I have just finished reading Charles Spencer's passionate and well-researched book "Killers of the King" which was published in 2014. He depicts and proves, as far as I am concerned, Charles11 as a man of vengeance. The Declaration of Breda was a smokescreen as its provisions were not to be applied to those Parliament "excepted". And Charles made sure that anyone connected, however remotely, with the death of his father was "excepted" and then savagely executed in the most abominable manner imaginable. Men who surrendered themselves expecting some clemency and mercy were hung, drawn and quartered. The King's agents hunted down men who had fled to Europe and the Americas. I would urge people interested in this period to read Spencer's book. Having done so I think they would reject Robert Gertz's notion of Charles Stuart's "innate kindness" and Paul Chapin's idea of Charles as departing "from the bloody norm of vengeance and retribution". It was a continuation and some!!
On October 17th Sam did relate in quite a lot of detail what Captain Lambert had told him about the King of Portugal and his doings and on the following day he listed all the ingredients making up his poultice and how he applied it to his testicle plus an incisive characterisation of Mrs. Goldsborough. Then on the 20th he makes clear his irritation about Will Hewer's behaviour, so I think he is doing more than just marking time.
In the L&M edition after the pointed finger doodle mentioned by Peter, under the last line of the paragraph, there are two short ruled lines. They are not underlinings but occur midway in the gap between this paragraph and the next. Like so: "I was not so convinced of before. ________ _____
Did Pepys attend the executions of Colonels Hacker and Axtell or not? He writes that he was in the office in the morning but he does not say all morning. I presume he could have slipped out and returned, although he does not mention having done so. Roger Arbor and Dick Wilson comment that Samuel seems disappointed that they were reprieved for 24 hours and that was my take on it also.
One further point occurs to me. Only one annotator, Mary, takes up Pepys' ordering from his father black baize linings for his breeches but she is concerned mainly by the nature of the garment and thinks Pepys may have "an eye to the approaching colder, winter weather as much as to fashion." However, Pepys is quite specific that he wants the work done [on the 18th] by the following morning. I took this to mean that he would wear these breeches lined with funereal black on the morning of this day, October 19th 1660. I know this is speculative and I may be quite wrong.
Like Roger Arbor I wonder if Mr Pepys enjoyed his first ever cup of tea. As a good Englishman I am sure he must have done!! This is a momentous and historic occasion!
On September 15th Mr Pepys wrote: "Mr Dalton and I over the water to our Landlord Vanly, with whom we agreed as to Daltons becoming his tenant." On the 17th he writes of meeting Vanly by appointment in the Wine Seller in Whitehall and of going to the house in Axe Yard where documents were "signed and sealed" and then returns to the Wine Seller, receives £41 for his interest in the house "out of which I paid my landlord [Vanly] to Michaelmas next; and so all is even between him and I, and I freed of my poor little house." And yet today, September 20th he writes: "We called to speak with my landlord Beale, but he was not within.." How many landlords were there? If Beale was the landlord who was Vanly? Is it something to do with leases?
Wow! It's only the day after Mr Pepys has moved in and a new door has been fitted, leading out on to the roof. Someone [Montagu?] is determined that our new Clerk of the Acts shall have what he wants and promptly!!
Following on from Sam's choice of house he does seem mighty proud of it, as he takes Mr Butler to see it on the 14th, but things are not quite tied down as he now tells us that both he and his wife are "mightily pleased" with their new house "that we hope to have." Is someone else going to lay claim to it? I presume Sam has shown his wife the premises, although I don't think he has mentioned doing so.
Has Mr Pepys got the house he wanted originally? The choice of house seems to have passed off very smoothly. I expected some conflict over this. Pepys' diary entry makes the matter seem almost like an afterthought. " I went to the Navy Office, where we despatched much business and resolved of the houses for the Officers and Commissioners, which I was glad of, and I got leave to have a door made me into the leads." So did he get his first choice of house? He appears to be pleased. I wonder if all the new occupants were as pleased as Mr Pepys. I also wonder if Bess had expressed her views about which house they should have and whether she was equally pleased. It seems noteworthy that Sam can ask for a new door to be fitted and that his wish is granted.
If Bess was at his father's on this day he does not say. His notes for today end simply "Back and to my fathers" and I think he has dined there earlier in the day unless I have misunderstood the location, but he makes no mention of her nor of any affectionate reunion. He has not seen her since he said farewell on March 17th; all of 12 weeks ago! On the next day his note reads, "At my fathers found my wife." Has she just arrived or was she there all the time waiting for him to show up. What a pity we only have these very bald notes. Perhaps the one concession to the romantics lies in tomorrow's final sentence: "To bed with my wife."
