On Pepys's return to England he obtained an appointment in the office of
Mr., afterwards Sir George Downing, who was one of the Four Tellers of the
Receipt of the Exchequer. He was clerk to Downing when he commenced his
diary on January 1st, 1660, and then lived in Axe Yard, close by King
Street, Westminster, a place on the site of which was built Fludyer
Street. This, too, was swept away for the Government offices in 1864-65.
His salary was L50 a year. Downing invited Pepys to accompany him to
Holland, but he does not appear to have been very pressing, and a few days
later in this same January he got him appointed one of the Clerks of the
Council, but the recipient of the favour does not appear to have been very
grateful. A great change was now about to take place in Pepys's fortunes,
for in the following March he was made secretary to Sir Edward Montage in
his expedition to bring about the Restoration of Charles II., and on the
23rd he went on board the "Swiftsure" with Montage. On the 30th they
transferred themselves to the "Naseby." Owing to this appointment of
Pepys we have in the Diary a very full account of the daily movements of
the fleet until, events having followed their natural course, Montage had
the honour of bringing Charles II. to Dover, where the King was received
with great rejoicing. Several of the ships in the fleet had names which
were obnoxious to Royalists, and on the 23rd May the King came on board
the "Naseby" and altered there--the "Naseby" to the "Charles," the
"Richard" to the "Royal James," the "Speaker" to the "Mary," the "Winsby"
to the "Happy Return," the "Wakefield" to the "Richmond," the "Lambert" to
the "Henrietta," the "Cheriton" to the "Speedwell," and the "Bradford" to
the "Success." This portion of the Diary is of particular interest, and
the various excursions in Holland which the Diarist made are described in
a very amusing manner.

When Montagu and Pepys had both returned to London, the former told the
latter that he had obtained the promise of the office of Clerk of the Acts