Sunday 16 August 1663

(Lord’s day). Up and with my wife to church, and finding her desirous to go to church, I did suspect her meeting of Pembleton, but he was not there, and so I thought my jealousy in vain, and treat the sermon with great quiet. And home to dinner very pleasant, only some angry, notwithstanding my wife could not forbear to give Ashwell, and after dinner to church again, and there, looking up and down, I found Pembleton to stand in the isle against us, he coming too late to get a pew. Which, Lord! into what a sweat did it put me! I do not think my wife did see him, which did a little satisfy me. But it makes me mad to see of what a jealous temper I am and cannot helpe it, though let him do what he can I do not see, as I am going to reduce my family, what hurt he can do me, there being no more occasion now for my wife to learn of him.

Here preached a confident young coxcomb. So home, and I staid a while with Sir J. Minnes, at Mrs. Turner’s, hearing his parrat talk, laugh, and crow, which it do to admiration. So home and with my wife to see Sir W. Pen, and thence to my uncle Wight, and took him at supper and sat down, where methinks my uncle is more kind than he used to be both to me now, and my father tell me to him also, which I am glad at.

After supper home, it being extraordinary dark, and by chance a lanthorn came by, and so we hired it to light us home, otherwise were we no sooner within doors but a great showre fell that had doused us cruelly if we had not been within, it being as dark as pitch.

So to prayers and to bed.

24 Annotations

First Reading

TerryF  •  Link

"and writ the sermon with great quiet." transcribe L&M.

Cf. last Sunday 9 August - "This day I begun to make use of the silver pen (Mr. Coventry did give me) in writing of this sermon, taking only the heads of it in Latin, which I shall, I think, continue to do." http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"Awark! Pepys is a fool. Pepys is a fool."

"He means 'he who peeps is a fool'." Sir John rather smoothly explains.

***

It's nice that Sam visits Sir Will but what is the big attraction for Bess?

"My God, look at that swollen toe! That is the most swollen toe I have ever seen!"

(I know, I know...The chance to see and be seen...)

***

I dunno Sam...Mr. P could still 'teach' her in those off hours when you're off busy as a bee and she's 'visiting the folks'.

Heaven...

"BESS!!! What does this fellow mean?!!"

Joe  •  Link

"notwithstanding my wife could not forbear to give Ashwell"

Transcription error here? An obscure meaning of
"give"? Could it be "my wife could not bear to forgive Ashwell"?

TerryF  •  Link

"; only, some angry words my wife could not forbear to give Ashwell."

L&M provide this MUCH clearer reading - i.e., Elizabeth cannot refrain from giving Ashwell the what-for; but what for?

Australian Susan  •  Link

"coming too late to get a pew"

Seating in churches was by subscription for the most part, but there were free pews (usually just benches) and presumably Pembleton could not get into one of these free accomodations. St Olave's is quite a large church, so hovering about near the navy pew (the construction of which was paid for by the Navy Office and was for their sole use)was somewhat pointed.

aqua  •  Link

"...not withstanding my wife could not forbear to give Ashwell, ..." maybe 2 or 7 with a touch of 8;
forbear OED
[OE. forberan (= OHG. far-, -fer-, forberan, MHG. verbern to restrain, abstain, Goth. frabairan to endure, support); see FOR- prefix1 and BEAR v
1. trans. To bear, endure, submit to. Obs.
1585 T. WASHINGTON tr. Nicholay's Voy. IV. i. 114b, Hunting..being an..occasion to use men..to forbeare heate and cold.

2. To bear with, have patience with, put up with, tolerate. Obs. (but cf. sense 8).
1624 CAPT. SMITH Virginia III. ix. 79, I haue forborne your insolencies.

3. To bear up against, control (emotion or desire). Also refl. to control one's feelings. Obs.
b. absol. or intr. for refl.

4. To endure the absence or privation of; to dispense with, do without, spare (a person or thing). Obs.
1562 W. BULLEIN Bk. Simples 30a, He is the beste bonde slave in the common wealthe, and least can be forborne. 1667 MILTON P.L. IX. 747 Fruits..Whose taste, too long forborn, at first assay Gave elocution to the mute.
b. To give up, part with or from, lose. Obs.
c. To avoid, shun; to keep away from or keep from interfering with; to leave alone. Obs.
1628 FORD Lover's Mel. III. ii, Forbear the room.
1673 TEMPLE Observ. United Prov. Wks. 1731 I. 17 The People in the Country forbear the Market.

