Saturday 31 October 1663

Up and to the office, where we sat all the morning, and at noon home to dinner, where Creed came and dined with me, and after dinner he and I upstairs, and I showed him my velvet cloake and other things of clothes, that I have lately bought, which he likes very well, and I took his opinion as to some things of clothes, which I purpose to wear, being resolved to go a little handsomer than I have hitherto.

Thence to the office; where busy till night, and then to prepare my monthly account, about which I staid till 10 or 11 o’clock at night, and to my great sorrow find myself 43l. worse than I was the last month, which was then 760l., and now it is but 717l.. But it hath chiefly arisen from my layings-out in clothes for myself and wife; viz., for her about 12l., and for myself 55l., or thereabouts; having made myself a velvet cloake, two new cloth suits, black, plain both; a new shagg gowne, trimmed with gold buttons and twist, with a new hat, and, silk tops for my legs, and many other things, being resolved henceforward to go like myself. And also two perriwiggs, one whereof costs me 3l., and the other 40s. — I have worn neither yet, but will begin next week, God willing. So that I hope I shall not need now to lay out more money a great while, I having laid out in clothes for myself and wife, and for her closett and other things without, these two months, this and the last, besides household expenses of victuals, &c., above 110l.. But I hope I shall with more comfort labour to get more, and with better successe than when, for want of clothes, I was forced to sneake like a beggar. Having done this I went home, and after supper to bed, my mind being eased in knowing my condition, though troubled to think that I have been forced to spend so much.

Thus I end this month worth 717l., or thereabouts, with a good deal of good goods more than I had, and a great deal of new and good clothes.

My greatest trouble and my wife’s is our family, mighty out of order by this fellow Will’s corrupting the mayds by his idle talke and carriage, which we are going to remove by hastening him out of the house, which his uncle Blackburne is upon doing, and I am to give him 20l. per annum toward his maintenance.

The Queene continues lightheaded, but in hopes to recover.

The plague is much in Amsterdam, and we in fears of it here, which God defend.1

The Turke goes on mightily in the Emperor’s dominions, and the Princes cannot agree among themselves how to go against him.

Myself in pretty good health now, after being ill this month for a week together, but cannot yet come to … [shit – L&M] well, being so costive, but for this month almost I have not had a good natural stool, but to this hour am forced to take physic every night, which brings me neither but one stool, and that in the morning as soon as I am up, all the rest of the day very costive.

My father has been very ill in the country, but I hope better again now.

I am lately come to a conclusion with Tom Trice to pay him 100l., which is a great deale of money, but I hope it will save a great deal more.

But thus everything lessens, which I have and am like to have, and therefore I must look about me to get something more than just my salary, or else I may resolve to live well and die a beggar.

27 Annotations

First Reading

Terry F  •  Link

L&M bring us to the highly irregular end of the end of it -

"But cannot yet come to shit well, being so costive, that for this month almost..."

So, failing what he regards as a natural outcome, SP regularly uses laxatives. One gastroenterology source contemporary to us finds, it seems, there is no danger from this. http://www.aboutconstipation.org/… , though some of the physicians among us may have another view -- certainly Samuel Pepys does.

Recently he's using carriages to get around - perhaps, like the perruque, a status thing, when he's not "carrying" Elizabeth (and it costs a few pence each time!) - whereas, if he were to walk, now that he is well, as someone observed, it would be good for his GI tract. Was this connection made in Pepys's time?

Patricia  •  Link

"am forced to take physic every night, which brings me neither but one stool" One stool every morning doesn't sound like constipation. How many stools do you suppose Sam wants? He reckons them up like he does his household finances, and finds them wanting.

jeannine  •  Link

"The plague is much in Amsterdam, and we in fears of it here, which God defend."
I am curious-does anyone know how large this outbreak was? (Spoiler-a chilling thought for what will be coming Sam's way in the not so distant future)

Terry F  •  Link

"A plague outbreak in Amsterdam, Holland, kills ten thousand " http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jly…

---

A JOURNAL OF THE PLAGUE YEAR By Daniel Defoe

"It was about the beginning of September, 1664, that I, among the rest of my neighbours, heard in ordinary discourse that the plague was returned again in Holland; for it had been very violent there, and particularly at Amsterdam and Rotterdam, in the year 1663, whither, they say, it was brought, some said from Italy, others from the Levant, among some goods which were brought home by their Turkey fleet; others said it was brought from Candia; others from Cyprus. It mattered not from whence it came; but all agreed it was come into Holland again." http://www.gutenberg.org/files/37…

So begins Defoe's account; alas, we will see him again, and - as Jeannine says - "in the not so distant future"; but Defoe says the future is now - so this isn't really a spoiler.

Roy Feldman  •  Link

"...having made myself a velvet cloake, two new cloth suits, black, plain both; a new shagg gowne, trimmed with gold buttons and twist, with a new hat, and, silk tops for my legs, and many other things, being resolved henceforward to go like myself."

