Sunday 23 June 1661

(Lord’s day). In the morning to church, and my wife not being well, I went with Sir W. Batten home to dinner, my Lady being out of town, where there was Sir W. Pen, Captain Allen and his daughter Rebecca, and Mr. Hempson and his wife. After dinner to church all of us and had a very good sermon of a stranger, and so I and the young company to walk first to Graye’s Inn Walks, where great store of gallants, but above all the ladies that I there saw, or ever did see, Mrs. Frances Butler (Monsieur L’Impertinent’s sister) is the greatest beauty. Then we went to Islington, where at the great house I entertained them as well as I could, and so home with them, and so to my own home and to bed. Pall, who went this day to a child’s christening of Kate Joyce’s, staid out all night at my father’s, she not being well.

25 Annotations

First Reading

dirk  •  Link

Rev. Ralph Josselin's diary for Sunday 23 June 1661:

"The measles much about, god very good in my preservation, the lord in mercy accept me and rejoice over me for good, the weather good. said Bishops and their courts are coming in again, lord help us to walk humbly and wisely."

No mistake, the measles were a deadly disease in the 1600s!

"The weather good" undoubtedly draws the young ladies to Graye's inn Walk - and Sam and his friends to watch and enjoy.

Reminds me of the Spanish "Paseo" - where exactly the same is still going on in our time.

vicente  •  Link

The Walk About, was most popular pre-goglebox [T.V.] days. To meet ones neighbours and to show off ones new bonnet[and other additions]. So many countries did this,on fine summer eve, a nice stroll by the family[as many generations as possible], the todlers a jumping, the boys vieing for the girls[all a shy like and a giggle] attention, Gran mam ma looking out for THE hanky panky. Even a nice shandy on the tow path of the local river[hell with the midges].

vicente  •  Link

If all the pastors had received the same instuctions from the H.Q. for their text, then as J Evelyn made note, the morning Sermon was"
6 luk 24: But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation."
then after dinner:

4 matt 1: "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. "
"...Graye's Inn Walks, where great store of gallants, but above all the ladies that I there saw,…”
So sam did likewise?

BradW  •  Link

No mistake, the measles were a deadly disease in the 1600s!

And for centuries after. Measles played a major role in the U.S. Civil War in the 1860's, cutting down thousands on both sides, reducing Confederate numbers in Arkansas so much that it cancelled an offensive. Of course, all the way up to the 1930's, the biggest risk was secondary bacterial infection from all those skin lesions.

Even today, measles is not a good one to get. About 3 per 1000 measles cases die when the measles virus infects the brain, and at least twice that many suffer permanent neural damage, including deafness or retardation. Kids in poor nutritional health suffer considerably higher rates of death.

This message brought to you by a pro-vaccine public health worker.

Pauline  •  Link

"into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil"
Perhaps it was this sermon, and that explains Sam spending the day with Rebecca Allen (with whom he was so besotted early in April), with his wife conveniently at home "not well", yet not a word of how he feels about being with Rebecca again. He even goes so far as to praise (as always) the beauty of Frances Butler while walking with Rebecca. The only tension is in saying "I entertained them as well as I could."

The great house in Islington? Does anyone have ideas? Does it mean the Kings Head?

vicente  •  Link

may be, he don't tell all?[to his alta ego]

vicente  •  Link

"... but met with Mr. Creed, with whom I went and walked in Grayes-Inn-walks, and from thence to Islington, and there eat and drank at the house my father and we were wont of old to go to; and after that walked homeward, and parted in Smithfield: and so I home, much wondering to see how things are altered with Mr. Creed, who, twelve months ago, might have been got to hang himself almost as soon as go to a drinking-house on a Sunday..."
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
Same journey, House connected to the old days
Mr Creed: Interesting wot a few mths make?
also wifey, not able to keep her little eyes on his doings.

Pauline  •  Link

"...I and the young company to walk ..."
This may come down to the Hempsons, Rebecca, and Sam. Batten is about 34, Penn about 39, and Captain Allen old enough to have a young woman of a daughter. A foursome, with Sam and Rebecca as the second couple? I think Vincent may be on to something in postulating that Sam isn't telling all.

See entries for April 9, 10, 11 of this year for the how much Sam was taken with Rebecca.

PHE  •  Link

Summer evening walks
To get an idea of the atmosphere, go to any Spanish town or city on a summer evening. Everyone's out in the squares and parks - and often dressed in their best.

David A. Smith  •  Link

"to walk first to Graye's Inn Walks”
In Spain, this is the paseo; in Italy, the passeggiata. From about late afternoon until an hour after sunset, everybody in the extended family, and then they all go off to supper. One of the great relaxations of Mediterranean climates, where high latitudes make for long summer dusks.

Australian Susan  •  Link

Seeing and been seen
In London, possibly because of the climate, this behaviour evolved (in the 19th century) into being driven round Hyde Park in a landau dressed in the latest fashions or riding on Rotten Row - in the mornings. Into the Edwardian era and some people were even doing this on the new-fangled bicycle.

Pedro.  •  Link

Sunday 23 June 1661.

Marriage contract signed.

Nigel Pond  •  Link

David: the walks you describe are not limited to the Mediterranean. Most English seaside towns have a "Promenade" on the sea front that was used for the very same purpose, albeit in warmer clothes!!

language hat  •  Link

"In Spain, this is the paseo; in Italy, the passeggiata"

And farther east the corso or (in Greece) the volta. A wonderful custom.

