Sunday 21 October 1660

(Lord’s day). To the Parish church in the morning, where a good sermon by Mr. Mills.

After dinner to my Lord’s, and from thence to the Abbey, where I met Spicer and D. Vines and others of the old crew. So leaving my boy at the Abbey against I came back, we went to Prior’s by the Hall back door, but there being no drink to be had we went away, and so to the Crown in the Palace Yard, I and George Vines by the way calling at their house, where he carried me up to the top of his turret, where there is Cooke’s head set up for a traytor, and Harrison’s set up on the other side of Westminster Hall. Here I could see them plainly, as also a very fair prospect about London. From the Crown to the Abbey to look for my boy, but he was gone thence, and so he being a novice I was at a loss what was become of him. I called at my Lord’s (where I found Mr. Adams, Mr. Sheply’s friend) and at my father’s, but found him not. So home, where I found him, but he had found the way home well enough, of which I was glad. So after supper, and reading of some chapters, I went to bed. This day or two my wife has been troubled with her boils in the old place, which do much trouble her.

Today at noon (God forgive me) I strung my lute, which I had not touched a great while before.

26 Annotations

First Reading

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

"Today at noon (God forgive me) I strung my lute, which I had not touched a great while before."

What, no music on Sundays? Is it permitted only in church?

Paul Brewster  •  Link

Prices by the Hall back-doore
L&M substitute "Prices" for "Prior's".

Paul Brewster  •  Link

Cookes head set up for a traytor
John Cook, 1608-60

"Chief prosecutor at the King's trial and an active law reformer. Born in Leicestershire, educated at Oxford and Gray's Inn, he spent several years travelling on the continent, then went to Ireland where he was employed by the Earl of Strafford to revise the Irish Statutes. Cook courageously spoke out in support of Strafford at the time of his impeachment. Defended John Lilburne before the House of Lords 1646.

During the conflict between the Army and Parliament 1647, Cook was one of the few lawyers to side with the Army, writing pamphlets to justify the Army's occupation of London and agreeing with the view that "the King must die and Monarchy with him". As a radical republican, he was an obvious choice for the role of chief prosecutor at the King's trial. During the Commonwealth, he was appointed Chief Justice of Munster where he worked vigorously to implement legal reforms. Cromwell remarked that Cook decided more cases in a week than Westminster Hall did in a year. However, as the Protectorate became more conservative, Cook moved into opposition. He was imprisoned at the Restoration and brought to trial in October 1660. Despite an immensely long legalistic defence, he was condemned to death."

http://www.british-civil-wars.co.…

Paul Brewster  •  Link

Spicer and D. Vines and others of the old Crew
L&M: "Exchequer colleagues."

vincent  •  Link

"...we went to Prior's[Prices] by the Hall back door, but there being no drink to be had we went away, and so to the Crown in the Palace Yard, I and George Vines by the way calling at their house, where he carried me up to the top of his turret, where there is Cooke's head set up for a traytor, and Harrison's set up on the other side of Westminster Hall. Here I could see them plainly, as also a very fair prospect about London….”
No booze, no boy,great view of the city and country side, I do believe { for great views, try small cities and and go to the belfry and see the city ‘scape and countryside beyond:Memories galore Cambridge, Madrid Sevilia Roma etc. etc:}
and a Reminder of the last week’s and decade of Upheavel all in one view.

Paul Brewster  •  Link

but there being no drink to be had we went away
L&M: "Perhaps because it was service-time"

SP has run into this problem before (See February 12, 1660) but the enforcement seems to be shoddy (see February 26th 1660, "Pechell to Church, Sanchy and I to the Rose Tavern, where we sat and drank till sermon done")
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

Paul Brewster  •  Link

reading of some chapters
L&M: "Of the Bible"
I'd love to know what passages he chose ... I wonder if he had a choice or simply followed a liturgical calendar of some sort for his infrequently noted readings from the good book.

vincent  •  Link

Bible; J.Evelyn doth mention fore this daye: 42 esay: 1: then later same day 19 Psal:9: Against some phanatics, who held we were not to feare, but onely to love & praise God.

vincent  •  Link

psalms 19:9: The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the 'judgments 'of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
another version = ordinances of the LORD for 'judgments 'of the LORD .

Jenny Doughty  •  Link

This day or two my wife has been troubled with her boils in the old place, which do much trouble her

This comment seems to lend weight to the Bartholin's cyst theory rather than the endometriosis theory, both of which were discussed on the background comments on Elizabeth.

JWB  •  Link

Two that got away...
Judges on the lam, Pix of the hideout...
Since no HTML allowed, suggest you Google "regicide" and scroll down to "Judges Cave, New Haven, Connecticut".

Peter  •  Link

Another excellent entry. Church service; looking two severed heads in the eye; bird's-eye view of London; drinking; his wife's delicate medical condition; forbidden lute-handling.....and as a thread running through most of it the drama of Wayneman Birch going missing. Fresh from the country, presumably young and naive, he's only been in London a month. Sam seems genuinely concerned for his fate and relieved when he finds him at home. It's marvellous how he mixes all these disparate things together and gives weight to the apparently more mundane events.

