Sunday 26 June 1664
(Lord’s day). Up, and Sir J. Minnes set me down at my Lord Sandwich’s, where I waited till his coming down, when he came, too, could find little to say to me but only a general question or two, and so good-bye. Here his little daughter, my Lady Katharine was brought, who is lately come from my father’s at Brampton, to have her cheek looked after, which is and hath long been sore. But my Lord will rather have it be as it is, with a scarr in her face, than endanger it being worse by tampering. He being gone, I went home, a little troubled to see he minds me no more, and with Creed called at several churches, which, God knows, are supplied with very young men, and the churches very empty.
So home and at our owne church looked in, and there heard one preach whom Sir W. Pen brought, which he desired us yesterday to hear, that had been his chaplin in Ireland, a very silly fellow. So home and to dinner, and after dinner a frolique took us, we would go this afternoon to the Hope; so my wife dressed herself, and, with good victuals and drink, we took boat presently and the tide with us got down, but it was night, and the tide spent by the time we got to Gravesend; so there we stopped, but went not on shore, only Creed, to get some cherries, and send a letter to the Hope, where the Fleete lies. And so, it being rainy, and thundering mightily, and lightning, we returned. By and by the evening turned mighty clear and moonshine; we got with great pleasure home, about twelve o’clock, which did much please us, Creed telling pretty stories in the boat. He lay with me all night.
31 Annotations
First Reading
Terry F • Link
"after dinner a frolique took us"
Creed seems to catalyze this mood in Our Hero of late - and Creed ever after cherries. Ten days past - 16 June 1664 - of the day after he and "Mr. Creed by chance" and Lord Sandwich's daughters dined -- "and very merry we were with our pasty, very well baked; and a good dish of roasted chickens; pease, lobsters, strawberries. And after dinner to cards: and about five o'clock, by water down to Greenwich; and up to the top of the hill, and there played upon the ground at cards. And so to the Cherry Garden, and then by water singing finely to the Bridge, and there landed; and so took boat again, and to Somersett House" -- Samuel writ: "being well pleased with our frolique, walked to Knightsbridge, and there eat a messe of creame" etc. http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
jeannine • Link
"my Lady Katharine was brought, who is lately come from my father's at Brampton, to have her cheek looked after, which is and hath long been sore. But my Lord will rather have it be as it is, with a scarr in her face, than endanger it being worse by tampering"..
Katherine is about 3 years old (give or take). Anyone have any idea what the problem is with her face?
On a side note -when I clicked on her link, it doesn't seem to have been anything too serious as she lives to be 96 years old!
Terry F • Link
"Lord Sandwich...could find little to say to me but only a general question or two, and so good- bye."
Pepys concludes "he minds me no more," but methinks SP would be in a better position to know Sandwich's mood had he been there when last Sandwich shipped to war. Besides, he has had domestic concerns -- Mrs. Becke/Lady Jem, and child troubles on his plate.
(Jeannine, so good to see you back and posting com brio!)
Robert Gertz • Link
Checking out the churches and their preachers with Creed...One wonders if he and Sam used to do this in the old Cromwell days on occasion and this might be a nostalgic revival of an old habit.
Sandwich seems to be keeping Sam in the doghouse for some reason. He may not be as sensitive as his cousin but he is surely aware that his manner disturbs Sam and is quite far from the man who promised his cousin and secretary that they "would rise together" in the heady early days of the Restoration. My guess is that all the past few days' events...Getting poor Jem to visit the Beckes while Betty strolls in, keeping cousin Sam at a distance, etc, is all part of some design on Sandwich's part to establish, at least to public display, that his relationship with the Becke girl is perfectly innocent and anyone suggesting otherwise has earned his disregard. When Sam finally catches the hint and makes the right moves I suspect he'll find himself back in favor.
However, my Lord may not be quite so lucky with his peeved cousin...Who is slowly but surely pulling away from him.
***
cape henry • Link
"...it being rainy, and thundering mightily, and lightning..." By happenstance, we received 1.97" (50mm) of rain in about 40-45 minutes this afternoon with considerable convective fireworks.
