Wednesday 28 May 1662

Up early to put things in order in my chamber, and then to my Lord’s, with whom I spoke about several things, and so up and down in several places about business with Mr. Creed, among others to Mr. Wotton’s the shoemaker, and there drank our morning draft, and then home about noon, and by and by comes my father by appointment to dine with me, which we did very merrily, I desiring to make him as merry as I can, while the poor man is in town. After dinner comes my uncle Wight and sat awhile and talked with us, and thence we three to the Mum House at Leadenhall, and there sat awhile. Then I left them, and to the Wardrobe, where I found my Lord gone to Hampton Court. Here I staid all the afternoon till late with Creed and Captain Ferrers, thinking whether we should go to-morrow together to Hampton Court, but Ferrers his wife coming in by and by to the house with the young ladies (with whom she had been abroad), she was unwilling to go, whereupon I was willing to put off our going, and so home, but still my mind was hankering after our going to-morrow. So to bed.

26 Annotations

First Reading

JWB  •  Link

Mum
Weissbrau
"A Stuttgart brewery had been struggling to sell its wheat beer, until pictures showed then -Cardinal Ratzinger enjoying the brew every once in a while."

http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_ful…

Cumgranissalis  •  Link

Such a tragic saying "...while the poor man is in town...". Retirement is one of the deadly sins. A man be known by his position in society, and when put on the rubbish heap of retirement, looses his identity, in this case pricklouse [tailor], it be better than poor [old] man.
Many people cannot keep their head upright any longer, somewhere, there be a study, that those that fail to have a hobby, last an average of 4 years, when put out to pasture with the rest of the nags, at least one does not become glue for the lower sole.

Australian Susan  •  Link

Sam's view of his father.
Yesterday, in the postings, it was put forward that Sam regarded his father as a "poor" man because he had to put up with Mrs P. We don't know this, but it is perfectly plausible. Now we have the conception that it is because those who are retired are without position or status in society. But I would have thought that Pepys Senior would have gone up in people's estimations by being able to retire to his country estate and leave the business to his son to get on with. Maybe also Sam regards his father as a "poor man" because he, Sam, cannot conceive of living anywhere but in the bustle of the metropolis being able to pick up news, dart about London as he does always with ears and eyes open. Sam strikes me as someone who would have found country living dull: he's just not that kind of person. Much as modern man (such as my husband) gets serious withdrawal symptoms if without broadband internet connection for more than a couple of days.

Australian Susan  •  Link

"To Mr Wooton's the shoemaker and there drank our morning draught".
Does this mean that Mr W provided refreshment whilst people had their shoes patched? Was this a normal practice?

Pauline  •  Link

"poor man"
Sam refers to both his parents this way--"poor man", "poor woman". It is hard to figure out what this meant to him. I do feel, however, that we easily read it from here as rueing some condition his parents are in, while that might be too definitive for something meant very general. It almost comes across as an adjective of respect, with an age factor.

Cumgranissalis  •  Link

Morning draught [straight off the dray pulled by the draught horse]; Just keeping in with the town gossip. Popular activity to socialised, now it be done at the politically correct quaffing joint at the "stella serva" .
re: lazing in the meadows. We will never know the truth of the matter, but conjecture from context can help us see that there be many facets to that which be written.
Mr P. Snr may be enjoying the country life, down in the meadow, watching [and chating ] with all those [poxfree skins] milkmaids on their 3 legged stools.

JWB  •  Link

poor man
Father of 11 children and with but 3 alive, he could indeed be poor in spirit & sick of life.

JWB  •  Link

Sorry-4 alive. Forgot brother John.

Mary  •  Link

"I desiring to make him as merry as I can ....."

Still sounds to me as if Sam means to give his father a really good time in town to compensate for the dull old time he has of it in Brampton. However, I'm sure that opinions will differ.

Xjy  •  Link

"poor man"
I think this is just Sam asserting his rank over the Old Man. Nothing like a bit of condescension to show who's up and who's down. Probably a bit of wishful thinking in it, too -- a "poor old man" will hand in his cards quicker than a ruddy-faced rude-healthed Charon ("sed cruda deo viridisque senectus") frolicking with the milkmaids. As our Yevgenny (Eugene) thought to himself, tending his ailing rural uncle, "kogda zhe chyort voz'myot tebya?" (when will the Devil take Thee off?)

