Are we sure that Sam is referring to professional fees here? Banister is the only one of the group who is a professional musician; Harris is an actor and friend of Sam's; Rolt comes from a family with connections with the Pepys and Mountagu families in Brampton and also seems (per L&M) to be a friend of Harris's and Bland is a successful local (to St. Olave's) merchant who is shortly to be appointed Mayor of Tangier.
I had assumed that Sam was referring to the charge and expense of entertaining "these people" to what one presumes was a good dinner. Sam has been spending pretty freely whilst Elizabeth is away in Brampton - theatres (with oranges), dinners at The Pillars of Hercules and elsewhere, coaches hither and yon. He's starting to think about the cost of all this pleasure.
Like many who make a smart remark, Sam has almost instant regrets. Not surprising, really. It's only a couple of weeks since he spoke so eloquently and persuasively to members of the House and it could prove foolish for him to risk tainting his resulting high reputation with this kind of quip.
This was an area of pleasure gardens beside the Thames; avenues, covered walks and booths in which one could obtain a drink. It provided (as in Pepys' case) an area providing discreet, amatory resort and became notorious by the early 18th century for the numbers of prostitutes who plied their trade there.
Ludgate Hill has proved (and still proves) a steep and difficult stretch of road for horses to manage. In very recent times the prospect of negotiating this hill with (State) carriage and horses has caused problems and head-scratching.
Such a tip would not be surprising. Didn't we earlier establish that it was accepted practice for a visitor to tip the doorman/gatekeeper when visiting the residence of someone of status?
According to L&M (Vol.1 pp.xlii ff.) the clear balance of evidence indicates that the diaries were not written on loose leaves that were then bound into volumes, but that all of the volumes were ordinary stationer's notebooks, bought at different times and with varying paper quality.
It might be worth noting that, as transcribed in the L&M edition, all these notes are shown as having been scored through, line by line, with a single, horizontal line - as though Pepys had been saying to himself, " done that; done that; done that; ......." to the end of the notes. The sort of thing that I might do with a 'to do' list when I had taken care of each item, yet there is apparently no extended transcription extant.
I'm not sure that our friend would have had the gall to preempt the attitude of Winston Churchill's father. When detected in 'crime' by his wife, Lord Randolph Churchill protested, "But what does the occasional cook or housemaid matter?"
We lack evidence, but I'm not sure that these were houses in the full, permanent, domestic sense of the word. You wouldn't need a massive timber frame to enable a wooden structure to stand sufficiently well to cope with this kind of passing trade. My fairly capacious garden tool-store is a wooden structure that has stood for years, but it wouldn't take a huge effort to pull it down if one were bent on mischief yet it's weatherproof. It doesn't afford a huge amount of headroom, but the Moorfields clients might not have been troubled by that lack.
I don't think one could say that this was common with every young master, but was certainly an occupational hazard for many living-in maidservants and would remain so for another 200+ years.
A girl such as Deb Willet (an orphan whose sole family support seems to have been the aunt who arranged her employment at Seething Lane) would plainly be at greater risk of persistent moves of this sort than the better connected and supported Mary Mercer.
Mary tolerated a certain amount of personal attention from Sam but was not (or,rather, her mother was not) about to let herself be treated like a common apprentice when it came to a question of absenting herself from the house without permission. She, though dismissed by Elizabeth on this point, left the Pepys's employ with her dignity intact and the two families retained social ties.
Pepys's use of French and Spanish is rarely grammatically correct in these circumstances; but what does he care if "can" ought logically have been followed by "faire" (infinitive) in this case?
Not sure what Sam is trying to say here, but it's noteworthy that an area of Moorfields was notorious for the number of brothels situated there.
However, given his usual pattern of behaviour, it would seem uncharacteristic of him to go in search of a specific prostitute, though he's presumably taking a bit of a risk in case he's seen and recognised in this locality at all.
Perhaps he's looking for a secluded place suitable for a tryst in a more 'innocent' area of Moorfields, part of which had been planted as a sort of park in which to take the air.
We don't know *exactly* what Sam did but, roughly speaking, he kissed young Frank (from French baiser= to kiss) and "did it with" Mrs. Martin (Spanish hazer/hacer) his long-term little bit on the side.
The brevity of the account of his bout with Mrs. Martin would seem to indicate that this was not one of his more memorable interludes.