As to what Lady Katherine's 'sore' might be, it's impossible to say for sure, but the lack of antibiotics and general hygiene suggests that any cut could become seriously infected.It also might have been a boil, though I would think Pepys might have been more specific if that were the case.At any rate, Jeannine's intelligence report indicates no lasting harm.Sandwich, obviously, was concerned, but prudent, perhaps, in not calling in the doctor.
Cumsalisgrano • Link
"...in not calling in the doctor..." medicine then be science 0.5 % art 50.0% the rest be upto the Gods.
Cumsalisgrano • Link
'Wot' ever happened to compulsory fines for failure to attend?"...called at several churches, which, God knows, are supplied with very young men, and the churches very empty;..."
Pedro • Link
Katherine. (Maybe Spoiler?)
...the parents had meant to call the little girl Sarah but Lady Sandwich instead decided to christen her Katherine "you having the honour to bring our so much desired queen I thought we might alsoe have the honour to have her name." She was a delicate child but was to live to a great age. Her mother's care for her appears in a letter written when Sandwich was once again abroard as ambassador Madrid.
"I have sent little Kat to London to Mr Pers that belongs to the Duke (Pearse) there being they say the famostes Docr. in Iingland for sore eies; hid did a mirackeulus cure on the Dutches daughter, Lady Ann (future Queen), and now cam up to the Dutches of Richmon (la belle Stuart) who by the smale pox had one of her eyes most hurt."
(Cromwell's Earl by Ollard)
Robert Gertz • Link
"Wasn't that a grand time? I may not trust Creed with my back turned but he is the jolliest companion."
"It was grand, Sam'l. Sam'l, you know I'm feeling lots better." sly look. "And I was thinking...About that portrait in the King's closet you were telling me about..."
"That's wonderful, darling, have a good night's rest. I'll be lying with Creed. See you in the morning...Or rather at dinner, we will be off betimes. Good night."
"What? Sam'l?" stare as Sam hurries off...
Sam'l...? Regards empty bed.
But I was all set to assume the Castlemaine position...
***
Robert Gertz • Link
"...Sir J. Minnes set me down at my Lord Sandwich's..."
"Pepys?! Pepys?! You left your notes...!" Sir John calls futilely, waving the loose sheets Sam had forgotten in his coach.
Hmmn. What is the little fellow always writing about anyway?
"'Riding now with Sir John to Lord Sandwich. The usual dull talk, though he's clearly full of some exploit in pressuring one of our merchants to bribe him. Worse, the doting old fool insists on telling me the same old tale (leave him out of today's account, same tiresome stuff) of his days aboard ship and...'"
JonTom Kittredge • Link
"'Wot' ever happened to compulsory fines for failure to attend?"
Sam has missed church a lot in the past year -- sometimes because he's sick, but often to work at the office. As far as I can recall, he's never cited a fear of being fined, which makes one wonder how much these laws are enforced.
Just because a law is on the books, doesn't mean that it's obeyed, as anyone who'd driven on an expressway can attest. It's important to keep this in mind when reading history, because it's much easier for a historian to tell us what the laws were than how people actually behaved.
Martin • Link
"there heard one preach whom Sir W. Pen brought. . . a very silly fellow"
If the man was recommended by Penn, it's a wonder they even stopped by.
Cumsalisgrano • Link
History be like an ice berg, the underneath rarely be seen, or would it it be like a camera with a very narrow angled lens that tries to show a crowd scene that appears to be thousands and yet the unseen portion be devoid of people.
It is nice to see some of the letters that be written by minor players in the scene of life.
Terry F • Link
"'Wot' ever happened to compulsory fines for failure to attend?"
Does that law still apply?
Terry F • Link
"'Wot' ever happened to compulsory fines for failure to attend?"
Does that law still apply?