Glyn  •  Link

Samuel and Elizabeth Pepys regularly go to Grays Inn on a Sunday to look at the latest styles which Elizabeth then copies, and he often goes by himself to admire the women.

Harvey  •  Link

Evening promenade... not just in the Mediterranean either, on a visit to Northern Ireland we enjoyed seeing the same custom observed at a seaside town one summer evening... we asked what the occasion was... no occasion, just see and be seen.

Second Reading

Bill  •  Link

"where great store of gallants"

A GALLANT, a Lover, Beau, a Spark; especially one that keeps Company with a married Woman.
---An Universal Etymological English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1675.

Edith Lank  •  Link

Vincente -- I'm pretty sure that our Samuel does indeed tell himself all. Often with details. It's probably part of the pleasure -- re-reading and re-living whatever.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"The great house in Islington? Does anyone have ideas? Does it mean the Kings Head?"

Indeed, Pauline, or so say L&M: the great house was the King's Head, famous for its cheesecakes: see e.g. http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

Third Reading

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Meanwhile at Court:
On 23 June, 1661 the marriage treaty was signed (see it in LA CLEDE, Histoire de Portugal, ii. 711).

[According to several sources, including Chancellor Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon: After the marriage treaty was signed on 23 June, 1661 the only person to excite any opposition was the Spanish Ambassador, Carlos, Baron de Watteville, who tried to stir up excitement by distributing papers, stating alarming evils to England likely to occur from a popish Queen. He was caught in the act of flinging papers out of a window to the soldiery and the populace. Charles II ignored his pleas for pardon, and hurried him out of the Kingdom.
https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…

徽柔  •  Link

"he only person to excite any opposition was the Spanish Ambassador, Carlos, Baron de Watteville, who tried to stir up excitement by distributing papers, stating alarming evils to England likely to occur from a popish Queen"
LOL, the Spanish were Catholics too.

Chrissie  •  Link

‘LOL, the Spanish were Catholics too’ Spain was opposed to the marriage with Catherine of Braganza, not wanting Portugal to increase its influence and benefit from English military support. The two countries were officially at war. Spain still hoping to ‘ reclaim’ Portugal following the 1640 revolution. Efforts went on until 1668 when the treaty of Lisbon was signed and Portugal finally became independent..

Stephane Chenard  •  Link

On Spanish ambassador Batteville (as it's spelled in our sources) being alone in his agitation: Correct, and he's not been the most subtle diplomat in this affair as he also once threatened war if Charles married with Portugal. The libel which he did get printed and circulated would be an interesting document to see, as it didn't just raise the she's-popish argument, but, more practically and perhaps even more to the king's discontent, made public the sumptuous offer which Spain had made in its own, losing, but secret, bid, and so invited everybody to join and reopen an evaluation that had taken the government several months to get through.

On July 1 the indispensable Venetian ambassador, Francisco Giavarina, reported on an audience where the king reprimanded Batteville, on the "scandalous remarks" in his tract, "calculated to stir up sedition and revolution among the people". Batteville's defense was that he sent private memos to which nobody replied, leaving him no choice but to make them public; not a very good argument either. No mention yet of expelling him, but Batteville had already packed his bags and dismantled his embassy as soon as the king's choice had been announced.

It's generally correct that, other than Spain, no one seems to "excite any opposition"; or care, perhaps. There's a couple of other parties that aren't dancing with joy, however. One is the English community in Spain, which Giavarina said expected reprisals and went so far as to charter a ship to evacuate from Bilbao; they've since received Spanish assurances that nothing would happen, and cancelled the ship. The other is the Dutch, who thought of building their own colonial empire by picking off that of Portugal, and are now at risk of a war with England, over Indian ports they were trying to invade and that are part of the dowry. On June 16 (new style, June 6 for the rest of us), the French Gazette reported from The Hague on a 3-hour meeting held two days earlier between the States of Holland and Zeeland, in which the delegates from Zeeland argued for "joining Arms" with Spain, "because of their pretentions over Brazil". But, the Gazette says, "one doubts that the other Provinces favor their opinion".

The Chancellor is an interesting choice of source to comment on the absence of opposition. For months Giavarina - from one of the few powers that didn't have a dog in this race - has been reporting on Clarendon as having been bought lock and stock by Portugal. In his dispatch of July 1 he mentions that "it is said publicly that he has had over 100,000£ sterling in cash besides over presents". That could explain why he "could not be more violent against" Spain. We think Clarendon will bear watching as running his own show just a bit too much for his own good.

徽柔  •  Link

Thanks , Chrissie and Stephane Chenard ,for your information~
I understand Spain's intentions to reclaim Portugal but the reason the Ambassador used to stir up the crowd was so absurd, considering they were Catholics themselves. But it is understandable that the Ambassador should come to such an extent.
"The most decisive initiative of all involved wedlock, as the treaty which sealed Charles II’s marriage to Catherine of Braganza in 1662 also sealed the fate of thousands of veterans. Apart from offering the Portuguese possessions of Tangier and Bombay as part of Catherine’s dowry, Portugal requested troops in order to resume its struggle for independence from Spain“
—— G. Chalmers, A Collection of the Treaties between Great Britain and Other Powers

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