Historically all the gates of London were supposed to be closed at 9 p.m. with no-one allowed either to enter or leave the city between that time and 6 o'clock the following morning. No doubt the Watch at Moorgate was being particularly punctilious on this evening because of the activities of the rioting apprentices over the previous few days.
Sam's use of "pragmatical" implies that the Watch should have been able to tell at a glance that Pepys and his companions were hardly of the rioting class and so should have been allowed unimpeded access, whatever the rule-book said. In Sam's eyes the Watch was being a typical 'job's-worth' and should have allowed the party to proceed at once upon receipt of the usual beer-money.
(In case that expression isn't as widely used outside the United Kingdom as it is within it, a job's-worth is anyone who protests that, "It's more than my job's worth to allow you to.... [something or other]" instead of applying common sense to a request).
These bawdy houses in Moorfields were not necessarily the more solidly built constructions that would have been expected (before the Fire, at least) closer to the heart of the city and so may have been comparatively easy to vandalise or pull down.
The following link (click on London) gives a brief account of the earlier arrival of Jewish families in 17th century London prior to the 1655 Whitehall Conference.
Comments
First Reading
About Sunday 26 April 1668
Mary • Link
"charge and cost to me"
Are we sure that Sam is referring to professional fees here? Banister is the only one of the group who is a professional musician; Harris is an actor and friend of Sam's; Rolt comes from a family with connections with the Pepys and Mountagu families in Brampton and also seems (per L&M) to be a friend of Harris's and Bland is a successful local (to St. Olave's) merchant who is shortly to be appointed Mayor of Tangier.
I had assumed that Sam was referring to the charge and expense of entertaining "these people" to what one presumes was a good dinner. Sam has been spending pretty freely whilst Elizabeth is away in Brampton - theatres (with oranges), dinners at The Pillars of Hercules and elsewhere, coaches hither and yon. He's starting to think about the cost of all this pleasure.
About Friday 24 April 1668
Mary • Link
Sofa?
L&M renders this "did find her sola in the book[shop]" which makes much better sense. Sola = alone.
At this date the sofa had not yet become a normal article of domestic furniture in England, let alone in bookshops.
About Wednesday 22 April 1668
Mary • Link
Sam's quip.
Like many who make a smart remark, Sam has almost instant regrets. Not surprising, really. It's only a couple of weeks since he spoke so eloquently and persuasively to members of the House and it could prove foolish for him to risk tainting his resulting high reputation with this kind of quip.
About Vauxhall ("Fox-hall")
Mary • Link
This was an area of pleasure gardens beside the Thames; avenues, covered walks and booths in which one could obtain a drink. It provided (as in Pepys' case) an area providing discreet, amatory resort and became notorious by the early 18th century for the numbers of prostitutes who plied their trade there.
About Friday 17 April 1668
Mary • Link
Ludgate Hill has proved (and still proves) a steep and difficult stretch of road for horses to manage. In very recent times the prospect of negotiating this hill with (State) carriage and horses has caused problems and head-scratching.
About Sunday 12 April 1668
Mary • Link
Such a tip would not be surprising. Didn't we earlier establish that it was accepted practice for a visitor to tip the doorman/gatekeeper when visiting the residence of someone of status?
About Friday 10 April 1668
Mary • Link
According to L&M (Vol.1 pp.xlii ff.) the clear balance of evidence indicates that the diaries were not written on loose leaves that were then bound into volumes, but that all of the volumes were ordinary stationer's notebooks, bought at different times and with varying paper quality.
About Friday 10 April 1668
Mary • Link
It might be worth noting that, as transcribed in the L&M edition, all these notes are shown as having been scored through, line by line, with a single, horizontal line - as though Pepys had been saying to himself, " done that; done that; done that; ......." to the end of the notes. The sort of thing that I might do with a 'to do' list when I had taken care of each item, yet there is apparently no extended transcription extant.
About Friday 3 April 1668
Mary • Link
The devil a bit ....... or can be.
L&M edition gives the same reading. It's a bit compressed, but not too obscure.
-"The devil a bit" = by no means
- Supply [if] after "the devil a bit"
-"is there": rhetorical reversal of "there is" for emphasis
-[n]or can [there] be.
Beth's rephrasing gives a comparable modern version of Sam's statement.
About Thursday 2 April 1668
Mary • Link
mouche (Petit Robert)
i.e. a beauty patch.
