Tuesday 16 February 1663/64

Up and to the office, where very busy all the morning, and most with Mr. Wood, I vexing him about his masts. At noon to the ’Change a little and thence brought Mr. Barrow to dinner with me, where I had a haunch of venison roasted, given me yesterday, and so had a pretty dinner, full of discourse of his business, wherein the poor man is mightily troubled, and I pity him in it, but hope to get him some ease. He being gone I to the office, where very busy till night, that my uncle Wight and Mr. Maes came to me, and after discourse about Maes’ business to supper very merry, but my mind upon my business, and so they being gone I to my Vyall a little, which I have not done some months, I think, before, and then a little to my office, at 11 at night, and so home and to bed.

22 Annotations

First Reading

jeannine  •  Link

"wherein the poor man is mightily troubled, and I pity him in it, but hope to get him some ease"

Sam wrote the following letter to Commissioner Pett, dated today, February 16, 1664 on Barrow's behalf:

In answer to that one clause in your last letter touching Mr Barrow, I do assure you I judge him a most well-meaning man, and one whose aptitude to a little peevishness I am so far from accounting any ill circumstance in him, that even in that very respect I should prefer him before another of less mettle that might be frightened or flattered to a breach of his trust. To this I consider his being now better able to perform his place than either himself was two years since, or another is that probably upon his removal would succeed him. Nor am I alone in this opinion of his integrity and usefulness (besides yourself); Mr Coventry owns the like, and in order to his preserving him in the Navy hath cast about with some solicitousness how to render his present place contentful to him, and by his advice I have spent some time in reasoning with Mr Barrow about it, who besides his complaint of so hard dealing from some of the Board (which I doubt is not easily to be mended and therefore must be borne with) declares that unless he may have one instrument more at 2s. or 2s.2d. per diem to serve him as a clerk, and an addition of one or 2 more in the nature of labourers to attend wholly to the stores, he cannot safely to himself or honestly for the King undertake the charging himself with all the stores under his hand, or balancing of them, but with such an addition of help will at least do his endeavor to the utmost to so what is to be done in that business. Now I tell you I look upon performing the work of the storekeeper well to be worth 10 times such an increase in instruments, and have told Mr Coventry so too, who concurs in the granting him it rather than either not have the thing done or lose his endeavor in the doing it.....

"Further Correspondence of Samuel Pepys", edited by J.R. Tanner

cumsalisgrano  •  Link

Thanks Jeannine, quite erudite;

Lawrence  •  Link

Having read this letter last night, in Further Correspondence by J.R. Tanner. I'm glad you had the patience to copy here for the rest of the group, well done Jeannine

Lawrence  •  Link

Mr Maes came to me,
Iudoco Maes,a Portyguese Jew, imprisoned for evaion of the duties, had tried to escape from England in December 1663. L&M.....Sam mentions this storey earlier, on the 10th of this month.

Bardi  •  Link

Thanks, Jeannine - that must contain one of Sam's longest run-on sentences - 165 words!

Pedro  •  Link

And to the annotating a little, which you have done for a month, I think.

Welcome back Terry!

jeannine  •  Link

A heartfelt welcome back Terry F! We've missed you!

Bradford  •  Link

And we welcome your Vyall back to the Consort.

Australian Susan  •  Link

Welcome back Terry! Much more missed than Sam's vyall.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Too long Terry, glad to have you back!

Andrew Hamilton  •  Link

Bentornato, Terry

Ruben  •  Link

Briut shlema, Terry!

dirk  •  Link

Also glad to have you back, Terry -- althought I'm in somewhat of a (technological) pickle myself...

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Thanks to all for concerns and shout-outs in 2007. -- alias TerryF

Lorraine Kettels  •  Link

Did anyone attend the Concert for Pepys on 15th Feb 2017? Many vyalls present? I asked our daughter to go for us. She loved it. Lorraine from Melbourne

Sarah C  •  Link

No I didn't Lorraine but in London next week and will try to go to St Olaf's. I have been following the diary now for the last two and a half years. I am enjoying all the first time round comments from Robert Gertz, Australian Susan, language hat et al. My 17th century knowledge is limited - but improving! Still bothered by last week's entry when Pepys watched as two 'gallants' (not at all gallant in my vocab) abducted the ribbon seller...

StanB  •  Link

Still bothered by last week's entry when Pepys watched as two 'gallants' (not at all gallant in my vocab) abducted the ribbon seller...

Sarah I to find myself very perturbed by that entry I knew very little of Pepys the man before finding this wonderful page, Even though its been said the 17th century mindset was very different from ours i can see no justification whereby that despicable action can ever be condoned

I was very interested in the annotations put forward from 3rd Feb regarding this incident some very good points put across for and against Sam and the 17th century mindset

However......

I still struggle with it

Apologies for digressing from today's entry guys

GrahamRA  •  Link

I was pleased to attend the concert at St Olave's. A very interesting and enjoyable evening although the focus was on music composed for Pepys by Cesare Morelli who came into Sam's life in the years after the diary ends.
One song by Sam was performed - "Beauty Retire", followed by a song by Morelli on the same text.
There will be a programme on BBC Radio 4 on 'Pepys the Musician' presented by Lucie Skeaping, (who compered the concert) on Tuesday 4th April 2017 at 11.30amGMT. The programme will include audio extracts from the concert. It will be available to listen to on-line on the BBC radio 4 iPlayer for 28 days after the programme is broadcast: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio. The instruments used were a Baroque Guitar and a Theorbo. No Vyalls to be seen!

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

I think we are all bothered by Sam not springing out of his coach and assaulting the abductors (Pepys included). Of course, he would have been beaten to a pulp for his troubles, and there was no police force to help. He chose discretion over valor, and to serve the King in a time of war, not a pretty girl. Hopefully it wasn't as bad an abduction as it appeared ... being someone's mistress could be a lifestyle improvement.

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