Emilio http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…
Church attendance
[This was originally posted by Helena Murphy for the 16 April, 1660 entry]
Although church attendance was mandatory up to the year 1650 when it was abolished, the Anglican Episcopalian Church was never all embracing. There is evidence to show that the very poor, rogues, vagabonds, masterless men, and beggars did not ever attend. In some instances parish relief had to be withheld in order to get the poor to attend. Donne asked "How few of these who make beggary an occupation from their infancy were ever within church, how few of them ever christened, or ever married?"
In 1657 compulsory church attendance was restored but its ineffectiveness was evident after 1660 with the existence of de facto sects in the towns. The Anlican or state church drew its congregation for the most part from the privileged 3 percent of the population or those with incomes of more than 100 poounds per year, such as peers, bishops, baronets, knights, esquires, gentlemen, greater and lesser offfice holders, merchants, traders and lawyers.
Hill, Christopher, Some Intellectual Consequences of the English Revolution, Phoenix 1997
Another law observed in the breach.
Todd Bernhardt • Link
"If the man was recommended by Penn, it's a wonder they even stopped by."
What, and miss the opportunity to talk trash about him (and thus Penn)?
Dave • Link
"But my lord will rather have it be as it is, with a scarr in her face, than endanger it being worse by tampering."
I'm not surprised!! mouldy bread, moss taken from dead mens skulls, urine, saliva, semen, the bones and flesh of animals, feathers, toadstools, scum from stagnant ponds and mud from graveyards were all ingredients used to make pastes or ointments to be rubbed on or even swallowed to cure open sores and if these didn't work there was always the cow dung and hot oils as a back up, and all this recommended by eminent physicians even in the 18th century.
Mind you, some of these potions may have actually worked, in 1946 Professor Selman Waksman discovered the antibiotic Streptomycin after examining thousands of soil cultures and Dr Benjamin Dugger found that ingredients used to make the drug Aureomycin could be extracted from mud taken from cemetries.
On the whole I'll stick to Germolene, but I wont read the ingredients.
jeannine • Link
"Wot' ever happened to compulsory fines for failure to attend?"
Gee Terry, if there was a fine for sleeping through church Sam's would have be made out of gold.......
Terry F • Link
A missing note by Lord Braybrook
[Pliny tells us that cherries were introduced into Britain by the Romans, and Lydgate alludes to them as sold in the London streets. Richard Haines, fruiterer to Henry VI IL, imported a number of cherry trees from Flanders, and planted them at Tenham, in Kent. Hence the fame of the Kentish cherries.] http://www.gutenberg.org/files/41…
Cumsalisgrano • Link
Unusual methods of fixing cuts, my grandfather used fish glue [always a pot on the boil ready for glueing wooden dowels and other joints besides finger] to fix a finger [ pinkey] tip of mon Pere, when he be playing cut the timber and slice his little finger.
Cumsalisgrano • Link
Unusual methods of fixing cuts, my grandfather used fish glue [always a pot on the boil ready for glueing wooden dowels and other joints besides finger] to fix a finger [ pinkey] tip of mon Pere, when he be playing cut the timber and slice his little finger.
Mary • Link
The fame of Kentish cherries.
Fame now sadly diminished. The extensive cherry orchards of my youth have vanished. Too difficult to find pickers and anyway the long ladders that were used are now deemed unsafe by the Health & Safety bods. It should now be the height of the cherry season here in Kent, but the only ones available in my local shops come from Turkey.
Robert Gertz • Link
Cherries...
No wonder distant Britain remainded loyally Roman for so long. Hail, Claudius Augustus!
Australian Susan • Link
Kent Cherries
There were cherry orchards in the village where I lived in Kent (Doddington) (left in '91). I remember a local farmer's wife remonstrating with someone in the local Sainsbury's because (at the height of the cherry season) the only ones they had came from the USA. Apparently, all Sainsbury's fruit and veg came from a centralised supplier - the local managers couldn't source local produce. Yes, they are expensive to pick, which is why most of the farmers concentrated on strawberries, courgettes and apples. Does Sam mention strawberries much? Surrey strawberries feature in "Emma" of course.
