to-end, revealing a man obsessed with sex. Pepys often resorted to a polyglot of French, Latin and Spanish when describing his encounters, and used tachygraphy, an early shorthand, for extra secrecy. The translations show that no day was complete for Pepys unless he had fondled at least one woman's breasts on his way to or from work.
The diary includes disturbing incidents, such as on 3 February 1664, when Pepys witnessed three men raping a woman and wished he could join in. On 1 December 1660, he beat his maid Jane savagely with a broom while eyeing her for a future assignation. De la Bédoyère explains that Pepys's terms 'towsing' and 'tumbling' were euphemisms for violence. Pepys targeted married women to avoid scandal from pregnancy, and even encouraged single women to marry so he could continue his advances.
Pepys married Elizabeth when she was just 14, and was proud of her beauty. However, his behaviour extended beyond his marriage; on 11 August 1665, a waterman offered his daughter-in-law to Pepys in exchange for her husband's exemption from naval service. The historian argues that previous accounts blaming Pepys's behaviour on the Restoration's libertine culture are insufficient, as the diary reveals a pattern of predation that goes far beyond mere bawdiness.
