Wednesday 18 July 1660
This morning the carpenter made an end of my door out of my chamber upon the leads.1 This morning we met at the office: I dined at my house in Seething Lane, and after that, going about 4 o’clock to Westminster, I met with Mr. Carter and Mr. Cooke coming to see me in a coach, and so I returned home.
I did also meet with Mr. Pierce, the surgeon, with a porter with him, with a barrel of Lemons, which my man Burr sends me from sea.
I took all these people home to my house and did give them some drink, and after them comes Mr. Sheply, and after a little stay we all went by water to Westminster as far as the New Exchange.
Thence to my Lord about business, and being in talk in comes one with half a buck from Hinchinbroke, and it smelling a little strong my Lord did give it me (though it was as good as any could be).
I did carry it to my mother, where I had not been a great while, and indeed had no great mind to go, because my father did lay upon me continually to do him a kindness at the Wardrobe, which I could not do because of my own business being so fresh with my Lord. But my father was not at home, and so I did leave the venison with her to dispose of as she pleased. After that home, where W. Hewer now was, and did lie this night with us, the first night.
My mind very quiet, only a little trouble I have for the great debts which I have still upon me to the Secretary, Mr. Kipps, and Mr. Spong for my patent.
17 Annotations
First Reading
Glyn • Link
"and so I did leave the venison with her to dispose of"
Aha! so That's what they mean by "passing the buck".
vincent • Link
"This morning the carpenter made an end of my door out of my chamber upon the leads.1 ..." missing word (le(a)d roof) I'm sure he has a wonderful view of the Tower to keep him on the straight and narrow? ( many writers do cut short their complete thought making an assumption that we are fully cognicient of what we are thinking)
"..I dined at my house...."( then the entertaining).." I took all these people home to my house and did give them some drink,.." You can see his chest mighty full, so proud.
M.Stolzenbach • Link
I have assumed Pepys wanted to get out upon the roof because he kept pigeons - having a dim remembrance of Marlon Brando keeping pigeons on the roof in the movie ON THE WATERFRONT.
Poor man, he's hanging on by the teeth himself, not fully set in the job, but his father and his wife's brother both want him to do fine things for them.
vincent • Link
today "...I did carry it[venison] to my mother ,where I had not been a great while, and indeed had no great mind to go, because my father did lay upon me continually to do him a kindness at the Wardrobe which I could not do because of my own business being so fresh with my Lord. But my father was not at home.."
last sunday "... I was not at my father’s to-day, I being afraid to go for fear he should still solicit me to speak to my Lord for a place in the Wardrobe which I dare not do, because of my own business yet. ...."
These two statements speak volumes of conscients "question of self interest ,family ,patronage " of whom do you ask this question of loyalty? The Ethics committee, discuss it at the "U", which class, in the Place of Faith, " the question is still being asked and the answer not listerned to, except survival is the the supreme answer,'tis my thought.. I am sure there are a great many diverse opinions
Second Reading
Chris Squire UK • Link
‘buck, n.9 U.S. In the game of poker, any article placed in the pool with the chips.
. . P1. fig. to pass the buck (to) , to make a scapegoat or dupe of (a person); to shift responsibility (to another). colloq. (orig. U.S.).
1912 W. Irwin Red Button 341 The Big Commissioner will get roasted by the papers and hand it to the Deputy Comish, and the Deputy will pass the buck down to me, and I'll have to report how it happened . . ‘ [OED]
Nowt to do with deer.
Ivan • Link
Wow! It's only the day after Mr Pepys has moved in and a new door has been fitted, leading out on to the roof. Someone [Montagu?] is determined that our new Clerk of the Acts shall have what he wants and promptly!!
John Matthew IV • Link
"I took all these people home to my house and did give them some drink."
Any ideas as what they would drink? I have never had the senses that Sam kept a bar at home. He's always going out for his morning draft.
