Friday 29 June 1660

This day or two my maid Jane has been lame, that we cannot tell what to do for want of her. Up and to White Hall, where I got my warrant from the Duke to be Clerk of the Acts. Also I got my Lord’s warrant from the Secretary for his honour of Earle of Portsmouth, and Viscount Montagu of Hinchingbroke.

So to my Lord, to give him an account of what I had done. Then to Sir Geffery Palmer, to give them to him to have bills drawn upon them, who told me that my Lord must have some good Latinist to make the preamble to his Patent, which must express his late service in the best terms that he can, and he told me in what high flaunting terms Sir J. Greenville had caused his to be done, which he do not like; but that Sir Richard Fanshawe had done General Monk’s very well.

Back to Westminster, and meeting Mr. Townsend in the Palace, he and I and another or two went and dined at the Leg there. Then to White Hall, where I was told by Mr. Hutchinson at the Admiralty, that Mr. Barlow, my predecessor, Clerk of the Acts, is yet alive, and coming up to town to look after his place, which made my heart sad a little. At night told my Lord thereof, and he bade me get possession of my Patent; and he would do all that could be done to keep him out. This night my Lord and I looked over the list of the Captains, and marked some that my Lord had a mind to have put out. Home and to bed. Our wench very lame, abed these two days.

33 Annotations

First Reading

chip  •  Link

Pepys actually mentions Jane's name, attesting to his concern for her (although she is back to being the wench by the end). He is such a cautious fellow, making straight to Montagu when he hears of Barlow's interest in his old (and Pepys' new) place. How thoughtful Montagu engaging Pepys in the Captain's list perhaps to get his mind off Barlow.

vincent  •  Link

"Then to White Hall, ..by Mr. Hutchinson at the Admiralty, that Mr. Barlow, my predecessor, Clerk of the Acts, is yet alive, .... my heart sad a little. ..told my Lord ..he bade me get possession of my Patent; and he would do all that could be done to keep him out. "
How important it is to get all the paper work duly signed off, few anxious moments again for SP.
'Layoffs' /Redundencies ' Any golden parachutes here? I believe they be lucky to get their back pay or will it be 'markers' that they get? The Treasury. Is it organised yet?
Any body Know how many ships beached ? and the crews paid off?
Will SP be seeing some more gold to keep on sailing? He 'imself did get an Interesting inducement to get An Early retirement to be The squire. He kept his head straight, thank goodness.

j a gioia  •  Link

told me in what high flaunting terms

the possible etymology of 'highfalutin', 19th cent. u.s. slang for 'pretentious'. though my webster's instead says the falutin root is in 'fluting', i think it is mistaken.

Paul Chapin  •  Link

Warrants and patents
Can anyone explain the difference between these two documents? It's clear from the diary entry that the warrant comes first, and the patent is later and fancier. There seems also to be an implication that the patent is somehow more permanent and less vulnerable to challenge than the warrant. Is there more to it than that?

Mary  •  Link

Jane, the wench

In earlier days the term 'wench' did not automatically imply the dismissive attitude in the speaker that it does now. Although it could be used to distinguish a girl of the rustic or rural class, it was also commonly used in both neutral and affectionate contexts. Cromwell referred to his own son 'and two little wenches' (i.e. daughters) and the word was often used as a term of familiarity and affection between family members and close friends.

Grahamt  •  Link

Re: Jane, the wench.
As Pepys refers to her as "Our wench" not "The wench" it would seem he is using it affectionately rather than in any derogatory sense. He is obviously worried about her lameness, as he mentions it twice in the same entry. Whether that is because they can't manage without her, ("we cannot tell what to do for want of her") or for more altruistic reasons, is debatable.

A. De Araujo  •  Link

"Jane the wench" She is probably a young woman so arthritis can probably be ruled out; there is no history of trauma; we are left with an infectious cause. Osteomyelitis? Tuberculosis? stay tuned...

Matthew  •  Link

Warrants and Patents:
As far as I can make out a warrant was an instruction from someone in authority telling the heralds (or whoever dealt with such things) to draw up the formal patent of nobility. I don't have any hard evidence for this, only stuff I Googled out from sites mostly concerned with the modern assignment of Coats of Arms.

Incidentally, I believe that "wench" is still used as an affectionate term in the West Midlands of England.

PETE  •  Link

The term "our wench" is still used as a term of endearment in the "Black Country" in the West Midlands (UK).Refering to a sister or may be daughter.

