Tuesday 14 February 1659/60
Called out in the morning by Mr. Moore, whose voice my wife hearing in my dressing-chamber with me, got herself ready, and came down and challenged him for her valentine, this being the day. To Westminster Hall, there being many new remonstrances and declarations from many counties to Monk and the City, and one coming from the North from Sir Thomas Fairfax. Hence I took him to the Swan and gave him his morning draft. So to my office, where Mr. Hill of Worcestershire came to see me and my partner in our office, with whom we went to Will’s to drink. At noon I went home and so to Mr. Crew’s, but they had dined, and so I went to see Mrs. Jem where I stayed a while, and home again where I stayed an hour or two at my lute, and so forth to Westminster Hall, where I heard that the Parliament hath now changed the oath so much talked of to a promise; and that among other qualifications for the members that are to be chosen, one is, that no man, nor the son of any man that hath been in arms during the life of the father, shall be capable of being chosen to sit in Parliament. To Will’s, where like a fool I staid and lost 6d. at cards. So home, and wrote a letter to my Lord by the post. So after supper to bed. This day, by an order of the House, Sir H. Vane was sent out of town to his house in Lincolnshire.
30 Annotations
First Reading
M.Stolzenbach • Link
I wonder what the "oath so much talked of" was. And whether changing it to a "promise" was designed to make it possible for Quakers to serve.
Keith Wright • Link
Furthering M. Stolzenbach's query: the anti-military requirement for members of the new Parliament.
Derek • Link
Re: 'the oath'. Is this not the oath that Barebone's petition has demanded and that Parliament has welcomed (see diary entry for 11th February)? The 1911 Brittanica suggests that the petition
'...proposed that all officials should abjure the Stuarts, and all publicly proposing the Restoration should be deemed guilty of high treason.'
http://4.1911encyclopedia.org/B/B…
Derek • Link
'Challenged him for her valentine'.
Can anyone throw more light on this custom - and why it's acceptable for a married woman to 'challenge' another man in this way in front of her husband?
Judy • Link
Mr Hill....to see my and my partner. Who is the 'partner'? Is this G Downing or have I missed something?
john simmons • Link
Challanged him for her valentine...
A valentine was a special person chosen on this day, definitely not one's husband. I think in this case it was the first male she encountered, and Mr. Moore obviously suited as she quickly dressed and went down. She was young and pretty, so he probably did not repine. Am sure he would have given her some favor or token to seal the deal.
michael f vincent • Link
" hath now changed the oath so much talked of to a promise; and that among other qualifications for the members that are to be chosen ";
Civil rights are in the process of modification;
Only the privilege could vote and people of substance;
Of course the requirements were in transition;
privilege become unprivilege and unprivilege becoming privilege;
The sword is becoming the pen (maybe?).
Phil • Link
Putting information about Valentines' Day customs on the Background Info page for it would mean we don't have to repeat ourselves every year for the next ten years... http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…
Second Reading
Bill H • Link
Test :)
Phil Gyford • Link
Phew, good to see it works Bill, thanks! I'll delete these annotations over the weekend, to keep things on topic, but nice to know it's all on track.
1Vikinggirl • Link
Oh no, please, don't delete the old annotations. They have been lovely to read the past weeks. They are just as much a diary of a time past as Sam's is. It is especially nice to see links to websites with information pre-wikipedia. Could we not just continue adding comments?
Chris Squire UK • Link
Hi there, Phil - thank you for sending the Diary out again and for all your sterling work in creating this site - and for restoring the comments: the challenge now is to think of something to add to the comments from 10 years ago . .
Richard Whittall • Link
Seconded on not deleting old annotations. Find them fascinating.
Frank G. • Link
I suspect that Phil is referring to test annotations. I can't imagine him deleting any of the historic annotations.
Phil Gyford • Link
Yes, I won't be deleting the old annotations, just the test ones, to keep things on topic about 14th February 1660! Feel free to post general comments about the annotations on the announcement: http://www.pepysdiary.com/news/20…
Now, back to the business of the diary...
