Wednesday 25 November 1663

Up and to Sir G. Carteret’s house, and with him by coach to Whitehall. He uses me mighty well to my great joy, and in our discourse took occasion to tell me that as I did desire of him the other day so he desires of me the same favour that we may tell one another at any time any thing that passes among us at the office or elsewhere wherein we are either dissatisfied one with another, and that I should find him in all things as kind and ready to serve me as my own brother. This methinks was very sudden and extraordinary and do please me mightily, and I am resolved by no means ever to lose him again if I can. He told me that he did still observe my care for the King’s service in my office.

He set me down in Fleet Street and thence I by another coach to my Lord Sandwich’s, and there I did present him Mr. Barlow’s “Terella,” with which he was very much pleased, and he did show me great kindnesse, and by other discourse I have reason to think that he is not at all, as I feared he would be, discontented against me more than the trouble of the thing will work upon him. I left him in good humour, and I to White Hall, to the Duke of York and Mr. Coventry, and there advised about insuring the hempe ship at 12 per cent., notwithstanding her being come to Newcastle, and I do hope that in all my three places which are now my hopes and supports I may not now fear any thing, but with care, which through the Lord’s blessing I will never more neglect, I don’t doubt but to keep myself up with them all. For in the Duke, and Mr. Coventry, my Lord Sandwich and Sir G. Carteret I place my greatest hopes, and it pleased me yesterday that Mr. Coventry in the coach (he carrying me to the Exchange at noon from the office) did, speaking of Sir W. Batten, say that though there was a difference between them, yet he would embrace any good motion of Sir W. Batten to the King’s advantage as well as of Mr. Pepys’ or any friend he had. And when I talked that I would go about doing something of the Controller’s work when I had time, and that I thought the Controller would not take it ill, he wittily replied that there was nothing in the world so hateful as a dog in the manger.

Back by coach to the Exchange, there spoke with Sir W. Rider about insuring, and spoke with several other persons about business, and shall become pretty well known quickly.

Thence home to dinner with my poor wife, and with great joy to my office, and there all the afternoon about business, and among others Mr. Bland came to me and had good discourse, and he has chose me a referee for him in a business, and anon in the evening comes Sir W. Warren, and he and I had admirable discourse. He advised me in things I desired about, bummary, —[bottomry]— and other ways of putting out money as in parts of ships, how dangerous they are.

And lastly fell to talk of the Dutch management of the Navy, and I think will helpe me to some accounts of things of the Dutch Admiralty, which I am mighty desirous to know.

He seemed to have been mighty privy with my Lord Albemarle in things before this great turn, and to the King’s dallying with him and others for some years before, but I doubt all was not very true. However, his discourse is very useful in general, though he would seem a little more than ordinary in this.

Late at night home to supper and to bed, my mind in good ease all but my health, of which I am not a little doubtful.

26 Annotations

First Reading

Pedro  •  Link

"there was nothing in the world so hateful as a dog in the manger."

A good old saying!

The allusion is to one of Aesop's fables, written about 600BC, in which a dog was taking a nap in a manger. When an ox came and tried to eat the hay in the manger, the dog barked furiously, snapped at him and wouldn't let him get at his food, food that, of course, was useless to the dog. At last the ox gave up and went away muttering, "Ah, people often grudge others what they cannot enjoy themselves".

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/…

Bradford  •  Link

Carteret---Sandwich---the Duke of York---Mr. Coventry---Rider---Mr. Bland---Warren: a day of highly satisfactory networking, notable for the lack of spats, away from Batten and Penn.

Thanks, Pedro, for explaining what that good old saying means, exactly.

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

re: insuring the hempe ship

Could someone provide some insight into this? I'm not sure why this continues to be a concern for Sam ... do they think that the ship could be lost on its way from Newcastle? Or is there another reason?

"This methinks- was very sudden and extraordinary and do please me mightily"

Careful, Sam. Sounds as if you could be getting buttered up...

