Sunday 8 November 1663
(Lord’s day). Up, and it being late, to church without my wife, and there I saw Pembleton come into the church and bring his wife with him, a good comely plain woman, and by and by my wife came after me all alone, which I was a little vexed at. I found that my coming in a perriwigg did not prove so strange to the world as I was afear’d it would, for I thought that all the church would presently have cast their eyes all upon me, but I found no such thing. Here an ordinary lazy sermon of Mr. Mill’s, and then home to dinner, and there Tom came and dined with us; and after dinner to talk about a new black cloth suit that I have a making, and so at church time to church again, where the Scott preached, and I slept most of the time. Thence home, and I spent most of the evening upon Fuller’s “Church History” and Barckly’s “Argeny,” and so after supper to prayers and to bed, a little fearing my pain coming back again, myself continuing as costive as ever, and my physic ended, but I had sent a porter to-day for more and it was brought me before I went to bed, and so with pretty good content to bed.
26 Annotations
First Reading
Clement • Link
"The Scot's" record with Sam.
8 Nov: "I slept most of the time"
25 Oct: "I slept most of the afternoon."
19 Jul: "the Scot made an ordinary sermon"
21 Jun: "slept all the sermon, the Scot, to whose voice I am not to be reconciled, preaching."
7 Jun: "again slept all the afternoon"
31 May: "I slept most of the sermon. "
19 Apr: "I slept all the while"
11 Jan: "a pitifull sermon"
So with the pitiful introductory sermon, and the occasion in which he rose to "ordinary," he Scot is 2 for 8 at keeping our man awake.
Perhaps Sam's comment about his voice (accent?) means his message was too hard to glean, and Sam simply "dinnae ken" his meaning.
Michael Robinson • Link
Barckly's "Argeny,"
" ... Hence into Paul's Churchyard and bought Barkley's Argenis in Latin, and so home and to bed. ..."
Friday 24 August 1660
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
Terry F • Link
"a good comely plain woman"
Each adjective clear by itself - so methinks - but odd when strung together; from which I conclude that what msthinks about the clarity of each term is soooooo 20th century (yes, I'm that old-fashioned).
MissAnn • Link
"... where the Scott preached, and I slept most of the time."
What a wonderful way of dropping off to sleep - to the melodic sounds of a Scotsman! In my dreams ...
Mary • Link
"all the church would have presently cast their eyes all upon me"
Oh dear. Sam finds himself not quite such a man of note as he had anticipated, even though he's pleased that his wig has not excited comment.
tel • Link
and I slept most of the time.
I wonder why Sam continues to attend this boring Scot? Obviously not for religious reasons but if it is purely to see and be seen, regularly falling asleep cannot impress his aquaintances. Unless they are also alseep? Perhaps it is the 17c equivalent of a flotation tank for stressed executives.
Xjy • Link
Pointer...
... to my belated reply to LH's rather ad hominem remarks about me in the notes to Weds 4 Nov 1663
jeannine • Link
"for I thought that all the church would presently have cast their eyes all upon me, but I found no such thing"
Of course nobody in church would notice Sam's new wig -they were already asleep listening to the sound of the Scott!
I wish I had a recording of the Scot for those nights when I can't sleep; perhaps he had a voice like a hypnotist "you are getting sleepy, very sleepy". For all we know he had the whole church under his trance and make them cluck like chickens!
Robert Gertz • Link
"...so at church time to church again..."
Regardless of the preacher, one must put in a regular appearance, particularly if one is a public and rising figure.
Would be interesting to know if Coventry is hampered by such obligations and if so whose sermons he must suffer through.
Todd Bernhardt • Link
re: Sleeping to the sound of the Scot
What I'd like to know is, how does he seem to slip into slumber so easily, when the pews I've seen from that time period are anything but comfortable?
And what if his head bobs a bit too far to the side, causing Perriwig Slippage? *That* might cause the church members to "cast their eyes all upon" him...
language hat • Link
Why does he keep going to the Scot's sermons?
Unless it's precisely so he can catch a little shuteye...
Ruben • Link
Why does he keep going to the Scot's sermons?
If you are in town you must be in Church at the proper time...or else.
There is a fine, pecuniary and social if you forfeit your obligations.
Terry F • Link
How Pepys got physic (and other Rx's?) from Dr Hollier
"my physic ended, but I had sent a porter to-day for more and it was brought me before I went to bed"
JWB • Link
"a good comely plain woman"
On the 18th, when Elizabeth pointed her out, Sam recorded her as:
"...a pretty little woman, and well dressed, with a good jewel at her breast."
Perhaps today she's sans jewel. Or perhaps all others are plain to a man in a perriwig.
Bradford • Link
---Pleased, as Mary notes, that his wig has not caused comment, and no doubt slightly piqued for exactly the same reason, especially if one has fortified oneself for scrutiny and finds that the world has other concerns than our dear self.
Brian • Link
"How does he seem to slip into slumber so easily, when the pews I've seen from that time period are anything but comfortable?"
