ABSTRACT
The diarist Samuel Pepys loved to laugh with everyone, from high to low. A rising English civil servant under the restored monarchy of Charles II, Pepys depended on his relations with people of higher rank in carving out his social success. Laughter was important to him, both for personal enjoyment and in negotiating his place across differences of status. He sometimes misjudged the freedom of jest that his superiors would tolerate, as in one practical joke on Sir William Penn, who never really forgave Pepys for pretending to steal his tankard and hold it for ransom, especially after he used the money to treat their whole crowd at the tavern. In general, however, laughter served Pepys well, as he jested with humorous boatmen, his wife and servants, fine ladies in dishabille, and the Duke of York. In an age that combined sharp consciousness of rank with rising social mobility, skills in managing laughter could be a powerful tool.