5. To abstain or refrain from (some action or procedure); to cease, desist from.
1655 SIR E. NICHOLAS in N. Papers (Camden) II. 223, I forebore pressing them further.

6. absol. and intr. To abstain, refrain
1658 W. BURTON Comment. Itin. Antonin. 8, I cannot forbear but transcribe all of it hither.
1676 HOBBES Iliad I. 402 From War forbear.
b. Naut. (See quots.) Obs.
1627 CAPT. SMITH Seaman's Gram. vi. 27 Forbeare is to hold still any oare you are commanded

7. trans. To refrain from using, uttering, mentioning, etc.; to withhold, keep back ;from; to ; dative.
a1619 M. FOTHERBY Atheom. I. ii. §2 (1622) 11 Wee are forced to forbeare the strongest of our Authorities.
1676 HOBBES Iliad I. 206 Hold then. Your sword forbear.
b. refl. To restrain oneself, refrain. rare.

8. To abstain from injuring, punishing, or giving way to resentment against (a person or thing); to spare, show mercy or indulgence to. Now rare. Cf. sense 2, to which this closely approaches.
1618 RALEIGH in Four C. Eng. Lett. 37, I forbare all partes of the Spanish Indies. 1665 Sir T. Roe's Voy. E. Ind. 438 That scruple they make in forbearing the lives of the Creatures made for men's use.
b. Const. of (a thing). Obs.
c. intr. (or absol.) To be patient or forbearing; to show forbearance. Const. with.
The proverbial phrase to bear and forbear, now taken in this sense, was orig. trans.: see quot. 1340 in sense 2.
1591 SHAKES. Two Gent. V. iv. 27 Loue, lend me patience to forbeare a while. 1683 Apol. Prot. France v. 66 He for~bore beyond all Patience.
9. trans. To refrain from enforcing, pressing, or demanding; not to urge, press, insist on, or exact. Sometimes with double obj. Now rare
intr of.
1643 PRYNNE Sov. Power Parl. II. 20 That all the Acts of Oxenford, should from thenceforth be utterly forborne and annulled.
1649 EVELYN Mem. (1857) III. 49, I desire you to forbear my reasons, till the next return.
b. esp. To abstain from enforcing the payment of (money) after it has become due. Now rare.
1664 W. HAIG in J. Russell Haigs x. (1881) 273, I can have a friend here that will..forbear it [money] a year and a half.
as anoun
[f. FOR- prefix2 or FORE- prefix + BEER n.2, lit. one who is or exists before.]
An ancestor, forefather, progenitor (usually more remote than a grandfather).
1623 LISLE Ælfric on O. & N. Test. 17 Looke back a little to this outworne dialect of our forebeers

andy  •  Link

...somewhat pointed...(Aust S.)

so how did Pembleton know she was there?

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...only some angry, notwithstanding my wife could not forbear to give Ashwell,..."

"Girl! How dare you sit before me and Mr. Pepys! Where is my new fan, girl? I told you to bring it! You, lying little..." Whack. "Stop eyeing Mr. Hewer, go and get it this instant! Are you snickering at me, girl?!"

***

"And there are my most famous clients, Mr. Pepys of the Navy Office and his lovely wife." Pembleton points out the Pepys to several potentials. "So you see, I have connections at the Court. I'm sure he can recommend my talents to you."

A. Hamilton  •  Link

somewhat pointed

or utterly random? We know Pembleton attends St. Olave from earlier entries, I seem to recall, but we don't know if its because he is seeking Elizabeth's attention or whether it was already his setled habit when he began teaching E. to dance. If he's aware of Sam's jealousy, choosing a spot in the aisle next to the Pepys party is quite provocative. But if he has failed to notice it, his decision could simply be a friendly (or obsequious) gesture -- "There are the Pepyses. I'll go stand near them." The trouble is, Sam has no way of knowing what's on Pembleton's mind. But the spirit of the age is one of sexual license. So Pembleton's choice is, to Sam, quite pointed.

