Wednesday 11 December 1661
My brother Tom and then Mr. Moore came to me this morning, and staid a while with me, and then I went out, and in my way met with Mr. Howell the Turner, who invited me to dine this day at Mr. Rawlinson’s with some friends of his, officers of the Towre, at a venison pasty, which I promised him, and so I went to the Old Bayly, and there staid and drank with him, who told me the whole story how Pegg Kite has married herself to a weaver, an ugly fellow, to her undoing, of which I am glad that I have nothing to do in it. From thence home and put on my velvet coat, and so to the Mitre to dinner according to my promise this morning, but going up into the room I found at least 12 or more persons, and knew not the face of any of them, so I went down again, and though I met Mr. Yong the upholster yet I would not be persuaded to stay, but went away and walked to the Exchequer, and up and down, and was very hungry, and from thence home, when I understand Mr. Howell was come for me to go thither, but I am glad I was not at home, and my wife was gone out by coach to Clerkenwell to see Mrs. Margaret Pen, who is at school there. So I went to see Sir W. Pen, who for this two or three days has not been well, and he and I after some talk took a coach and went to Moorfields, and there walked, though it was very cold, an hour or two, and went into an alehouse, and there I drank some ale and eat some bread and cheese, but he would not eat a bit, and so being very merry we went home again. He to his lodgings and I by promise to Sir W. Batten’s, where he and my lady have gone out of town, and so Mrs. Martha was at home alone, and Mrs. Moore and there I supped upon some good things left of yesterday’s dinner there, where dined a great deal of company — Sir R. Browne and others — and by and by comes in Captain Cox who promised to be here with me, but he staid very late, and had been drinking somewhere and was very drunk, and so very capricious, which I was troubled to see in a man that I took for a very wise and wary man. So I home and left him there, and so to bed.
11 Annotations
First Reading
Pedro. • Link
On this day...
"Roger Palmer accepted the honours thrust upon him by reason of his wife's infamy. On the 11 December, 1661, he was created Earl of Castlemaine, and Baron Limerick, in the peerage of Ireland, whereupon the royal favourite became a countess."
Bradford • Link
You would not think that Pepys ever met a stranger, certainly not when a (three cheers for a!) venison pasty was in the offing.
vicenzo • Link
He [Sam that is] appears to be agitated and upset I doth wander why? Sunday in and out of the churches and to-day, speaks for it self , cheese and booze, seems not want to be with strangers, finally with Ladies, he doth like to be alone with, but no hanky panky, Evelyns father in law being there, the former Lord Mayor.
Mary • Link
A room full of strangers.
Possibly it was not the fact of there being none but strangers at the inn, but rather that Howell was not there to present Pepys properly and make the introductions, that upset him. This could be construed as lack of courtesy on Howell's part. The chance meeting with Young as he left, a man whom he does know, was not enough to make him change his mind.
Australian Susan • Link
Savill the painter
It's been a whole week since we heard anything more about the portrait - wonder when Sam will go next.
Ruben • Link
A room full of strangers
today we read about the same situation as we had yesterday, but this time it was Samuel Pepys who was to be honored.
Mr. Howell not being there hurt Pepys, as Pepys would hurt his Lordship (Lord Crewe) if he would not have been in time!
David A. Smith • Link
"knew not the face of any of them, so I went down again"
Beyond Mary's insight, Sam has been invited to be a guest, but the person who invited him is not there to present him -- so Sam has no basis for staying, moon-faced, on the doorstep. Hence he withdraws in a mixture of not wishing to push himself on strangers, and having no reason to be with them absent Mr. Turner.
Better to beetle in, beetle briskly out, and try again later.
(And if my friend had done that to me, I would be quite tart the next time I saw him.)
A. De Araujo • Link
"who told me the whole story"
Again he is badmouthing cousin Peggy Kite!!!
Robert Gertz • Link
Sounds like Howell the turner hoping to score points with an important connection, slipped up in not telling Sam he was coming to fetch him at home. Alas that valuable connection in the Navy Office, Clerk of the Acts Pepys, is not amused...
Admiral Sir Will P meanwhile remains as jolly a companion as ever, never one to refuse an invite to a good alehouse even when illness won't let him eat a bite. His relationship to Pepys is an interesting one...He clearly likes our little hero, though of course it's in his interest to keep friends with Lord Sandwich's man in the Office. One wonders if he sees the eager-to-please, yet obviously ambitious and capable Sam as a sort of substitute for his own rather troubling namesake... I suppose in spite of the joy and happiness everyone claims to feel at Charlie Jr's restoration, one shouldn't forget these are dangerous, cutthroat times with show trials of the die-hard Cromwell crew under or about to get under way and Penn cannot count himself, as an old Cromwellian Navy man, totally secure. Should anything truly blow up, it's not bad to have a direct (and sympathetic) line to Lord Sandwich at hand.
Lord Sandwich's behavior on the other hand does puzzle me...He seems to have lost all reserve and caution unless Pepys is not getting the whole story. By that I mean he seems to be utterly trusting in the King and York to fulfill their promises to him and making no effort to keep in close touch with old comrades like Penn in case things go sour. I understand he's been well rewarded so far but he shows no sign of taking any steps to protect himself should the relationship falter with a government of men many of whom must distrust and even loathe a prominent Cromwellian like him.
Mary • Link
Lord Sandwich's behaviour.
Sandwich doesn't have much choice in the matter of his behaviour vis-a-vis Charles and James at present; he is still abroad, with no hint that he is to be expected back in England in the very near future. Mails do come and go from time to time, but vigorous networking over such a distance is hardly possible for him when he is so far from the centre of affairs.
Second Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"Pegg Kite has married herself to a weaver...to her undoing, of which I am glad that I have nothing to do in it."
Her "undoing" may be financial: she was her mother's legatee. L&M note Pepys's remark suggests he had probably already resigned the executorship (he was one) of her mother's estate as reported 15 September: http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1… There were disputes ahead about her portion:
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…