Doesn’t sound humorous to me either. I agree with language hat: it's the uncommon quasi-legal language with which Sam indicates this is a serious and binding matter.
It may strike us as parodic because we are innured to its genuine binding legal force due to its common and routine uses in OUR time. Consider: - End-User License Agreements we have agreed to in acquiring software; - Credit-card terms to which we are all subject; - In the US, privacy statements all financial institutions are required to issue periodically; - The tax-law language we all wrestle with periodically; AND - the 'Confidentiality Statement' appended to some email: "This communication contains information which is confidential. It is for the exclusive use of the intended recipient(s). If you are not the intended recipient(s) please note that any form of distribution, copying, forwarding or use of this communication or the information therein is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this communication in error please return it to the sender and then delete the communication and destroy any copies." (Of course, to have read it is to have made "use" of it.)
"I...spoke with Mr. Smith (whom I sent for on purpose to speak of Field’s business, who stands upon 250l. before he will release us, which do trouble me highly)"
Daughter of Mr. Ashwell, who works at the exchequer, with whom Pepys had socialized in 1660 when they were both clerks. See http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…
The history of "Creed's accounts" is longer and more vexing and the two appear to have been conspiring - v. esp. 11 December
"So home and late with Sir John Minnes at the office looking over Mr. Creed’s accounts"- 9 December 1662
"So we and Sir W. Batten to the office, and there did discourse of Mr. Creed’s accounts, and I fear it will be a good while before we shall go through them, and many things we meet with, all of difficulty." -10 December 1662
"we sat all the morning upon Mr. Creed’s accounts, wherein I did him some service and some disservice. At noon he dined with me, and we sat all the afternoon together, discoursing of ways to get money, which I am now giving myself wholly up to" - 11 December 1662
"Creed and I to St. Paul’s Church-yard, to my bookseller’s, and looked over several books with good discourse, and then into St. Paul’s Church, and there finding Elborough, my old schoolfellow at Paul’s, now a parson, whom I know to be a silly fellow, I took him out and walked with him, making Creed and myself sport with talking with him, and so sent him away" - 6 January 1662/63
"Mr. Creed sat with me till late talking very good discourse, as he is full of it, though a cunning knave in his heart, at least not to be too much trusted, till Sir J. Minnes came in, which at last he did, and so beyond my expectation he was willing to sign his accounts, notwithstanding all his objections, which really were very material, and yet how like a doting coxcomb he signs the accounts without the least satisfaction, for which we both sufficiently laughed at him and Sir W. Batten after they had signed them and were gone" - more of 10 January 1662-63
[sayings] stands here instead of a smattering of the Greek from the Encheiridion we have seen before: Pepys is loosely paraphrasing, or inaccurately recalling, Epictetus (*Encheiridion* 1.1): * τών οντων τά μέν έστιν εκ εφ ήμιν, τά δε ουκ εφ ώμιν” (‘Of things, some are in our power, others are not’). http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
St Michael's Alley EC3 where Bowman (or Edwards) together with Pasqua Rosee (Easter Rose) who was adept in the art of soaking the beans to produce a palatable beverage, founded the first coffee-house (as a plaque on the site attests), is called 'St Michael's Lane' on the 1746 map. It is found by taking Cornhill (ENE @ 2:00 on this segment of the map) past the Royal Exchange (on the left = N), past Burchin Lane (on the R), the, just before St Michael's Church, turn R into St Michael's Lane. http://www.motco.com/map/81002/Se…
"the coffeehouses" "clientele be of differing persuassions" inter se:
"As with modern websites, the coffee-houses you went to depended on your interests, for each coffee-house attracted a particular clientele, usually by virtue of its location. Though coffee-houses were also popular in Paris, Venice and Amsterdam, this characteristic was particularly notable in London, where 82 coffee-houses had been set up by 1663, and more than 500 by 1700. Coffee-houses around the Royal Exchange were frequented by businessmen [many traders without offices of their own, whose deals were done in certain coffee-houses, e.g., Lloyds (1709-)]; those around St James's and Westminster by politicians; those near St Paul's Cathedral by clergymen and theologians. Indeed, so closely were some coffee-houses associated with particular topics that the Tatler, a London newspaper founded in 1709, used the names of coffee-houses as subject headings for its articles." [the prior par.:] "With a new rationalism abroad in the spheres of both philosophy and commerce, coffee was the ideal drink. Its popularity owed much to the growing middle class of information workers—clerks, merchants and businessmen—who did mental work in offices rather than performing physical labour in the open, and found that coffee sharpened their mental faculties. Such men were not rich enough to entertain lavishly at home, but could afford to spend a few pence a day on coffee. Coffee-houses provided a forum for education, debate and self-improvement. They were nicknamed 'penny universities' in a contemporary English verse which observed:
'So great a Universitie, I think there ne'er was any; In which you may a Scholar be, for spending of a Penny.'"
