Samuel Pepys [ Art and Literature / Politics ]
… he was ‘ esteemed rich, but endeed very poor’ ( Diary , I, 2). In 1660, much of his time was spent in alehouses and taverns, meeting fellow clerks and local City officeholders. Drinking and gaming were fun ways to pass the time, but … in streets and no stable government at Westminster, the opinions of London’s citizenry carried weight. Alehouse and taverns were places for Pepys to sound out the public mood, offering a drink in tacit return for an acquaintance’s views. … and hearing talks of new theories, both in formal meetings and when smaller gatherings of members and non-members met in taverns and coffeehouses. The Royal Society became a life-long affiliation: in the 1670s he would become a member of the …
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