Samuel Pepys and Club-suppers 3 



In the second place, besides these more stately annual 

 dinners, there arose the informal, and often improvised, 

 dinners and suppers, when, after a meeting of the Society 

 for ordinary business, a few of the Fellows would adjourn 

 for friendly intercourse to some tavern in the neighbourhood. 

 Such social gatherings were much enjoyed by Samuel Pepys, 

 who has left his impressions of some of those which he 

 attended. On the day of his admission as a Fellow of the 

 Royal Society (i5th February 1664-5) ne attended the 

 meeting at the College and heard a discussion with experi- 

 ments on the nature of fire. " After this being done, they 

 to the Crown Taverne behind the 'Change, and there my 

 Lord [Brouncker, President] and most of the company to 

 a club supper ; Sir P. Neale, Sir R. Murray, Dr. Clerke, 

 Dr. Whistler, Dr. Goddard and others of most eminent 

 worth. Here excellent discourse till ten at night, and then 

 home." Again, on 4th June 1666, Pepys records : " To 

 the Crown behind the 'Change, and then supped at the 

 Club with my Lord Brouncker, Sir J. Ent and others of 

 Gresham College." The entry under date 2ist November 

 1667 was fuller and more enthusiastic than ever. " Took 

 coach to Arundel House where the meeting of Gresham 

 College [that is, the Royal Society] was broke up ; but 

 there meeting Creed, I with him to the taverne in St. Clem- 

 ent's Churchyard, where was Dean Wilkins, Dr. Whistler, 

 Dr. Floyd, a divine admitted, I perceive, this day, and other 

 brave men." Dean Wilkins, who next year became Bishop 

 of Chester, was one of the most illustrious among the original 

 band that founded the Royal Society. On this occasion 

 he appears to have been the life of the company, with his 

 fund of anecdotes and his circumstantial account of an 

 experiment about to be performed by the Gresham College 

 philosophers, when the blood of a sheep was to be trans- 

 fused into the body of a poor debauched man. Pepys must 

 have been beyond measure delighted with such a recital. He 

 adds : " Their discourse was very fine ; and if I should be 

 put out of my office I do take great content in the liberty I 

 shall be at, of frequenting these gentlemen's company." 



