Wednesday 7 November 1660

(Office day). This day my father came to dine at my house, but being sent for in the morning I could not stay, but went by water to my Lord, where I dined with him, and he in a very merry humour (present Mr. Borfett and Childe).

At dinner: he, in discourse of the great opinion of the virtue—gratitude (which he did account the greatest thing in the world to him, and had, therefore, in his mind been often troubled in the late times how to answer his gratitude to the King, who raised his father), did say it was that did bring him to his obedience to the King; and did also bless himself with his good fortune, in comparison to what it was when I was with him in the Sound, when he durst not own his correspondence with the King; which is a thing that I never did hear of to this day before; and I do from this raise an opinion of him, to be one of the most secret men in the world, which I was not so convinced of before.

After dinner he bid all go out of the room, and did tell me how the King had promised him 4000l. per annum for ever, and had already given him a bill under his hand (which he showed me) for 4000l. that Mr. Fox is to pay him. My Lord did advise with me how to get this received, and to put out 3000l. into safe hands at use, and the other he will make use of for his present occasion. This he did advise with me about with much secresy.

After all this he called for the fiddles and books, and we two and W. Howe, and Mr. Childe, did sing and play some psalmes of Will. Lawes’s, and some songs; and so I went away.

So I went to see my Lord’s picture, which is almost done, and do please me very well.

Hence to Whitehall to find out Mr. Fox, which I did, and did use me very civilly, but I did not see his lady, whom I had so long known when she was a maid, Mrs. Whittle. From thence meeting my father Bowyer, I took him to Mr. Harper’s, and there drank with him. Among other things in discourse he told me how my wife’s brother had a horse at grass with him, which I was troubled to hear, it being his boldness upon my score.

Home by coach, and read late in the last night’s book of Trials, and told my wife about her brother’s horse at Mr. Bowyer’s, who is also much troubled for it, and do intend to go to-morrow to inquire the truth.

Notwithstanding this was the first day of the King’s proclamation against hackney coaches coming into the streets to stand to be hired, yet I got one to carry me home.1

23 Annotations

First Reading

vincent  •  Link

1)secrets from one and all about his dealings with CII; very enlightning
2) his brother-in-laws horse: beat SP to the grass. (not a flanders mare just a nag?)
3)hackney coaches? waiting at post, limit to 400: Monopolies again(no tax money? for CII to psy off the latest royal acquisition)
4) no wonder there was no argument( archaic need proof or evidence)over thrupence fee?

Mary  •  Link

Sandwich's £4000 p.a. (spoiler)

L&M note: the warrant for the payment of this sum was not issued until 27 March 1661; not until 1663 was a decision reached on the funds from which it should be paid. Well might Sandwich advise with Sam about how the money should be received.

It will (eventually) be interesting to see how this money is put out ‘to use’ in view of the comparatively limited options for capital investment at this time (see earlier discussions of the safe-keeping/investment of Sam’s new wealth after Charles’ return).

Peter  •  Link

In my L&M, there is a squiggle near the phrase "which is a thing that I never did hear of to this day before; and I do from this raise an opinion of him, to be one of the most secret men in the world". I assume this is to reproduce some kind of doodle appearing in the original MS. It looks to me like a drawing of a hand with a pointing finger. I presume all other L&M editions are the same. Does anyone know what it might be? An idle doodle? or something much more significant?

Peter  •  Link

"his brother-in-laws horse: beat SP to the grass"....? Could it be that both Sam and Elizabeth think that Balty is too irresponsible to take this on? Perhaps they foresee that in a few weeks time he will be neglecting the horse, forgetting to pay Bowyer and generally giving Sam and Elizabeth a big headache

Mary  •  Link

Balty's horse at grass

Sam and Elizabeth could well be worried about potential expense. Given the time of year, the horse (if it previously was indeed out at pasture) is soon going to start needing more expensive feed of hay and corn to get it through the winter months. The statement 'it being his boldness upon my score' makes it sound as if Balty has been taking Sam's name in vain with regard to financial arrangements for the animal.

vincent  •  Link

Lawes, Henry (1596-1662) English composer. Gentleman of Chapel Royal (1626); a royal musician for lutes and voices (1631
“…After all this he called for the fiddles and books, and we two and W. Howe, and Mr. Childe, did sing and play some psalmes of Will. Lawes's, and some songs; and so I went away. …”
http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/them…
for a portrait…
Henry Lawes was the most prolific song composer in England at that time (he left over 430 songs…
also his brother william died for royalist cause
http://www.hoasm.org/IVM/LawesH.h…

vincent  •  Link

"Balty's horse at grass”. Mary, I do believe that you are right, ‘tis Sam’s name in vain that he is using, and Sam is likely to pay up, poor Sam.

vincent  •  Link

Peter: That pointed finger does seem to be significant. He just could not say the words. (such insights to workings of people in or on the way to power.)

language hat  •  Link

"sing and play some psalmes of Will. Lawes's”:

Go, dumb-born book,
Tell her that sang me once that song of Lawes:
Hadst thou but song
As thou hast subjects known,
Then were there cause in thee that should condone
Even my faults that heavy upon me lie,
And build her glories their longevity…

Ezra Pound, “Envoi” (first stanza)
http://www.emule.com/poetry/?page…

David Quidnunc  •  Link

Musicians and the wealthy

According to a note in L&M for this date, Child taught music to Edward Mountagu. But there might be a lot more to this kind of connection.

