Wednesday 10 April 1661

In the morning to see the Dockhouses. First, Mr. Pett’s, the builder, and there was very kindly received, and among other things he did offer my Lady Batten a parrot, the best I ever saw, that knew Mingo so soon as it saw him, having been bred formerly in the house with them; but for talking and singing I never heard the like. My Lady did accept of it.

Then to see Commissioner Pett’s house, he and his family being absent, and here I wondered how my Lady Batten walked up and down with envious looks to see how neat and rich everything is (and indeed both the house and garden is most handsome), saying that she would get it, for it belonged formerly to the Surveyor of the Navy.

Then on board the Prince, now in the dock, and indeed it has one and no more rich cabins for carved work, but no gold in her.

After that back home, and there eat a little dinner. Then to Rochester, and there saw the Cathedrall, which is now fitting for use, and the organ then a-tuning. Then away thence, observing the great doors of the church, which, they say, was covered with the skins of the Danes,1 and also had much mirth at a tomb, on which was “Come sweet Jesu,” and I read “Come sweet Mall,” &c., at which Captain Pett and I had good laughter.

So to the Salutacion tavern, where Mr. Alcock and many of the town came and entertained us with wine and oysters and other things, and hither come Sir John Minnes to us, who is come to-day to see “the Henery,” in which he intends to ride as Vice-Admiral in the narrow seas all this summer. Here much mirth, but I was a little troubled to stay too long, because of going to Hempson’s, which afterwards we did, and found it in all things a most pretty house, and rarely furnished, only it had a most ill access on all sides to it, which is a greatest fault that I think can be in a house.

Here we had, for my sake, two fiddles, the one a base viall, on which he that played, played well some lyra lessons, but both together made the worst musique that ever I heard.

We had a fine collacion, but I took little pleasure in that, for the illness of the musique and for the intentness of my mind upon Mrs. Rebecca Allen.

After we had done eating, the ladies went to dance, and among the men we had, I was forced to dance too; and did make an ugly shift. Mrs. R. Allen danced very well, and seems the best humoured woman that ever I saw. About 9 o’clock Sir William and my Lady went home, and we continued dancing an hour or two, and so broke up very pleasant and merry, and so walked home, I leading Mrs. Rebecca, who seemed, I know not why, in that and other things, to be desirous of my favours and would in all things show me respects.

Going home, she would needs have me sing, and I did pretty well and was highly esteemed by them.

So to Captain Allen’s (where we were last night, and heard him play on the harpsicon, and I find him to be a perfect good musician), and there, having no mind to leave Mrs. Rebecca, what with talk and singing (her father and I), Mrs. Turner and I staid there till 2 o’clock in the morning and was most exceeding merry, and I had the opportunity of kissing Mrs. Rebecca very often.

Among other things Captain Pett was saying that he thought that he had got his wife with child since I came thither. Which I took hold of and was merrily asking him what he would take to have it said for my honour that it was of my getting? He merrily answered that he would if I would promise to be godfather to it if it did come within the time just, and I said that I would. So that I must remember to compute it when the time comes.

31 Annotations

First Reading

daniel  •  Link

what a delight to read!

this is obviously classic Pepys: good company, fine surroundings of interest, good music(or sometimes less good), good drink, all in Sam's inimitable way of expressing what he sees.

dirk  •  Link

mirth...pleasant and merry...kissing Mrs. Rebecca very often...Captain Pett's wife with child "of Sam's getting"

It looks as if Sam is really letting go today. Sumptuous reading at its best.

vincent  •  Link

"Still no lingua latina"

Mary  •  Link

... since I came thither...

L&M point out that this refers to Sam's earlier visit to Chatham, on 16th January 1661.

J A Gioia  •  Link

and I read "Come sweet Mall," &c., at which Captain Pett and I had good laughter

oed: ‘Moll, also 6-7 Mall… 2) A prostitute…”

one gathers sam read ‘mall’ for ‘jesu’ since the stone was effaced over time; ‘u’ probably rendered to ‘ll’.

Judy  •  Link

If I were not enjoying Sam Pepys Diary, it would sound very much like something from Henry Fielding. It was a very good read just the same.

Sjoerd Spoelstra  •  Link

The nailing of a foreigners' skin to Church doors seems to be a practice that was more widely practiced... or maybe just fantasized about, see this url http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/anci…

And of course one could only approve of such a scheme as an early crime prevention measure.

Andrew Hamilton  •  Link

great doors of the church, which, they say, was covered with the skins of the Danes

Gives a whole new meaning to Danskin. Caveat raptor.

Emilio  •  Link

"the Cathedrall, which is now fitting for use"

'Fitting' here is a progressive rather than an adjective, as the cathedral is obviously still being made fit, probably for Easter celebrations? Sam tends to use 'fitting' in this way, as he said the same of the new Lord Mayor's house a few months ago.

Here's an L&M footnote on the state of Rochester Cathedral after the Commonwealth:

"Cathedrals suffered serious spoliation in the revolutin, if not used for worship. At Rochester the altar-rails had been removed, and parts of the buildings and precincts used as an inn and a saw-pit. . . . [T]he organ had been preserved during the Interregnum in a Greenwich tavern. It appears that this was one of the first organs to be made playable after the Restoration."

As with the equestrian statue of Charles I a smith buried in his back garden, people had to do so many creative things to preserve the glorious symbols of the past.

Rich Merne  •  Link

"time just",
Appears to occur in contemporary expressions in relation to the proper term of pregnancy. Connotations of, sic. 'unjust time', at a time when "bastardy" was a serious matter.

