I'm surprised Sam didn't tell us about the eagle before. It's not the sort of everyday thing that would be beneath notice in the diary, I would think. Wonder if it was there to get rid of mice and rats?
Like Martin, I'm wondering what the original argument was about. "from our people’s being forced to take the key to go out to light a candle, I was very angry and begun to find fault with my wife for not commanding her servants as she ought." It sounds (maybe) like there was supposed to be a candle lit in the house, that could be used for lighting other candles, and there wasn't, so the servants had to go outside to get one lighted. Do L&M, Pepys in Love, or other ancillary sources shed more light (sorry) on this incident?
"birchen besom" (from Sandwich's journal) OED re "besom": 2. An implement for sweeping, usually made of a bunch of broom, heather, birch, or other twigs bound together round a handle; a broom.
So the comet's tail looked like the sweeping end of a birch broom.
"and prated all the while" OED re "prate" (v.): 1. intr. To talk, to chatter: usually dyslogistic, implying speaking much or long to little purpose; formerly also to speak insolently, boastfully, or officiously; to tell tales, blab. c1420 [implied in prater]. c1430 Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 155 He may weel grucche and with his tounge prate. 1550 J. Coke Eng. & Fr. Heralds §62 (1877) 77, I mervayle, syr Heralde, how you dare so untruly prate agaynst your soveraygne lord the kyng of England. 1570 Buchanan Chamæleon Wks. (1892) 53 [He] prattit proudlie, vantyng yat his pen sould be worth ten thowsand men. 1581 J. Bell Haddon's Answ. Osor. 492b, You prate hard, but you prove nought. 1605 Shakes. Macb. ii. i. 58 Thy very stones prate of my where-about. 1616 R. C. Times' Whistle iii. 992 They will prate Till they tire all men with their idle chatt. 1713 Berkeley Guardian No. 3 31 Sober wretches, who prate whole evenings over coffee. 1747 Richardson Clarissa (1811) I. viii. 54 No words! I will not be prated to. a1839 Praed Poems (1864) II. 31 And she is prating learnedly Of logic and of chemistry. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 212 You prate, he said, instead of answering.
Sam seems to be using the word without its pejorative connotations here, or else is delivering a light, self-deprecating jest.
jealous (in Coventry's letter to Sandwich) Another word that had meanings in the 17th century that are lost to us today. Coventry's use of the word lies somewhere in these two OED definitions:
5. Suspicious; apprehensive of evil, fearful. Const. of, or with subord. clause. Now dial. c1532 G. Du Wes Introd. Fr. in Palsgr. 921 A man doutfull and suspect of jelous (soupeconeus). 1593 Shakes. Lucr. 800 Let not the iealous daie behold that face. 1607 Middleton Five Gallants i. i, My master is very jealous of the pestilence. 1622 Wither Mistr. Philar. in Arb. Garner IV. 420 Never did the jealous 'st ear Any muttering rumour hear. a1639 Wotton in Reliq. (1651) 524 The jealous Trout, that low did lie, Rose at a wel-dissembled Flie. 1755 B. Martin Mag. Arts & Sc. III. xiii. 398, I am jealous of some baneful Experiment to follow. 1868 Atkinson Cleveland Gloss., Jealous, apprehensive, ready to anticipate something+more or less unpleasant in its nature.
6. Suspiciously vigilant against, or to prevent, something (expressed or understood); vigilant in scrutinizing. 1601 R. Johnson Kingd. & Commw. (1603) 215 They are very iealous to shew themselves fearefull or base minded in worde or deede. 1632 J. Hayward tr. Biondi's Eromena 51 The Princesse+was jealous lest her griefe [for her brother's death] should grow to be displeased with her, for adventuring her selfe to the gust of a curious sight. 1709 Strype Ann. Ref. I. l. 499 They were very jealous of any Popish prince to become her husband. 1797 Mrs. Radcliffe Italian lxi. (1824) 641 He examined with a jealous eye the emotions he witnessed. 1843 Poe Purloined Let. Wks. 1864 I. 268 The most jealous scrutiny of the microscope. 1866 Rogers Agric. & Prices I. xxi. 549 Measures [of weight, etc.] were subject to jealous supervision.
"my pretended freight" This might not be as bad as it sounds. Although our modern interpretation of 'fictitious, counterfeit, feigned' was also current in Sam's time, there was also an alternative gloss of 'intended, proposed' which is now obsolete.
