Thursday 11 June 1663
Up and spent most of the morning upon my measuring Ruler and with great pleasure I have found out some things myself of great dispatch, more than my book teaches me, which pleases me mightily. Sent my wife’s things and the wine to-day by the carrier to my father’s, but staid my boy from a letter of my father’s, wherein he desires that he may not come to trouble his family as he did the last year.
Dined at home and then to the office, where we sat all the afternoon, and at night home and spent the evening with my wife, and she and I did jangle mightily about her cushions that she wrought with worsteds the last year, which are too little for any use, but were good friends by and by again. But one thing I must confess I do observe, which I did not before, which is, that I cannot blame my wife to be now in a worse humour than she used to be, for I am taken up in my talk with Ashwell, who is a very witty girl, that I am not so fond of her as I used and ought to be, which now I do perceive I will remedy, but I would to the Lord I had never taken any, though I cannot have a better than her. To supper and to bed. The consideration that this is the longest day in the year is very unpleasant to me. —[It is necessary to note that this was according to the old style.]— This afternoon my wife had a visit from my Lady Jeminah and Mr. Ferrers.
20 Annotations
First Reading
Leo Starrenburg • Link
"The consideration that this is the longest day in the year is very unpleasant to me."
Why? Because daylight will be shorter from now on? And his thoughts on Ashwell are lost on me as well, that is I think he's not really beeing honest with himself on this matter.
m vr groet, Leo.
John M • Link
"Up and spent most of the morning upon my measuring Ruler and with great pleasure I have found out some things myself of great dispatch, more than my book teaches me, which pleases me mightily" Clever old Sam; he's found a software feature that isn't in the manual
Bradford • Link
I think, Leo, that Pepys enjoys bantering with Ashwell, who proves a witty opponent, whereas his exchanges with Elizabeth seem likely of late to degenerate into wrangles and jangles, no matter how swiftly they are reconciled. (Those who quarrel over fanciwork throw pillows are only hunting for a pretext.)
Rather than ascribe too much significance to such mutual playfulness, which has been purely verbal up to this point, let's keep in mind the apt definition by Max O'Rell (1848-1903): "Flirtation, attention without intention."
dirk • Link
"this is the longest day in the year"
This has been explained before, but just in case there is still some confusion: 11 June according to the British (uncorrected) calendar is equivalent to 21 June on the continent, where they were already using the corrected, Gregorian calendar. The only reason the British had so far refused to make the correction, was that they found it impossible to accept a calendar correction that had been decreed by the Pope in Rome -- but everybody with some learning (including Sam) was aware of the error.
[See also the background info.]
TerryF • Link
Wayneman is grounded!
"staid my boy [due to] a letter of my father’s, wherein he desires that [my boy] not come to trouble his family as he did the last year."
Stolzi • Link
Wayneman
is a pain, man.
Todd Bernhardt • Link
Is Ashwell going into the country with Elizabeth?
jeannine • Link
"Wayneman is a pain, man."
Stolzi, I know, but I have a soft spot for him...he makes such good reading! How boring if Sam had a well behaved servant as we'd never hear him mentioned.
Todd, yes I believe Ashwell is going with Elizabeth. With the "shift in the wind" these days it may make for an interesting trip. I think that they may be getting on each other's nerves (or at least Ashwell seems to be on Elizabeth's). Also, interesting is the change in Sam's thoughts about Ashwell. Actually living with someone is so different than just having them visit.
Robert Gertz • Link
"I cannot blame my wife to be now in a worse humour than she used to be, for I am taken up in my talk with Ashwell, who is a very witty girl, that I am not so fond of her as I used and ought to be, which now I do perceive I will remedy..."
Gotta be a good husband... Homer Simpson.
***
"...but I would to the Lord I had never taken any, though I cannot have a better than her."
So is Sam regretting taking on a lady's companion (Ashwell)...Or a wife?
in Aqua scripto • Link
Oh 'wot ' an under statement
"Actually living with someone is so different than just having them visit"
Robert Gertz • Link
Hard to "remedy" paying too little attention to Bess if she's off to Brampton shortly, Sam. Unless you plan to do another salmon dinner or cough up some decent dress money.
***
“…but I would to the Lord I had never taken any, though I cannot have a better than her.”
Yes, I know the feeling...(whack, whack. "But honey, you yourself said the other day that some days when I'm really a pain...")
I'm sure if faced with the offer Sam would retract and properly grovel to keep his Bess...He already did, after all, pre-Diary.
***
Robert Gertz • Link
"Mrs. Pepys seemed happy to be off to Brampton, sir."
"Aye, Will. Lets hope she and Ashwell left to themselves can last out the time without killing my father."
"Well, she was singing a merry tune when I left them on the coach."
Bess eyes the sleeping Ashwell across the coach...
"Little bird, jaunty little bird...Gonna ring your neck and throw you down the well. Throw you down the well, Sam's pet. Throw you down the well, Sam's pet. Break your neck, my Sammy's pet. Break your neck, oh you bet. Little bird, gonna throw you down Father Pepys' well."
in Aqua scripto • Link
Spelling difference :girl L&M 'witty girle'; staid- L&M'stayed'
"have a better than her" L&M 'then'
visit L&M 'visitt'
Just comparing and it shows that tho minor but can create semantic upsets for the purist:there be differing ways that the manuscript be read.
Benvenuto • Link
"she and I did jangle mightily about her cushions"
Nothing like a bit of jangling about the cushions to put a smile on the marital face!
A. De Araujo • Link
"and she and I did jangle mightilly"
I wonder if Jangle has anything to do with Yack or Jive; I mean are the latter derived from the former.
Sjoerd • Link
"jangle mightily about her cushions"
Beginners' mistake there, in my opinion, starting a discussion with the wife about the practical use of cushions. Wasn't there an epsiode of the BBC series "Coupling" about that ?
Australian Susan • Link
For those who don't know - homepage for Coupling.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/coupl…
Although I can imagine it, I couldn't actually find a Cushions Episode.......
Patricia • Link
Sam is a pain! He has to correct everyone's work. We've seen this over & over--the portraitist, the workmen, the musician, and now he's finding fault with Mrs. P's cushions.
Make your own damn cushions next time, Sam!
Second Reading
Bill • Link
“she and I did jangle mightily about her cushions”
To JANGLE, to differ or be at Variance, to contend in Words.
---An Universal English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1724.
Gerald Berg • Link
So finally, the smoking gun of Elizabeth's dissatisfaction with Ashwell and the irony is the Sam is completely oblivious. Ashwell is Sam's intellectual equal in a way that Elizabeth can't be.
Has Sam ever described Ashwell because I haven't a clue what she looks like? All I know is Sam isn't tempted by her otherwise we would've heard about it. Poor Elizabeth can't win for losing.