Tuesday 26 January 1663/64

Up and to the office, where we sat all the morning. At noon to the ’Change, after being at the Coffee-house, where I sat by Tom Killigrew, who told us of a fire last night in my Lady Castlemaine’s lodging, where she bid 40l. for one to adventure the fetching of a cabinet out, which at last was got to be done; and the fire at last quenched without doing much wrong. To ’Change and there did much business, so home to dinner, and then to the office all the afternoon. And so at night my aunt Wight and Mrs. Buggin came to sit with my wife, and I in to them all the evening, my uncle coming afterward, and after him Mr. Benson the Dutchman, a frank, merry man. We were very merry and played at cards till late and so broke up and to bed in good hopes that this my friendship with my uncle and aunt will end well.

13 Annotations

First Reading

Clement  •  Link

"...where she bid 40l. for one to adventure the fetching of a cabinet out..."

Papers, clothes or jewels? (Or the bloke she was hiding when Charles knocked on the door, causing milady to upset the lantern?)

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"... so broke up and to bed in good hopes that this my friendship with my uncle and aunt will end well."

Hmmn...

And Napoleon will win a brilliant success in Russia.

cumgranosalis  •  Link

This must give Tom thought for a scene in his next friday nite skit: Ye who rites the tales tall, has a man of the meaner sort say "what the bejevers be in this old wardobe, Cromwells head?" "...Where I sat by Tom Killigrew, who told us of a fire last night in my Lady Castlemaine's lodging, where she bid 40l. for one to adventure the fetching of a cabinet out, which at last was got to be done; and the fire at last quenched without doing much wrong...."

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...where she bid 40l. for one to adventure the fetching of a cabinet out..."

Would Sam have done it?

Hmmn 40ls...Blazing death.

"Bess? Lady Castlemaine's offering 40s to anyone who'll fetch out her cabinet...If you're game, I'll split it with you."

jeannine  •  Link

"where she bid 40l. for one to adventure the fetching of a cabinet out"
I have read that Lady Castlemaine always kept letters that Charles wrote to her during his more "passionate moments" which she would use to blackmail him with over time. My guess (and it's just a guess) is the perhaps these would be more valuable than any jewels, etc. that she owned as they could ensure her future.

Martin  •  Link

Benson must not have sung, this time.

cumgranosalis  •  Link

Everyone be on hi, or too merry be to hear discordant sounds."...Benson must not have sung, this time..."

dirk  •  Link

The Rev. Josselin's weather report for today (from his diary)...

"...very cold weather since Jan: 23 in the morning, snow after the nights frost."

Australian Susan  •  Link

40 pounds is an enormous amount of money for those days (though the amount may have been embellished in the telling!). My supposition is that the cabinet held letters and other papers which Milady held on to as future security: worth investing 40 pounds for.

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Tom Killigrew...told us of a fire last night in my Lady Castlemaine’s lodging, where she bid 40l. for one to adventure the fetching of a cabinet out, which at last was got to be done; and the fire at last quenched without doing much wrong."

On the 27th Sandwich wrote to Legge, master of the Ordnance, ordering, on the King's behalf, the provision of leather buckets, crows [ crowbars ] and hatchets at Whitehall 'to be kept for the prevention of danger by fire'.
(Per L&M footnote)

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

This fire would have been to great concern to Sandwich, as Lady C lives next door to him. No wonder he took the initiative in reviewing the fire fighting provisions.

Gerald Berg  •  Link

What fun! Nothing more merry than having the Wight friends.

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