Saturday 6 December 1662
Up and to the office, and there sat all the morning, Mr. Coventry and I alone, the rest being paying off of ships. Dined at home with my wife and Gosnell, my mind much pleased with her, and after dinner sat with them a good while, till my wife seemed to take notice of my being at home now more than at other times. I went to the office, and there I sat till late, doing of business, and at 9 o’clock walked to Mr. Rawlinson’s, thinking to meet my uncle Wight there, where he was, but a great deal of his wife’s kindred-women and I knew not whom (which Mr. Rawlinson did seem to me to take much notice of his being led by the nose by his wife), I went away to my office again, and doing my business there, I went home, and after a song by Gosnell we to bed.
29 Annotations
First Reading
Todd Bernhardt • Link
"till my wife seemed to take notice of my being at home now more than at other times"
Ha! Busted!! Poor Sam. Music calms the savage breast, after all...
Especially funny that this is followed up by his description of his henpecked uncle.
Eric Walla • Link
Elizabeth appears already mindful of the warning, "Be careful what you wish for." And Sam? Stop being so obvious.
A. Hamilton • Link
till my wife seemed to take notice of my being at home now more than at other times.
I can't help thinking Sam is amused at himself, and a little upset by E's jealosy. Todd is right about the humorous juxtaposition with Uncle Wight, and Mr. Rawlinson's keen eye.
in Aqua Scripto • Link
"...I went home, and after a song by Gosnell we to bed..." ?
Linda F • Link
Do we know why Bess thought she wanted an attractive chanteuse/ companion under her roof to begin with? Wasn't an affiliation with theatre in those days enough to bring a female within that penumbra of less than respectable from which one never emerged? Is having a Gosnell part of Sam's/Bess's infatuation with fashion (the lifestyle), and Sarah (where did she sleep this winter night?) discharged to finance it?
in Aqua Scripto • Link
" Sarah (where did she sleep this winter night?) " back to the Bowers or to another position that be obtained while being outed.
Girl had a "FEW" choices :
a]Home to father, as he be most responsible by law.
b]find a ne'er do well.
c]If no family.Mother Cresswells if one be out funds, [ Sarah ain't yet]
d]another position using the recommendation of Samuel and his position.
t'Was a harsh life with no money.
in Aqua Scripto • Link
"...till my wife seemed to take notice of my being at home now more than at other times...." Here, Samuell be so illustrative. Of course it be the sweetness of voice , such ... Ah! it makes the nightingale jealous.
in Aqua Scripto • Link
The Diary says it all, 9 entries on this lass in less than a month, WOW!
first ref:
on nov 12 "makes me have a good mind to her" MY! MY!
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
bug is biting and the Mistress sees all.
Mary • Link
Gosnell's 'affiliation with the theatre'.
I don't believe we've seen anything yet that shows her already to be directly associated with any theatrical company.
Benvenuto • Link
I wonder why he calls her "Gosnell"
rather than referring to her by her first name, like Sarah, Jane etc?
Robert Gertz • Link
To be fair Bess, Sam has spent whole days home recently working on the place.
And it was dear old Balty who sponsored the girl...
"Oh, Sam'l it's so wonderful. Our Gosnell is so charming and lovely."
"Yes...Wonderful...Charming...Lovely... Hows about another song, my dear?"Sam beams at a blushing Gosnell, so pleased to have made an impression so quickly with the famed, fast-rising...And above all, well-connected to Court, Pepyses...
"Sam? Isn't it past time for you to be at the office?" Bess stares at a rapt Sam...
"Sam'l?"
"Samuel?" Cold now...And not so beaming an eye upon Gosnell.
Hmmn? "What?"
I fear poor Gosnell is doomed. Indeed Balty might well fear future retribution...
"Balty?! A 'respectable' girl, you called her?!!"
Balty wisely covers head with hands as Bess continues her assault, expecting from experience a sudden move from verbal to physical.
Sam with equal wisdom maintain his low position in chair, glad to see someone else now a target of Bess' wrath.
Besides himself and poor Winifred, now fleeing down the road in panic...
***
Unk Wight...Henpecked he may be, but not to be counted out yet, as we shall see. Or at least, not willing yet to entirely give up the game.
Jeannine • Link
"an affiliation with theatre".
I believe that Mary is correct with her comments --Winifred isn't yet linked to or affiliated with the theather and would therefore be quite a suitable companion for Elizabeth. From the Sam/Elizabeth perspective she's a nice, young girl who sings well and one would assume a good addition to an upwardly mobile home life. It was fashionable for up and coming ladies of the court, like Elizabeth, to have this type of companionship. Also, for cases where these relationships do work out in a proper manner (ie. no male poaching, etc.) it would also benefit Sam as he'd have the potential for knowing his wife was happy, in good company and not being influenced by other court factions.