1) Pepys got a gown? Is this like a judge's robe? Or does he mean a gown for his wife?

2) What are "silk tops for my legs"?

"I am lately come to a conclusion with Tom Trice to pay him 100L..."

I certainly don't have a good grasp on all the ins and outs of the Brampton Saga, but -- is it just me, or does it seem like this whole ordeal consists of Sam continually paying off relatives to leave him alone, while at the same time he concedes more and more of the property to those relatives?? Poor Sam.

cum salis grano  •  Link

How things have changed "...But it hath chiefly arisen from my layings-out in clothes for myself and wife; viz., for her about 12l., and for myself 55l., or thereabouts..." Todays man is no longer the heavey spender, Goto any Mall and If thee find a store for man and his wallet, yee must be on Mars. In the anchor store, mens purchase area be in the basement.

Terry F  •  Link

There is no notice of All-hallow-even

"The Anglo-Saxon invasions of the 5th and 6th centuries AD pushed the native Celts north and westward in Britain, to present-day Wales and northern England, taking the festival of All Hallows Eve with them. All Saints Day (All Hallows Day) became fixed on the 1st of November in 835, and All Souls Day on the 2nd of November circa 998. On All Souls Eve, families sat up, and little 'soul cakes' were eaten by everyone. At the stroke of midnight there was silence with candles burning in every room to guide the souls back to visit their earthly homes and a glass of wine on the table to refresh them. The tradition continued in some areas of northern England as late as the 1930s, with children going from door to door 'souling' for cakes or money, by singing a song. The English Reformation in the 16th century de-emphasised holidays like All Hallows Day and its associated eve. With the rise of Guy Fawkes Night celebrations in 17th century England, many Halloween traditions, especially the building of bonfires, were transferred to 5 November." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall…

We will see what befalls, if any of this.

cum salis grano  •  Link

Where oh! where did the monies come from ? 24 pounds at least, above and beyond, Of course, no influence peddling, no free trips to the House of Epsom for his dose of salts. No persuasion to use 50 L Knees.
Sam has been free spending on cabbing it too. Oh! in less than 3 years, Samuell has gone from being happy to get a Pigeon for a special dinner to one that can sit and eat in the Mansion house with the wheeler dealers of the city trying out the latest eating device.
Oh! Samuell, truly it is nice to get the latest bespoke, in style with the A List and not pay for a goldern plate for the privilege of being in demand.
You should be thankful for not having your 'and shuk and thy mug on the next days Mercury press release.

tel  •  Link

and therefore I must look about me to get something more than just my salary, or else I may resolve to live well and die a beggar.
For all his Puritan principles, Sam is on the make - and why not? Everyone around him is. The last part of the sentence reminds me of a saying from my childhood contrasting English and Welsh neighbours: "Hereford farmers live rich but Radnor farmers die rich"

Don McCahill  •  Link

Hallowe'en

Remember that England has just come out of the second commonwealth, which was dominated by the killjoy protestants. Things like Hallowe'en were probably among the things that were slow to come back into vogue as Charles II loosened things up.

And celebrating All Saints Day would probably mark you as a Catholic, not something Sam is willing to do.

Mary  •  Link

What were their clothes like?

I have come across a website that offers lots of information on 16th/17th century costume:

The Renaissance Tailor.
www.vertetsable.com/research_voca…

Nate  •  Link

I'm confused.
I thought that the Renaissance was roughly from the 14th through 16th century and Pepys is describing the mid 17 century. I would expect different styles although much nomenclature would probably still be valid.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...therefore I must look about me to get something more than just my salary, or else I may resolve to live well and die a beggar."

Sam...Please. Not for a moment do I believe you are currently living solely on your salary of 250L per year. (350 minus the 100 to Barlow).

Paul Chapin  •  Link

Sam's salary
I noticed that too, Robert, but then I went on to think that Sam is probably including in his "salary" the emoluments he receives related to his job, and what he means here is he needs some investments, some landed property perhaps, that will yield income above and beyond what he gets for his work. As people have noted before, a job like Sam's, obtained through patronage, is by no means secure, should there be a change in court.

Chy  •  Link

I wonder if Samuel will have his hair cut short to wear his periwigs?

Australian Susan  •  Link

Yes! Men had shaved heads under all that fake stuff. Another job for Jane??

Australian Susan  •  Link

Wish we could have had Creed's version of the wardrobe display. (RG?) All very Queer Eye to me. Was it quite accepted at that time for men to have male/male bonding sessions or approval getting over fashion? Or would Creed have thought this seriously odd behaviour? I suppose this all seems puzzling to me as I have a husband whose entire shirt collection (apart from the clerical black ones) is blue.

cum salis grano  •  Link

Palmer lead the way for the female of the species to show off at hot spots of town. Men were peacocks and the women were more like peahen.