Ah, the fine art of sleeping in church! It's not hard to do if you are properly trained. I myself am only a few years older than Sam, and a lifetime of church attendance has given me the ability to nod off whenever I desire . . .
Clement • Link
It's not the accent that puts him to sleep.
As I rediscover that Sam has great appreciation for another Scottish preacher, Robert Creighton.
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
aqua • Link
"....cast their eyes all upon me..." 'Tis why eyewitness be so useless. We only notice wot be wish to see.
Wee Rabbie Burns did put it nicely,' Oh to have the gifte to see ourselves as others see us'
dirk • Link
A little gem from our Rev. Josselin's diary for today:
"A wonderfully stormy night. a good day. I pleaded hard for the truths of god, and that persons would hold them fast, remember me oh Lord for good, my wife heavy(,) my bowels towards her, but Lord how much are yours"
Sam says nothing about the storm -- so it probably was a local autumn thing. Someone to clear up the "bowels" thing? I take it that "Lord how much are yours" doesn't refer to "bowels"...
;-)
Bryan M • Link
I take it that "Lord how much are yours" doesn't refer to "bowels"...
Maybe so, Dirk, maybe so. The entry for "bowel" in the Online Etymology Dictionary links the bowels to the seat of the emotions.
bowel:
c.1300, from O.Fr. bouele, from M.L. botellus "small intestine," originally "sausage," dim. of botulus "sausage," a word borrowed from Oscan-Umbrian, from PIE *gwet-/*geut- (cf. L. guttur "throat," O.E. cwið, Goth. qiþus "belly, womb," Ger. kutteln "guts, chitterlings"). Gk. splankhnon (from the same PIE base as spleen) was a word for the principal internal organs, felt as the seat of various emotions. It was later used in Septuagint to translate a Heb. word, and then in early Bibles rendered in Eng. in its literal sense as bowels, which thus acquired a secondary meaning of "pity, compassion" (1382). But in later editions often translated as heart. Gk. poets, from Aeschylus down, regarded the bowels as the seat of the more violent passions such as anger and love, but by the Hebrews they were seen as the seat of tender affections, especially kindness, benevolence, and compassion.
Jenny • Link
I have always thought that Sam was a bit embarrassed and self conscious about wearing such a a new fashion and that he thought everyone would look at him wearing his new perriwig and have a bit of a laugh behind their hands. It's what makes him so human.
Second Reading
San Diego Sarah • Link
Is Rev. Josselin's wife pregnant again? That is a very strange diary entry.
Terry Foreman • Link
"Is Rev. Josselin's wife pregnant again? " he says: "my wife heavy(,) my bowels towards her, but Lord how much are yours"
See Bryan M's post above: The entry for "bowel" in the Online Etymology Dictionary links the bowels to the seat of the emotions.
It is archaic for feelings of pity or compassion.
------
We may see what his wife's grave condition is incident to.......or may not.
Sasha Clarkson • Link
"Would be interesting to know if Coventry is hampered by such obligations...."
The Recusancy laws are being enforced again, and everyone (not ill) is expected to attend church *somewhere*, although not all the services. Coventry is also an MP, and his reputation with other Members would be adversely affected by any whiff of papism.
Why does Pepys endure the Scot? Remember that St Olave's is the Navy Board church, next to their office/lodgings, and that the Navy has paid for the pews. Therefore, Pepys, the Sir Williams and Minnes are, collectively, like the Lord Of The Manor in this parish, and have a social obligation to this church. This social obligation does not, however. seem to require that they remain awake during sermons!
Chris Squire UK • Link
Re: ‘ . . a good comely plain woman . . ’
‘plain, adj. < Anglo-Norman . .
. . V. Of a person, or a person's attributes or character: ordinary, unexceptional, homely.
13. Simple or unpretentious in behaviour, manners, or expression; homely, unaffected. Now rare.
. . 1603 R. Johnson tr. G. Botero Hist. Descr. Worlde 82 Being (as all the Germaines are) plaine and homely in their behauiour and intertainment.
1667 S. Pepys Diary 20 Sept. (1974) VIII. 443 And endeed [she] is, as I always thought, one of the modest, prettiest, plain women that ever I saw . . ‘
………
Re: ’ . . my wife heavy(,) my bowels towards her, but Lord how much are yours . . ’
‘bowel, n.1 . . < Old French . .
. . 3. a. transf. (Considered as the seat of the tender and sympathetic emotions, hence): Pity, compassion, feeling, ‘heart’. Chiefly pl., and now somewhat arch . .
. . 1651 Severall Proc. Parl. No. 110. 1695 Want of bowels in preaching towards them who are in hazard to perish.
1655 T. Fuller Hist. Waltham-Abby 18 in Church-hist. Brit. Bloudy Bonner..full (as one said) of guts and empty of bowels . . ‘
………
(OED)
Third Reading
Ruslan • Link
> Is Rev. Josselin's wife pregnant again? That is a very strange diary entry.
I read it like this: "My wife is downcast, and I feel deep compassion for her, but Lord, how much greater is Your compassion."