Saturday 6 August 1664

[Continued from yesterday. P.G.] … Here lay Deane Honiwood last night. I met and talked with him this morning, and a simple priest he is, though a good, well-meaning man. W. Joyce and I to a game at bowles on the green there till eight o’clock, and then comes my wife in the coach, and a coach full of women, only one man riding by, gone down last night to meet a sister of his coming to town. So very joyful drank there, not ’lighting, and we mounted and away with them to Welling, and there ’light, and dined very well and merry and glad to see my poor-wife. Here very merry as being weary I could be, and after dinner, out again, and to London. In our way all the way the mightiest merry, at a couple of young gentlemen, come down to meet the same gentlewoman, that ever I was in my life, and so W. Joyce too, to see how one of them was horsed upon a hard-trotting sorrell horse, and both of them soundly weary and galled. But it is not to be set down how merry we were all the way.

We ’light in Holborne, and by another coach my wife and mayde home, and I by horseback, and found all things well and most mighty neate and clean. So, after welcoming my wife a little, to the office, and so home to supper, and then weary and not very well to bed.

24 Annotations

First Reading

Michael Robinson  •  Link

"... a simple priest he is, though a good well-meaning man."

Dean Honywood perhaps a 'simple priest,' but like Pepys a great book collector; he gave his own collection of about 5,000 vols. to Lincoln and housed them, with the other Lincoln books, in a library designed by Wren:-

For an internal view of the library (if using Firefox scroll down for the picture):-
http://www.lincolncathedral.org.u…

Audio / Visual tour of the Lincoln Cathedral Library & treasures:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/lincolnshire…

jeannine  •  Link

"Journal of the Earl of Sandwich" edited by R.C. Anderson

6th. Saturday. In the morning we had a Court Martial for trial of the Master's Mate of the Breda, that had spoken very irreverent words of the Duke of York; whom he disgraced and cashiered him the fleet; and punished the Gunner in whose cabin they were drunk and spake the words.
Capt. Titus dined aboard me. I sent the Drake to Calias for the Count Grammont. Capt. Nixon in the Elizabeth sent in a pink laden with wool from Ireland that was going for Holland on the back of the Goodwin.

cape henry  •  Link

"But it is not to be set down how merry we were all the way." Pepys has exhibited this common human tendency in the past, that is, when distant from his duties and among strangers (in this case with a trusted companion)he is frequently "the mightiest merry." The credit card bill, so to speak, arrives later. Sounds like a good day, though - one many of us would enjoy.

djc  •  Link

"them to Welling",

Map link should be to Welwyn, Herts not Welling Kent

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...but it is not to be set down how merry we were all the way."

A pity if Bess never saw that, Sam...

Paul Chapin  •  Link

Thank you, djc. The itinerary from Stevenage to Holborn via Welling, Kent made absolutely no sense.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...then comes my wife in the coach, and a coach full of women, only one man riding by, gone down last night to meet a sister of his coming to town."

Phew...Though I don't know, Samuel. He could say he's come to meet a 'sister'. While all the time watching and leering at Bess, plotting to meet her. Lord knows if the genders were reversed and you, Samantha, were the pretty wife in the coach, it would be a fair bet you'd be eyeing him.

Ruben  •  Link

If you have a moment to spare open the "Ye Olde Daily Mail" (numbers 1665, 1644, 1666) and read some more info on our Sam's adventures. I warn you that some Spoiler is possible because of Fire and Plague information.
See:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/…

Pedro  •  Link

"Map link should be to Welwyn, Herts not Welling Kent "

This had come up before in September 1661,when on the way back from Brampton...

"and so rode easily to Welling, where we supped well, and had two beds in the room and so lay single, and still remember it that of all the nights that ever I slept in my life I never did pass a night with more epicurism of sleep; there being now and then a noise of people stirring that waked me, and then it was a very rainy night, and then I was a little weary, that what between waking and then sleeping again, one after another, I never had so much content in all my life, and so my wife says it was with her.

http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

Link should go to...

http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…

JWB  •  Link

"...mounted and away..."