Cf. Ben Jonson, "On my first son",
"Seven years thou wert lent to me, and I thee pay,
Exacted by thy fate, on the just day."

ie. The fate (or what the fates decreed) for the child on the day of his birth. This is from memory, hope my quote's correct....Help! Hic Retearius.

Rich Merne  •  Link

'time just; just time';
Ben Jonson's first son died on his seventh birthday, lending poignancy to Ben Senior's verse;....double entendre.

Sjoerd Spoelstra  •  Link

Lady Batten, the parrot & the Moor

After reading about the parrot and Mingo (who is going to be Lighthouse-keeper in Harwich harbour... would you believe it ?) I came across this picture by contemporary Dutch painter Berchem:

http://cgfa.sunsite.dk/b/p-berche…

Glyn  •  Link

Thanks for this. What a superb picture! Is that Pepys on the right making music to a woman? But how on earth did you find this? Maybe we should ask Phil for an art gallery of related paintings and drawings.

2Grumpy  •  Link

"a parrot, the best I ever saw, that knew Mingo so soon as it saw him, having been bred formerly in the house with them; but for talking and singing I never heard the like."

Sam, here is one that eat a few pages of the OED!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/te…

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

The Danes' Skin, An unusual Ornament for Essex Church doors

The legend of the Danes skin is an old one, and applies to several churches and cathedrals in the South East. The first time we see it is in Pepys Diary

"Then to Rochester, and there saw the Cathedrall, which is now fitting for use, and the organ then a-tuning. Then away thence, observing the great doors of the church, which, they say, was covered with the skins of the Danes. 1 and also had much mirth at a tomb, on which was “Come sweet Jesu,” and I read “Come sweet Mall,” &c., at which Captain Pett and I had good laughter. "

Samuel Pepys, Wednesday 10 April 1661 http://www.foxearth.org.uk/DanesS…

Bill  •  Link

"1. Traditions similar to that at Rochester, here alluded to,"

This footnote, reprinted in many editions of Pepys' diary, first appeared in an 1848 edition of the diary with "notes by Richard Lord Braybrooke."

Nate Lockwood  •  Link

"in which he intends to ride as Vice-Admiral in the narrow seas all this summer."

What are the narrow seas, the English Channel?

Gillian Bagwell  •  Link

Admiral of the narrow seas - don't know about the official definition, but the term was used jocularly to refer to "one who vomits into lap of person next to him from drunkenness" (a sea term). Another couple of my favorite slang terms from the period: Shooting the cat or catting: vomiting from drunkenness. Surveyor of the highways: one who is reeling drunk.

Bill  •  Link

I really, really wish that Pepys had Gillian's meaning in mind but Shakespeare would disagree:

WARWICK
What counsel, lords? Edward from Belgia,
With hasty Germans and blunt Hollanders,
Hath pass'd in safety through the narrow seas,
And with his troops doth march amain to London;
And many giddy people flock to him.
---Henry VI, part 3

Chris Squire UK  •  Link

OED has:

‘narrow seas, n. 1. Chiefly with the (also in sing.). The seas separating Great Britain from Ireland and from continental Europe. Esp. in early use (in sing.) applied to the English Channel; subsequently spec. (until the introduction of the legal concept of international waters) both the English Channel and the southern North Sea, over which the English monarch claimed sovereignty . .
a1450–1500 (▸1436) Libel Eng. Policy (1926) 7 (MED), No man may denye..That we bee maysteres of the narowe see.
. . 1595 Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 i. i. 240 Sterne Fawconbridge Commands the narrow seas.
. . 1807 Edinb. Rev. Oct. 17 Great Britain has the sovereignty of what are called the narrow seas.
. . 1995 Jrnl. Mil. Hist. 59 620 Submarines would prevent hostile navies from undertaking any serious operations in the narrow seas around Britain.’

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"So to the Salutacion tavern"

On the Common, on the W. side of what is now Corporation St, between Northgate and the bridge; now no longer in existence. (L&M note)

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"hither come Sir John Minnes to us, who is come to-day to see “the Henery,” in which he intends to ride as Vice-Admiral in the narrow seas all this summer. "

A warrant from the Duke of York appointing John Mennes Vice-Admiral in the Narrow Seas was issued on 18 May. He was soon to become a close colleague of Pepys, succeeding Slingsby as Comptroller in November 1661. (L&M note)

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"I wondered how my Lady Batten walked up and down with envious looks to see how neat and rich everything is (and indeed both the house and garden is most handsome), saying that she would get it, for it belonged formerly to the Surveyor of the Navy."

L&M: The Battens never used it. It reminded Evelyn (iii. 359) of 'a villa about Rome'.

Michaela  •  Link

which is now fitting for use, and the organ then a-tuning

I think Pepys today would say “which is now being fitted for use and the organ then being tuned”
At that time the passive form of the present continuous wasn’t used, I think even Jane Austen wrote “the piano is bringing” rather than “the piano is being brought” - but that might be a false memory of mine because I can’t find a reference to it in Google

John Pennington  •  Link

This is a monster entry. Sam at his charming best, having a good time, living life.

"I was forced to dance too—and did make an ugly shift."
I laughed out loud at this.

Third Reading

Michael Cook  •  Link

I'm sure 17C dancing was very formal, so a small misstep...., but I have 2 left feet for the 1960's "twist" loving this as always and the amazing annotations. Thanks to those posting so long ago.

Michael Cook  •  Link

By the way do we have to think Sam is already a "Dad"?

徽柔  •  Link

Big parrots can live 50-90 years.
Longer than most of the Englishmen in SP's time.
LOL.

Log in to post an annotation.

If you don't have an account, then register here.