Slight spoiler--not much on Winifred as an actress to be found, except for a note here or there on a few plays she will be in during the later 1660's. Can't find any pictures either.
*** On another note-- a rare gem on ebay with BEAUTIFUL picture of Court Ladies by Lely.....(I'm not the seller)
http://cgi.ebay.com/Rare-BEAUTIES…
celtcahill • Link
First names vs last names are a rank distinction. Sam's climbing. So's Liz.
Jeannine • Link
"First names vs last names are a rank distinction" --good point Celtcahill, and as the real meaning of your words is processed let's see if human nature kicks in here....there will no doubt be a wild but silent rampage on the behalf on annotators everywhere who will now no doubt want to be known only by their last names too!
Clarkson • Link
....Formerly "Peter". Jeannine, I agree.
glyn • Link
"the rest (of the staff) being paying off of ships"
This is a major part of the office's work at this time of the year. Fewer ships set sail in the short winter days and strong storms, so as many ships are laid up as possible. Some of the crews are kept for maintenance, but most of them are paid off until Spring.
Robert Gertz • Link
But then you rise a bit higher and it's first names again...Sir Samuel, Lady Elisabeth.
Like Augustus (and Issac Asimov's Mule) I'm content merely with the title of "First Citizen".
celtcahill • Link
Hee hee
I note that here in America, last names are common forms of address - no doubt continuing revolutionary solidarity like dropping the 'u' from color.
JonTom Kittredge • Link
"Do we know why Bess thought she wanted an attractive chanteuse/ companion under her roof to begin with?"
From what SP reported, she has been lonely, painfully so to judge by how hard she pled for this.
in Aqua Scripto • Link
How else can one separate the good seed from the chaff?
My dreaded awful awesum liege.
signed:
with all the sincerity at my command.
Rite 'onorable stuffy Cum Salis de Frumentum
JonTom Kittredge • Link
"First names vs last names are a rank distinction."
As I recall, in the movie "Gosford Park" (set in the 1920's), a servant complains that she is called by her first name by her mistress, when, as a ladies maid, she deserves to be called by her last name. The top rank of servant -- a housekeeper or butler, say -- was called by surname with honorific (e.g. Mr. Hudson).
What's interesting to me is that this system seems to have been already in place 250 years earlier. In other ways, the master/servant class walls seem like they're less rigid in Sam's time than they became in the 19thC. You get the sense from Sam that he has been going up steps on a staircase, not crossing a chasm, as he moves from being Montague's servant to being a Naval Commissioner.
in Aqua Scripto • Link
Did Eliza catch Samuell testing veracity of this statement on the new hire? "...I learnt a pretty trick to try whether a woman be a maid or no, by a string going round her head to meet at the end of her nose, which if she be not will come a great way beyond...."
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
Terry F • Link
"whether a woman be a maid or no"
maid =
- a female domestic
- an unmarried girl (especially a virgin)
http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl…
A. De Araujo • Link
beauties of the court
Thanks for the link Jeannine, I am watching it.
language hat • Link
"Winifred isn’t yet linked to or affiliated with the theater"
We don't actually know her name is Winifred; in the L&M Companion that's given in brackets with a question mark, somebody's best guess. All we know is that her family name is Gosnell.
dirk • Link
Gosnell and the theatre
** spoiler **
-- [On 28 May] 1662 [Pepys] went to see The Siege of Rhodes again, but records that it was not performed as well as it was when 'Roxalana' was there [actress Hester Davenport, known by her part in the play] "who, it is said, is now owned by my Lord of Oxford." Just over a year later in a performance of Hamlet he was surprised to find his wife's maid Gosnell on the stage "but neither spoke, danced nor sung; which I was sorry for. But she becomes the stage very well." --
From:
http://www.crock11.freeserve.co.u…
And again, on 29 May Pepys notes in his diary: "... then to the Duke's house and there saw "The Slighted Mayde", wherein Gosnell acted Peromena [usually played by Mrs Betterton], a great part, and did it very well and I believe will do better and better and prove a good actor."
Terry F • Link
"Gosnell" was "our Marmotte" before she came; what rank distinction is that?
dirk • Link
correction: 1662 should be 1663
celtcahill • Link
" You get the sense from Sam that he has been going up steps on a staircase,..."
Too true and sometimes it seems irksome to him, yet he never seeks nor seems to desire - and never got - Knighted. A bit surprising, actually. Although he would have been vexed much at the expense....