Thursday 10 September 1663
Up betimes and to my office, and there sat all the morning making a great contract with Sir W. Warren for 3,000l. worth of masts; but, good God! to see what a man might do, were I a knave, the whole business from beginning to end being done by me out of the office, and signed to by them upon the once reading of it to them, without the least care or consultation either of quality, price, number, or need of them, only in general that it was good to have a store. But I hope my pains was such, as the King has the best bargain of masts has been bought these 27 years in this office.
Dined at home and then to my office again, many people about business with me, and then stepped a little abroad about business to the Wardrobe, but missed Mr. Moore, and elswhere, and in my way met Mr. Moore, who tells me of the good peace that is made at Tangier with the Moores, but to continue but from six months to six months, and that the Mole is laid out, and likely to be done with great ease and successe, we to have a quantity of ground for our cattle about the town to our use.
To my office late, and then home to supper, after writing letters, and to bed.
This day our cook maid (we having no luck in maids now-adays), which was likely to prove a good servant, though none of the best cooks, fell sick and is gone to her friends, having been with us but 4 days.
23 Annotations
First Reading
jeannine • Link
"we having no luck in maids now-adays"
Samuel Pepys, the King of understatement.
Aqua • Link
A good cook can get the best kitchen in Town and top penny too, 3 1/4d a day and the best end of carcass too, so why work at Sam'ls for tuppence hapepenny, and be asked to remove the slops too.
tis the extras that get good servants, especially now London town be a booming, new houseing everywhere.
Todd Bernhardt • Link
"But I hope my pains was such, as the King has the best bargain of masts has been bought these 27 years in this office."
At least Sam has the self-satisfaction of knowing he's done the right thing...
Lurker • Link
Ofcourse the problem would be if someone else got the SAME thought as Sam WRT the potential ease of fraud and corruption in purchase orders AND thought that Sam's contract wasn't driven as hard as it might've been, or the goods delivered were lacking, etc...
TerryF • Link
these 27 years
I tried to figure out what happened in 1636 that was a baseline for the Navy Office, but came up dry. Anyone know?
dirk • Link
"these 27 years"
Terry, I take it that what Sam means is that he has only been able to go back 27 years in the records at the Office -- not that something specifically remarkable happened 27 years ago.
dirk • Link
JohnEvelyn's diary today:
"I dined with Mr. Treasurer of the Navy, where, sitting by Mr. Secretary Morice, we had much discourse about books and authors, he being a learned man, and had a good collection."
dirk • Link
Letter from Thomas Townsend [clerk of the Wardrobe] to "My Lord" Sandwich
10 September 1663
"Has attended Sir Philip Warwick [= the Lord Treasurer] on the business of the Wardrobe. A draft warrant has been drawn for the Privy-Seal to settle £20,000 per annum upon his Lordship for defrayal of the ordinary expenses. Adds particulars of the progress of the Wardrobe accounts."
Source:
The Carte Papers
http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/s…
TerryF • Link
1636
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1636
Dirk, you must be right - thanks muchly.
Aqua • Link
No mention of missing silver tongs?
I BE having a hard time deciphering->
"...This day our cook maid (we having no luck in maids now-adays), which was likely to prove a good servant, though none of the best cooks, fell sick and is gone to her friends, having been with us but 4 days...." none could it be a ink splash one???
I be wondering doth she get her 2 Groats?
daniel • Link
"Up betimes and to my office, and there sat all the morning "
what? no "viall"? office matters are taking precident, we see, Sam.
dirk • Link
"Up betimes"
The days are shortening...
Begin of Civil Twilight: 05:09 hours
Sunrise Time: 05:43 hours
Sunset Time: 18:04 hours
End of Civil Twilight: 18:37 hours
Calculator at:
http://www.sci.fi/~benefon/sol.ht…
(add ten days to British calendar date!)
Robert Gertz • Link
I guess this last wash day really must have been awful.
***
"But girl? Four days? Ye lasted only four days?"
"Oh, Dad. I'm sorry, I know you and Mum needed the money. But..." Trembling, horrified stare. "You don't know what it was like. That vial every mornin' at four am, three am sometimes. The way the house was..."
"I've heard Mr. Pepys was quite the wealthy man."
"Oh, a fine house, Dad but in such a state. And that Mrs. Pepys. Never a moment's peace, on me back morning, noon, night. Nothing pleasin' her, bickerin' with all. And quite free with her fists, Dad. Hot tempered Frenchie, ye know?"
"Aye, they say they be like that."
"Can't fault her for her not workin' though, what I saw of her those last four days...She put her hand in, proper, even to the washin'. Oh, that wash day...Me dear God! I thought it would never end."
"And Mr. Pepys? Was he a proper gentleman?"
Narrow look... "Well... Learned enough and all, he was. But so like his wife, always fussin' about. Not letting us do our business, always tellin' us his way to do it better...Which always went and took twice as much time as if he'd let us be. Hoppin' about the place at all hours, day and night, callin' for things. Candles at two in the morning sos he could do his writin'. That awful vial of his...And..." Narrower look...
"A definite eye, Dad...Roving, I mean."
"Hmmn...Rovin', eh. Well. Best ye were out of such a place, girl."
***
"
Xjy • Link
Peace "but from six months to six months"
All bets off as soon as the next fighting season starts...
New leaders, old leaders being distracted by greedy neighbours or suddenly vulnerable neighbours, armies and fleets out of shape (idle generals, catastrophic tempests or fires, etc), alliance pledges suddenly called in or revoked... So much can happen in a year. Makes you marvel at how long the Roman empire lasted (read Livy to get an idea of the seasonal and recurrent nature of war...)
Robert Gertz • Link
I suppose from the Moors pov, it's more "you have six months truce to reconsider your ungodly presence in our lands."
Byzantine/Roman taps Moor on the shoulder. "Speaking about that..."
Tribesman taps Byzantine. "We were about to say the same to you folks when the Empire buckled up."
Pedro • Link
“Mr. Moore who tells me of the good peace that is made at Tangier with the Moors, but to continue from 6 months to 6 months.”
The Moors at this time were in a state of virtual civil war. The local monarch “Tafiletta” was under pressure from a faction that wanted to install his brother Mohammed on the throne. Also prominent was Guyland an ambitious warlord intent on carving himself out of the area and claimed Tangier as his own.
Anyone interested in the background to this truce see…
http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…
Pedro • Link
On this day...
Charles II rode through Beckington on 10th September 1663 with Catherine his Queen
Anyone interested in history of Beckington see…
http://www.beckington.org.uk/hist…
Michael Robinson • Link
bought these 27 years in this office
Perhaps this is an allusion to all Pepys prior collating of correspondence, digesting of contracts etc., and information gathered for the "manuscript" brought home after binding on Jan 30th. 1662/3.
"and now I think I have a better collection in reference to the Navy ... than any of my predecessors"
TerryF • Link
"these 27 years in this office"
Michael, that quite credibly refines Dirk's suggestion (above).
Second Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"making a great contract with Sir W. Warren for 3,000l. worth of masts"
Pepys's papers show this contract, with a note of a 5-7% advantage of Warren's tender (6 August) over that of Wood, are in PRO [now The National Archives].
(Per L&M footnote)
Terry Foreman • Link
"we to have a quantity of ground for our cattle about the town to our use."
L&M note the cattle were kept in newly enclosed pastures protected by an outer wall of fortification: Routh, p. 38.
Tonyel • Link
" though none of the best cooks,"
I think we would say "not the best of cooks" to get the same meaning.
Chris Squire UK • Link
Re: " though none of the best cooks,"
'None' = 'not one' which makes good sense here.