OED: pretended, ppl.a. [...] †4. Intended, designed, purposed, proposed. Obs. 1573 New Custom i. i. in Hazl. Dodsley III. 13 For the better accomplishing our subtlety pretended, It were expedient that both our names were amended. 1597 A. M. tr. Guillemeau's Fr. Chirurg. Author's Pref. 2 Therbye to attayne vnto his pretended intente. 1600 Hakluyt Voy. (1810) III. 86 Two small barks+wherein he intended to complete his pretended voyage. 1691 T. H[ale] Acc. New Invent. p. lxxiii, The suffering Populace, whose pretended Forfeitures were granted before Conviction. 1703 De Foe Reas. agst. War w. France Misc. 194 That we should+be Insulted by the French in the Article of the pretended New King [of Spain].
"and nothing else" Here to be understood as the subject of "did take away his life," coordinate with "credulity," and not the object (i.e. not coordinate with "his life"). In other words, it was Charles's credulity, and nothing else, that took away his life, says Sam.
"from the King's own mouth" Contrary to the link, I think the King referred to here must be Charles I. Cocke, born in 1617, was reputed to have been a confidant of Charles I ("being then entrusted himself much"), and was certainly old enough for the role. We have had no indication that Cocke has any comparable access to Charles II, and the rest of the sentence clearly refers to Charles I, whose "credulity ... did take away his life."
As we've noted before, by an odd coincidence we seem to be almost in perfect synch with Sam's lunar cycle. It's a fine moonlight night here, too; full moon tomorrow night, I believe.
Todd, the same question occurred to me. A possible answer is found in OED's definition #4 of "pleasant":
†4. Amusing, laughable, ridiculous, funny. Obs. 1583 T. Stocker Civ. Warres Lowe C. i. 15 With such other like pleasant iestes. 1604 E. G[rimstone] D'Acosta's Hist. Indies i. xiv. 47 From our Peru+they might well bring gold, silver, and pleasant monkies. 1688 S. Penton Guard. Instruct. (1897) 43 It was pleasant to see how my Son trembled to see the Proctour come in. 1716 Addison Freeholder No. 9 313 The most pleasant Grievance is still behind. 1760 Foote Minor ii. Wks. 1799 I. 260 They took him off at the play-house some time ago; pleasant, but wrong. Public characters shou'd not be sported with.
"Fleshing out his laconic comments in the diary" Right, and maybe that helps to explain the laconicity (is that a word?) of the diary as to the details of his busy days at the office - after writing it all down in the office during the day, he wasn't inclined to repeat it at home in the evening.
Great quote, Robert. It recalled to me Ariel's song in "The Tempest": "Full fathom five thy father lies; Of his bones are coral made; Those are pearls that were his eyes; Nothing of him that does fade, But doth suffer a sea-change Into something rich and strange. Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell: Ding-dong, Hark! Now I hear them – Ding-dong, bell."
The ship is indeed beautiful, and marvelously preserved. Thanks, Ivo, for the link. But a 25m trading vessel, apparently without guns, would likely have been too small and insignificant to ever come to Sam's attention.
"Lord! to see what work they will make us, and what trouble we shall have to inform men in a business they are to begin to know, when the greatest of our hurry is, is a thing to be lamented"
If these Lords have a voice in the decision-making, it would have been a good idea to keep them in the loop from the outset.
"nor could Sir J. Minnes, nor any body there, tell whence he should take the name of Scott?" Good question, Sam. It was his wife's family name, which is the "whence", but surely it was even less common then than now for a man to take his wife's surname on marriage. I guess he figured it was better than Crofts, a name he took from Lord Crofts, who raised him after his mother's death (Lucy Walters), since Charles would not allow him to use the name Stuart. The Scotts were at that time one of the wealthiest families in Scotland.
Command performance Sam, unexpectedly and without preparation, is called on to report to the King and his Cabinet, the most powerful people in the land. That's the sort of thing that can make or break a career in an hour. Sam obviously feels that he acquitted himself well, and while we have no corroborating opinion from those present (as far as I know), that would seem to be consistent with his continuing rise in power and influence. All of his careful attention to the multiple details of making the navy function well, together with his articulate expression, equipped him well for this challenge. Bravo!
Mrs. Pierce Well, Sam may simply not have been all that attracted to her. He admired her (universally noted) beauty, but found her personal habits too slovenly for his taste. Remember how he called her the "veriest slattern" a while back. Having never had a child himself, Sam clearly didn't appreciate how a house full of them can daunt even the most fastidious soul.
Comments
First Reading
About Wednesday 21 December 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
I'm surprised Sam didn't tell us about the eagle before. It's not the sort of everyday thing that would be beneath notice in the diary, I would think. Wonder if it was there to get rid of mice and rats?
About Monday 19 December 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
Like Martin, I'm wondering what the original argument was about.
"from our people’s being forced to take the key to go out to light a candle, I was very angry and begun to find fault with my wife for not commanding her servants as she ought."
