Sunday 14 April 1667

(Lord’s day). Up, and to read a little in my new History of Turkey, and so with my wife to church, and then home, where is little Michell and my pretty Betty and also Mercer, and very merry. A good dinner of roast beef. After dinner I away to take water at the Tower, and thence to Westminster, where Mrs. Martin was not at home. So to White Hall, and there walked up and down, and among other things visited Sir G. Carteret, and much talk with him, who is discontented, as he hath reason, to see how things are like to come all to naught, and it is very much that this resolution of having of country Admirals should not come to his eares till I told him the other day, so that I doubt who manages things. From him to Margaret’s Church, and there spied Martin, and home with her … [who had those, so could have ninguno placer; – L&M] but fell out to see her expensefullness, having bought Turkey work, chairs, &c. By and by away home, and there took out my wife, and the two Mercers, and two of our mayds, Barker and Jane, and over the water to the Jamaica House, where I never was before, and there the girls did run for wagers over the bowling-green; and there, with much pleasure, spent little, and so home, and they home, and I to read with satisfaction in my book of Turkey, and so to bed.

21 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"...From him to Margaret Church, and there spied Martin and home with her, who had those, so could have ninguno placer; but fell out to see her expensefullness, having bought Turkey work chairs, &c." (L&M text)

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"...my book of Turkey,..."

Presumably per Michael Robinson's annote, *The present state of the Ottoman Empire containing the maxims of the Turkish politie, the most material points of the Mahometan religion, their sects and heresies, their convents and religious votaries, their military discipline … : illustrated with divers pieces of sculpture, representing the variety of habits amongst the Turks* : in three books by Paul Rycaut Esq. … London : Printed for John Starkey and Henry Brome …, 1667. http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"After dinner I away to take water at the Tower, and thence to Westminster, where Mrs. Martin was not at home." Deplorable lack of dependability in a mistress.

"...fell out to see her expensefullness, having bought Turkey work, chairs, &c."

Gee, is he paying her now? Of course I suppose he considers obtaining employment for ole Martin a form of recompense.

Then too, there's always the psychological...Turkey work, History of Turkey. Subconscious fear Mrs. Martin is advertising their relationship? With the usual Pepysian practicality...After all, someone might put two and two together.

"Hmmn...You know Pepys, it's odd that you're reading Turkish history..."

"Sir William?"

"Just that I saw that linen seller whose stall you always frequent purchasing some Turkey-work material and chairs in that style and..." Coventry pauses, staring...

"Sir?"

"Good God, Pepys...Is that woman your mistress? And her husband in naval employ at your recommendation?"

Ummn...

cape henry  •  Link

Rather a relaxed Sunday for Pepys, and surrounded by Mercer, Betty Mitchell and then Betty Martin, managed to sort of swim in the water without getting wet.It actually sounds like it was a genuinely pleasant day.

Bradford  •  Link

His Turkey book is meritorious, no undue expense; her Turkey work is meretricious and extravagant. Tut!

Mary  •  Link

Turkey work

So named because the original patterns and examples came from Turkey. It had been popular (though expensive) from Elizabethan times.

Turkey stitch involves creating needle-point patterns from rows of looped stitches alternating with tight, anchoring stitches. When the pattern is complete, the loops are all cut together so as to give the effect of carpet-pile.

Tony Eldridge  •  Link

it is very much that this resolution of having of country Admirals should not come to his eares till I told him the other day,
"having of country Admirals" ? Can anyone explain, please?

cape henry  •  Link

"country admirals" sounds like a euphemism similar in meaning to "armchair quarterback," that is, applied to persons without genuine responsibility or experience supplying their opinions to a given process or situation and - in this case - interfering with the work of those with actual knowledge and understanding.

Not sure that's it, but it reads that way.

Bob G  •  Link

Re country admirals - possibly this from April 4th?

"I back to Sir G. Carteret’s...I made him merry, with telling him how many land-admirals we are to have this year:"

http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

FJA  •  Link

Re: country or land admirals
Cape henry's suggestion is plausible, but I took the phrase to refer to the fact that there is a war on and not enough ships sufficiently out-fitted to put to sea.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Too bad about the "country admirals"...The image of a collection of neverseagoing Admiral Blimps all giving opinions on the conduct of the war is just too good.

Admiral "What's the hurry?": "Keep the fleet well back, in harbor if possible and wait the enemy out. Suppiies can't always be counted on, you know. Can't be sure about the weather, either. Best to wait them out."

Admiral "Don't take chances": "Here, here 'What's the hurry?'. Best to follow the rule of caution. Now what we need is keep a better watch out should the enemy approach. More coastal watchers, that's the thing."

Admiral "Spit and Polish": "Best to avoid the whole messy thing. Battles ruin the fleet. What we need is a better uniform and a good song for the men. One that'll get them up and marching about, yes. Take their minds off the starvation, pressing, and lack of pay, yes."