Terry Foreman • Link
"Wow! It's only the day after Mr Pepys has moved in and a new door has been fitted, leading out on to the roof. Someone [Montagu?] is determined that our new Clerk of the Acts shall have what he wants and promptly!!"
The Seething Lane Navy Board compound is maintained by government employees, in this case by Navy carpenters; no special patrons needed!
Liz • Link
Chris Squire UK: Glyn = tongue-in-cheek!
Third Reading
MartinVT • Link
"I did carry it [the half buck] to my mother"
I'm imagining Sam hiking through London with the half-buck slung over his shoulder...but more likely he engaged a carriage, as he has been doing more often lately.
Terry Foreman • Link
"My mind very quiet, only a little trouble I have for the great debts which I have still upon me to the Secretary, Mr. Kipps, and Mr. Spong for my patent."
"the Secretary" = Sir Edward Nicholas, Secretary of State, for whom Pepys paid a fee in plate
See https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…
"Mr. Kipps, and Mr. Spong" were paid to do other things
See https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…
I do not know if this comprehends all that SP has in mind, nor how much this is in total.
San Diego Sarah • Link
Half a deer and a barrel of lemons -- a good day for perks!
(How many lemons are in a barrel? Where did they come from? Did he give some to Mum as well?)
Neil Wallace • Link
*Spoiler alert*
Sam did NOT give away his barrel of lemons to feed hungry sailors, and so missed out on a splendid opportunity to make loads of money by supplying them to every Royal Navy ship across the globe (and cure scurvy along the way)
San Diego Sarah • Link
"I met with Mr. Carter and Mr. Cooke coming to see me in a coach, and so I returned home."
On 12 June 1660 Pepys records "To my Lord’s [at Lincoln’s Inn Fields] and staid till 12 at night about business. So to my father’s, my father and mother in bed, ... But I found Mr. Cooke there, and so to bed."
It sounds like Mr. Cooke is staying with Pepys' parents now, and was burning the midnight oil.
Maybe this is why Pepys' father thinks he could land a job at the Wardrobe -- he has had Montagu's servant(s) billetted on him recently. One good turn deserves another?
And I wonder how Cooke and Rev. Carter met up and discovered they both needed to see Pepys, and caught a coach together? Talk about the odd couple.
San Diego Sarah • Link
John Matthews asks "Any ideas as what they would drink? I have never had the senses that Sam kept a bar at home."
Since Pepys doesn't tell us, we can't answer the question. But later we will learn that he kept a well-stocked wine cellar at Seething Lane, but obviously he hasn't had the time or money to get that organized yet.
We have an Encyclopedia page on WINE which gives you an idea of the choices available:
https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…
San Diego Sarah • Link
John Matthews asks "Any ideas as what they would drink? I have never had the senses that Sam kept a bar at home."
Believe it or not, hard liquor as we know it hasn't really been invented yet. Maybe you could find something like Rum if you were in the Caribbean -- someone must be distilling something that has become Whiskey in Scotland -- the Dutch were bolstering their Dutch Courage with a drop of gin around now -- the Russians were probably chugging Vodka's home made forerunner by now, but not exporting it -- so cocktails were not on the agenda anywhere yet.
And beer -- maybe the Pepys will employ a cook who has the skill and time to do some home brew now he has an income and a real house, but he does seem to be quite happy going out for his beer, which he regards as food.
Interestingly, both sides taxed imported beer to pay for the Civil War, which caused a drop in consumption:
https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…
There were domestic breweries:
https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…
https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…
https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…
San Diego Sarah • Link
"After that home, where W. Hewer now was, and did lie this night with us, the first night."
'“Will” Hewer ... is thought to have been born in about 1642.
'He was first introduced to Pepys when still a young man – about 17 – by his uncle Robert Blackborne in 1660. They obviously hit it off because Hewer, who was the son of a stationer, was soon working as a manservant and clerk for Pepys in his role as Clerk of the Acts to the Navy Board.
'Hewer, ... at first lived with Pepys at his Seething Lane home.'
Edited for spoilers from
https://exploring-london.com/tag/…