It sounds (maybe) like there was supposed to be a candle lit in the house, that could be used for lighting other candles, and there wasn't, so the servants had to go outside to get one lighted. Do L&M, Pepys in Love, or other ancillary sources shed more light (sorry) on this incident?
About Saturday 17 December 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
"birchen besom" (from Sandwich's journal)
OED re "besom":
2. An implement for sweeping, usually made of a bunch of broom, heather, birch, or other twigs bound together round a handle; a broom.
So the comet's tail looked like the sweeping end of a birch broom.
About Friday 16 December 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
"and prated all the while"
OED re "prate" (v.):
1. intr. To talk, to chatter: usually dyslogistic, implying speaking much or long to little purpose; formerly also to speak insolently, boastfully, or officiously; to tell tales, blab.
c1420 [implied in prater]. c1430 Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 155 He may weel grucche and with his tounge prate. 1550 J. Coke Eng. & Fr. Heralds §62 (1877) 77, I mervayle, syr Heralde, how you dare so untruly prate agaynst your soveraygne lord the kyng of England. 1570 Buchanan Chamæleon Wks. (1892) 53 [He] prattit proudlie, vantyng yat his pen sould be worth ten thowsand men. 1581 J. Bell Haddon's Answ. Osor. 492b, You prate hard, but you prove nought. 1605 Shakes. Macb. ii. i. 58 Thy very stones prate of my where-about. 1616 R. C. Times' Whistle iii. 992 They will prate Till they tire all men with their idle chatt. 1713 Berkeley Guardian No. 3 31 Sober wretches, who prate whole evenings over coffee. 1747 Richardson Clarissa (1811) I. viii. 54 No words! I will not be prated to. a1839 Praed Poems (1864) II. 31 And she is prating learnedly Of logic and of chemistry. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 212 You prate, he said, instead of answering.
Sam seems to be using the word without its pejorative connotations here, or else is delivering a light, self-deprecating jest.
About Tuesday 13 December 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
jealous (in Coventry's letter to Sandwich)
Another word that had meanings in the 17th century that are lost to us today. Coventry's use of the word lies somewhere in these two OED definitions:
5. Suspicious; apprehensive of evil, fearful. Const. of, or with subord. clause. Now dial.
c1532 G. Du Wes Introd. Fr. in Palsgr. 921 A man doutfull and suspect of jelous (soupeconeus). 1593 Shakes. Lucr. 800 Let not the iealous daie behold that face. 1607 Middleton Five Gallants i. i, My master is very jealous of the pestilence. 1622 Wither Mistr. Philar. in Arb. Garner IV. 420 Never did the jealous 'st ear Any muttering rumour hear. a1639 Wotton in Reliq. (1651) 524 The jealous Trout, that low did lie, Rose at a wel-dissembled Flie. 1755 B. Martin Mag. Arts & Sc. III. xiii. 398, I am jealous of some baneful Experiment to follow. 1868 Atkinson Cleveland Gloss., Jealous, apprehensive, ready to anticipate something+more or less unpleasant in its nature.
6. Suspiciously vigilant against, or to prevent, something (expressed or understood); vigilant in scrutinizing.
1601 R. Johnson Kingd. & Commw. (1603) 215 They are very iealous to shew themselves fearefull or base minded in worde or deede. 1632 J. Hayward tr. Biondi's Eromena 51 The Princesse+was jealous lest her griefe [for her brother's death] should grow to be displeased with her, for adventuring her selfe to the gust of a curious sight. 1709 Strype Ann. Ref. I. l. 499 They were very jealous of any Popish prince to become her husband. 1797 Mrs. Radcliffe Italian lxi. (1824) 641 He examined with a jealous eye the emotions he witnessed. 1843 Poe Purloined Let. Wks. 1864 I. 268 The most jealous scrutiny of the microscope. 1866 Rogers Agric. & Prices I. xxi. 549 Measures [of weight, etc.] were subject to jealous supervision.
About Friday 9 December 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
"my pretended freight"
This might not be as bad as it sounds. Although our modern interpretation of 'fictitious, counterfeit, feigned' was also current in Sam's time, there was also an alternative gloss of 'intended, proposed' which is now obsolete.
OED: pretended, ppl.a.
[...]
†4. Intended, designed, purposed, proposed. Obs.
1573 New Custom i. i. in Hazl. Dodsley III. 13 For the better accomplishing our subtlety pretended, It were expedient that both our names were amended. 1597 A. M. tr. Guillemeau's Fr. Chirurg. Author's Pref. 2 Therbye to attayne vnto his pretended intente. 1600 Hakluyt Voy. (1810) III. 86 Two small barks+wherein he intended to complete his pretended voyage. 1691 T. H[ale] Acc. New Invent. p. lxxiii, The suffering Populace, whose pretended Forfeitures were granted before Conviction. 1703 De Foe Reas. agst. War w. France Misc. 194 That we should+be Insulted by the French in the Article of the pretended New King [of Spain].
