jeannine

Articles

jeannine has written 14 articles:

Encyclopedia topics

jeannine has written summaries for eight topics:

Annotations and comments

jeannine has posted 1,236 annotations/comments since 16 June 2004.

Comments

First Reading

About Monday 11 January 1663/64

jeannine  •  Link

"One gets the feeling that Sam had a low personal opinion of the King, while always claiming in his work practices that he was seeking to do him good"
Paul, you raise an interesting point. I do think that Sam, like many others, had a low opinion of Charles II's character (mostly moral character, but also in his laziness, shadiness, etc.), but that they tended to differentiate the position/power of the role of the King from the actual person who was the King. Sam and others of the time (ie. Clarendon), were strongly supportive of the role although they didn't necessarily respect the man performing that role.

About Sunday 10 January 1663/64

jeannine  •  Link

"Collonell Turner (a mad, swearing, confident fellow"
A wonderful description of a person -you can just imagine what he's like through Sam's word.

About Saturday 9 January 1663/64

jeannine  •  Link

From L&M

but could not do as I used to do (yet nothing but what was honest)...

"for that she told me she had those".

(Is this what we'd call Divine Intervention?)

About Friday 8 January 1663/64

jeannine  •  Link

Sam's Letter to Coventry was dated from the Navy Office on 8 January. It begins:

"In order to the preparing some directions for the more regular proceedings of those who may hereafter have the dispensing of moneys abroad, I have lately looked up such broken notes as from time to time I have taken upon the examination of foreign accounts, which without any care of sorting them (a tenderness I seldom exercise with you) are here put down just as they rise, and may perhaps prove hints to you at least of something useful."

Sam then lists 11 areas where the documentation and/or flow of money may leave "loopholes". In these key areas possible corruption and or errors in the management of the Navy's funds could easily be taking place. Sam then documents:

*tightening the controls over the payment of the boatswains, carpenters and gunners accounts and wages
* requiring signature of the proper 'masters' for payments; establishing and/or tightening controls to be used by the Deputy Treasurer for the prices set by merchants for goods
* tighter controls over Commanders-in-chief and the presents and/or gratuities given by them (or supposedly given by them)
*"private captains have taken a liberty of making or pretending (?) the making of presents to persons on shore"
*establishing rights for the King against insolvent persons
*paying moneys upon a "demandant's bare assertion of so much disbursed, without any receipt produced under the hand of him to whom it was paid"
*"Bill of exchange have been often drawn upon us from abroad by Deputy Treasurers to the value of certain sums sterling for pieces of 8 taken up by them, without mentioning the number or price at which they were so taken, whereby through the difference in exchange and our ignorance of the rate current at the time of drawing those bills, we are rendered unable (at the accountant's coming home) to judge of the good or bad husbandry used by them in that particular , but on the contrary, are forced to admit of what prices they please to put upon them"
*The Deputy Treasurers shouldn't be so tightly bound (ie. cronies, buddies, etc.) with the Admirals under which they serve (need for non-related third party to oversee money).

About Friday 8 January 1663/64

jeannine  •  Link

Can anyone help enlighten me as to what Department Treasurers are?
Todd, in the book, "The Further Correspondence of Samuel Pepys" (edited by Tanner), the letter that Sam wrote appears. Along with that letter in the footnote, it states that "Wheatley's edition of the Diary reads "Department Treasurers" but this must be wrong. Tanner believes that this should read "Deputy Treasurers" which is the "theme" of the letter.

I'll post a quick summary of the letter below. Of note, this letter and the letter Sam wrote to Carteret (Nov 13 &14 1663) are in this book. Both give a wonderful example of Sam's ability to gather his thoughts together and present his arguments in a professional manner. Both letters also show the stark difference between his private face (ie. Diary) and his public face (ie. Navy). I would have copied each into the annotations for the respective days but they are quite long and detailed. What amazes me, as always, is that we probably only see a small portion of the writing that Sam does in any given day, and all without a keyboard, spell check, decent lighting, etc.

About Thursday 7 January 1663/64

jeannine  •  Link

"Mr. Coventry's mistresse"
Is this the first we hear of her? Not sure if she is ever named. From the bio that Vincent links into under Coventry he never married. There were quite a few men who never married (who due to their titles, etc. I would have thought would be encouraged to by the King), including Prince Rupert. With all of the social importance of having a legitimate heir and need for money it seems interesting that some in high places chose to remain unmarried.

About Wednesday 6 January 1663/64

jeannine  •  Link

"I shall continue, it saving me money and time; that is, to trimme myself with a razer"
I am sure that his 'joy' in this newfound skill will end shortly after the first 'nick" of his skin. Even worse-without having tissue of some sort to stop the bleeding how will he go on? I have this mental image now of his famous portrait http://www.waterhistory.org/histo…
covered with little white pieces of tissue as he goes through the process of mastering this skill!

About Wednesday 6 January 1663/64

jeannine  •  Link

Did Sam not take up the invitation from Sir W. Pen, to attend his feast today, (12th day of Christmas), mentioned on the 3rd?
Spoiler -Martin -you'll have to wait until tomorrow's entry.

About Saturday 2 January 1663/64

jeannine  •  Link

Vows against play going
Michael -Mary and Dan have stated the case against play going quite well. In the book "A Record of Samuel Pepys' Financial Accounts, 1660-1669" are listed the monies he spent or received during the Diary years. As I started perusing it I was really surprised to see how many "hits" for the theater that were listed in the early years. It seemed that Sam would drop a £ here and there, probably with little thought to it. As with anyone who had ever set up a budget, it's often the little things that you can cut out that add up to a lot of savings over time. Sam is lucky to have figured this out at a young age, especially when you read about all of the people in debt today!

About Saturday 2 January 1663/64

jeannine  •  Link

Pepys Biography
Time is running out-don't forget Bradford's great find this past week!
"Pepys is the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography subject for 1 January 2007. This 15-page essay by C. S. Knighton will remain freely available for a week. Go to this page and click on the Hayls portrait:

http://www.oxforddnb.com/public/l…

The Print function is at upper left."

About Friday 1 January 1663/64

jeannine  •  Link

Laura
Found a past reference to Sam's aunt's hands "where we had but a poor dinner, and not well dressed; besides, the very sight of my aunt's hands and greasy manner of carving, did almost turn my stomach." Also, in the string of annotations for that day are other references too!
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
(Happy New Year too!)

About Friday 1 January 1663/64

jeannine  •  Link

out of the offence the sight of my aunt's hands gives me"
What does that mean?
Sam has a "thing" about being grossed out by people's hands, so if someone has dirty hands while preparing food, etc. (meaning could be greasy from the prep, etc.) then he seems to feel sick to his stomach and loses his desire to eat. I don't have the exact references handy, but basically it's just something that makes him very squeamish.

About Tuesday 29 December 1663

jeannine  •  Link

PUBLIC SERVANT
Persons chosen by the people to distribute the graft.
- More Maxims of Mark (Twain), Johnson, 1927

About Monday 28 December 1663

jeannine  •  Link

work to my wife ... but whether it is cured...

L&M fill in the blanks

work to my wife about her evill below; but whether it is cured ....

About Sunday 27 December 1663

jeannine  •  Link

"where I slept all the sermon the Scott preaching'
Do you suppose the Scot's name was Ambien?

(for those outside the US this is a sleeping aid drug that's advertised all the time)