Still, it's interesting to see him talking about the people he sees as the foundations for his career. Explains a bit about his loyalty to James later in life.

A. De Araujo  •  Link

"25 november 1663"
The days are getting shorter and the entries are getting longer and that is all written by candlelight;SPOILER: he is going to end up with poor eyesight.

Terry F  •  Link

Know thine enemy; perhaps emulate/mirror them?

"Sir W. Warren...and I....lastly fell to talk of the Dutch management of the Navy, and I think will helpe me to some accounts of things of the Dutch Admiralty, which I am mighty desirous to know."

Clearly Pepys brings up the topic this day.

Kevin Sheerstone  •  Link

'...Rider about insuring ...'. Don't forget to read the small print, Sam.

language hat  •  Link

"he wittily replied"

Funny to see that hoary cliche "dog in the manger" in its youth as a witty rejoinder!

jeannine  •  Link

"Up and to Sir G. Carteret's house, and with him by coach to Whitehall. He uses me mighty well to my great joy, and in our discourse took occasion to tell me that as I did desire of him the other day so he desires of me the same favour that we may tell one another at any time any thing that passes among us at the office or elsewhere wherein we are either dissatisfied one with another, and that I should find him in all things as kind and ready to serve me as my own brother."
[General Spoiler]This is a REALLY good thing for Sam and he may not really understand exactly how good it is for him politically. I've been reading about Carteret of late, his own work, bios about him, etc. What strikes me most is his relationship to the King, something that the Diary doesn't really reflect fully enough. Carteret's most outstanding characteristic is his devout loyalty to the Kings -both CI and CII. He will find himself among the few people that CII will remain loyal to in return (not so for CI, who would have sold him out!). Carteret is NOT involved in Court "politics" but tied to CII through service, devotion and a history of taking care of him (financially, etc.) in consistent and creative ways. Sam probably isn't aware of the depths of this.
For quite awhile as I read along I was wondering if Sam's relationship with Coventry didn't mar his view of Carteret. From today's entry it seems as if Sam is starting to see that it's a "good" thing to be well thought of by Carteret.

John Woodruff  •  Link

"...and there advised about insuring the hempe ship at 12 per cent., notwithstanding her being come to Newcastle"

It seems to me that the idea of (what we call) insurance fraud has just occurred to SP and the other professionals.

There may be a discussion of business ethics going on.

My first post - John

Pedro  •  Link

Newcastle to London.

I would suspect that there would still be a great risk to shipping sailing from Newcastle in the North Sea, not only due to the weather but also privateers.

The great tempest of 26 November 1703.

"Overall the number killed ranged from 8,000 to 15,000 along the whole coastline and the North Sea where some vessels were even blown to Sweden including Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell's flagship The Association"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/feat…

adam w  •  Link

Sorry to lower the tone, but...
Bottomry? enough to raise a snigger itself, but then Pepys amends it to bummary??
And I thought 'bum' was a vulgarisation of (ironically) attempted Victorian prudishness (b-m or b-t-m).
But perhaps it has distinguished naval origins after all?

DJC  •  Link

bummary the seventeenth century form from Dutch /bommerye/
The [bottomry] is an editorial note.

L&M reads "insuring the Hempship at 1 and 1/2 per cent" which would make more sense in regard to the lesser hazard of a voyage from Newcastle.

Paul Chapin  •  Link

1 and 1/2 per cent
DJC, thanks very much for that note, that does make much more sense.

cumgranosalis  •  Link

Bottom did not mean an anatomical part of 'uman 'til 1794: before that it had respectable meaning, because of the association it became obsolete ,
The word was disliked in some quarters so we used the word FANY which led to US Gov. having a Fannymae for morgages which be strange, as Bottomry be about morgages too. Bottomrer the man that lends:
bummery :obs see = BOTTOMRY.
1663 PEPYS Diary 25 Nov. He advised me in things I desired, about bummary, and other ways of putting out money as in parts of ships.

