Thursday 23 February 1659/60
Thursday, my birthday, now twenty-seven years.
A pretty fair morning, I rose and after writing a while in my study I went forth. To my office, where I told Mr. Hawly of my thoughts to go out of town to-morrow. Hither Mr. Fuller comes to me and my Uncle Thomas too, thence I took them to drink, and so put off my uncle. So with Mr. Fuller home to my house, where he dined with me, and he told my wife and me a great many stories of his adversities, since these troubles, in being forced to travel in the Catholic countries, &c. He shewed me his bills, but I had not money to pay him. We parted, and I to Whitehall, where I was to see my horse which Mr. Garthwayt lends me to-morrow. So home, where Mr. Pierce comes to me about appointing time and place where and when to meet tomorrow. So to Westminster Hall, where, after the House rose, I met with Mr. Crew, who told me that my Lord was chosen by 73 voices, to be one of the Council of State. Mr. Pierpoint had the most, 101, and himself the next, 100. He brought me in the coach home. He and Mr. Anslow being in it. I back to the Hall, and at Mrs. Michell’s shop staid talking a great while with her and my Chaplain, Mr. Mumford, and drank a pot or two of ale on a wager that Mr. Prin is not of the Council. Home and wrote to my Lord the news of the choice of the Council by the post, and so to bed.
25 Annotations
First Reading
Jan Grantham • Link
Any other NPR addicts might have heard Garrison Keillor this morning with "spoilers" galore in honor of Sam's birthday.
David Quidnunc • Link
"NPR" translated for Brits . . .
"When I arrived in the USA another British expat said to me, 'Were you Radio 4 at home?' and when I nodded said, 'Then what you need is NPR . . .' "
http://slate.msn.com/id/2078597/e…
Caveat: All I know about Radio 4 is what I just read on the web page referenced just above. Keillor is master of ceremonies of both "Prarie Home Companion" and a kind of daily literary almanac feature, which may or may not correspond to anything on Radio 4. And now, back to your regular Pepys programming . . .
David Quidnunc • Link
NPR translated for anyone . . .
National Public Radio
Eric Walla • Link
RE: He shewed me his bills, but I had not money to pay him ...
As a friend of Fuller, would Sam have felt an obligation to help pay his bills? Or is there a further connection between them, through which Fuller was about on business when in the Catholic countries?
In any case, happy Birthday, Sam! And could you lend me a few bucks until Tuesday ...?
Keith P • Link
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Samuel
Happy Birthday to you!
Would they have sung that then?
Roger Miller • Link
No, they wouldn't have sung 'Happy Birthday dear Sam-u-el' because the tune was written as recently as 1893.
In fact it is in copyright until 2030. An explanation of how this came to be is here: http://www.snopes.com/music/songs…
Phil • Link
As you can see, the word "birthday" is a link to the Background Info page about how people celebrated birthdays in Pepys time. This will mean we don't have to have this conversation every year.
Jenny Doughty • Link
Mr. Pierpoint had the most, 101, and himself the next, too.
As it stands, this sentence sounds odd. Why 'too'? Is it possible that the word 'too' is a misprint or a misreading for '100'?
Bill Young • Link
After Sam has gone on at length about the run up to his brother's departure for Cambridge, I was expecting a full description of the departure. It seems odd there's no mention today.
gerry • Link
Cribbing from L&M explains a couple of the above questions. As Jenny suspects they give "100" instead of "too" and the money being requested was for school bills for Edward, Montagu's son.
Nix • Link
Pepys is moving in pretty fast company -- John Crew is clearly a major power in the country, and a family connection as Montague's father-in-law. I am getting the picture of Samuel as being one of the hot young political aides such as one can see on Capitol Hill (and I assume in Westminster as well): a few years out of law school, working on a Congressman's staff, angling for a future career as a lobbyist and, when his party is in power, an under-secretaryship in one of the government departments. That pretty well coincides with Samuel's position, doesn't it? Remote as the times may be, the world of politics and government and questing for power doesn't change much. Anyway, having been on that track once myself, I find myself a lot better able to identify with the diarist.
michael f vincent • Link
Cribbing too: Monck was chosen unanimously : total vote 114 M.P.s
David Quidnunc • Link
Cast
GARTHWAYT -- has a stable at Scotland Yard. (Index)
PIERPONT -- Pierrepont, William (d. 1678) -- politician, brother of Henry, 1st Marquess of Dorchester. (Index)
ANSLOW -- Annesley, Arthur (1614-86) -- at about this time (perhaps already, perhaps starting soon -- the Companion volume is unclear) Annesley is an associate of Crew and Montagu and a moderate puritan. He will do pretty well for himself and we'll see him a bit in the future. Here's a description of his singular looks, apparently from the diary: "his face long and emaciated, his complexion between purple and green, his eyes frightening." He was a hard worker, able and serious, although Pepys will criticize his administrative abilities years from now. He was a friend of John Milton. Annesley's grandson in 1724 will give Magdelene College 200 pounds to transport Pepys's library to Cambridge. (Companion)
MRS. MITCHELL'S -- Miles and Ann Mitchell operated a book stall in Westminster Hall since about 1656. Pepys often bought newsbooks and political pamphlets there, and they also sold lozenges. Pepys got along with the Mitchells so well that he and his wife often used their stall as a rendezvous. (Companion)
MUMFORD, MRS. -- a shopkeeper. The reference to her as his "chaplain" is apparently humorous. (Vol. 1)
-- Sources: Latham & Matthews, Vol. 1, companion volume (10), index volume (11).