About Friday 2 December 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
"and nothing else"
Here to be understood as the subject of "did take away his life," coordinate with "credulity," and not the object (i.e. not coordinate with "his life"). In other words, it was Charles's credulity, and nothing else, that took away his life, says Sam.
About Friday 2 December 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
"from the King's own mouth"
Contrary to the link, I think the King referred to here must be Charles I. Cocke, born in 1617, was reputed to have been a confidant of Charles I ("being then entrusted himself much"), and was certainly old enough for the role. We have had no indication that Cocke has any comparable access to Charles II, and the rest of the sentence clearly refers to Charles I, whose "credulity ... did take away his life."
About Thursday 1 December 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
Slow news day today.
About Wednesday 30 November 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
Mary may be right, but what a gorgeous sentence that last one is.
About Wednesday 23 November 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
The finagle eternal
"strange to see how we plot to make the charge of this warr to appear greater than it is, because of getting money."
A practice that continues unabated to the present day (can you say Halliburton?)
About Monday 21 November 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
As we've noted before, by an odd coincidence we seem to be almost in perfect synch with Sam's lunar cycle. It's a fine moonlight night here, too; full moon tomorrow night, I believe.
About Friday 18 November 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
pleasant
Todd, the same question occurred to me. A possible answer is found in OED's definition #4 of "pleasant":
†4. Amusing, laughable, ridiculous, funny. Obs.
1583 T. Stocker Civ. Warres Lowe C. i. 15 With such other like pleasant iestes. 1604 E. G[rimstone] D'Acosta's Hist. Indies i. xiv. 47 From our Peru+they might well bring gold, silver, and pleasant monkies. 1688 S. Penton Guard. Instruct. (1897) 43 It was pleasant to see how my Son trembled to see the Proctour come in. 1716 Addison Freeholder No. 9 313 The most pleasant Grievance is still behind. 1760 Foote Minor ii. Wks. 1799 I. 260 They took him off at the play-house some time ago; pleasant, but wrong. Public characters shou'd not be sported with.
About Wednesday 16 November 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
"Fleshing out his laconic comments in the diary"
Right, and maybe that helps to explain the laconicity (is that a word?) of the diary as to the details of his busy days at the office - after writing it all down in the office during the day, he wasn't inclined to repeat it at home in the evening.
About Monday 14 November 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
Great quote, Robert. It recalled to me Ariel's song in "The Tempest":
"Full fathom five thy father lies;
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes;
Nothing of him that does fade,
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell:
Ding-dong,
Hark! Now I hear them – Ding-dong, bell."
About Monday 14 November 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
The ship is indeed beautiful, and marvelously preserved. Thanks, Ivo, for the link. But a 25m trading vessel, apparently without guns, would likely have been too small and insignificant to ever come to Sam's attention.
About Friday 11 November 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
"Lord! to see what work they will make us, and what trouble we shall have to inform men in a business they are to begin to know, when the greatest of our hurry is, is a thing to be lamented"
If these Lords have a voice in the decision-making, it would have been a good idea to keep them in the loop from the outset.
About Friday 11 November 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
"nor could Sir J. Minnes, nor any body there, tell whence he should take the name of Scott?"
Good question, Sam. It was his wife's family name, which is the "whence", but surely it was even less common then than now for a man to take his wife's surname on marriage. I guess he figured it was better than Crofts, a name he took from Lord Crofts, who raised him after his mother's death (Lucy Walters), since Charles would not allow him to use the name Stuart. The Scotts were at that time one of the wealthiest families in Scotland.
About Wednesday 9 November 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
Command performance
Sam, unexpectedly and without preparation, is called on to report to the King and his Cabinet, the most powerful people in the land. That's the sort of thing that can make or break a career in an hour. Sam obviously feels that he acquitted himself well, and while we have no corroborating opinion from those present (as far as I know), that would seem to be consistent with his continuing rise in power and influence. All of his careful attention to the multiple details of making the navy function well, together with his articulate expression, equipped him well for this challenge. Bravo!
About Wednesday 9 November 1664
Paul Chapin • Link
Mrs. Pierce
Well, Sam may simply not have been all that attracted to her. He admired her (universally noted) beauty, but found her personal habits too slovenly for his taste. Remember how he called her the "veriest slattern" a while back. Having never had a child himself, Sam clearly didn't appreciate how a house full of them can daunt even the most fastidious soul.