1668 CHILD Disc. Trade (1698) 144 Bills of Bottomry or Bumery. a

1734 NORTH Lives II. 33 A bummery bond. 1836 Penny

Bottomry n and verb
[f. BOTTOM n. 7 + -RY, after Du. bodmerij.]
A species of contract of the nature of a mortgage, whereby the owner of a ship, or the master as his agent, borrows money to enable him to carry on or complete a voyage, and pledges the ship as security for repayment of the money. If the ship is lost, the lender loses his money; but if it arrives safe, he receives the principal together with the interest or premium stipulated, 'however it may exceed the usual or legal rate of interest'. Also attrib., as in bottomry-bond, -money.

1622 MALYNES Anc. Law-Merch. 171 The name Bottommarie is deriued by the Hollanders from the Keele or Bottome of a ship..The money so taken vp by the master of the ship, is commonly done vpon great necessitie..the vse payed for the same is verie great, at 30, 40, and 50 pro cent. without consideration of time.

1663 PEPYS Diary 30 Nov., A master of a ship who had borrowed twice his money upon the bottomary. 1682 J. SCARLETT Exchanges 253 Amongst conditional bills, Bills of Bodomery may be reckoned, that is, Bills that are made upon the Keele of the Ship, which are accidentially conditional.
1708 Termes de la Ley 86 Bottomry
trans. To pledge (a ship) as security for money lent: see prec.

1755 N. MAGENS Insurances I. 26 A Master cannot bottomry his whole Ship at a place where her Owners reside.
[f. BOTTOM v. + -ER1.]
a. One who puts a bottom to anything.
b. One who works at the lowest station.
c. A draught in which the cup is drained to the bottom. 1723

Bottomage : obs {
gave me this clue to:
The new world of English words: or, a general dictionary 1658 (1662, 1678, 1696; ed. 6 by J. Kersey 1706)]

Bottomrer [f. BOTTOMRY v. + -ER1.]
One who lends money on a bottomry bond.
1682 J. SCARLETT Exchanges 253 The sum of the damage..must be deducted from the Sums that D. E. and G. are to receive, they being as Bodomerers or Assurers.

[bottomry]bummer1= BUMBAILIFF.
1675 CROWNE Country Wit III. 40 I'le go get the writ and bailiffs..my Bummers shall have her in bed.

Bummer :That which hums or buzzes; spec. a toy (see quot. 1821).
1821
An idler, lounger, loafer. See also quots. Hence bummerish a.
1855
bummer 4 1905 Terms Forestry & Logging 32 Bummer, a small truck with two low wheels and a long pole, used in skidding logs. Syn.: drag cart, skidder.
Bummer n 5 An unpleasant or depressing experience, esp. one induced by a hallucinatory drug (= down trip s.v. DOWN a. 1 e); a disappointment or failure. Freq. as complement to subj.: to be a bummer. 1967

bummary/bottom
OE. botm str. masc., representing WGer. *bo no- as the OTeut. form; but both may have been OTeut.: cf. Gr. , also Skr. budhná, L. fundus (for *fud-nus): om boddom also present difficulties.]
I. The lowest surface or part of anything.
1. a. The lowest part of anything, considered as a material thing; the lower or under surface, that surface of a thing on which it stands or rests; the base.

Applied spec. to the keel of a ship (cf. 7), the circular end of a cask, etc. Proverb, 'Every tub (vat) must stand on its own bottom'.
Bottom:
b. The sitting part of a man, the posteriors, the seat. (Colloq.) Also, the 'seat' of a chair. 1794-6

Michael Robinson  •  Link

some accounts of things of the Dutch Admiralty

"The Dutch constitution shaped the Dutch navy. With no central government there was no single national navy, but five provincial admiralties; nominally federal institutions, though in practice dominated by provincial interests. The Admiralty of Amsterdam was the wealthiest and politically most influential, but its rival the Admiralty of the Maze at Rotterdam was the senior. Next in importance was the Admiralty of Zeland, with its headquarters at Middleburg and its naval yard at Flushing. There was a third Holland Admiralty, that of the "North Quarter," which alternated its establishment every six months between Hoorn and Enkhuizen, and finally the little admiralty of Friesland at Harlingen. Each of these admiralties had its own fleet and naval establishments, supported by its own revenues, but they did not exhaust the Republic's naval resources. The two great joint stock companies, the East and West India Companies each owned substantial fleets of well armed ships which could, by negotiation, be made available to the Republic."