A. Hamilton  •  Link

and by chance a lanthorn came by, and so we hired it to light us home,

Charming scene, interesting usage (a "lanthorn" being treated like a "cab" as a facility, whereas "it" was most likely a man with a lantern).

Bradford  •  Link

As far as summer vacation solving one's problems, or enlarging one's worldview (or common sense), the parties are no better off than before.

Glyn  •  Link

The man with the lantern ('lanthorn') was presumably what Pepys has previously called a link man or a link boy:

http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…

There's little public lighting and this was a moonless and overcast night through narrow streets.

By the way, next month (Sept 16 and 17) is Open House weekend in London. Details here: http://www.londonopenhouse.org/lo…

Douglas Robertson  •  Link

Links vs. Lanthorns:

A link is an open torch, while the flame of a lantern is by definition enclosed; hence its principal advantage over a link in the event of rain (and hence, possibly, the hiring of this particular lanthorn).

aqua  •  Link

Link boy [ http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…
] Samuell can now can afford an upgrade, it be being pitch dark, did not want a pitch stick lighting the way,with all that smoke, a nice glass housed version be better. Each householder by law 'pose to have one hanging from Oct 1 thru Feb "...After supper home, it being extraordinary dark, and by chance a lanthorn came by, and so we hired it to light us home, otherwise were we no sooner within doors but a great showre fell that had doused us cruelly if we had not been within, it being as dark as pitch..."
Forms: 3-4 lanter(e, 4-6 launtern(e, 4-7 lanterne, (4 -tirne, 4-5 -tyrne, 5 -tarne, laterne), 5 lantane, lawnterne, -tryn, 5-6 lantron, 6 lantren, -trin, -turne, 6-7 lanthorne, 8-9 lanthern, 6-9 lanthorn, 4- lantern. [ad. F. lanterne, ad. L. lanterna, also l (f. - cerna.
The form lanthorn is prob. due to popular etymology, lanterns having formerly been almost always made of horn.]
OED:
1. a. A transparent case, e.g. of glass, horn, talc, containing and protecting a light. For blind, bull's eye, Chinese, friar's lantern, see those words. Also DARK LANTERN, MAGIC LANTERN.
Word has many attachment and Meanings.
eg.
c. 1661 PEPYS Diary 17 Jan., The ‘Soverayne’..is a most noble ship:..all went into the lanthorne together.
another:
1627-77 FELTHAM Resolves I. xviii. 31 Extreme poverty one calls a Lanthorn, that lights us to all miseries.
3 a. A lighthouse. b. The chamber at the top of a lighthouse, in which the light is placed. c. Some part of a ship.

aqua  •  Link

Lantern; Sam appeared to own one back in '60, but easier to hire someone to carry it, more prestigeous.
Lanthorne could also be a place with much light so that ladies could tipple without threat of a sneak attack on their person.
Lanthorne also was used as an idiom of stupidity, cunning, devious or thief in the night. see too : http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

OED:1635 QUARLES Embl. V. xii. 289 Alas, what serves our reason, But, like dark lanthornes, to accomplish Treason With greater closenesse?

Judith Boles  •  Link

My husband was in a group, escorted up a mountain path in Switzerland, with an "open torch" bearer of the light. He returned home with a three inch hole burned into his wool coat... perhaps the closed lantern was a step up for Sam.

Australian Susan  •  Link

Layout of St Olave's church.

The Navy Office seating is in a gallery with private access from a wooden set of steps.(after Sam gets his job at the N.O., there is quite a bit in the Diary about the building of the gallery pew - the location of the seating is the reason Elizabeth's memorial is so high up on the wall of the church - it was actually on eyelevel with Sam and very near the location of the gallery pew) So Pembleton must have been standing at the foot of the steps. I assumed that he had come in late (after the Pepys party) which is why he couldn't find anywhere to sit and then came and stood as near to the gallery pew as he could. Sam does not seem to have either noticed him or been bothered by his presence all the time he was attending church when Mrs P was away. Methinks it is a little suss. Had Pembleton not been attending church during Mrs P's absence and then suddenly (hearing they are back) turns up (late, because he got the news late) or am I reading even more into this than Sam has and it is just coincidences?