Can't be read without a smile. I suppose Sam wrote it with a smile. There's a bit of Cavalier in all of us.

Bradford  •  Link

Tears Before Bedtime ("weary and not very well to bed") and only able to welcome Elizabeth home "a little" before it's back to the telecommute. Was there a Stuart equivalent of Dear Abby?

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...weary and not very well to bed."

Clearly God's punishment for chuckling at those other fellows...Not to mention that proud smirk you surely had, Sam, when gallantly trotting up to Bess' coach on that horse.

Australian Susan  •  Link

Sorrell

Chestnut-coloured horse. Notorious for being flighty or just mad. I used to think this was an old wives tale (or old jockey's tale), but every single chestnut horse I have encountered (espec. mares) has been quite batty. The bloke riding this horse must have had a bad time of it - prob. why Sam comments on the colour. And "hard-trotting" would jar the teeth. Not to mention everything else. There's nothing worse than a horse that just will NOT settle down and canter on, no matter how firmly the correct aids are applied to produce the change of gait. Possibly an indication of the inexperience of the rider.

Second Reading

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

On the Sandwich diary notation, "Capt. Nixon in the Elizabeth sent in a pink laden with wool from Ireland that was going for Holland on the back of the Goodwin."

From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pin…

"A pink (French - pinque) is one of two different types of Sailing ship. The first was a small, flat-bottomed ship with a narrow stern; the name derived from the Italian word pinco. It was used primarily in the Mediterranean Sea as a cargo ship.

"In the Atlantic Ocean the word pink was used to describe any small ship with a narrow stern, having derived from the Dutch word pincke. They had a large cargo capacity, and were generally square rigged. Their flat bottoms (and resulting shallow draught) made them more useful in shallow waters than some similar classes of ship. They were most often used for short-range missions in protected channels, as both merchantmen and warships. A number saw service in the English Navy during the second half of the 17th Century. This model of ship was often used in the Mediterranean because it could be sailed in shallow waters and through coral reefs."

So I think this means that The Elizabeth intercepted a Pink laden with Irish wool bound for Holland using the Channel on other side of the Goodwin Sands, hoping to avoid the fleet. I'm guessing trade with Holland was a no-no right now? Or was Ireland not allowed to export wool? Or why does Sandwich record this event?

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"Or was Ireland not allowed to export wool? "

CORRECT ... From A Concise History of Ireland by P. W. Joyce
http://www.libraryireland.com/Joy…

Ireland enjoys great natural advantages of soil and climate; and towards the end of the 17th century, in spite of wars and other troubles, several branches of manufacture, trade, and commerce were prospering.

English traders and merchants believed that Irish prosperity was their loss, and in their short-sighted jealousy, persuaded the English parliament to ruin the trade of Ireland (except that in linen) by imposing restrictions.

This legislation was generally the work of the English parliament alone; but sometimes the Irish parliament followed in the same direction; and in obedience to orders from Westminster, Dublin passed acts destroying their own trade. All this was the more to be wondered at, seeing that the blow fell almost exclusively on Irish Protestants (at this time the Catholics were barely able to live, and could hardly attempt any industries).

The English "Navigation Act" of 1660, as amended in 1663, prohibited all exports from Ireland to the colonies; and also, in the interest of English graziers, prohibited temporarily the import of Irish cattle into England.

So the Pink was smuggling.

Tonyel  •  Link

"to see how one of them was horsed upon a hard-trotting sorrell horse, and both of them soundly weary and galled. " Can someone explain 'galled' - and is Sam referring to the horses or the riders?
Thank you Sarah for the information on the pink - and the Irish trade problems.

Tripleransom  •  Link

'Galled' in this context means rubbed raw, specifically by the saddle.