Coffee-houses | The internet in a cup "Coffee fuelled the information exchanges of the 17th and 18th centuries" The Economist | Dec 18th 2003 http://www.economist.com/World/eu…
"The history of coffee and coffee houses in London is particularly revealing of how coffee shaped the emergence of modern society. The first coffee house opened in London in 1652. A man named Bowman, servant to a merchant in the Turkey trade, opened it in partnership with Pasqua Rosee in St. Michael's Alley, Cornhill. An advertising handbill from the shop, The Vertue of the Coffee Drink, is preserved in the British Museum. The first newspaper advertisement for coffee dates from 1657, the year in which chocolate and tea were first sold publicly in London. Political activity was linked with the coffee houses from the beginning. Pepys notes the formation of the Coffee Club of the Rota in 1659, a forum for exchange of republican views which met in the Turk's Head. The number of such establishments (most near the Royal Exchange) grew markedly following the Restoration, so that by 1663, there were licensing requirements. These early coffee houses offered minimal accommodations, often consisting simply of a large room with several tables. Neither the plague years 1664-1665 nor the Great Fire of London in 1666 diminished the growing role of the coffee house. In fact, the rapid reconstruction of the Royal Exchange (completed by 1669) was accompanied by the opening of many new coffee houses.
"Controversy accompanied the introduction of the new drink. Broadsides and pamphlets such as *A Coffee Scuffle* (1662) or *The Character of a Coffee House ... by an Eye and Ear Witness* (1665) presented opposing views of the social, cultural and even medical questions raised by coffee. In the 1670s, political intrigue was the chief focus of concerns. Coffee houses were characterized as 'seminaries of sedition.' King Charles II issued an order for the suppression of coffee houses in late December 1675, but this was rescinded before it ever took effect. Coffee houses were again at the focus of inquiries into the Popish plot of Titus Oates in 1679-1680.
"'In a coffee house just now among the rabble, I bluntly asked, which is the treason table?' was how a 1681 comedy described the state of affairs. And yet, as a place where political opinions were exchanged, and where news, newsletters, and mail were distributed, coffee houses played an undeniable role in the growth of English political liberty.
"At a time when the streets of London were largely unpaved and only barely passable, and when few merchants had offices, coffee houses served an equally important function for the trading community. The most celebrated example is Edward Lloyd's coffee house in 1691. Lloyd had special arrangements to receive news of shipping, and the Lloyd's insurance institution as well as the Register of Shipping originated in these gatherings. Similarly, London stockbrokers first met in Jonathan's coffee house." http://www.avramdavidson.org/coff…
"The first coffee house opened in London in 1652. A man named Bowman, servant to a merchant in the Turkey trade, opened it in partnership with Pasqua Rosee in St. Michael's Alley, Cornhill. An advertising handbill from the shop, *The Vertue of the Coffee Drink*, is preserved in the British Museum." http://www.avramdavidson.org/coff…
Thanks, A. Hamilton, for making clear what wasn’t from today's diary entry as it stands in Wheatley: you enable a reader who 'drops in' to make sense of the entry, which I presume to be the goal of annotation (and linking).
Phil, we need "my uncle" linked to Pepys, Thomas (d, uncle) http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo… (this being the point of my unclear request for clarification)
This is the fifth troubling dream Sam has recorded, at least four of them revealing deep anxieties. Does the published literature discuss them? One would want to have a longer history with the Diary, IMHO, before venturing many grand conclusions about them.
