FINE DISCLOSURES & EXPERIMENTS

During Pepys’ lifetime fundamental questions began to be asked about the natural world. Although Pepys had no scientific training, he took a keen interest in science and joined the Royal Society in 1665.

The Royal Society was granted a charter in 1662 by Charles II to improve ‘Natural Knowledge’ through observation and experiment. Members of the Society were drawn from a wide social circle. Pepys was bewildered by the more theoretical discussions, but enjoyed the practical demonstrations and was always interested in instruments and ideas he could use himself.

'I did pay my admission money – 40s – to the Society. Here was very fine discourses – and experiments; but I do lack philosophy enough to understand them, and so cannot remember them. Among others, a very perticular account of the making of several sorts of bread in France, which is accounted the best place for bread in the world.'

1 MARCH 1665