Tuesday 23 June 1663
Up by four o’clock, and so to my office; but before I went out, calling, as I have of late done, for my boy’s copybook, I found that he had not done his task; so I beat him, and then went up to fetch my rope’s end, but before I got down the boy was gone. I searched the cellar with a candle, and from top to bottom could not find him high nor low. So to the office; and after an hour or two, by water to the Temple, to my cozen Roger; who, I perceive, is a deadly high man in the Parliament business, and against the Court, showing me how they have computed that the King hath spent, at least hath received, about four millions of money since he came in.
And in Sir J. Winter’s case, in which I spoke to him, he is so high that he says he deserves to be hanged, and all the high words he could give, which I was sorry to see, though I am confident he means well.
Thence by water home, and to the ’Change; and by and by comes the King and the Queen by in great state, and the streets full of people. I stood in Mr.————’s balcone. They dine all at my Lord Mayor’s; but what he do for victuals, or room for them, I know not.
So home to dinner alone, and there I found that my boy had got out of doors, and came in for his hat and band, and so is gone away to his brother; but I do resolve even to let him go away for good and all.
So I by and by to the office, and there had a great fray with Sir W. Batten and Sir J. Minnes, who, like an old dotard, is led by the nose by him. It was in Captain Cocke’s business of hemp, wherein the King is absolutely abused; but I was for peace sake contented to be quiet and to sign to his bill, but in my manner so as to justify myself, and so all was well; but to see what a knave Sir W. Batten is makes my heart ake. So late at my office, and then home to supper and to bed, my man Will not being well.
28 Annotations
First Reading
Pedro • Link
Kingdomes Intelligencer: Pepys' Boy Shocker.
Wayneman blots copybook, has whay with maids, and does a runner!
TerryF • Link
"Mr.————’s balcone."
L&M read "Mr.———————Balcone." with a long space where Wheately has a horizonal line.
language hat • Link
balcone
From the OED etymology of "balcony" (which comes from Italian balcone):
"Till c1825 the pronunc. was regularly [bal-KOH-nee], but [BAL-kuh-nee] (once in Swift), ‘which,’ said Samuel Rogers, ‘makes me sick,’ is now established."
Any prescriptivist/nostalgic types up for trying to revive the good old "correct" pronunciation?
TerryF • Link
Wayneman "is gone away to his brother; but I do resolve even to let him go away for good and all."
Perhaps he never bargained for the beatings, which his sister, Jane, hadn't suffered; but corporal punishment ('discipline') for a young male servant was S.O.P. at that time, and Pepys's patience has perhaps been tested once too often.
Todd Bernhardt • Link
See what happens when Sam doesn't get to play music?
Seriously, it's a much different Sam today, though he doesn't absolutely dig in his heels and refuse to sign the bill.
A. De Araujo • Link
"but I was for peace sake contented to be quiet"
That is it Sam,go with the flow,don't rock the boat; whistle blowers usually don't get nowhere.
ellen • Link
"for peace sake"...could that combination have evolved into
for Pete's sake?
TerryF • Link
"in Sir J. Winter’s case, in which I spoke to [my cozen Roger, he is so high that he says he deserves to be hanged"
The background of this seems to be a contract by virtue of which Sir J. Winter stood to profit, which, unbeknownst to Roger, his cousin Samuel had himself drafted a year ago.
18 June 1662 - "to Sir J. Winter’s chamber by appointment, and met Mr. Pett, where he and I read over his last contract with the King for the Forest of Dean, whereof I took notes because of this new one that he is now in making." http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
20 June 1662 "to the office, and there drew up the agreement between the King and Sir John Winter about the Forrest of Deane; and having done it, he came himself (I did not know him to be the Queen’s Secretary before, but observed him to be a man of fine parts); and we read it, and both liked it well." http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
TerryF • Link
Sir J. Winter’s case
There were two sources of animus against this contract.
(1) Sirr John Winter was a Catholic, like the Queen, which enraged Roger Pepys and other anti-papists in Parliament.
(2) There had been, and would continue for decades to be, constant conflict between the historic rights of the commoners in the Forest of Deane and the imposition of royal prerogatives, sponsoring entrepreneurial early industrial extraction of iron and timber by the likes of the Winter family.
Robert Gertz • Link
Lord Mayor's House...
"John! My God, the King, the Queen, the whole damned court is on their way! Sweetheart, if they all come in for dinner we're ruined! What do we do?!"
"We'll try what my cousin did in Queen Elizabeth's time when she threatened to bring the court to his place while on progress! Make fast the doors, post notes that we're away, and head for the Thames and my barge with every cent you can grab, dearest!"
Robert Gertz • Link
Geesh, just the other day Minnes was full of charming and clever remarks about Chaucer, etc and now again he's the foolish "old dotard". I agree with Todd about the effect of a day without music.
Pauline • Link
Sir J. Winter
L&M does it again!
"[H]is Catholicism, combined with his expert knowledge of gunpowder, made him an object of mistrust."
Xjy • Link
Sam living on the edge today
Not so much a lack of music as a lack of Bess to fill his life, I'd say.
Interesting how he's getting some distance and diplomacy into his professional life. Able to discourse productively with someone who has a diametrically opposed and potentially lethal stance on a matter in which Sam has been personally involved, and not only that but comment on it with some emotion and no personal animosity, and move on to reflections about royalty and the lord mayor, and this just a moment after noting a desire to beat his page and sack him.
The daily dialogue with himself is serving Sam very well. Days without music or Bess, sure, but never a day without his diary.