Paul Brewster  •  Link

Cooke's head set up for a traytor, and Harrison's set up on the other side of Westminster Hall. Here I could see them plainly, as also a very fair prospect about London.
Sam’s ability to take note of the fine view reminded me of Kipling, “If you can keep your head when all about you/Are losing theirs”

vincent  •  Link

Eric Walla: still no answer on the pay back[debt?] with or without interest.
Mind you he did get some tips in lieu of the 'ever ready' yesterday.

Andrew Hamilton  •  Link

Reminded me of Kipling

Bravo Paul!

Carolina  •  Link

I strung my lute

I think that, in Sam's day, it was felt that it was better to be safe than sorry, where God was concerned. Nobody was sure what was the correct interpretation of anything at that time, with the times and affiliations changing so rapidly.
I feel that Sam was lucky to be where and who he was and he had money. A lot of things could be bought off, either from the clergy or the justices.

Dana  •  Link

'Today at noon (God forgive me) I strung my lute, which I had not touched a great while before.'

My first thought (as a musician) was that forgiveness was being sought for having neglected his lute practice, not out of fear of divine retribution for playing on Sunday! It’s a prayer I’ve muttered more than once, I can tell you…

jamie yeager  •  Link

ye Sabbath lute-stringing...
I would be happier with Dana's reading if the parenthetical phrase appeared 5 words later, viz, "Today at noon I strung my lute, which (God forgive me) I had not touched a great while before." I took it in the sense of lute-stringing being labor that is forbidden on the Sabbath, a rule which Sam has violated many a time and oft as to Admiralty work, yet even granting him a musician's soul, I think he is more likely to be worried about the theological than the out-of-practice aspects of this activity. After all, serving My Lord or the King or the Commonwealth on the Sabbath befits "a man under authority" in which Sam is like the New Testament Centurion (Matt. VIII:9 "For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.") Whereas stringing a lute for personal pleasure on a Sabbath might raise a qualm in the otherwise calmest post-Puritan breast...

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

JWB -- "Two that got away..." A link for Judges Cave

"In the 17th century, West Rock served as the hideout for Edward Whalley and his son-in-law, Gen. William Goffe, two of the three "regicide judges" whom New Haven honors by streets bearing their surnames. They had fled England, anticipating prosecution under King Charles II in the execution of his father Charles I, to New Haven; the rock shelter hideout used by the two is now called Judges Cave. " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West…

Annie B  •  Link

It's nice to see Sam concerned about the boy's whereabouts, but I'm surprised he isn't more annoyed. Didn't he directly disobey Sam?

eileen d.  •  Link

my boy

Annie B., Pauline notes:
"Claire Tomalin reports that when he joined the household he was 10-12 years old" (see background notes per link)

puts it in a different perspective!

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Paul Brewster wonders:
I'd love to know what passages he chose ... I wonder if he had a choice or simply followed a liturgical calendar of some sort for his infrequently noted readings from the good book.

Perhaps one prescribed by a Lectionary. A lectionary (Latin: lectionarium) is a book or listing that contains a collection of scripture readings appointed for Christian or Judaic worship on a given day or occasion. There are sub-types such as a "gospel lectionary" or evangeliary, and an epistolary with the readings from the New Testament Epistles.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lec…

Third Reading

Keith Knight  •  Link

The regicides escaped to New England, Edward Whalley and William Goffe, are now the subjects of a good novel by Robert Harris, 'Act of Oblivion'.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"My boy" until recently has meant Will Hewer, who knew London well, and would have been 18 years old now.

Wayneman Birch is a country boy who replaced the young thief they sent home last month -- who was Elizabeth's boy. Wayneman was 10-12 years old now.

Pepys' concern that his boy (a novice, in Pepys' words) was lost does indicate this was Wayneman. We will see if Will Hewer has been "promoted" or if Pepys was just giving Wayneman a training outing, and Hewer has time off.
The Pepys are becoming friends with Hewer's family, and with their recent bereavement, he might have wanted to visit his mother etc.

That Wayneman wandered off indicates Pepys needed to be more considerate, and the boy needed this training.
Parking a lad alone outside Westminster Abbey for an hour or two was a test. He was probably off playing football somewhere. Wayneman liked football.
That he found his way home was a good sign. If Pepys had needed to use him as a runner between him and Elizabeth, Wayneman was capable of that. (Remember, there are no road signs, and no house numbers. Giving directions was done by churches and business signs: "Turn left at St. Paul's and turn right at the Three Bells.")

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"To the Parish church in the morning, where a good sermon by Mr. Mills."

Finally someone has come up with some inspiration and leadership. Well done, Rev. Milles.
I wonder what could possibly have inspired you from this last week's events?

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