Terry Foreman • Link
"the Parliament hath now changed the oath so much talked of to a promise"
The oath of abjuration was to be replaced by a simple declaration of allegiance to the commonwealth. The bill was now at report stage, and passed on the 16th: https://www.british-history.ac.uk… (L&M)
Terry Foreman • Link
"To Westminster Hall, there being many new remonstrances and declarations from many counties to Monk and the City, and one coming from the North from Sir Thomas Fairfax."
In these addresses -- often the product of secret royal organization -- the country was protesting against the imposition of taxes by an unrepresentative parliament. (More details in a long L&M footnote).
Terry Foreman • Link
"that among other qualifications for the members that are to be chosen, one is, that no man, nor the son of any man that hath been in arms during the life of the father, shall be capable of being chosen to sit in Parliament"
This refers to another bill passed on the 18th. All who had fought against parliament were to be excluded, and their sons also during their fathers' lifetimes.; but an exception was made for sons who had borne arms for parliamwnt: https://www.british-history.ac.uk… (L&M)
Terry Foreman • Link
"This day, by an order of the House, Sir H. Vane was sent out of town to his house in Lincolnshire."
At Belleau Manor, Lincolnshire.
The medieval manor house, which formerly occupied the moated site, was said to be the seat of the Lords of Willoughby d'Eresby. This house was replaced in the 16th century by a hall, which following the Civil War belonged to Sir Harry Vane. http://www.gatehouse-gazetteer.in…
San Diego Sarah • Link
Diary of Ralph Josselin (Private Collection)
14.2.1660 (Tuesday 14 February 1660)
document 70012290
14: Wm Brand in great misery not able to make water, lord help, heard that Monke had declared for and with the city for a free parliament:
San Diego Sarah • Link
"So home, and wrote a letter to my Lord by the post. "
Another day of intelligence gathering for Montagu.
Kyle in San Diego • Link
Started reading this diary because he endured the plague. Given the recent pandemic I'm hoping to be able to relate to it better.
San Diego Sarah • Link
Pepys Diary is an advanced study of human nature, Kyle. Times of stress like this bring out the best -- and the most selfish, roughest and most unvarnished -- sides of human beings. Be kind, and assume people are making the best of their circumstances in order to take care of their friends and family. Taking care of the country and doing the right thing on principle turn out to be fair low on the Hierarchy of Needs. In my opinion, the Diary does seem to support Abraham Maslow's theories:
https://www.simplypsychology.org/…
Terry Foreman • Link
"To Westminster Hall, there being many new remonstrances and declarations from many counties to Monk and the City, and one coming from the North from Sir Thomas Fairfax."
L&M: In these addresses -- often the product of secret royalist organisations -- the country was protesting against the imposition of taxes by an unrepresentative parliament. Norfolk, e.g., had recently petitioned both the Rump and Monck, and on this day manifestoes from Oxfordshire and Warwickshire appeared in print: BM, 190 g. 13/148; 669 f. 23/35, 45. The 'one coming from the North' was addressed to Monck from Yorkshire, and was published both in York and in London. It declared against taxes and demanded either the admission of the secluded members or a free parliament: BM, 669 f.23/48; cf. CSPD 1659-60, p. 356. In another (spurious) version (13 February; BM, 669 f.23/47). An armed rising was threatened by the 'lords, knights, esquires' et al. of the county and city of York. Both versions were acquired by Thomason on the 16th. It is difficult to be sure which version Pepys refers to: Fairfax's name appears at the head of the signatories to the pacific one, and in the title of the militant one. Despite his Scottish barony, Fairfax was still often called 'Sir Thomas'.
Third Reading
Ensign Tom • Link
“Called out in the morning by Mr. Moore … “
This opening sentence leaves me with the mental image of Mr. Moore arriving at the Pepys’ residence early in the morning, knocking at the door, receiving no answer, and then feeling free to let himself in and halloo up the stairs to see if anyone was at home. One wonders where the servants were and why Mr. Moore had to announce himself in this fashion. Perhaps this explains why Elizabeth was in Sam’s “dressing-chamber”; she might have been helping him get dressed in the absence of the usual servants. Since Mr. Moore was Lord Sandwich’s “man of business” and Sam was enjoying the patronage of Lord Sandwich, Mr. Moore may have felt free to make himself at home at the Pepys’ as Sam was hardly in a position to object.