"dreams about lawsuits.No thought of poor wife and her unresolved complaints, nor of his role as household tyrant…."
In this remarkable passage -- evidently recorded on a subsequent day --, he records what he learns (reminds hinself) are are some deeply troubling "events off" that he 'knows' (and has previously considered to) threaten his independence and shake his very foundations.
This is a "bad dream" over which he has no control and for which he should not be censured, about terrifying matters over which lacks both ken or way to respond, beyond the horizon of what he can fathom.
He can ameliorate Bess's condition and essay to amend his deplorable conduct and has indeed *thought* of these things even as he has self-critically recorded them. The substance of the dream, however, has no *apparent* connection to the events of the day and its prequels. We post-Freudians realise how in dreams what is deep-seated surfaces and have resources to deal with it that were unavailable in the 17th century.
Cider in North America is indeed more often than not (by quantity) a non-alcoholic beverage, distinct from apple-juice by having mixed in some fruit solids.
There is, however, also what is called "hard" (= alcoholic) cider.
Both tend to be associated with autumn and winter.
"To fudge" as in "fudge factor" was probably already in use:
"The word 'fudge' in such expressions as 'fudging the books' is said to come from a Captain Fudge, nicknamed "Lying Fudge" was a notorious liar in the XVII Century. Fudge was captain of the BLACK EAGLE into which ship some 55 quakers, offenders against the Conventicle Act, were forcibly transferred from Newgate prison in August, 1665. The ship was delayed at Gravesend and by the end of October, 1665, 19 of the prisoners and 8 of the crew had died of the plague, Fudge had been arrested for debt and the crew had mutinied. The ship eventually left Plymouth for the West Indies towards the end of February, 1666, but she was captured by a Dutch privateer the following day and the remaining prisoners liberated in Holland." http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/stat…
"Ah, the well-known “fudge factor,” though doubtless it didn’t have that name yet!"
That would be at least as soon as next year, stolzi, and it probably has roots in the Navy. OED: "Captain Fudge, 'by some called 'Lying Fudge' (Letter of 1664, in Crouch *Posthuma Christiana* 1712, p. 87) was a real person (the surname is still common in Dorsett). The nautical phrase, 'You fudge it,' associated in 1700 with the name of that captain, prob. belongs to FUDGE v.1. In a dialogue of 1702, *The Present Condition of the English Navy*, one of the interlocutors is called 'Young Fudg of the Admiralty' perh. with allusion to the same verb. 1700 *Remarks on the Navy* in D'Israeli, *Cur. Lit., Neology* (1841), There was, sir, in our time one Captain Fudge,.who.always brought home his owners a good cargo of lies, so much that now aboard ship the sailors, when they hear a great lie told, cry out, 'You fudge it'.
First, I agree with the take of Aussie Sue and Rex Gordon on Pepys's view of Sir J. Lawson, doubting that Pedro's single example - "a very plain grave man" - trumps their reading of "plain man" in the current context.
Second, why would Sam make "any attempt to find out what had been going on between the two lads"? To inquire is to lose all hope of finding out. When my two sons were that age, their mother used to invite them to engage in a blame-game; I assume Aussie Sue hasn't been there.
Comments
First Reading
About Sunday 18 January 1662/63
Terry F • Link
Doesn’t sound humorous to me either.
I agree with language hat: it's the uncommon quasi-legal language with which Sam indicates this is a serious and binding matter.
It may strike us as parodic because we are innured to its genuine binding legal force due to its common and routine uses in OUR time. Consider:
- End-User License Agreements we have agreed to in acquiring software;
- Credit-card terms to which we are all subject;
- In the US, privacy statements all financial institutions are required to issue periodically;
- The tax-law language we all wrestle with periodically; AND
- the 'Confidentiality Statement' appended to some email: "This communication contains information which is confidential. It is for the exclusive use of the intended recipient(s). If you are not the intended recipient(s) please note that any form of distribution, copying, forwarding or use of this communication or the information therein is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this communication in error please return it to the sender and then delete the communication and destroy any copies." (Of course, to have read it is to have made "use" of it.)