Mary  •  Link

Jane's lameness

I'm betting on either a slipped disc (all that heavy work getting the house sorted out over recent days) or good, old housemaid's knee, aka bursitis.

Nix  •  Link

More on warrants vs. patents --

Per Black's Law Dictionary (Rev. 4th ed. 1968):

A "warrant" is "a writ or precept from a competent authority in pursuance of law, directing the doing of an act, and addressed to an officer or person competent to do the act, and affording him protection from damage, if he does it."

A "patent" is "a grant of some privilege, power or authority, made by the government or sovereign of a country to one or more individuals."

In this context, I understand "patent" to be the broader term -- the document establishing the individual's title to the office -- while the "warrant" is the order to the individual to carry out particular acts. In particular, the warrant allows the individual to incur financial liability on behalf of the government -- it is his assurance that the government will make good on the obligation.

Paul Brewster  •  Link

Montagu's patent
I found it written out in my copy of Pepysiana and true to the word it's in Latin. Since the text is long and I haven't had the benefits of a classical education, I'll forbear putting it on line.
An L&M footnote pointed me to it and goes on to quote R. North from the Life of ... Guilford 'The common Custom, about Preambles to Patents of Honour, (which Patents are prepared by Mr. Attorney-General in all Points except the Preamble, which is left to the Order of the Person to be prepared), is to employ some Chaplain, or rhetorical Scholar, who is set on Work to pump hard for Elogiums, and, be Dint of Eloquence, to varnish out his Majesty's gracious Act'.
The note continues "Sir Richard Fanshawe, the diplomatist, was now persuaded to draw up the preamble for Mountagu. He was a classical scholar, linguist and author; for his services to the royalists he had recently been appointed a Master of Requests and Latin Secretary. Monck's patent (creating him Duke of Albemarle) was passed on 7 July; Grenville's (as Earl of Bath) not until 20 April 1661. Pepys's own patent of appointment (from the Lord High Admiral) was in English."

A. De Araujo  •  Link

"Jane lameness" Mary you might be right,although not exactly slipped disc but"low back pain" still the biggest cause for absenteism.

helena murphy  •  Link

Richard Fanshawe's wife, Anne, was one of four women biographers of the second half of the 17th century, the others being Mrs Lucy Hutchinson,the Duchess of Newcastle ,and the Countess of Montgomery.Richard Fanshawe, whom she married in 1644 was her third cousin and Secretary of War to Prince Charles. In 1648 he acted as Treasurer of the Royalist navy under Prince Rupert.Anne writes about being advised by another lady to find out about state affairs from her husband after he had received a packet from Henrietta Maria in Paris. His reply may represent the prevailing attitude to women who wished to be politically knowledgeable and possibly active through their husband's position. Sir Richard replies,"My dearest soul when you asked me of my business it was wholly out of my power to satisfy thee, for my life and fortune shall be thine,and every thought of my heart in which the trust I am in may not be revealed,but my honour is my own,which I cannot preserve if I communicate the Prince's affairs;and pray thee with this answer rest satisfied." In the light of this reply the relationship between the Albemarle's is even more fascinating.
MacCarthy,B.G. Women Writers Their Contribution to the English Novel 1621-1744 Oxford:B.H.Blackwell 1946

vincent  •  Link

"Fanshawe" when googled(many Links), most fascinating, Poet, Scholar, Diplomat, Politician, Translater of the Luciad, His Casket is still locked after being brought back to England.

Laura K  •  Link

jane the wench's lameness

A De Araujo: a person of any age can have arthritis - I've had it since I'm 12.

I don't know that we have enough information about Jane's condition to make these diagnoses. I'd hate for any doctor to diagnose me based on what Sam has told us in this entry!

A. De Araujo  •  Link

"Jane lameness"Laura K I was speculating about degenerative arthritis...

language hat  •  Link

highfalutin:
The only safe statement is (as the American Heritage Dictionary has it) "Origin unknown." It certainly doesn't come from "high flaunting," I'm afraid.

vincent  •  Link

"highfalutin" -"told me in what high flaunting terms " :maybe, just a maybe could be highsaluting: (f s thing)

Nix  •  Link

Highfalutin --

OED also gives "fluting" as the root, and the earliest cited usage is 1839.

MichaelJP  •  Link

Question about Barlow -

I understand that Barlow is the existing Clerk of the Acts, and intends to come to London to claim his post.

How can Pepys be awarded the position without Barlow being sacked? Has Barlow actually been doing the job as he doesn't seem to be in London? And if he hasn't, surely that means the job isn't that important as no-one seemed to miss him?

