jeannine

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jeannine has written 14 articles:

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jeannine has written summaries for eight topics:

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

Comments

First Reading

About Saturday 13 June 1663

jeannine  •  Link

"saw my Lady Castlemaine, who, I fear, is not so handsome as I have taken her for, and now she begins to decay something"
Gee, to be Lady Castlemaine at 22 years old and so unfortunate as to "decay"!
I so love some of Sam's word choices and phrases. I have often wondered how he'd describe each of us! To digress, what fun to have a contest to describe ourselves "Sam style". Hmmm, would it be better to be "decaying" or my all time favorite a "a pitiful, old, ugly, illbred woman in a hatt" (Fenner's wife on Jan 23 1661/1662).

About Thursday 11 June 1663

jeannine  •  Link

"Wayneman is a pain, man."

Stolzi, I know, but I have a soft spot for him...he makes such good reading! How boring if Sam had a well behaved servant as we'd never hear him mentioned.

Todd, yes I believe Ashwell is going with Elizabeth. With the "shift in the wind" these days it may make for an interesting trip. I think that they may be getting on each other's nerves (or at least Ashwell seems to be on Elizabeth's). Also, interesting is the change in Sam's thoughts about Ashwell. Actually living with someone is so different than just having them visit.

About Wednesday 10 June 1663

jeannine  •  Link

Thanks LH, this makes more sense.

Pedro-thanks for the wine recipes --I have this mental picture of Sam stamping grapes in his bare feet and brewing up a batch!

About Wednesday 10 June 1663

jeannine  •  Link

"When my wife and I came first home we *took* Ashwell and all the rest below in the cellar with the vintner drawing out my wine"

Bradford --In regards to "took" L&M says the same but has an asterick after the word "wine" and the note reads "MS. 'wife'"
Perhaps they are saying the sentence should read:
"When my wife and I came first home we took Ashwell and all the rest below in the cellar with the vintner drawing out my wife....."

Still not totally clear to me what Sam means here.

About Sunday 7 June 1663

jeannine  •  Link

The German Princess
I just added some background on the German Princess. Has anyone read the book referenced in her background page called "Counterfeit Lady Unveiled" by Kirkman and/or "The Case of Madam Mary Carleton" by Mary Carelton herself? It would be great to get a recap. She sounds like an outrageous character.

About Friday 5 June 1663

jeannine  •  Link

"I set her at her father’s; but their condition is such that she will not let me see where they live, but goes by herself when I am out of sight."
What a sad situation. It's not clear if Elizabeth is ashamed to let Sam see her parent's living situation on her own behalf, or if they have asked her not to let him know where they live. In either case the conditions must have been horrible.

About Thursday 4 June 1663

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"In the Hall to-day Dr. Pierce tells me that the Queen begins to be brisk, and play like other ladies, and is quite another woman from what she was, of which I am glad. It may be, it may make the King like her the better, and forsake his two mistresses, my Lady Castlemaine and Stewart."
Alas for our Queen, this wish won't be so! Catherine has been married to Charles a little over a year and has endured a lifetimes of heartaches already, but, she is persevering and trying to please her husband, the King. "She took up dancing to please the King and entered with zest into the Court ballets and junketings... In time Catherine learnt to play her part so well that everybody thought her a happy woman. She was always devising entertainments for the amusement of the King and her ladies, at which she seemed the gayest of the gay."(Ponsonby p. 135)
And NO it it NOT noted if Mr. Pembleton was her dance teacher, but at least her husband did not have a fit of jealousy(spoiler...at least not yet!)

About Thursday 4 June 1663

jeannine  •  Link

"I still wish Sam had a better relationship with him " Robert, from reading the biographies of Elizabeth my guess would be that Sam avoided him because he was poor. There will be times that Elizabeth will not tell Sam where her parents are living because they are living in such pitiful conditions. Section IV of the article on Elizabeth is about her father and gives detail from the Delaforce biography concerning Alexandre's life.
http://www.pepysdiary.com/indepth…

About Wednesday 3 June 1663

jeannine  •  Link

Hey Gay,

Give him one from us too--just to keep him in line...

Bess obviously sent "the boy" out with an alert to the attendees of the Weekly Discussion Book Club that the next scheduled reading of the "Diary of Sam Pepys" would be held in a new location as the wine cellar was no longer secure. The notice went out to Hewer, Ashwell, the maids, the Naval employees, Sam's family,Pembleton, the Duke, Castlemaine, the King, etc. stating that the new meeting location would be at St. Olaves church-somewhere he'd NEVER frequent during the week, or if by chance he showed up, he'd sleep through the meeting anyway. It also reminded people that from now on it was BYOB (bring your own beverage).

About Sunday 31 May 1663

jeannine  •  Link

A Rich Man, and what about the "Rich Man's Wife"
While Sam is able to earn a living, Elizabeth is totally dependent and not a wage earner. Her role is to keep the home. If Sam dies first, what happens to the widow?

Antonia Fraser in "The Weaker Vessel" tells us that
"City wives were particularly well treated; by Custom of London a wife had the right to one third of her husband's property at death, and if there were no children, their one third also (p. 5)... Even for the less priviledged, widow's rights were one area where the law was by no means unfavourable to women as it was elsewhere. For those outside the wealthier world of the marriage settlement made in advance of the ceremony [Elizabeth for instance??], there existed the traditional widow's 'thirds', that is, a third share in the husband's estate which under common law was her due. A widow's inheritance could take many forms, some of which could enable her to make a convenient second marriage on her own terms if she so wished, while others allowed her a position of her own in commercial society." (p. 97).
Note that in the case of Uncle Robert's will, he specifically excluded his second wife Ann Trice, due to allegeded fraud in that marriage and that added to the encumbrances on the estate and Sam's headaches.

About Sunday 31 May 1663

jeannine  •  Link

"I slept most of the sermon"

John 8:1 1-11 reminds us that we should "Let the one without sin cast the first stone".... so any never slept through a sermon sin free volunteers to comment on this? I doubt it.

About Sunday 24 May 1663

jeannine  •  Link


King Leer

Forebore church because I did great stool
Hearing a beauty there I start to drool

Against my intention I’m fast on my way
Never occurring to me to actually pray

With my subtle glances the lady I do see
Whose looks of beauty do heartily impress me

In the gallery I see that snake Pembleton
Leering at my wife in front of most everyone

I observe to him she makes a curtsey
And fear that she do to be coyly flirtsy

My suspicions cause me to think the worst
Jealousy the sin of which I am cursed

My secret plan is to soon send her away
Putting end to dance and suspected foreplay

What my poor wife does fail to see
Is her only reason for being is to please me

I know public displays and looks of affection
Should remain private to avoid their detection

I hide my lusts in the pages of my diary
Expressing inner thoughts that are carnal and fiery

In those hidden words it is certainly most clear
That in my heart I am King of the Leer