"Let the galled jade wince, our withers are unwrung"
- Hamlet

I take it that Sam means both horse and rider are saddle sore, probably because of the 'hard trotting'. Not pleasant.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"I take it that Sam means both horse and rider are saddle sore, probably because of the 'hard trotting'."

As someone who grew up riding in the UK, I have no idea what "hard trotting" is. With the English saddle it is easy to rise in the stirrups to avoid being joggled (which is great exercise for your thighs) -- and I assume this has been how it's been done for a thousand years.

With a Western saddle it takes a lot more effort, so I avoided trotting.

Now I'm thinking that rising in the stirrups must be a comparatively new innovation? You can't joust or fight on horseback without stirrups.

Gerald Berg  •  Link

There he is at it again: "poor-wife"! Hyphenated no less. What's with that? Been weeks since he's seen her and no other adjective comes to pen?

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Turns out saddles were more Western styled in Pepys' day, and "posting" isn't standard:

Saddles were improved during the Middle Ages, as knights needed saddles that were strong and supportive. They had a high cantle and pommel (to stop the rider from being unseated in warfare) and a wooden tree to supported a rider with armor. The saddle was padded with wool or horsehair and covered in leather or textiles. ...

Other saddles sometimes added solid trees to support stirrups, but were kept light for use by messengers and for horse racing.

One type of English saddle was developed by François Robinchon de la Guérinière [born 1688], a French riding master and author of "Ecole de Cavalerie," made major contributions to dressage. He emphasized the "three point" seat, still used today.

for more, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sad…

To not be jostled out of the saddle or harm the horse by bouncing on its back, riders must learn to sit the trot. Most riders learn to sit a slow jog trot without bouncing. ... A fast, uncollected trot is virtually impossible to sit.

Sitting the trot is important because the trot is a safe, efficient gait for a horse. ...

Three ways the trot may be ridden:

Sitting: The rider's seat remains in the saddle while following the motion of the horse and without bouncing. ... Sitting the trot gives the rider optimum control, because s/he can use the seat and weight to ask the horse to make upward or downward transitions, turns, and/or to decrease or increase impulsion. ... Sitting is tiring for the rider, especially if the rider has not built up stomach and back muscles, or if rider is on a powerful mount with a big trot. To absorb the impact, the rider relaxes the hips and the stomach and lower back, as well as the legs. The rider's upper body remains upright and quiet, and the hands steady. The lower legs only come into play when the rider gives a leg aid.

If a rider cannot sit the trot and is bounced around, ... not only is the rider uncomfortable, the constant slamming of the rider onto the horse is uncomfortable for the horse. As a result, it will hollow its back and stiffen its movement.

Rising or Posting: The rider makes an up-and-down movement each stride, rising out of the saddle for one beat and lowering (sits) for the second beat. When the rising trot is performed correctly, it is comfortable for the rider and easy on the horse. ... This does not provide as much control as sitting, but frees the horse's back. ...

Half-seat or Two-point: Sometimes used synonymously, the half-seat variation involves the rider getting the seat bones off the saddle and keeping soft contact with the pelvis, and two-point variation involves the rider raising the seat and pelvic bones. In both cases, the rider is off the saddle and does not post. This provides freedom for the horse's back but the least amount of control for the rider. ...

for more see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trot

Chris Squire UK  •  Link

Re: ‘ . . both of them soundly weary and galled . . ’

‘galled, adj.2 < Old English . .
1. (a) Affected with galls* or painful swellings. . .
1660 W. Secker Nonsuch Professor 151 Most persons are like gauld horses that cannot indure the rubbing of their sores . .

* 1. a. Originally, a painful swelling, pustule, or blister, esp. in a horse (cf. windgall n.1). In later use (? influenced by gall v.1), a sore or wound produced by rubbing or chafing.
. . 1600 P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. (1609) xxviii. xxvii. 681 Full against my will I touch these points, as sores and gals [L. vulnera] that will not abide the rubbing . . ‘

Log in to post an annotation.

If you don't have an account, then register here.