Mr Pepys writes that Mr North [Sir Dudley North's son] came on board the Naseby " to spend a little time here, which my Lord was a little troubled at".
Does anyone know why Mountagu was troubled by this arrival?
Robert, L & M say in a footnote that the son was named Samuel in honour of the diarist and was eventually cut off with an annuity of £40 because he made a match that Pepys disapproved of. John Jackson, Pall's second son, was born later in 1673.
Mr Pepys gives no indication that his wife forewarned him that she intended to go gathering May-dew in the early hours of the morning. Perhaps that added to his concern.
I wasn't quite sure what Pepys meant when he writes that the weather was "so hot as to make me break out here and there in my hands, which vexes me to see - but is good for me." Does he mean that he perspires heavily [unusual from hands, tho' it happened to me in the tropics] or that pustules/reddening/blisters appear? Perhaps he sees this as good for him as he is getting rid of toxins. Any thoughts?
Whatever his doubts all seems to have gone splendidly. Mr Pepys was able to gaze upon a"mighty pretty" womam with no scolding from Bess; there were party games, dancing and singing, and a "noble dinner" plus we hope some fine wines tho' they are not mentioned. Like AS I wish I had been there.
Why does Sam have so many doubts about going ahead with his dinner party the next day? Is it something to do with the death of Sandwich's daughter? Does he feel it is not an appropriate time to be enjoying himself.
Comments
Second Reading
About Wednesday 20 November 1661
Ivan • Link
I have just finished reading Charles Spencer's passionate and well-researched book "Killers of the King" which was published in 2014. He depicts and proves, as far as I am concerned, Charles11 as a man of vengeance. The Declaration of Breda was a smokescreen as its provisions were not to be applied to those Parliament "excepted". And Charles made sure that anyone connected, however remotely, with the death of his father was "excepted" and then savagely executed in the most abominable manner imaginable.
Men who surrendered themselves expecting some clemency and mercy were hung, drawn and quartered. The King's agents hunted down men who had fled to Europe and the Americas. I would urge people interested in this period to read Spencer's book. Having done so I think they would reject Robert Gertz's notion of Charles Stuart's "innate kindness" and Paul Chapin's idea of Charles as departing "from the bloody norm of vengeance and retribution". It was a continuation and some!!
About Thursday 24 October 1661
Ivan • Link
On October 17th Sam did relate in quite a lot of detail what Captain Lambert had told him about the King of Portugal and his doings and on the following day he listed all the ingredients making up his poultice and how he applied it to his testicle plus an incisive characterisation of Mrs. Goldsborough. Then on the 20th he makes clear his irritation about Will Hewer's behaviour, so I think he is doing more than just marking time.
About Tuesday 23 April 1661
Ivan • Link
I wonder where Sam actually relieved himself!! In the grounds of the abbey?
About Saturday 24 November 1660
Ivan • Link
6 men drinking 4 pints of absinthe, if that's what it was. That's an awful lot of absinthe per person!
About Wednesday 7 November 1660
Ivan • Link
In the L&M edition after the pointed finger doodle mentioned by Peter, under the last line of the paragraph, there are two short ruled lines. They are not underlinings but occur midway in the gap between this paragraph and the next. Like so:
"I was not so convinced of before.
________ _____
No explanation is offered.
About Thursday 18 October 1660
Ivan • Link
Did Pepys attend the executions of Colonels Hacker and Axtell or not? He writes that he was in the office in the morning but he does not say all morning. I presume he could have slipped out and returned, although he does not mention having done so. Roger Arbor and Dick Wilson comment that Samuel seems disappointed that they were reprieved for 24 hours and that was my take on it also.
One further point occurs to me. Only one annotator, Mary, takes up Pepys' ordering from his father black baize linings for his breeches but she is concerned mainly by the nature of the garment and thinks Pepys may have "an eye to the approaching colder, winter weather as much as to fashion." However, Pepys is quite specific that he wants the work done [on the 18th] by the following morning. I took this to mean that he would wear these breeches lined with funereal black on the morning of this day, October 19th 1660. I know this is speculative and I may be quite wrong.
About Tuesday 25 September 1660
Ivan • Link
Like Roger Arbor I wonder if Mr Pepys enjoyed his first ever cup of tea. As a good Englishman I am sure he must have done!! This is a momentous and historic occasion!