But I think that we should stick with the L&M reading "mucho". Apart from anything else, Sam disapproved of face-painting and the wearing of patches.
About Wednesday 1 April 1668
Mary • Link
Sam's peccadilloes
I'm not sure that our friend would have had the gall to preempt the attitude of Winston Churchill's father. When detected in 'crime' by his wife, Lord Randolph Churchill protested,
"But what does the occasional cook or housemaid matter?"
About Wednesday 25 March 1668
Mary • Link
pulling down the bawdy houses.
We lack evidence, but I'm not sure that these were houses in the full, permanent, domestic sense of the word. You wouldn't need a massive timber frame to enable a wooden structure to stand sufficiently well to cope with this kind of passing trade. My fairly capacious garden tool-store is a wooden structure that has stood for years, but it wouldn't take a huge effort to pull it down if one were bent on mischief yet it's weatherproof. It doesn't afford a huge amount of headroom, but the Moorfields clients might not have been troubled by that lack.
About Wednesday 1 April 1668
Mary • Link
I don't think one could say that this was common with every young master, but was certainly an occupational hazard for many living-in maidservants and would remain so for another 200+ years.
A girl such as Deb Willet (an orphan whose sole family support seems to have been the aunt who arranged her employment at Seething Lane) would plainly be at greater risk of persistent moves of this sort than the better connected and supported Mary Mercer.
Mary tolerated a certain amount of personal attention from Sam but was not (or,rather, her mother was not) about to let herself be treated like a common apprentice when it came to a question of absenting herself from the house without permission. She, though dismissed by Elizabeth on this point, left the Pepys's employ with her dignity intact and the two families retained social ties.
About Wednesday 1 April 1668
Mary • Link
The modern cellaret: a set of three spirits bottles, usually of cut glass, on a small, wooden stand. Designed to stand on a sideboard or side table.
About Monday 19 December 1664
Mary • Link
"ferais" is indeed the conditional tense.
Pepys's use of French and Spanish is rarely grammatically correct in these circumstances; but what does he care if "can" ought logically have been followed by "faire" (infinitive) in this case?
About Thursday 15 December 1664
Mary • Link
Not sure what Sam is trying to say here, but it's noteworthy that an area of Moorfields was notorious for the number of brothels situated there.
However, given his usual pattern of behaviour, it would seem uncharacteristic of him to go in search of a specific prostitute, though he's presumably taking a bit of a risk in case he's seen and recognised in this locality at all.
Perhaps he's looking for a secluded place suitable for a tryst in a more 'innocent' area of Moorfields, part of which had been planted as a sort of park in which to take the air.
About Friday 27 March 1668
Mary • Link
To answer Stan:
We don't know *exactly* what Sam did but, roughly speaking, he kissed young Frank (from French baiser= to kiss) and "did it with" Mrs. Martin (Spanish hazer/hacer) his long-term little bit on the side.
The brevity of the account of his bout with Mrs. Martin would seem to indicate that this was not one of his more memorable interludes.
About Thursday 26 March 1668
Mary • Link
militia and Watches very strict at this time.
Historically all the gates of London were supposed to be closed at 9 p.m. with no-one allowed either to enter or leave the city between that time and 6 o'clock the following morning. No doubt the Watch at Moorgate was being particularly punctilious on this evening because of the activities of the rioting apprentices over the previous few days.
Sam's use of "pragmatical" implies that the Watch should have been able to tell at a glance that Pepys and his companions were hardly of the rioting class and so should have been allowed unimpeded access, whatever the rule-book said. In Sam's eyes the Watch was being a typical 'job's-worth' and should have allowed the party to proceed at once upon receipt of the usual beer-money.
(In case that expression isn't as widely used outside the United Kingdom as it is within it, a job's-worth is anyone who protests that, "It's more than my job's worth to allow you to.... [something or other]" instead of applying common sense to a request).
About Wednesday 25 March 1668
Mary • Link
These bawdy houses in Moorfields were not necessarily the more solidly built constructions that would have been expected (before the Fire, at least) closer to the heart of the city and so may have been comparatively easy to vandalise or pull down.
About Monday 23 March 1667/68
Mary • Link
The following link (click on London) gives a brief account of the earlier arrival of Jewish families in 17th century London prior to the 1655 Whitehall Conference.
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.o…