About Sunday 18 January 1662/63
Terry F • Link
"I...spoke with Mr. Smith (whom I sent for on purpose to speak of Field’s business, who stands upon 250l. before he will release us, which do trouble me highly)"
For the history of the Field matter, L&M reference 4 February 1661/62 and note http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1… and 13 December 1662 http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
Much "troubling" and "vexing" of late, but the vows....
About Mary Ashwell
Terry F • Link
Daughter of Mr. Ashwell, who works at the exchequer, with whom Pepys had socialized in 1660 when they were both clerks. See http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…
About Saturday 17 January 1662/63
Terry F • Link
The history of "Creed's accounts" is longer and more vexing and the two appear to have been conspiring - v. esp. 11 December
"So home and late with Sir John Minnes at the office looking over Mr. Creed’s accounts"- 9 December 1662
"So we and Sir W. Batten to the office, and there did discourse of Mr. Creed’s accounts, and I fear it will be a good while before we shall go through them, and many things we meet with, all of difficulty." -10 December 1662
"we sat all the morning upon Mr. Creed’s accounts, wherein I did him some service and some disservice. At noon he dined with me, and we sat all the afternoon together, discoursing of ways to get money, which I am now giving myself wholly up to" - 11 December 1662
"Creed and I to St. Paul’s Church-yard, to my bookseller’s, and looked over several books with good discourse, and then into St. Paul’s Church, and there finding Elborough, my old schoolfellow at Paul’s, now a parson, whom I know to be a silly fellow, I took him out and walked with him, making Creed and myself sport with talking with him, and so sent him away" - 6 January 1662/63
"Mr. Creed sat with me till late talking very good discourse, as he is full of it, though a cunning knave in his heart, at least not to be too much trusted, till Sir J. Minnes came in, which at last he did, and so beyond my expectation he was willing to sign his accounts, notwithstanding all his objections, which really were very material, and yet how like a doting coxcomb he signs the accounts without the least satisfaction, for which we both sufficiently laughed at him and Sir W. Batten after they had signed them and were gone" - more of 10 January 1662-63
About Saturday 17 January 1662/63
Terry F • Link
"that [sayings] of Epictetus"
[sayings] stands here instead of a smattering of the Greek from the Encheiridion we have seen before: Pepys is loosely paraphrasing, or inaccurately recalling, Epictetus (*Encheiridion* 1.1): * τών οντων τά μέν έστιν εκ εφ ήμιν, τά δε ουκ εφ ώμιν” (‘Of things, some are in our power, others are not’). http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
About General coffee house information
Terry F • Link
St Michael's Alley EC3 where Bowman (or Edwards) together with Pasqua Rosee (Easter Rose) who was adept in the art of soaking the beans to produce a palatable beverage, founded the first coffee-house (as a plaque on the site attests), is called 'St Michael's Lane' on the 1746 map. It is found by taking Cornhill (ENE @ 2:00 on this segment of the map) past the Royal Exchange (on the left = N), past Burchin Lane (on the R), the, just before St Michael's Church, turn R into St Michael's Lane. http://www.motco.com/map/81002/Se…
About Friday 16 January 1662/63
Terry F • Link
"the coffeehouses" "clientele be of differing persuassions" inter se:
"As with modern websites, the coffee-houses you went to depended on your interests, for each coffee-house attracted a particular clientele, usually by virtue of its location. Though coffee-houses were also popular in Paris, Venice and Amsterdam, this characteristic was particularly notable in London, where 82 coffee-houses had been set up by 1663, and more than 500 by 1700. Coffee-houses around the Royal Exchange were frequented by businessmen [many traders without offices of their own, whose deals were done in certain coffee-houses, e.g., Lloyds (1709-)]; those around St James's and Westminster by politicians; those near St Paul's Cathedral by clergymen and theologians. Indeed, so closely were some coffee-houses associated with particular topics that the Tatler, a London newspaper founded in 1709, used the names of coffee-houses as subject headings for its articles." [the prior par.:]
"With a new rationalism abroad in the spheres of both philosophy and commerce, coffee was the ideal drink. Its popularity owed much to the growing middle class of information workers—clerks, merchants and businessmen—who did mental work in offices rather than performing physical labour in the open, and found that coffee sharpened their mental faculties. Such men were not rich enough to entertain lavishly at home, but could afford to spend a few pence a day on coffee. Coffee-houses provided a forum for education, debate and self-improvement. They were nicknamed 'penny universities' in a contemporary English verse which observed:
'So great a Universitie, I think there ne'er was any;
In which you may a Scholar be, for spending of a Penny.'"
