ny with Major Holmes in
the Guinea voyage concerning the pendulum watches (March 15th, 1664-5)."
The records of the society show that he frequently made himself useful
by obtaining such information as might be required in his department.
After he retired from the presidency, he continued to entertain some of
the most distinguished members of the society on Saturday evenings at
his house in York Buildings. Evelyn expressed the strongest regret
when it was necessary to discontinue these meetings on account of the
infirmities of the host.
In 1685 Charles II. died, and was succeeded by James, Duke of York. From
his intimate association with James it might have been supposed that a
long period of official life was still before Pepys, but the new king's
bigotry and incapacity soon made this a practical impossibility. At
the coronation of James II. Pepys marched in the procession immediately
behind the king's canopy, as one of the sixteen barons of the Cinque
Ports.
In the year 1685 a new charter was granted to the Trinity Company, and
Pepys was named in it the first master, this being the second time that
he had held the office of master.
Evelyn specially refers to the event in his Diary, and mentions the
distinguished persons present at the dinner on July 20th.
It is evident that at this time Pepys was looked upon as a specially
influential man, and when a parliament was summoned to meet on May 19th,
1685, he was elected both for Harwich and for Sandwich. He chose to
serve for Harwich, and Sir Philip Parker was elected to fill his place
at Sandwich.
This parliament was dissolved by proclamation July 2nd, 1687, and on
August 24th the king declared in council that another parliament should
be summoned for November 27th, 1688, but great changes took place before
that date, and when the Convention Parliament was called together
in January and February, 1689-90, Pepys found no place in it. The
right-hand man of the exiled monarch was not likely to find favour in
the eyes of those who were now in possession. When the election for
Harwich came on, the electors refused to return him, and the streets
echoed to the cry of "No Tower men, no men out of the Tower!" They did
not wish to be represented in parliament by a disgraced official.
We have little or no information to guide us as to Pepys's proceedings
at the period of the Revolution. We know that James II. just before his
flight was sitting to Kneller for a portrait
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