"The Dutch fleet organization ... reflected political rather than operational priorities. Rivalry between the admiralties had generated a plethora of flag-officers, to accommodate whom the fleet was divided into seven squadrons, each with three admirals or commodores. Most of the squadrons were made up of ships from mixed admiralties, commanded in many cases by admirals unknown to their subordinates, and their was no established order of seniority between them. Nor was their any arrangement of the squadrons in a line of battle, which the Dutch had not yet adopted ..."

N. A. M. Rodger The Command of the Ocean A Naval History of Britain, 1649 - 1815 NY: 2005 (London: 2004)
pp. 9-10, 69.

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"I do hope that in all my three places which are now my hopes and supports I may not now fear any thing"

His work in the Navy Office, the Tangier committee and Sandwich's household. (He had reckoned himself clear of his work at the Privy Seal on 17 August 1662.) (L&M footnote)

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"my Lord Albemarle in things before this great turn"

Albemarle had not been in touch with the King until immediately before the Restoration. (L&M footnote)

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"Carteret---Sandwich---the Duke of York---Mr. Coventry---Rider---Mr. Bland---Warren: a day of highly satisfactory networking, notable for the lack of spats, away from Batten and Penn."

Sandwich's activities -- and lack thereof -- for the last few months coincides with Penn/Batten and Pepys butting heads. Besides it being very gratifying to receive approval from your seniors, in this case it is essential. Sandwich's position is shaky, and Sam needs allies active at court -- especially if he's going to be more aggressive about making money on the side as well as doing his job -- and preparing the Navy for war.

I'm amazed to read how disorganized the Dutch "admiralty" was. The Admirals did a even better job than I previously understood!

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"Back by coach to the Exchange, there spoke with Sir W. Rider about insuring, and spoke with several other persons about business, and shall become pretty well known quickly."

Sounds like Monday's experience with insurance is going to become part of Pepys' responsibilities -- and personal enrichment if possible. (See David G's explanation about the abuses of insurance allowed until the rule about needing an 'insurable interest' was added decades later http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1… ).

arby  •  Link

Thanks for the link back, SDS. I need to start checking the 'recent activity' more often.

Chris Squire UK  •  Link

Re: ‘ . . nothing in the world so hateful as a dog in the manger.’

‘dog in the manger*, n. A person who selfishly prevents another from having or enjoying something, even though he or she has no personal use for it.

1573 G. Harvey Schollers Loove in Let.-bk. (1884) 114 And as for the Syr Lowte That playdst inne and owte; A dogg in ye maunger, A very ranke raunger.
. . 1836 F. Marryat Japhet III. xviii. 212 Why, what a dog in the manger you must be—you can't marry them both.
. . 2007 P. Briggs in On the Prowl 49, I won't let you sleep around with anyone else. I won't be forced either... If that makes me a dog in the manger, so be it.’

* ‘1. < Anglo-Norman a. A long open box or trough in a stable, barn, etc., out of which horses and cattle can eat fodder . .
. . 1526 Bible (Tyndale) Luke ii. 7 She..wrapped hym in swadlynge cloothes, and layed hym in a manger.
. . 1986 Farmers Weekly 3 Jan. 10/4 We must do something about the troughing, both to improve intake by having feed constantly in the manger, and to cut down labour.’

(OED)

Third Reading

Log in to post an annotation.

If you don't have an account, then register here.