Coffee-houses | The internet in a cup
"Coffee fuelled the information exchanges of the 17th and 18th centuries"
The Economist | Dec 18th 2003
http://www.economist.com/World/eu…
About General coffee house information
Terry F • Link
"The history of coffee and coffee houses in London is particularly revealing of how coffee shaped the emergence of modern society. The first coffee house opened in London in 1652. A man named Bowman, servant to a merchant in the Turkey trade, opened it in partnership with Pasqua Rosee in St. Michael's Alley, Cornhill. An advertising handbill from the shop, The Vertue of the Coffee Drink, is preserved in the British Museum. The first newspaper advertisement for coffee dates from 1657, the year in which chocolate and tea were first sold publicly in London. Political activity was linked with the coffee houses from the beginning. Pepys notes the formation of the Coffee Club of the Rota in 1659, a forum for exchange of republican views which met in the Turk's Head. The number of such establishments (most near the Royal Exchange) grew markedly following the Restoration, so that by 1663, there were licensing requirements. These early coffee houses offered minimal accommodations, often consisting simply of a large room with several tables. Neither the plague years 1664-1665 nor the Great Fire of London in 1666 diminished the growing role of the coffee house. In fact, the rapid reconstruction of the Royal Exchange (completed by 1669) was accompanied by the opening of many new coffee houses.
"Controversy accompanied the introduction of the new drink. Broadsides and pamphlets such as *A Coffee Scuffle* (1662) or *The Character of a Coffee House ... by an Eye and Ear Witness* (1665) presented opposing views of the social, cultural and even medical questions raised by coffee. In the 1670s, political intrigue was the chief focus of concerns. Coffee houses were characterized as 'seminaries of sedition.' King Charles II issued an order for the suppression of coffee houses in late December 1675, but this was rescinded before it ever took effect. Coffee houses were again at the focus of inquiries into the Popish plot of Titus Oates in 1679-1680.
"'In a coffee house just now among the rabble, I bluntly asked, which is the treason table?' was how a 1681 comedy described the state of affairs. And yet, as a place where political opinions were exchanged, and where news, newsletters, and mail were distributed, coffee houses played an undeniable role in the growth of English political liberty.
"At a time when the streets of London were largely unpaved and only barely passable, and when few merchants had offices, coffee houses served an equally important function for the trading community. The most celebrated example is Edward Lloyd's coffee house in 1691. Lloyd had special arrangements to receive news of shipping, and the Lloyd's insurance institution as well as the Register of Shipping originated in these gatherings. Similarly, London stockbrokers first met in Jonathan's coffee house." http://www.avramdavidson.org/coff…
About Mr Bowman
Terry F • Link
Co-propietor of a popular coffee-house
"The first coffee house opened in London in 1652. A man named Bowman, servant to a merchant in the Turkey trade, opened it in partnership with Pasqua Rosee in St. Michael's Alley, Cornhill. An advertising handbill from the shop, *The Vertue of the Coffee Drink*, is preserved in the British Museum." http://www.avramdavidson.org/coff…
About Friday 16 January 1662/63
Terry F • Link
Thanks, A. Hamilton, for making clear what wasn’t from today's diary entry as it stands in Wheatley: you enable a reader who 'drops in' to make sense of the entry, which I presume to be the goal of annotation (and linking).
About Friday 16 January 1662/63
Terry F • Link
Thanks, A. Hamilton, for making clear what wasn't!
Here we see the events of today bearing out the nightmares of last night!