In any case, unless I’m being overly analytical there seems to be something significant in the way Elizabeth quickly gets dressed as soon as she hears Mr. Moore’s voice and then runs downstairs “and challenged him for her valentine” before he and Sam could leave the house. This must be the same Mr. Moore whom Sam found at his home—presumably with Elizabeth—back on February 10th. Did Elizabeth find Mr. Moore attractive? Did they make plans on the 10th for him to be her valentine on the 14th? Or did Sam orchestrate this whole scene as a way of improving his standing with his patron by arranging for his comely young wife to ingratiate herself with Lord Sandwich’s representative by asking him to be her valentine?
San Diego Sarah • Link
"This opening sentence leaves me with the mental image of Mr. Moore arriving at the Pepys’ residence early in the morning, knocking at the door, receiving no answer, and then feeling free to let himself in and halloo up the stairs to see if anyone was at home. One wonders where the servants were and why Mr. Moore had to announce himself in this fashion."
You've seen pictures of those wonderful gabled houses, where each floor extends further over the road, and you wonder why they don't tip over? Pepys is currently living in one of those, but it's no longer a single family dwelling.
On January 1 of this year Pepys describes his situation: "I lived in Axe Yard having my wife, and servant Jane, and no more in family than us three. ... (we living lately in the garret) ..."
I.E. they have a few rooms (my guess is about 4 - a bedroom, a kitchen where Jane sleeps by the fire, a living room, and his dressing room/study) at the top of the house. The rooms are on two floors or levels.
So yes, Mr. Moore would have had to come up the stairs to find Pepys, but I doubt he would be yelling for Pepys ahead of his arrival. Jane would be up already, preparing the stove to heat the water and the house, and showed him into Pepys' presence.
Elizabeth was in the bedroom and heard Moore and Pepys talking in his dressing room. Moore is an old friend, and totally appropriate and safe to be her valentine. Husbands were not eligible for the role in those days. She would have to chose someone who would not excite jelousy in Pepys, which is an on-going problem as you'll read later.
There's no currying of favor here, just a bit of domestic fun.
San Diego Sarah • Link
Ensign Tom -- later I discovered an Encyclopedia page for Pepys' house at Axe Yard, and I've copied in the L&M Companion description of the arrangements there. They overlooked Pepys' description of his living arrangements on Day One!
https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…
Ensign Tom • Link
Thanks for the reference, San Diego Sarah. I don't suppose anyone has ever tried to draw a conceptual reconstruction of the Pepys' home based upon Sam's diary entries. I imagine it would be easier for the Seething Lane home than the one in Axe Yard. As the months and years go by and Sam adds to his furniture, wall hangings, plate collection, paintings and wall murals--in what was basically government housing, I gather--you get some general mental image of what the house was like, but I wonder if anyone has ever tried to tie it all together and illustrate the layout and interior decoration of the home in a manner consistent with the diary.
San Diego Sarah • Link
Yes they have, Ensign Tom -- at the top of this page is a black band with the words: THE DIARY - LETTERS - ENCYCLOPEDIA - ARTICLES - SITE NEWS - RECENT ACTIVITY - ABOUT
Under ARTICLES, our recent efforts have been book reviews, but if you go back further you'll find that Jeannine, Sue Nicholson, Phil Gyford, and others from the First Reading contributed in-depth articles about different aspects of the Diary. One concerns the garden at Seething Lane, and the other is about how Pepys' home there evolved during the Diary years.
Poke around; it's fun. The price is right!
If you're in a hurry, this is the article you're looking for:
https://www.pepysdiary.com/indept…
Ensign Tom • Link
Thanks for the link, San Diego Sarah! Yes, this website is more extensive than I thought.