I went out to Charing Cross, to see Major-general Harrison hanged, drawn and quartered; which was done there, he looking as cheerful as any man could do in that condition.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Pepys observes a public execution where the condemned man looks unusually cheerful.
- In plain terms
- He watched a man being executed who did not look scared.
- What can you take from it?
- Public executions were treated as spectacles in that era.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What do we learn from executions?
- How do people face death?
Another view
The description focuses on the man's demeanor rather than the gravity of death.
More from Samuel Pepys
And so to bed.
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