David Quidnunc • Link
Cast II
MUMFORD, MRS. -- It is "Mrs." in L&M and not "Mr." (Vol. 1)
PRIN, -- he was on the committee that helped pass the bill for electing the Council of State but didn't get elected to it himself. (Vol. 1)
Django Cat • Link
David, briefly, a word on Radio 4. A well kept secret but cherished national treasure, most Brits don't even seem to be bothered about it, hence the reference to 'were you Radio 4?' on Moira Redmond's site. It's now available internationally on the net, with streaming audio of the current broadcast and previous programmes. Sadly, Claire Tomalin's 'Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self' excellently read by Lindsay Duncan, which was the Book of The Week about the time Phil's project began last month, is no longer available, thought the current book, Michael Newton's 'Savage Girls and Wild Boys "An exploration of the history of feral children"' which started up this morning is already shaping up to be fascinating. Oh, and they also feature Garrison Keiler from time to time. All this from http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/ . Just avoid the dire 'You and Yours' which makes lunchtimes desperately boring this side of the pond. Back to Pepys scholarship...
Susanna • Link
"And himself the next, too"
Perhaps "himself" is Mr. Crew, whom Pepys was talking with?
vicente • Link
Unanswered question:"RE: He shewed me his bills, but I had not money to pay him …” I do believe Dr William Fuller was looking to redo his loan. Lady day was settle day, when rates of interest do change up: For right up to day of HP [pre credit card, Hire Purchase for those that failed to have a valued item to borrow cash from Uncle[the 3 globes]] came in, Loans were many times a private affair. Many small “Mum and Pop out-fits” got what was owed them , [many were stiffed by the gallants but could do nought,][mostly] to restock and pay their own bills, that was settlement time. Oh! how things have changed.
Second Reading
Katherine Dreher • Link
Samuel's 380th birthday today. I hope we are still gathering to celebrate his 400th.
Terry Foreman • Link
"I met with Mr. Crew, who told me that my Lord was chosen by 73 voices, to be one of the Council of State. Mr. Pierpoint had the most, 101, and himself the next, 100. "
The Journal of the House does not give these figures, but established that 114 M.P.'s were present and voting : http://www.british-history.ac.uk/… Monck was chosen unanimously, the rest by ballot.
Terry Foreman • Link
"He and Mr. Anslow being in it."
Arthur Annesley, later 2st Earl of Anglesey. was elected to the Council.
"I back to the Hall, and at Mrs. Michell’s shop staid talking a great while with her and my Chaplain."
A shopkeeper. 'Chaplain' is probably a joke-name. At 18 March 1666 Pepys calls another shop-keeper his 'second wife'.
"drank a pot or two of ale on a wager that Mr. Prin is not of the Council."
He was one of the committee appoiulnted to bring in the bill for electing the Council, but was not himself elected to it. (L&M footnotes)
Terry Foreman • Link
"So with Mr. Fuller home to my house, where he dined with me, and he told my wife and me a great many stories of his adversities, since these troubles, in being forced to travel in the Catholic countries, &c. He shewed me his bills, but I had not money to pay him. "
L&M: William Fuller (a friend of Pepys, and now a schoolmaster at Twickenham) had been expelled from his studentship at Christ Church, Oxford, during the revolution; his sufferings were alluded to later when he was rewarded with an Irish deanery: Wood, Ath. Oxon. (ed. Bliss), iv. 850. The bills were for the schooling of Edward, Mountagu's son.
Third Reading
MartinVT • Link
"I met with Mr. Crew, who told me that my Lord was chosen by 73 voices, to be one of the Council of State. Mr. Pierpoint had the most, 101, and himself the next, too."
(a) As noted previously, "too" should be "100." (b) Crew is doing the telling, here, so "himself" refers to Crew, elected with 100 votes.
Elisabeth • Link
Happy 390th Sam! Just ten years to go to the quadricentennial.
StanB • Link
Happy birthday Sam let's hope that this marvelous site and its wonderful readers have many more to come
I'm feeling distinctly older myself now, but as a 2nd reader going into 3 it is still as engrossing now as ever it was
Croakers Apprentice • Link
Happy birthday Sam!
Although the beauty of this site and the connection it gives us with Pepys’s world and people, is that he isn’t 390 today - he’s still 27 and just for a moment, for all of us, those intervening 363 years aren’t there…