SOURCE: “A Puritan at the Theater,” in Samuel Pepys: Updated Edition, Twayne Publishers, 1989, pp. 83-100.

In the essay that follows, Taylor examines how the tension between Pepys's Puritan beliefs and his delight in attending performances is reflected in his views on Restoration theater.

Pepys's round of pleasures included not only music but also the theater. He dearly loved the theater and sometimes could be found there for several succeeding days. He went to see plays, good and bad, almost every time there was a change on the boards. He went for all sorts of reasons, and he reports countless fascinating facts. Indeed, no one can make a satisfactory study of the Restoration stage without consulting the Diary.

But Pepys had a very strong Puritan streak, despite his conduct that may seem to the contrary. The young clerk of the acts also harbored a feeling that it was downright...