Excerpt from "The Diary of Samuel Pepys"

Samuel Pepys, who was later the administrator of the British Navy, witnessed the Great Fire of London firsthand and wrote about it in his diary as follows. . . .

September 2

Lords day. Some of our maids sitting up late last night to get things ready against our feast today, Jane called us up, about 3 in the morning, to tell us of a great fire they saw in the City.

So I rose, and slipped on my nightgown and went to her window, and thought it to be on the back side of Markelane at the furthest; but being unused to such fires as followed, I thought it far enough off, and so went to bed again and to sleep. read more