Thanks for any light anyone can throw on this!

- Michael

Paul Brewster  •  Link

Question about Barlow -
Per L&M Companion: "During the Civil War and Interregnum the [Navy] Board was replaced by a series of commissions staffed by up to eight or ten members, mostly experienced seamen and merchants armed with general and flexible powers and deliberately made free of the constrictions attaching to the traditional officers of the Board. ... After the return of the King the Board was replaced, the former Commissioners continuing for a short period while the members of the Board were chosen and empowered to act."

Since Barlow was appointed in 1639, it looks like he didn't have long in the position before the entire Board disappeared. He then re-surfaces only to find that it’s a brand new game of musical chairs and he’s at risk of losing his seat.

Pauline  •  Link

Bit of the Answer about Barlow
Barlow was joint-Clerk of the Acts under Charles I -- a previous COA rather than the existing COA. With the Restoration he appears to have a "reversion" to the job. The patent given for these appointments must be for a lifetime.

What Barlow is doing is staking a claim with the intent of "selling" the job to someone of his choice or being "bought out" with an annuity to clear the job for new appointment. It is a pre-Commonwealth asset in his portfolio that he realizes has regained value.

He is an old man and not interested in returning to London and taking the job back for himself.

MichaelJP  •  Link

Replies about Barlow
Thanks for the responses, that makes sense now - he hasn't done the job for over 20 years!

Anyone got any good online references to how the Navy was structured at that time?

Thanks,
- Michael

Second Reading

Bill  •  Link

WENCH, 1 a familiar or contemptuous word for a maid, or girl. 2 a whore, or crack.
---Lingua Britannica Reformata. B. Martin, 1749.

Bill  •  Link

"told me in what high flaunting terms"

Wherefore high, flaunting, swelling Words of Vanity becomes not a Sinner's Mouth ...

They that use high and flaunting Language in Prayer, their Simplicity and godly Sincerity is to be questioned, as to their doing of that Duty sincerely.
---The Works. John Bunyan, 1737

Chris Squire UK  •  Link

OED has:
‘highfalutin | highfaluting, n. and adj.
Etym: < high adj.: the origin of the second element is unknown; it was perhaps a whimsical pronunciation of fluting, or a grandiose equivalent of flying or flown. orig. U.S. slang.
A. n. Absurdly pompous speech or writing; bombast.
B. adj. Absurdly pompous or bombastic in style.’

‘wench, n. Etym: Middle English wenche , shortened form of early Middle English wenchel . .
1. a. A girl, maid, young woman; a female child. Now dial.
. . a1616 Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) i. ii. 32 Prythee how many Boyes and Wenches must I have.
1648 O. Cromwell Let. to Norton 3 Apr., The money I shall need for my two little Wenches; and thereby I shall free my Son from being charged with them.
. . 1787 R. Burns Let. 1 June (2001) I. 120 A clean-shankit, straught, tight, weel-far'd winch.

. . b. A girl of the rustic or working class.
. . 1620 T. Shelton tr. Cervantes 2nd Pt. Don Quixote x. 59 Seeing none but the three wenches, he was somewhat troubled.

. . c. As a familiar or endearing form of address; used chiefly in addressing a daughter, wife, or sweetheart. Now only dial. or arch.
. . 1623 Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII iv. ii. 168 [Katharine to Patience, her woman.] When I am dead, good Wench, Let me be vs'd with Honor.

. . 2. A wanton woman; a mistress. Obs. exc. arch.
More explicitly common, light, or wanton wench , wench of the stews.
. . 1666 S. Pepys Diary 6 Aug. (1972) VII. 238 Find my wife mightily out of order and reproaching of Mrs. Pierce and Knipp as wenches, and I know not what . .

. . 3. a. A female servant, maidservant, serving-maid; also †handmaid, †bondwoman.
. . 1660 S. Pepys Diary 10 Mar. (1970) I. 85 My wife was up making of caps for me, and the wench making an end of a pair of stockings.'

AndreaLouise Hanover  •  Link

This day or two my maid Jane has been lame ........... Even in 2015, sounds like my maid Alice, she creates the most wonderful excuses not to come to work .......