About Friday 16 January 1662/63
Terry F • Link
Phil, we need "my uncle" linked to Pepys, Thomas (d, uncle) http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…
(this being the point of my unclear request for clarification)
About Friday 16 January 1662/63
Terry F • Link
"all his tenants are sued by my uncle"
Some clarification here, please: surely this is not Uncle Robert, deceased, who brings suit!?
About Thursday 15 January 1662/63
Terry F • Link
This is the fifth troubling dream Sam has recorded, at least four of them revealing deep anxieties. Does the published literature discuss them? One would want to have a longer history with the Diary, IMHO, before venturing many grand conclusions about them.
About Thursday 15 January 1662/63
Terry F • Link
"dreams about lawsuits.No thought of poor wife and her unresolved complaints, nor of his role as household tyrant…."
In this remarkable passage -- evidently recorded on a subsequent day --, he records what he learns (reminds hinself) are are some deeply troubling "events off" that he 'knows' (and has previously considered to) threaten his independence and shake his very foundations.
This is a "bad dream" over which he has no control and for which he should not be censured, about terrifying matters over which lacks both ken or way to respond, beyond the horizon of what he can fathom.
He can ameliorate Bess's condition and essay to amend his deplorable conduct and has indeed *thought* of these things even as he has self-critically recorded them. The substance of the dream, however, has no *apparent* connection to the events of the day and its prequels. We post-Freudians realise how in dreams what is deep-seated surfaces and have resources to deal with it that were unavailable in the 17th century.
About Cider
Terry F • Link
Cider in North America is indeed more often than not (by quantity) a non-alcoholic beverage, distinct from apple-juice by having mixed in some fruit solids.
There is, however, also what is called "hard" (= alcoholic) cider.
Both tend to be associated with autumn and winter.
About Tuesday 13 January 1662/63
Terry F • Link
The jack in question seems to be a hanging-jack or spit to hold meat whilst it is turned over a fire.
About Monday 12 January 1662/63
Terry F • Link
"To fudge" as in "fudge factor" was probably already in use:
"The word 'fudge' in such expressions as 'fudging the books' is said to come from a Captain Fudge, nicknamed "Lying Fudge" was a notorious liar in the XVII Century. Fudge was captain of the BLACK EAGLE into which ship some 55 quakers, offenders against the Conventicle Act, were forcibly transferred from Newgate prison in August, 1665. The ship was delayed at Gravesend and by the end of October, 1665, 19 of the prisoners and 8 of the crew had died of the plague, Fudge had been arrested for debt and the crew had mutinied. The ship eventually left Plymouth for the West Indies towards the end of February, 1666, but she was captured by a Dutch privateer the following day and the remaining prisoners liberated in Holland." http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/stat…
About Monday 12 January 1662/63
Terry F • Link
"Ah, the well-known “fudge factor,” though doubtless it didn’t have that name yet!"
That would be at least as soon as next year, stolzi, and it probably has roots in the Navy. OED: "Captain Fudge, 'by some called 'Lying Fudge' (Letter of 1664, in Crouch *Posthuma Christiana* 1712, p. 87) was a real person (the surname is still common in Dorsett). The nautical phrase, 'You fudge it,' associated in 1700 with the name of that captain, prob. belongs to FUDGE v.1. In a dialogue of 1702, *The Present Condition of the English Navy*, one of the interlocutors is called 'Young Fudg of the Admiralty' perh. with allusion to the same verb.
1700 *Remarks on the Navy* in D'Israeli, *Cur. Lit., Neology* (1841), There was, sir, in our time one Captain Fudge,.who.always brought home his owners a good cargo of lies, so much that now aboard ship the sailors, when they hear a great lie told, cry out, 'You fudge it'.
About Monday 12 January 1662/63
Terry F • Link
“…the same plain man....basted my boy soundly”
Two separate topics, actually.
First, I agree with the take of Aussie Sue and Rex Gordon on Pepys's view of Sir J. Lawson, doubting that Pedro's single example - "a very plain grave man" - trumps their reading of "plain man" in the current context.
Second, why would Sam make "any attempt to find out what had been going on between the two lads"? To inquire is to lose all hope of finding out. When my two sons were that age, their mother used to invite them to engage in a blame-game; I assume Aussie Sue hasn't been there.