For Child, the benefits of doing this would be not only the pay, but the chance to eat well and otherwise be well-entertained with whatever other guests or resources the wealthy patron had at hand. So Child would naturally want to be around the place even when he wasn't actually teaching. (Or perhaps he was giving lessons to other members of the family as well).

For Mountagu there would also be benefits to having Child around, besides the actual lessons. Child could play his instrument at other times, to the entertainment of all. Even a good musician's practicing would be welcome in an era before recordings and radio as available as tapwater, and if, say, Jemima Mountagu wanted some music in the afternoon and Child was present, she was very likely to get it.

Nix  •  Link

"discourse of the great opinion of the virtue -- gratitude” --

Montague, in expounding on his gratitude to Charles, is surely reminding Samuel about the gratitude owed to a higher-born cousin who takes one on and raises one up.

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

This day in Parliament http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…

Order for 10,000£. for Princess Henrietta.

"ORDERED, by the Lords and Commons in Parliament assembled, That the Sum of Ten Thousand Pounds be presented to her Royal Highness the Princess Henrietta, as a Testimony of the great Respect of both Houses to her Royal Highness; and that the same be paid, for her Highness' Use, to such as she shall appoint to receive the same, at the Receipt of Excise, in Course, after the Payment of the Ten Thousand Pounds formerly presented to the Princess Royal, together with Interest for the same, at Six per Cent. till the Principal shall be satisfied: And the Commissioners of the Excise are impowered and required to pay the same accordingly."

Dick Wilson  •  Link

"My Lord did advise with me how to get this received, and to put out 3000l. into safe hands at use ..."
In modern English, I would take this to mean "into safe hands at interest...", a process we would call "investment" while they would call it an "adventure". The safest of hands in those days were still very risky.

ciudadmarron  •  Link

"Home by coach, and read late in the last night’s book of Trials"
Last night Sam was reading these, although he didn't say in what forma they were. I imagined pamphlets or similar, but here he refers to it as a book... were the Trials referred to the recent Trials? In which case is it possible a book was published so soon afterwards? I may have missed it - does Sam mention a purchase or borrowing of this material? He is enjoying the read at any rate.

Ivan  •  Link

In the L&M edition after the pointed finger doodle mentioned by Peter, under the last line of the paragraph, there are two short ruled lines. They are not underlinings but occur midway in the gap between this paragraph and the next. Like so:
"I was not so convinced of before.
________ _____

No explanation is offered.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

:After dinner he bid all go out of the room, and did tell me how the King had promised him 4000l. per annum for ever, and had already given him a bill under his hand (which he showed me) for 4000l. that Mr. Fox is to pay him."

L&M : This grant was made to support Sandwich's title. Stephen Fox was Comptroller of the King's Household.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"At dinner: he, in discourse of the great opinion of the virtue—gratitude (which he did account the greatest thing in the world to him, and had, therefore, in his mind been often troubled in the late times how to answer his gratitude to the King, who raised his father),..."

L&M: Sir Sidney Mountagu, Sandwich's father, had been a royalist in the Civil War. It was James I who had 'raised' him. making him a Master of Requests and a Knight of the Bath in 1616.

Third Reading

MartinVT  •  Link

I mentioned the other day that in general, Sam might take a carriage to go across town (like we might hail a cab), but not hire a horse to ride for that purpose, due to cost and inconvenience. But Sam does hire a horse when he rides out to some country destination, just as city dwellers today might rent a car for that purpose. This illustrates the cost and value of owning a horse is equivalent to owning a car today. So now, Balty has gone out and bought a horse (car) and is now going to incur the costs of keeping it. And he may have used Sam's name to establish credit. When previously heard from (June 18) Balty came to Sam to say he was in a "bad condition" and asking Sam to "get a place for him." So most likely, Balty is not yet ready to afford a horse of his own; hence both Sam and Elizabeth are "troubled". Stay tuned for tomorrow's inquiries.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"... the King had promised him 4,000/. per annum forever, and had already given him a bill under his hand (which he showed me) for 4,000/. that Mr. Fox is to pay him."

Clearly Sandwich is thrilled about this. I wonder if he knows Monck was promised $100,000 p.a.?

RLB  •  Link

As Terry Foreman hinted but did not state explicitly last year, "raised" in this context means raising in status, not raising as a child. In fact, Sir Sidney was older than Charles I, and Charles II was only 14 years old at his death. But the elder king turned him from a younger son in an important family with more important branches, to a proper mover and shaker.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

$100,000 p.a.??? -- oooops, sorry! you probably guessed this is an example of brain habit taking over the fingers -- the annotation should read 100,000/.s.

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