Thursday 31 May 1660

This day my Lord took physic, and came not out of his chamber.1

All the morning making orders. After dinner a great while below in the great cabin trying with W. Howe some of Mr. Laws’ songs, particularly that of “What is a kiss,” with which we had a great deal of pleasure.

After that to making of orders again. Captain Sparling of the Assistance brought me a pair of silk stockings of a light blue, which I was much pleased with.

The Captain and I to supper, and after that a most pleasant walk till 10 at night with him upon the deck, it being a fine evening.

My pain was gone again that I had yesterday, blessed be God.

This day the month ends, I in very good health, and all the world in a merry mood because of the King’s coming.

This day I began to teach Mr. Edward; who I find to have a very good foundation laid for his Latin by Mr. Fuller. I expect every minute to hear how my poor wife do.

I find myself in all things well as to body and mind, but troubled for the absence of my wife.

14 Annotations

First Reading

Paul Brewster  •  Link

"What is a kiss,"
per L&M “A setting of Herrick’s lyric ‘Among thy fancies, tell me this’, entitled ‘The Kisse. A Dialogue’: Henry Lawes, ‘Ayres, and dialogues … the third book’ (1658), pp. 29-31”

Alan Bedford  •  Link

Any of you medical historians...
I notice that Montagu seems to be taking pretty regular doses of laxatives, which leave him confined to his shipboard cabin. Was this a common practice for 17th century health maintenance, or did his Lordship have chronic health issues?

Ed LeZotte  •  Link

Depending on what one means by "regular", laxatives were considered a part of health maintenance well into the 20th Century in the U.S. and probably elsewhere.

Phil  •  Link

I've changed "till to" to "till 10" and deleted several comments pointing out the scanning error (thanks folks).

I have been keeping track of obvious Project Gutenberg scanning errors and (recently) been correcting them in the text so we don't have to worry about proof reading on this site. I'll try and find time to post the list of errors and corrections in Recent News shortly. And, yes, I'll be sending the list to Project Gutenberg periodically.

David  •  Link

Regular use of laxatives was indeed common during the period, part of the medical doctrine of purging, which also included bloodletting. The intended purpose was to rectify the humors. Many wealthy people of this time did not consume an adequate amount of fiber, so the laxatives might have been useful. They also drank far too much alcohol (often out of necessity) which can irritate the stomach.

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Today Lords joins the Commons in looking forward to a Thanksgiving for the Restoration, after an odd request

Ale-house suppressed. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…

ORDERED, That the Justices of the Peace for Westm. do suppress the Ale-house under the Prince's Lodgings; it being an Annoyance.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Commons again petitions HRM to proclaim a Thanksgiving for the Restoration; but their prior business is

Proceedings against the Regicides. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…

THE House being informed, that James Puckle, Son-in law to Mr. Burton, one of the Bailiffs of Great Yarmouth, and Thomas Ellis, Servant of the said Mr. Burton, have, by hiring of a Vessel, and otherwise, assisted in the conveying away, into the Parts beyond the Seas, Mr. Miles Corbett, one of those, who satin Judgment upon the late King's Majesty, when the Sentence of Death was pronounced against him; by means whereof the said Mr. Corbett made his Escape; and that the Commissioners for the Militia, in those Parts, have, in respect thereof, seized and secured the Persons of the said James Puckle and Ellis; and have sent up several Examinations and Informations, relating to this Business:

Ordered, That it be referred to the Committee, who prepared the former Proclamation against Popish Recusants, to draw up the Form of a Proclamation, to be presented to the King's Majesty, requiring the Persons, who sat in Judgment upon the late King, when Sentence of Death was pronounced against him, to render themselves by a Day; or else that they be excepted out of the Act of Oblivion, for Life and Estate.

&c.

The Indemnity and Oblivion Act 1660 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inde…

Gerald Berg  •  Link

...rectify the humours? Now, that is funny!

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"...rectify the humours? Now, that is funny!"

Humorism, or humoralism, is a now discredited (but historically important) theory of the makeup and workings of the human body, adopted by Ancient Greek and Roman physicians and philosophers, positing that an excess or deficiency of any of four distinct bodily fluids in a person directly influences their temperament and health. From Hippocrates onward, the humoral theory was adopted by Greek, Roman and Islamic physicians, and became the most commonly held view of the human body among European physicians until the advent of modern medical research in the nineteenth century. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hum…

Bill  •  Link

But are they being "rectal-fied?" haha

Liz  •  Link

Laxatives: in the sixties, a school friend was given a dose of laxative regularly each Friday whether it was needed or not. Fortunately, with the trend for a high fibre diet nowadays, such cruelty is no longer needed!

Third Reading

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"All the morning making orders."

A list of the Officers of the Admiralty, May 31, 1660. From a MS. in the Pepysian Library in Pepys’ handwriting:

His Royal Highness James, Duke of York, Lord High Admiral.
Sir George Carteret, Treasurer.
Sir Robert Slingsby, (soon after) Comptroller.
Sir William Batten, Surveyor.
Samuel Pepys, Esq., Clerk of the Acts.
Commissioners: John, Lord Berkeley (of Stratton), Sir William Penn, Peter Pett, Esq. — B,

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