TerryF  •  Link

dark lanthornes

When shall I come and appeare before God?
Francis Quarles 1592–1644

What is my soule the better to be tinde
With holy fire? What boots it to be coynd
With heav'ns own stamp? What vantage can there be
To soules of heav'n-descended Pedegree,
More than to Beasts, that grovell? Are not they
Fed by th'Almighties hand? and, ev'ry day,
Fill'd with His Blessing too? Do they not see
GOD in His creatures, as direct as we?
Do they not tast Thee? heare Thee? nay, what Sense
Is not partaker of Thine Excellence?
What more do we? Alas, what serves our reason,
But, like dark lanthornes, to accomplish Treason
With greater closenesse? It affords no light,
Brings Thee no nearer to our purblind sight;
No pleassure rises up the least degree,
Great GOD, but in the clearer view of Thee:
What priv'ledge more than Sense, has Reason than?
What vantage is it to be borne a man?
How often has my patience built, (deare LORD)
Vaine Tow'rs of Hope upon Thy gracious Word?
How often has Thy Hope-reviving Grace
Woo'd my suspitious eyes to seek Thy face!
How often have I sought Thee? Oh how long
Hath expectation taught my perfect tongue
Repeated pray'rs, yet pray'rs could nev'r obtaine;
In vaine I seek Thee, and I beg in vaine:
If it be high presumption to behold
Thy face, why didst Thou make mine eyes so bold
To seek it? If that object be too bright
For mans Aspect, why did thy lips invite
Mine eye t'expect it? If it might be seene,
Why is this envious curtaine drawne betweene
My darkened eye and it? O tell me, why
Thou dost command the thing Thou dost deny?
Why dost thou give me so unpriz'd a treasure,
And then deny'st my greedy soule the pleasure
To view thy gift? Alas, that gift is void,
And is no gift, that may not be enjoy'd:
If those refulgent Beames of heav'ns great light
Guild not the day, what is the day, but night?
The drouzie Shepheard sleeps; flowres droop and fade;
The Birds are sullen, and the Beast is sad;
But if bright Titan art, his golden Ray,
And, with his riches, glorifie the day,
The jolly Shepheard pipes; Flowres freshly spring;
The beast growes gamesome, and the birds they sing:
Thou art my Sun, great GOD, O when shall I
View the full beames of thy Meridian eye?
Draw, draw this fleshly curtaine, that denies
The gracious presence of thy glorious eyes;
Or give me Faith; and, by the eye of Grace,
I shall behold Thee, though not face to face.

http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cac…

dirk  •  Link

dark lantern

Also called "thieves' lantern" -- for obvious reasons...

A. Hamilton  •  Link

a lantern elsewhere in 17th century verse

The Mower To The Glow-Worms
Andrew Marvell

Ye living lamps, by whose dear light
The nightingale does sit so late,
And studying all the summer night,
Her matchless songs does meditate;

Ye county comets, that portend
No war nor prince’s funeral,
Shining unto no higher end
Than to presage the grass’s fall;

Ye glow-worms, whose officious flame
To wand’ring mowers shows the way,
That in the night have lost their aim,
And after foolish fires do stray;

Your courteous lights in vain you waste,
Since Juliana here is come,
For she my mind hath so displac’d
That I shall never find my home.

Second Reading

StanB  •  Link

Oh ! how i wish we could go back to the days of the Lanthorn, I'm a very keen Amatuer Astronomer and nothing frustrates me (and my telescope) more than light pollution.
The skies back in Sams day must have been truly magnificent.
I've been lucky enough to visit one of the very few Dark Sky reserves in England (Snowdonia International Dark Sky Reserve)
http://www.nationalparks.gov.uk/v…
It's truly humbling to view the night sky without the hindrance of 21st Century light pollution i urge all of you guys to get that on your bucket lists you won't be disappointed

Bill  •  Link

StanB, I'm with you 100% on light pollution, but what about the air? London in the 1660s, with every house and industry burning wood or coal, must have produced tremendous air pollution. John Evelyn in 1661 wrote "Fumifugium, or, The inconveniencie of the aer and smoak of London" and proposed remedies, though he was more concerned about health problems. Does Pepys ever mention the night sky?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fum…

Liz  •  Link

Should we give Pembleton the benefit of the doubt? Sam is accusing him of the sorts of thoughts he (Sam) himself has.

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