Paul Chapin • Link
When we lived in northern Virginia, we were within an easy drive of an excellent cherry (and peach) orchard. The owners solved the problem of picking by letting the customers pick their own. Being 6 foot 6, I had an advantage over a lot of the other amateur cherry pickers, and we came home every year with buckets full of superb, tree-ripened cherries.
Andrew Hamilton • Link
Cherries
There is a Garden in her face,
Where Roses and white Lillies grow ;
A heau'nly paradice is that place,
Wherein all pleasant fruits doe flow.
There Cherries grow, which none may buy
Till Cherry ripe themselues doe cry.
Those Cherries fayrely doe enclose
Of Orient Pearle a double row ;
Which when her louely laughter showes,
They look like Rose-buds fill'd with snow.
Yet them nor Peere nor Prince can buy,
Till Cherry ripe themselues doe cry.
Her Eyes like Angels watch them still ;
Her Browes like bended bowes doe stand,
Threatning with piercing frownes to kill
All that attempt with eye or hand
Those sacred Cherries to come nigh,
Till Cherry ripe themselues doe cry.
Thomas Campion
pepf • Link
"after dinner a frolique took us, we would go this afternoon to *the Hope*"
The Lower Hope Reach (about 28 miles below London Bridge on London River):
http://www.pla.co.uk/pdfs/hydro/3…
Charts # 338 & 339
Coming out of Gravesend Reach into the Lower *Hope*, Shornemead lighthouse can be seen on the Kent shore almost opposite East Tilbury Fort.
http://thames.me.uk/s00015.htm
...and it was then decided to send a small squadron into the Thames under van Ghent, with vice-Admiral De Liefde as his second-in-command. The decision was taken because a Norwegian merchantman was intercepted on his way out of the Thames, and from the skipper the Dutch learned that about twenty English merchantmen, attended by some frigates, were lying in *Hope* Reach just below Gravesend.
http://www.deruyter.org/CHATHAM_F…
pepf • Link
"Here his little daughter, my Lady Katharine was brought, who is lately come from my father’s at Brampton..."
So the previous link to her "*three* young ladies: -[Lord Sandwich's daughters]- " and reference to June 15 are definitely misguiding.
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
Second Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"called at several churches, which, God knows, are supplied with very young men, and the churches very empty"
For the expulsions which led to this situation, see http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1… Baxter's evidence is similar, but Burnett remarked that 'the young clergy that came from the universities did good service'.
(Per L&M footnote)
San Diego Sarah • Link
"... and with Creed called at several churches, which, God knows, are supplied with very young men, and the churches very empty."
This brought three possibilities to mind:
1. Pepys had a conversation with James, Duke of York about starting the Press soon. He's looking for healthy young men to man those twelve new ships. The young men of London know what's coming with a war pending, and are in hiding. http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
2. Rev. Josselin recently complained there was a downturn in church attendance: http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1… He blames "this day a day of holy rest, is now the sport, and pleasure day of the general rout of people, ..." And the week before: "the war with Holland proceeds. the King abused by infamous pictures. for which lewd courses give occasion ..." http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1… Perhaps Press worries and the influence of a riotous Court has spread cynicism to the rest of the country.
Or 3. the loss of their Puritan preachers last year made people take their Sunday Church of England services less seriously. The Conventicle Act was passed on Tuesday 17 May 1664:
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
This law was part of Chancellor Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon's program to discourage non-conformism and to strengthen the position of the Established Church. The masses reacted by walking into the fields to hear their old preachers. Next year the Five Mile Act will keep preachers at least 5 miles away from their old parishes.
And it's May -- a lovely warm month of long days in England. Even if this was one of the wettest weeks in British history. Maybe the mud is keeping people home?
San Diego Sarah • Link
Reminder, GrahamT on 20 June 2007 reported '"... the greatest shower of rain of a sudden and the greatest and most continued thunder that ever I heard I think in my life."
'This in the week that parts of Britain had a month's worth of rain in a few hours.' http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
Sadly neither of his links are supported now, and I was unable to find independent backing for this.