Xjy  •  Link

"hankering after"
... so modern! Didn't even notice first time...

A. Hamilton  •  Link

poor man

some chimes:

condescension, pity:
"Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Momma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feeling So Sad." (Arthur Kopit play)

Dad feels "poorly" as they still say in parts of the U.S. south: in ill health.

Dad is sad, and needs bucking up.

Variant connected to retirement: Here's Dad come to town with time on his hands and no clear purpose, poor man, but I'm glad to see him and want to show him a good time.

Self aggrandizement: I'm rich, Dad's poor. (No, I think this is beneath Pepys.)

Clement  •  Link

"Poor Man" is still 'feeling poorly.'
March 18: "But that which troubles me is that my Father has now got an ague that I fear may endanger his life."
That was fairly recent, and Sam's concern for this recent illness is fresh in mind.
Even with modern medicine when the mortal coil is wound long healing from serious illness is slow and uncertain.

Australian Susan  •  Link

"Ague"
If Sam's father has malaria, then there is no cure, just a future of recurrent bouts of the disease to look forward to.
"I'm rich, Dad's poor"
Although Sam is becoming a wealthy man, I don't think Dad is poor (materially). He has been able to give up employment and retire to a country estate. Isn't that the mark of someone comparatively well-off?

language hat  •  Link

Xjy, I'm fond of Eugene Onegin too, but that's fiction (by a cynical young poet) and this is what some of us still think of as reality, and in the reality revealed to us by this diary to date, there's no reason to think Pepys looks forward to his father's death.

A. De Araujo  •  Link

"poor man"
nothing to do with money; like "pobrecito" in spanish or "poverina" in italian
cf Il Barbieri di Seviglia.

Australian Susan  •  Link

"A poor doer"
This was the sobriquet given to bullocks in the west country (Somerset, actually) which were not gaining weight at the rate expected.
Might that be in Sam's mind? His father is losing weight because of the "ague" and does not look well ("poorly") as it is used in England.

Cumgranissalis  •  Link

At the age of 62 annos, many a person, be having that worn out appearance of a poor doer.
Errata: chating : s/b chatting
Some doth like to walk up hill and down dale, talk to the livestock across the hedge, be better than be pushed out into the feet of dray horses of the city, like that happens to old geezers like moi in a fast moving busy city.

Mark Pearson  •  Link

Retirement a deadly sin?! I know a fellow who just retired from our park sevice and was asked if he would come back as a consultant because of his great knowledge of the location and operation of all the pumps in 60 parks.
"Nope," he said. "Rather hang out in the hot tub with the old girl and look out over the (San Joaquin) valley." Retirement is what you make of it out here in California.

Cumgranissalis  •  Link

Always have a mtn. to climb, not snooze.

Pedro  •  Link

"and thence we three to the Mum House at Leadenhall, "

Although the background leads to mum, a type of ale, could this be "Mug House?"

"Mug House" was a seventeenth century term for an alehouse, allowed to retail ale, porter, wine and spirits.

Brewer's Phrase and Fable...

Mug-house An ale-house was so called in the eighteenth century. Some hundred persons assembled in a large tap-room to drink, sing, and spout. One of the number was made chairman. Ale was served to the guests in their own mugs, and the place where the mug was to stand was chalked on the table.

Second Reading

John York  •  Link

Terry, although JWB's links are 404, I think the web site still exists under another name.

The first link should now be to
http://www.thecostumersmanifesto.…

and the link in the reply "looks like this gent brought his own" to
http://www.thecostumersmanifesto.…

If the customer is drinking out of a cup that size it may have been easier to persuade him to purchase ill fitting boots!

Chris Squire UK  •  Link

This is the sense of ‘poor’, I suggest:

‘ . . 5. attrib. That provokes sympathy, or compassion; that is to be pitied . .
. . a1600 I. T. Grim the Collier iii, He, poor Heart, no sooner heard my newes, But turns me up his Whites, and falls flat down.
. . 1691 J. Wilson Belphegor v. iii, Poor comfortless Woman; she's fall'n asleep at last.
. . 1769 F. Brooke Hist. Emily Montague III. cliv. 138 Pray let Emily be married; every body marries but poor little Emily.
1787 F. Burney Diary 26 Feb. (1842) III. 334 Till his [sc. Boswell's] book of poor Dr. Johnson's life is finished and published . . ‘

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