Tuesday 30 July 1667

Up and to the office, where we sat busy all the morning. At noon home to dinner, where Daniel and his wife with us, come to see whether I could get him any employment. But I am so far from it, that I have the trouble upon my mind how to dispose of Mr. Gibson and one or two more I am concerned for in the Victualling business, which are to be now discharged. After dinner by coach to White Hall, calling on two or three tradesmen and paying their bills, and so to White Hall, to the Treasury-chamber, where I did speak with the Lords, and did my business about getting them to assent to 10 per cent. interest on the 11 months tax, but find them mightily put to it for money. Here I do hear that there are three Lords more to be added to them; my Lord Bridgewater, my Lord Anglesey, and my Lord Chamberlaine. Having done my business, I to Creed’s chamber, and thence out with Creed to White Hall with him; in our way, meeting with Mr. Cooling, my Lord Chamberlain’s secretary, on horseback, who stopped to speak with us, and he proved very drunk, and did talk, and would have talked all night with us, I not being able to break loose from him, he holding me so by the hand. But, Lord! to see his present humour, how he swears at every word, and talks of the King and my Lady Castlemayne in the plainest words in the world. And from him I gather that the story I learned yesterday is true — that the King hath declared that he did not get the child of which she is conceived at this time, he having not as he says lain with her this half year. But she told him, “God damn me, but you shall own it!” It seems, he is jealous of Jermin, and she loves him so, that the thoughts of his marrying of my Lady Falmouth puts her into fits of the mother; and he, it seems, hath lain with her from time to time, continually, for a good while; and once, as this Cooling says, the King had like to have taken him a-bed with her, but that he was fain to creep under the bed into her closet … [He says that for a good while the King’s greatest pleasure hath been with his fingers, being able to do no more. – L&M] But it is a pretty thing he told us how the King, once speaking of the Duke of York’s being mastered by his wife, said to some of the company by, that he would go no more abroad with this Tom Otter (meaning the Duke of York) and his wife. Tom Killigrew, being by, answered, “Sir,” says he, “pray which is the best for a man, to be a Tom Otter to his wife or to his mistress?” meaning the King’s being so to my Lady Castlemayne. Thus he went on; and speaking then of my Lord Sandwich, whom he professed to love exceedingly, says Creed, “I know not what, but he is a man, methinks, that I could love for himself, without other regards.” … [says he, “by God, there is nothing to be beloved propter se but a cunt.” – L&M] He talked very lewdly; and then took notice of my kindness to him on shipboard seven years ago, when the King was coming over, and how much he was obliged to me; but says, pray look upon this acknowledgement of a kindness in me to be a miracle; for, says he, “it is against the law at Court for a man that borrows money of me, even to buy his place with, to own it the next Sunday;” and then told us his horse was a bribe, and his boots a bribe; and told us he was made up of bribes, as an Oxford scholar is set out with other men’s goods when he goes out of town, and that he makes every sort of tradesman to bribe him; and invited me home to his house, to taste of his bribe wine. I never heard so much vanity from a man in my life; so, being now weary of him, we parted, and I took coach, and carried Creed to the Temple. There set him down, and to my office, where busy late till my eyes begun to ake, and then home to supper: a pullet, with good sauce, to my liking, and then to play on the flageolet with my wife, which she now does very prettily, and so to bed.

19 Annotations

First Reading

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...and then told us his horse was a bribe, and his boots a bribe; and told us he was made up of bribes, as an Oxford scholar is set out with other men’s goods when he goes out of town, and that he makes every sort of tradesman to bribe him; and invited me home to his house, to taste of his bribe wine."

Sounds like a man oozing with self-loathing and disgust under the drunken boasting. Well, Sam, if nothing else at least another lesson on avoiding the demon, Drink.

"Women? Lemme tell ya about women..." hic... "The Clerka da Acts is one movable feast of wo'an..." Hic. "Ever' man in town's throwin' his wife ma way, boys." hic-hic-hic. "I can get an' girlie I wants, when I...Wants." hic. "And nobuddy says no to da Clark of da Acts..." hic. "I tells ya...Shopgirls, barmaids, that pretty lil' blonde at the...Hey, Creedie, where was that pretty lil' blonde at? Don' know." hic. "No massa, anyway..." hand wave, hic-hic. "Pepysie can get any girl...Actress', you name it."Hic. "Confudentially, pal..." arm about shoulder..."Dere's dis lil actress name of Knipp..."

Pepys...Creed hisses.

"Knipp, you say." Christopher Knipp nods.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Filling in the ellipses in Henry B. Wheatley's transcription above

"It seems he is jealous of Jermin and she loves him so, that the thoughts of his marrying of my Lady Falmouth puts her into fits of the mother. And he, it seems, hath lain with her from time to time continually, for a good while; and once, as this Cooling says, the King had like to have taken him a-bed with her, but that he was fain to creep under the bed into her closet. He says that for a good while the King's greatest pleasure hath been with his fingers, being able to do no more."

