Sunday 2 December 1660
(Lord’s day). My head not very well, and my body out of order by last night’s drinking, which is my great folly. To church, and Mr. Mills made a good sermon; so home to dinner. My wife and I all alone to a leg of mutton, the sawce of which being made sweet, I was angry at it, and eat none, but only dined upon the marrow bone that we had beside.
To church in the afternoon, and after sermon took Tom Fuller’s Church History and read over Henry the 8th’s life in it, and so to supper and to bed.
20 Annotations
First Reading
Nix • Link
An ill-tempered day --
hangover, two church services, lousy lunch ... it's a good thing for Jane that she didn't piss him off today!
A. De Araujo • Link
"my wife and I all alone"whatever happened to his beloved sister Pauline
aka Pall? Has she heard the screams of Jane and decided that the life of a servant was not for her?
Jenny Doughty • Link
I found a 17th century recipe for a sauce for mutton, and it does seem sweet to our taste - though when you think about mint sauce with sugar in it, perhaps not that odd.
To make Sauce for a shoulder of Mutton
From 'A True Gentlewomans Delight', 1653
To make Sauce for a shoulder of Mutton.
Take a few Oysters, and some sweet hearbs, and a Onion, and a pint of white Wine, and a little beaten Nutmeg, a little Salt, and a large Mace, a little Lemon pild and a little Sugar, a little leaker posset, if you have no Oysters take Capers in the room of them, and some gravie of the Mutton.
john lauer • Link
that yummy marrow bone -- Sam just needed an excuse to hog it all to himself! Who would have made the sweet sawce? He was mad at it (not her).
vincent • Link
It was not the sweet sauce that upset our poor befuddled SP, it was seeing the empty white wine container and after a dose of Mr Mills Homile too ;P.S. I love that recipe.
vincent • Link
Tom fuller see[People > Fuller, Thomas (author)] nice anno>
vincent • Link
interesting play, here I do not fully comprehend ? here goes;
reads but not pay ?
"...where I staid reading in Fuller's History of the Church of England an hour or two[ feb 15 ]
….”
meets the author [“… After that, going to see the Queen of Bohemia, I met with Dr. Fullers whom I sent to a tavern with Mr. Edw. Pickering, while I and the rest went to see the Queen,2 who used us very respectfully; her hand we all kissed. She seems a very debonaire, but plain lady. After that to the Dr.'s, where we drank a while or so…”] Thursday 17 May 1660
and again sept 4th
“… Here rose in discourse at table a dispute between Mr. Moore and Dr. Clerke, the former affirming that it was essential to a tragedy to have the argument of it true, which the Doctor denied, and left it to me to be judge, and the cause to be determined next Tuesday morning at the same place, upon the eating of the remains of the pasty, and the loser to spend 10s.
makes a bet but does not mention …” no Dr. Fuller [why?]but on Sept 4th
settles bet on Tuesday. [“…where I did give my verdict against Mr. Moore upon last Saturday's wager, where Dr. Fuller coming in do confirm me in my verdict…”}.
Now reads book? Paid for?
What did I mis read?
vincent • Link
book buying? backtracking see yesterday Kirton.
"...So to Paul's Churchyard, and there I took the little man at Mr. Kirton's …”
David Quidnunc • Link
By at least 7 Oct, Pepys had the book:
At the tail end of that entry was the first time Pepys says he took up Fuller's volume for Sunday reading:
"So walked home by land. And before supper I read part of the Maryan persecution in Mr. Fuller. So to supper, prayer, and to bed."
L&M say Pepys was referring to this very book of Fuller's.
Mary • Link
sister Pall
Although it has been agreed that she shall come and live with Sam and Elizabeth in the status of servant, I don't believe we have yet heard of her arrival in Seething Lane. (Small spoiler follows). In fact she will not move in until January 1661, so she has been spared the sound of Jane's yelps.
bruce • Link
Beating Jane, seeing red at the "sawce", too much drink (despite his better judgement).
Isn't Sam displaying classic symptoms of someone over stressed from his work and situation?
Kevin Sheerstone • Link
'...my body out of order by last night's drinking, which is my great folly'. Given that Sam is 'talking to himself' this remark strikes me as a bit more than simply regretting the previous night's over-indulgence. Is he worried that he might be becoming what we would call an alcoholic. On the other hand, I wonder if anybody would have been deemed an alcoholic in 1660. What with morning draughts, quarts of wine and so on, I have to wonder if Sam or any of his acquaintences would have passed a modern breathalyzer test at any time of the day.
Paul Lakin • Link
"my body out of order by last night's drinking, which is my great folly".
Sounds more like the usual morning-after groan of “Oh my poor head, I’m never ever going to do that again”
J A Gioia • Link
Isn't Sam displaying classic symptoms of someone over stressed from his work and situation?
my thoughts exactly. a fussy, peevish tone has crept into our man’s monologue, along with all the money he’s been making and stuff a-buying (and work a-toiling and colleagues a-supping). even so he’s honest enough to tally his lapses with his successes at the end of the day, and he remains in my view a loyal, warmhearted and companionable cove, though often now seeming at the end of his emotional tether.
A. De Araujo • Link
"would have been deemed an alcoholic in 1660" excellent point though at the time alcoholism was considered to be kind of a sin, later it would have been be considered a character fault,only in the middle of the twentieth century it came to be considered a disease.
Nix • Link
Not an "alcoholic" --
OED tells us the earliest appearance of the term as an adjective was in 1790, and as a noun in a century later:
"2. a. One who is addicted to excessive consumption of alcoholic drinks, a drink addict.
"1891 G. T. KEMP in Q. Jrnl. Inebriety Jan. (Funk), Chronic alcoholics. 1907 Daily Chron. 4 Sept. 3/1 There is..a time coming when the alcoholic will be a rarity. 1909 Westm. Gaz. 25 Feb. 8/1 Warning him that deceased was a
Glyn • Link
Is it that Samuel was brought up with English home-cooking i.e. plain food and little use for elaborate sauces, whereas Elizabeth was brought up in a French household with a more sophisticated approach to the culinary arts. If so, I wonder if this dispute has been going on throughout their married life.
Didn't someone mention that it would be around about now that the animals would begin to be slaughtered for their meat, as the summer grass and fodder runs out?
Nix • Link
"a man driven by lust, riven by guilt" —
Who among us (male division, anyway) is not? No wonder he seems so familiar!
Second Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"To church in the afternoon, and after sermon took Tom Fuller’s Church History and read over Henry the 8th’s life in it,"
L&M: Bk v; pp. 163-255 in the folio edition of 1656.
Third Reading
San Diego Sarah • Link
Charles II has managed to calm Parliament's desire to impose the full force of the Church of England on the provinces -- and the Rev. Ralph for one breathes a sigh of relief.
Diary of Ralph Josselin (Private Collection)
Tuesday, 2 December, 1660
God good to us in many mercies, gospel liberties and freedom yet continued(,) fears on many, said lists are taken of the fanatic and all honest men that are not as formal as others are so accounted, but gods purpose that shall stand(.)
god was good to me in the word this day, help me and mine to walk humbly with thee, and it shall be well with us.
(link above -- top right)
It remains to be seen what he'll do about Christmas.