Thomas More: The Search for the Inner Man Book

After following nine years and five months of daily diary entries, most regrettably, it is now time to say a final farewell to Sam. What a treat it's been to know, to enjoy, the mental wanderings of our fellow traveler. Who among us is so candid? Samuel Pepys recorded his authentic, honest and most private musings throughout his journals, doing so without commercial motivation, solely to leave his personal record to future generations. Reading the diaries leads me to wonder what's really transpiring in the lives of those around me. We're unlikely to know the comprehensive truths that swirl inside another's head, it seems. Sam lays it all out fearlessly, some centuries before the advent of talk therapy, a remarkable achievement.

In this final volume, Sam contends with uncomfortable scrutiny from Parliament regarding his financial conduct as an agent of government. Questions have been asked before, however, this time he's a direct target. The heat is on, big time. He ultimately succeeds in avoiding condemnation and penalty. He comes to terms with declining eyesight, which leads him to quit his daily diary. Sam's womanizing launches into high orbit, then crashes with a spectacular fireball, with lasting consequence, when Elizabeth, his wife, catches our friend in flagrante delicto with Deb, the maid. There's some palliative comfort to be found, though, in the purchase of a new coach, properly gilded and lacquered, with attending coachman and a pair of fashionable horses, to the envy of many. I will miss Sam.

A big thank you to the organizer of the Pepys Diary website, where I read the entire collection, found at