About Thursday 20 September 1660
Ivan • Link
On September 15th Mr Pepys wrote: "Mr Dalton and I over the water to our Landlord Vanly, with whom we agreed as to Daltons becoming his tenant." On the 17th he writes of meeting Vanly by appointment in the Wine Seller in Whitehall and of going to the house in Axe Yard where documents were "signed and sealed" and then returns to the Wine Seller, receives £41 for his interest in the house "out of which I paid my landlord [Vanly] to Michaelmas next; and so all is even between him and I, and I freed of my poor little house."
And yet today, September 20th he writes: "We called to speak with my landlord Beale, but he was not within.." How many landlords were there? If Beale was the landlord who was Vanly? Is it something to do with leases?
About Wednesday 18 July 1660
Ivan • Link
Wow! It's only the day after Mr Pepys has moved in and a new door has been fitted, leading out on to the roof. Someone [Montagu?] is determined that our new Clerk of the Acts shall have what he wants and promptly!!
About Sunday 15 July 1660
Ivan • Link
Following on from Sam's choice of house he does seem mighty proud of it, as he takes Mr Butler to see it on the 14th, but things are not quite tied down as he now tells us that both he and his wife are "mightily pleased" with their new house "that we hope to have." Is someone else going to lay claim to it? I presume Sam has shown his wife the premises, although I don't think he has mentioned doing so.
About Friday 13 July 1660
Ivan • Link
Has Mr Pepys got the house he wanted originally? The choice of house seems to have passed off very smoothly. I expected some conflict over this. Pepys' diary entry makes the matter seem almost like an afterthought. " I went to the Navy Office, where we despatched much business and resolved of the houses for the Officers and Commissioners, which I was glad of, and I got leave to have a door made me into the leads."
So did he get his first choice of house? He appears to be pleased. I wonder if all the new occupants were as pleased as Mr Pepys. I also wonder if Bess had expressed her views about which house they should have and whether she was equally pleased. It seems noteworthy that Sam can ask for a new door to be fitted and that his wish is granted.
About Saturday 9 June 1660
Ivan • Link
If Bess was at his father's on this day he does not say. His notes for today end simply "Back and to my fathers" and I think he has dined there earlier in the day unless I have misunderstood the location, but he makes no mention of her nor of any affectionate reunion. He has not seen her since he said farewell on March 17th; all of 12 weeks ago! On the next day his note reads, "At my fathers found my wife." Has she just arrived or was she there all the time waiting for him to show up. What a pity we only have these very bald notes. Perhaps the one concession to the romantics lies in tomorrow's final sentence: "To bed with my wife."
About Wednesday 2 May 1660
Ivan • Link
Mr Pepys writes that Mr North [Sir Dudley North's son] came on board the Naseby " to spend a little time here, which my Lord was a little troubled at".
Does anyone know why Mountagu was troubled by this arrival?
About Wednesday 12 May 1669
Ivan • Link
Robert, L & M say in a footnote that the son was named Samuel in honour of the diarist and was eventually cut off with an annuity of £40 because he made a match that Pepys disapproved of. John Jackson, Pall's second son, was born later in 1673.
About Tuesday 11 May 1669
Ivan • Link
No mention of Bess forewarning her husband of her intentions this morning either [see yesterday morning] tho' she rises an hour later.
About Monday 10 May 1669
Ivan • Link
Mr Pepys gives no indication that his wife forewarned him that she intended to go gathering May-dew in the early hours of the morning. Perhaps that added to his concern.
About Sunday 9 May 1669
Ivan • Link
I wasn't quite sure what Pepys meant when he writes that the weather was "so hot as to make me break out here and there in my hands, which vexes me to see - but is good for me."
Does he mean that he perspires heavily [unusual from hands, tho' it happened to me in the tropics] or that pustules/reddening/blisters appear? Perhaps he sees this as good for him as he is getting rid of toxins. Any thoughts?
About Wednesday 24 March 1668/69
Ivan • Link
Mr Pepys manages at one and the same time strongly to desire Mrs Jowles and to abuse her in his description of her character!
About Tuesday 2 March 1668/69
Ivan • Link
Whatever his doubts all seems to have gone splendidly. Mr Pepys was able to gaze upon a"mighty pretty" womam with no scolding from Bess; there were party games, dancing and singing, and a "noble dinner" plus we hope some fine wines tho' they are not mentioned. Like AS I wish I had been there.
About Monday 1 March 1668/69
Ivan • Link
Why does Sam have so many doubts about going ahead with his dinner party the next day? Is it something to do with the death of Sandwich's daughter? Does he feel it is not an appropriate time to be enjoying himself.