Australian Susan • Link
Wonder where Wayneman hid in the house that Sam couldn't find him? I have this vision of him splayed against the ceiling like Lucy Liu in her boyfriend's trailer in Charlie's Angels. Wonder if nowadays, he'd be diagnosed as ADD? Doesn't seem able to settle to anything, concentrate or complete tasks. Most exasperating lad.
Todd Bernhardt • Link
I dunno, Oz Sue, he sounds like a normal 12 (or so)-year-old boy to me. Remember, we're getting this only from Sam's perspective ... we know very little about Wayneman's motivations or point of view.
I bet he fled the house ("there I found that my boy had got out of doors") ... that's what I would have done if someone were going to beat me with a rope's end! He may be as glad to be quit of Sam as Sam is of him (though I bet they'll both miss each other eventually).
Interesting how this morning episode seems to set the tone for the rest of the day.
And Robert ... it's been TWO days without music! :-)
TerryF • Link
"I was...contented to be quiet and to sign...but in my manner so as to justify myself"
Did he append a "signing statement" to his signature?
Bradford • Link
If you'd ever been hitted (as Bluebottle, the Goon Show equivalent of Wayneman, would say) with a properly knotted rope's end, you might scarper too.
TerryF • Link
Sir J. Winter's Catholicism & expert knowledge of gunpowder -
Ah, yes - thanks, Pauline, for reminding us what goes with mining - "the industrial extraction of iron" from the Forest of Deane.
A quick online search suggests that it will be many more years before enough time has passed for there to be poetic warnings about the Gunpowder Plot.
in Aqua scripto • Link
Once you be associated with a terrorist act [nov 5, Ffalkes], like the Gun powder plot however inept, and have the right kind of political/religio support, thee be always be available for political assination. As Parliament would like to have controll over all transactions, and given the right opportunities will crush ye [but does not have all the cards to do so]and send thee to political rustification.
Practical concerns like being the only qualified one to get the job accomplished be only off a minor concern. So the Kings men have control.
The Popish party led by Arundel and many of the old Lords be trading carefully, but must not be upsetting those to whom that they owe monies to[and favours for getting back their incomes]
Charles promised much that May day a few years back, but now he has his bait, paliass,and T shirt and warme bodies against the cold of the early hours and the cash to to do what he pleases. So now Parliament be up the river without a paddle,left arguing about control, and they have nearly lost it. Charles not yet the absolute Monarch that HIS buddy the Sun King be or quite up to his Fathers grip on the income yet. That dirty word monie and whence it comes from.
Australian Susan • Link
Bradford - lovely analogy! Robert G - have you ever heard of Bluebottle? This really calls for some Wayneman/Bluebottle dialogue with Sam. Irrestible!
A. Hamilton • Link
That dirty word monie
"the King hath spent, at least hath received, about four millions of money since he came in" and Cousin Roger & the House are outraged at the cost. No wonder they have decided on a new tax (subsidy) to alert Britons to the extravagance of their monarch. Meanwhile, Pepys labors in vain to save "the King" (wherein one may read, "the executive" or "the Navy", I think) from being cheated by conspiracies between merchants and the commissioners. Charles is getting better service from Sam than he deserves, I think.
ken Welsh • Link
re: Bluebottle et al...could Sam be cast as Moriarty perhaps?
Mary • Link
Moriarty?
No, Neddy Seagoon, surely.
(Sorry, Phil).
Patricia • Link
Well no wonder Wayneman fled. Sam beat him, then went looking for his rope's end to beat him some more. Only a blinkin' idjit would stand there and wait for it!
"I found that he had not done his task; so I beat him, and then went up to fetch my rope’s end, but before I got down the boy was gone."
Samuel Pepys and Mr. Hyde
Second Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"It was in Captain Cocke’s business of hemp, wherein the King is absolutely abused"
Possibly this was the question of payment for the 500 tons contracted for a year ago with Cocke and his partners Rider and Cutler: http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1… Or possibly the abuse was in the matter of its quality: Commissioner Pett wrote to Pepys on 29 June that if Cocke's Russia hemp were mixed with Riga and used for ground tackle and cables 'then farewell security to the ships in harbour'. (Per L&M footnote)
Bill • Link
'so I beat him, and then went up to fetch my rope’s end"
Wayneman was beat by Sam with a rope's end a month ago (24 April). No wonder he fled. Another term for "rope's end" is salt eel: http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…
Chris Squire UK • Link
OED has:
‘rope's end, n. . .
1. The end of a rope; (hist.) a short piece of rope used for flogging, esp. for flogging a sailor.
. . 1663 S. Pepys Diary 23 June (1971) IV. 193, I beat him and then went up to fetch my ropes end . .
1969 P. O'Brian Master & Commander (1970) iii. 88 He heard oaths, laughter, the impact of a rope's end as a bosun's mate started a torpid bewildered hand.’
Terry Foreman • Link
' by water to the Temple, to my cozen Roger; who, I perceive, is a deadly high man in the Parliament business, and against the Court, showing me how they have computed that the King hath spent, at least hath received, about four millions of money since he came in."
L&M: The grant of timber made to Winter in July 1662 was bitterly rescinded by the commoners of the Forest of Dean: see https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/… and
https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…
On 22 May 1663 a sub-c ommittee of the Commons had criticised the terms of the grants made to him: CJ, viii. 489-90. See Mileard, p. 187, for renewed criticisms in February 1668, when a bill to preserve the timber and protect commoners' rights was passed. Winter was a Catholic and unpopular with critics if the court such as Roger Pepys.