Tony Eldridge on 6 Apr 2006  •  Link

Then to church again where a simple bawling young Scot preached.
It's a long time since I went to church so forgive my ignorance - but it seems that Sam experiences a great variety of preachers, either giving a "guest performance" in his usual church or by visiting a different church each Sunday. If the latter, I would have expected him to mention where he went. Does this mean that the resident priests / vicars were more generous in those days in sharing their pulpits?

Birdie on 6 Apr 2006  •  Link

My wife, Ashwell, and I to bed - Oh yes, my dear Mr. Pepys, some wishful thinking there.

Alan Bedford on 6 Apr 2006  •  Link

The ladies accompany Sam'l to morning church!

Unusual enough that he sees fit to comment on it, and doesn't bother to give us detail on the sermon.

in Aqua Scripto on 6 Apr 2006  •  Link

Church be the main occupation for a Sunday and even tho there be laws afoot that you must be seen attending, it be good to be seen, so thou can be on the fast tack, besides which it be dull morning, it be a bit wet and thou dost not want thy favourite wenches to be bedraggled. Then there be the pecunary results of failing to show thy nose before a Pastor, it be a bob for each failure to cross the vestibule on the Sabbath.
Then the Lasses have nought to do as the Cook-mayde and mayde have the preparation of grub under control. There be only one Cook to a kitchen and mistress 'OUT'.
So it be convenient to dash across the lane to be educated.
Visiting Preachers, Preachers be a penny a dozen, needed to get a post Permanent position] in a good Parish, so had to demonstrate their draw appeal, [keep every one in their pews]and the Word past to the Bishop to sign them on.

pauline on 6 Apr 2006  •  Link

Visiting Preachers
Celebrity Preachers
It's Easter time. Like last year, it appears celebrity preachers come in to the various churches and draw crowds with their reputations during the lenten period, then return to their home church for Easter Sunday.

TerryF on 6 Apr 2006  •  Link

"Osborne’s Advice to his Son (which I shall not never [sic] enough admire for sense and language)"

Really? This puzzles me, since both have been found wanting by modern scholars of the period [see the link], and find only these possible attractions for SP as we know him:

Sense - “Osborne …shows us….that the rhetoric of utility was making progress…. He makes it clear that no study is worthwhile unless it will lead to profit, and that mathematics *is* such a useful skill."

Language - "its style [is oft] terse and apophthegmatic, as of one trying to imitate Bacon"
---
Well, I tried.

TerryF on 6 Apr 2006  •  Link

Samuel apparently bought Osborne 23 January 1660/61

"to my bookseller’s...for books....I in my chamber all the evening looking over my Osborn’s works and new Emanuel Thesaurus Patriarchae." http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

Australian Susan on 6 Apr 2006  •  Link

Church today

Sam presumably does not mention the sermon from morning service as this was given by "our Mr Mills", the vicar.

"simple bawling young Scot"

If Mr Mills is expected to give references or recommendations to his Bishop about visiting preachers' suitability as to obtaining benefices, this performance must have filled him with dismay. He does not seem to have ever asked members of the congregation for thier opinions: leastways, Sam doesn't mention it.

Red Robbo on 6 Apr 2006  •  Link

Not Never

Its nice to see that this bit of "modern" abuse of English, much complained about, has such a long pedigree.

A. Hamilton on 6 Apr 2006  •  Link

Osborne’s Advice to his Son (which I shall not never enough admire for sense and language)

Terry,

I agree that Sam's taste here is questionable. Thankfully, he doesn't imitate Osborne's writing style, or we'd never get through the Diary. On the other hand, maybe he likes Osborne's emphasis on mathematics, practical learning, and sententiousness (in the modern sense) -- a young man looking for models of gravitas?

From source linked by Terry:
"The style, when it is not terse and apophthegmatic, as of one trying to imitate Bacon, is stiff with conceits and long-winded sentences.”( Source:The Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes (1907–21). Volume VIII. The Age of Dryden. XVI. The Essay and the Beginning of Modern English Prose. § 12. Francis Osborne.)

C.J.Darby on 6 Apr 2006  •  Link

Beaten to the punch, the early birdie etc,"after some pleasant talk, my wife, Ashwell, and I to bed".

in Aqua Scripto on 6 Apr 2006  •  Link

“The style, when it is not terse and apophthegmatic, as of one trying to imitate Bacon, is stiff with conceits and long-winded sentences"
I find this a strange saying. I.e if not pithy then it be verbose,
so one paragraph be the soul of brevity, the next be a polished politicians best at saying nader.

in Aqua Scripto on 6 Apr 2006  •  Link

Brevity is to liking of the printer, less work and more profit. Type setting be a time consuming and expensive, a folio page would take a day, most likely , so every word saved counted. All those 'prentices dashing around throwing ems and ens. It reminds me of the days when computer memory be 5 cents a bit and more, so thy programs had to be pithy, now a 100 mega bits be less than a penny, so now one can be truly have prolix sentences and all the conceit thy want.

TerryF on 6 Apr 2006  •  Link

A. A. TILLEY, M.A., Fellow of King’s College, is the author of the Source:The Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes (1907–21). Volume VIII. The Age of Dryden. XVI. The Essay and the Beginning of Modern English Prose. § 12. Francis Osborne.

A.Hamilton, thanks for the citation of the source.

matthew newton on 6 Apr 2006  •  Link

'till the barber came..'
a regular visit?
wet shave or hair cut?
and am i correct in thinking that Sam has called for the barber late at night in days gone by?
any info. on this subject?

in Aqua Scripto on 6 Apr 2006  •  Link

Barber is mentioned many times : goto and enter barber in search box top right hand corner to see his trips for short back and sides. first entry 21 Nov 60
When after being a tad sick, sent for the Barber who could on occasion open a vein or two [if so licensed] and release some red blud [ blew, if he were royal or lacking of sum o2 ] he did purcase a nice agate handled knife, speculating that the barber would sharpen same for Samuell and then apply the edge to Samuells whiskers for eradication [pure speculation]. Samuell was known to use a pummy stone to remove some down. see entries for the gory details.

Robert Gertz on 6 Apr 2006  •  Link

Lots of praise of her musical ability, much pleasant talk, but still no mention of Ashwell's fetching beauty...Hmmn.

Sounds to me like Balty may have chosen with a little more care this time.

jean-paul buquet on 7 Apr 2006  •  Link

To Birdie
Thanks for the best laugh of my day, i had the same thought, i cannot believe we were the only two (discounting our friend Sam bien sûr!)?

Todd Bernhardt on 7 Apr 2006  •  Link

"still no mention of Ashwell's fetching beauty"

I dunno, Robert ... on April 1st, Sam wrote: "Ashwell and I dined below together, and a pretty girl she is..."

Now, "pretty" might not have the connotations it does today (can anyone with an OED help?), but I remember being struck by this as a possible mention of attractiveness...

language hat on 7 Apr 2006  •  Link

pretty

This likely to be OED's sense 3:
A general epithet of admiration or appreciation corresponding nearly to ‘fine’ in its vaguest sense, or the modern ‘nice’: excellent, admirable, commendable; pleasing, satisfactory, agreeable.
Citation from Pepys:
1660 PEPYS Diary 11 May, Dr. Clerke, who I found to be a very pretty man and very knowing.

But it could also be the modern sense; there's no way to tell.

Todd Bernhardt on 7 Apr 2006  •  Link

Thanks, LH!

Patricia on 26 Jul 2006  •  Link

"where a simple bawling young Scot preached"
Why I can't resist Samuel Pepys!