“I think the Devil shits Dutchmen…” | In the Dark

“I think the Devil shits Dutchmen…”

Just time for a short update on the aftermath of the Dutch Raid on the Medway as recounted by Samuel Pepys which I blogged about last month.

The Dutch fleet withdrew from the Medway in mid-June of 1667 (Old Calendar) but they did attempt further raids later that month and in early July. Fed by wild rumours about the intentions and whereabouts of the Dutch, London was a jittery place. Pepys summed up the mood in his Diary, ending with a quote which has become famous:

One tells me that, by letter from Holland, the people there are made to believe that our condition in England is such as they may have whatever they will ask; and that so they are mighty high, and despise us, or a peace with us.

— Samuel Pepys (@samuelpepys) July 19, 2020

God knows whether they can do it any hurt, or no, but it was pretty news come the other day so fast, of the Dutch fleets being in so many places, that Sir W. Batten at table cried, “By God,” says he, “I think the Devil shits Dutchmen.”

— Samuel Pepys (@samuelpepys) July 19, 2020

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This entry was posted on July 22, 2020 at 5:30 pm and is filed under History with tags Raid on the Medway, Samuel Pepys, The Diary of Samuel Pepys. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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