"Thus he went on; and speaking then of my Lord Sandwich, whom he professed to love exceedingly, says Cooling, "I know not what, but he is a man, methinks, that I could love for himself, without other regards; and by your favour," says he, "by God, there is nothing to be beloved propter se but a cunt.""

L&M text.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Arlington to Ormond
Written from: London
Date: 30 July 1667

Inasmuch as Lord Ossory, "useth more than ordinary conjurations" to the writer to write all that he knows to the Lord Lieutenant, it may be well to vindicate himself on this point by assuring his Grace that, during this whole year, and as early as possible, the writer has told all that came to his knowledge of any moment. If, at any time, he has done so scantly, "it hath proceeded from dissatisfaction ... to write how bad our condition was", ... to the help of which his Grace, at that distance, could contribute nothing ... Now, God be thanked, we are fairly delivered from the War.

Sir John Coventry went away last night, with the Ratifications of Peace. ... But there is a war, and a discontent, in the generality of men's minds, that looks terrible to us ...

Adds, at great length, particulars of proposed expedients concerning the Revenue & its issues. ...
_____

Brodrick to Ormond
Written from: [London]
Date: 30 July 1667

Mentions some of the instructions given to the English Envoys, in the recent negotiations.

Speaks of the recent and exceptional numerousness of the attendance in Parliament, adding; "I have never seen a greater assembly, or greater preparation for animosity, within those walls". And then continues:- "Poor Abraham Cowley is dead of a pleurisy. How his remaining papers are disposed of, I know not.- All that appears will certainly be printed".

http://www.rsl.ox.ac.uk/dept/scwm…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"calling on two or three tradesmen and paying their bills"

End-of-the-month routine.

JWB  •  Link

"...this Tom Otter #meaning the Duke of York#..."

Considering Pepys's habit of pulling his wife's nose, Tom Otter'd be good name for Sam.

Mary  •  Link

Sam? Tom Otter?

I've seen nothing to suggest that Sam is in the least hen-pecked.

cum salis grano  •  Link

Otter, were popular for the skins thus the river Otter was rare in England????,but why the hen pecked, the Female is in charge but so is the lioness, the male has a short season of family bliss, like many of the differing species, usually the female never keeps a weak male tied to her apron, she would rather have a good genetic partner as now emulated in modern human society.
I wonder how many other references in literature to this emasculation of the male.

JWB  •  Link

Mary:

Male otters hold female by the nose while mating.

arby  •  Link

Cool.

Mary  •  Link

Ah - I hadn't realised that you were alluding to the habits of the otter, rather than the Otter.

Michael Robinson  •  Link

the habits of the otter, rather than the Otter.

B. Mating activity--

The peak breeding season is March and April, when river otters travel more often and leave many scent markings to mark their territory. River otters become territorial during the breeding season. Males will sometimes fight, competing for mates, if mutual avoidance does not work. One male will mate with several females.

Young females coming into their first estrus are usually the first to breed. The older females usually rebreed within a day or so after giving birth. Mating activity usually takes place in the water. The male, swimming up behind the female, seizes her by the neck with his teeth and bends his body down around and under her tail. When breeding takes place on land, the male curls up and wraps around the female.
Mating lasts 15 to 20 minutes.
http://www.riverotter.net/lutra_c…

An otter at me once sneered,
"We're just the species you feared.
We're sweet, but voracious,
Completely rapacious,
And our sexual acts are weird."

cum salis grano  •  Link

Thanks, I am glad we have the story, as some men badger [same family], some women nag, boys horse around, girls tat, luverly one word descriptions of 'uman interplay.

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Here I do hear that there are three Lords more to be added to them; my Lord Bridgewater, my Lord Anglesey, and my Lord Chamberlaine. "

L&M report they were not added to the Treasury commission, but, together with the two Secretaries of State and the Treasury Commissioners, were appointed 29 July to form a committee of council for the retrenchment of expenditure -- 'his Majesty resolved to practise the rules of thrift and good husbandry': National Archives.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"He talked very lewdly; and then took notice of my kindness to him on shipboard seven years ago, when the King was coming over, and how much he was obliged to me;"

The incident does not appear to be noticed in the diary. When Pepys was imprisoned in the Marshalsea in 1679, Cooling write to his cousin, the prison-keeper, asking him to show kindness to Pepys. (L&M footnote)

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"At noon home to dinner, where Daniel and his wife with us, come to see whether I could get him any employment."

L&M: Samuel Danerell had served as captain of a frigate in 1666. Pepy was fond of his wife: cf. https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…

arby  •  Link

I happened to read an article yesterday about the difficulty of determining the age of otters in Atlas Obscura. Their teeth seem to be the best method, but they have to remove the tooth to examine it. They also considered using "those nasty nose scars".

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

http://brittlebooks.library.illin…
John Evelyn's Diary - Living at home at Saye's Court, Deptford.

30 July 1667, I went home, not without indignation at our negligence, and the nation's reproach.

It is well known who of the Commissioners of the Treasury gave advice that the charge of setting forth a fleet this year might be spared, Sir William Coventry by name.

Gerald Berg  •  Link

More unreliable and most confusing gossip! Thanks SP. TF most cool about Cooling.

Log in to post an annotation.

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