Admiral "Hotspur": "Out, I say! Give me one ship and I'll stand the damned enemy toe to toe. Send every ship out now and to the devil with these matters of supply and provisions! More cannon, that's the thing. Damned fool naval designers can't tell me the damned ships would either run so low in the water as to be easy prey or sink with so many cannon on board! Gunpower, sir, that's the thing! Where's my port, there, waiter! If it's weren't for the damned gout, I'd be out there now even in a rowboat! Don't talk of strategy to me, sir!"

Admiral "What if they lick us?": "Best to hold off, gents. I hold with 'Spit and Polish', lets get the men some snappy uniforms and a good marching song. Hold to the harbors till we know what they're up to, there's the best thing. Damned strange little fellows, those Dutchmen, never can make them out."

Admiral "Mothballs": "Back in '44, sir. When I fought the Cromwellian fleet off Jersey. We knew what we were about then, sir. None of this newfangled falderal, just have at 'em and we did, sir. Back then, sir...That was the time, sir."

Michael Robinson  •  Link

Too bad about the “country admirals”…The image of a collection of neverseagoing Admiral Blimps ...

Reminds of the spoonerism, the difference between a vacuum cleaner and a Swiss Admiral; one sucks and sucks and never fails ...

Australian Susan  •  Link

"....and there the girls did run for wagers over the bowling-green; and there, with much pleasure, spent little, and so home,....." Who is doing the wagering here? And who gets the money? Hope the girls got some of it! Although Sam does comment on what a cheap outing it was. Bet he really enjoyed watching the girls run - all those disheveled garments , glimpses of legs and ...er.....bouncing......things.

CGS  •  Link

General = admiral, one by land the other by sea
In this case monday morning replay of the ashes with large doses of burnt claret.

Nix  •  Link

Now landsmen all, whoever you may be,
If you want to rise to the top of the tree,
If your soul isn't fettered to an office stool,
Be careful to be guided by this golden rule—
Stick close to your desks and never go to sea,
And you all may be rulers of the Queen's Navee!

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Turkey work chairs"

Turkeywork (alternately turkey-work or turkey work; sometimes called setwork and Norwich work) is a knotted-and-cut pile furnishing textile produced in England from the sixteenth to the mid-eighteenth centuries. Turkeywork was used for table carpets, cupboard carpets, cushions, and especially for matched sets of upholstery for chair seats and backs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tur…

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Note Luce missed the fun at Jamaica House. She's still in the dog house.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"... but fell out to see her expensefullness, having bought Turkey work, chairs, &c."

Pepys is put out to see that Betty Lane Martin's other "friends" reward her better than he does. He thinks he's generous when he takes a bottle of wine over there, which he helps to drink. Probably the dude who sent over the fancy coach for her a year or so back ... can't find the date that happened. I doubt Mr. Martin is bringing in this kind of money.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Turkeywork (alternately turkey-work or turkey work; sometimes called setwork and Norwich work) is a knotted-and-cut pile furnishing textile produced in England from the sixteenth to the mid-eighteenth centuries. Turkeywork was used for table carpets, cupboard carpets, cushions, and especially for matched sets of upholstery for chair seats and backs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tur…

Turkeywork was produced by professional weavers in England from the 16th century.[5][7] Short lengths or thrums of worsted wool were hand-knotted using the Turkish or Ghiordes knot (also called the symmetrical knot) on a linen or hemp-fibre warp.[3][4] The colourful wool was shorn to produced a dense, even pile. Designs originally imitated so-called 'Turkey carpets'[7], the general name in Early Modern England for imported carpets of Middle Eastern origin[8], which became popular for furniture covers (and less often, floor carpets) in the 16th century.

Economic historian Eric Kerridge records commercial production of turkeywork carpets as early as 1553 in Windsor, and "in Norwich in 1583, in York in 1595, and in Bradford in 1639".[10] These carpets were used to cover tables, hutches, and similar furniture, as well as for cushions and chair seats. Turkeywork was generally too expensive for use as floor carpets, "for each knot had to be formed separately by laying a thrum across two warp ends, folding it back under and inwards, and drawing its two ends up between the warps."[10] However, for "chairs given hard use in eating, meeting, and parade rooms, it formed an especially satisfactory covering, being both durable and colorful."[11] Turkeywork chairs were ordered by the dozen for meeting and committee rooms in the Palace of Whitehall and Holyrood Palace[5], and turkeywork coverings for seating furniture were exported to both Europe and Colonial America. The 1658 inventory of a Boston merchant includes "2 turkie bottoms and backs for chayres", and a 1685 inventory in Philadelphia includes "1 doz. and 6 new backs & seats of Turkey work for Chairs".[7]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tur…

Third Reading

Trevor M Randall  •  Link

Girls running over the bowling green at Jamaica House on cherry garden street. A bucolic scene alien to modern day Bermondsey…and its Millwall fans.

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