Money talks loudly and laudly and he that has it or controls it, has the last word. Evolution was taking place at this time, it was not only the revolution of middle income, merchants and others that curtailed the over powering elitists, but also women were finding new ways to have a voice in their lives. Running businesses where men had been eliminated, by disease or waring factions of the interregnum, and finding voice by getting an education.
As women gathered money and the control of same, so they could gussy themselves up to be equal to strutting male. Then the male spent the larger amount on selfgrandisement, now it is the female has that opportunity.
It be called Democracy, Religious organisations are the last large organisations of the west to give vent to this revolution.

cum salis grano  •  Link

No Job be secure, 'tis a myth be security "...a job like Sam's, obtained through patronage, is by no means secure, should there be a change in court. ..."
All Organisations are subject to an upheaval, and the barons and their knights be caste out. Sam has seen the power of having a private income, his Pappa wore his needle down and had no monies for grazing in pasture of the elderly, but thanks to Good fortune , big brother, put an income his way via worthy son.
Sam realizes that he has to have a stash so that he be free to follow his joys.
It is a lesson few heed, as it seems tomorrow will never comes till the table has no bread and it.
Then the odds of making it to thy need a walking stick and a helping hand were very long, 1% or so. That be for cittie folk, but those that got a country cottage with ivy, thee would live to see thy great grand daughters be a flirting.
Moral from Alice in W: jam yesterday,jam tomorrow but none to day.
[learn from yesterdays mistakes and sucesses, plan for the morrows, but enjoy the momment. you might complete all the hurdles of life]

Michael Robinson  •  Link

Plague / Black Death

Mass destroyer - TLS Highlights - Angus Trumble

"Ole J. Benedictow
THE BLACK DEATH, 1346-1353
The complete history
433pp. Boydell Press. £20.
1 84383 214 3

The best horror stories are real. A flea sinks its proboscis into the skin of a sick black rat, feeds on its blood, and ingests lethal bacteria. In the confined space of its tiny alimentary canal, the bacteria multiply to such an extent that they form a blockage in the stomach of the flea."

http://tls.timesonline.co.uk/arti…

Second Reading

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Why isn't Pepys walking more? As I recall it rained for months on end this year. Mud, water and cloth -- never mind velvet and periwigs -- don't mix. His experiences with being recognized at the Exchange by the one-eyed solicitor, nearly being arrested at the office (and having to escape over the roof to his colleague's house), and so many underpaid sailors wandering around town, have made him cautious of crowds. And when your wife merits a companion as well as a maid and a girl, well, things have changed. People in the public eye have always had these challenges -- but as Elizabeth experienced last week, the carriage can also make you a target. I wonder if she'll demand a bodyguard next.

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

Why doesn't Sam walk more?

Why indeed? As well as the fact that he's very busy at the moment, and walking takes time, today is 10th November Gregorian, with approximately 9 hours and 40 minutes between sunrise and sunset. The streets are dark and dangerous for much longer than in the summer, even if the weather is clement, which often it isn't. So taking a coach to be punctual, safe, and appear respectable seems like a good investment.

Chris Squire UK  •  Link

Sasha is correct: I would add that there is at this time of year a high risk of rain (no weather forecasts), either continuous or 'scattered showers' behind a front, which can drench anyone caught in them without an umbrella* in 5 minutes and then pass, leaving the streets shining in the sun.

* a Persian invention which came to London c. 1700

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Umbrellas may have been available, but likely not for Pepys

"Starting in the 16th century umbrella became popular to the western world, especially in the rainy weather of northern Europe. At first it was considered only an accessory suitable for women."
http://inventors.about.com/librar…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

On umbrellas from John Evelyn

"The general use of the parasol in France and England was adopted, probably from China, about the middle of the seventeenth century. At that period, pictorial representations of it are frequently found, some of which exhibit the peculiar broad and deep canopy belonging to the large parasol of the Chinese Government officials, borne by native attendants.

"John Evelyn, in his Diary for June 22, 1664, mentions a collection of rarities shown him by one Thompson, a Catholic priest, sent by the Jesuits of Japan and China to France. Among the curiosities were 'fans like those our ladies use, but much larger, and with long handles, strangely carved and filled with Chinese characters,' which is evidently a description of the parasol." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Para…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

jeannine http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

Umbrellas--From the Book, "Richer Than Spices" by Gertrude Thomas (it's a book about Queen Catherine's Dowry and how it changed England)..talking about the early years of the 18th century, "But the umbrella, which had first been noticed in England among Catherine's Portuguese possessions, was still an "exotic" novelty. Originally built for shade (Latin 'umbra') in its native India, the climate of England changed it from a bit of elegance into a large oiled-silk necessity. Yet as a sunshade, it persisted as feminine allure" (p. 152)

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