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Sir Richard Fanshawe, the diplomatist, was now persuaded to draw up the preamble for Mountagu. He...had recently been appointed a Master of Requests"

The Court of Requests was a minor equity court in England and Wales. It first became a formal tribunal with some Privy Council elements under Henry VII, hearing cases from the poor and the servants of the King. It quickly became popular on account of the low cost of bringing a case and the rapid processing time, earning the disapproval of the common law judges. Two formal judges, the "Masters of Requests Ordinary", were appointed towards the end of Henry VIII's reign, with an additional two "Masters of Requests Extraordinary" appointed under Elizabeth I to allow two judges to accompany her on her travels around England. Two more Ordinary Masters were appointed under James I of England, with the increasing volume of cases bringing a wave of complaints as the Court's business and backlog grew. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cou…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Barlow's appointment as COA

L&M: Thomas Barlow, appointed jointly with Dennis Fleming in 1639, had held the sole reversion since Fleming's death.

Third Reading

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Meanwhile, Oliver and Richard Cromwell's head of intelligence and Secretary of State, John Thurloe, has negotiated a release and pardon:

Today in the House of Commons:
Thurloe protected.
Resolved, That Mr. John Thurloe have free Liberty to attend the Secretaries of State, at such Times as they shall appoint, and for so long time as they shall own his Attendance for the Service of the State, without any Trouble or Molestation during such his Attendance, and in his going and returning to and from the Secretaries of State; any former Order of this House notwithstanding.
https://www.british-history.ac.uk…

"After the readmission of the secluded members (21 Feb. 1660) Thurloe, to the great disgust of the royalists, was reappointed secretary of state (27 Feb.) as being the only man whose knowledge of the state both of foreign and home affairs fitted him for the post (Clarendon State Papers, iii. 693, 701).
The royalists suspected him of desiring to restore Richard, and were anxious to buy him over if possible; but, according to their information, he resisted the restoration of the Stuarts to the last, and did his best to corrupt Monck (ib. iii. 693, 749; THURLOE, vii. 855).
In April he certainly made overtures to Hyde, promising to forward a restoration, but his sincerity was suspected (THURLOE, vii. 897).
Monck so far favoured Thurloe that he recommended him to the borough of Bridgnorth for election to the Convention; but even with this support his candidature was a failure (ib. pp. 888, 895).

"After the king's return Thurloe escaped better than he could have expected.
On 15 May 1660 he was accused of high treason and committed to the custody of the serjeant-at-arms. The particulars of the charge do not appear.
On 29 June he was set at liberty with the proviso of attending the secretaries of state 'for the service of the state whenever they should require' (Commons' Journals, viii, 26, 117).
He was reputed to have said that if he were hanged he had a black book which would hang many that went for cavaliers, but he seems to have made no revelations as to his secret agents (Hist. MSS. Comm. 5th Rep. pp. 154-84, 208).
After his release he usually lived at Great Milton in Oxfordshire, residing at his chambers in Lincoln's Inn occasionally during term-time.
The government desired to avail itself of his minute knowledge of the state of foreign affairs, on which subject he addressed several papers to Clarendon (THURLOE, i. 705, 759, vii. 915).
An unsupported tradition asserts that Charles II often solicited him to engage again in the administration of foreign affairs, but without success (State Papers, vol. i. p. xix)."
http://www.tim.ukpub.net/lge/mead…

I wonder what Sir Samuel Morland thought about this. I know I'd be checking under the bed for the rest of my life if I were he.
https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Thank you, Bill, for mentioning John Bunyan. He spent the entire time of the Diary in Bedford Jail, so he wasn't able to contribute to events. But he kept himself occupied:

• John Bunyan (1628-1688)’s Bedfordshire Baptist congregation was banned at the Restoration and Bunyan was arrested and imprisoned for 12 years, during which time he wrote his most famous works.
• Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners (1666): spiritual autobiography. Very successful.
• The Pilgrim’s Progress (1678): written as a spiritual guide to becoming a good Christian. Based on his religious meanderings, it emphasised the primacy of conscience. The book saw 11 editions in Bunyan’s lifetime.
• Upon his release from prison in 1672, following Charles II’s Declaration of Indulgence, John Bunyan resumed preaching and traveled to London and the Midlands, where he engaged in further debates with other denominations (Quakers, Baptists…). He was a prolific writer and published many works, including millenarian titles in which he argued that Christ’s Second Coming was imminent. ...

For the rest of Bunyan's biography, in context, see:
English Puritanism from Cromwell to Wesley
Lipscomb University - Anglo Educational Services
By Dr. Lionel Laborie, Goldsmiths, University of London
5 March, 2015.
https://www.academia.edu/11289655…

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