Monday 27 June 1664
Up, and he and I walked to Paul’s Church yard, and there saw Sir Harry Spillman’s book, and I bespoke it and others, and thence we took coach, and he to my Lord’s and I to St. James’s, where we did our usual business, and thence I home and dined, and then by water to Woolwich, and there spent the afternoon till night under pretence of buying Captain Blackman’s house and grounds, and viewing the ground took notice of Clothiers’ cordage with which he, I believe, thinks to cheat the King. That being done I by water home, it being night first, and there I find our new mayd Jane come, a cook mayd.
So to bed.
25 Annotations
First Reading
JWB • Link
"...under pretence..."
Our man's got the right name for a gumshoe.
Robert Gertz • Link
"I tell you, Clothiers, with this rubbishy old painted cordage we shall be made men. And this time there'll be no Peeping Pepys to interfere. Heh, heh."
"You are right, Sir Richard. Say, where's that piece that was right here a moment ago. The one that frayed on pull to reveal the inner gunk."
"It was here a...My dear God! Clothiers! Look! It's Pepys!! And he's rowing away!"
Yes, it's Pepys. Staunch defender of the King's interests with powers of concentration and energy far beyond those of mortal men. Pepys. Who can accurately measure timber in a single take. Sense the proper bend of a keel with his bare hand. And who, in his daily disguise as a mild-mannered, pleasure-loving, kick-back-welcoming (have a care, sir!) Clerk of the Acts, fights a (certainly seemingly) never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the benevolent despotic, technocratic, meritocratic way.
Robert Gertz • Link
Spelman's 'Glossarium Archaiologicum'.
"Did you get...The Book...Nephew?" Uncle Wight, feverishly.
"The Book, the Book! Where is it?" Maes in shrill excitement.
"Now, after seventeen years of searching, the Book will lead us to..." Wight, trembling, hesitating...
"You, eh...Never did tell me what you wanted it for, Uncle."
"Tell him nothing, Wight! Nothing!!"
***
cape henry • Link
And who better to recognize clothiers' cordage than the son of a tailor?
Terry F • Link
Spelman's 'Glossarium Archaiologicum' with which Pepys intends to enrich his study of English law while Sandwich is at Sea.
Martin • Link
"I bespoke it and others"
Thus breaking his vows of economy until he is worth 1000 pounds. At last count, it was 930 pounds -- maybe he figures it's close enough. And perhaps he is trying to impress Creed.
Robert Gertz • Link
Mrs. Bagwell, Clothiers, a rather hot girl named Crisp, the well-travelled Mrs. Lane, the over-jovial Mr. Christmas, a surgeon named Pierce, a Jane who was a Gentleman, a Birch for whom the stick was not spared, an ex-zealotous Puritan named Creed, a former turncoat navy commander named Batten, a family of fat-cat monopoly shipbuilders named Pett, and a fiendishly inquisitive diary-keeper named Pepys. Somewhere whoever is responsible for names is having some fun.
"Howe, Moore, Creed, Pepys." Sandwich nods.
Robert Gertz • Link
Mrs. Bagwell, Clothiers, a rather hot girl named Crisp, the well-travelled Mrs. Lane, the over-jovial Mr. Christmas, a surgeon named Pierce, a Jane who was a Gentleman, a Birch for whom the stick was not spared, an ex-zealotous Puritan named Creed, a former turncoat navy commander named Batten, a family of fat-cat monopoly shipbuilders named Pett, and a fiendishly inquisitive diary-keeper named Pepys. Somewhere whoever is responsible for names is having some fun.
"Howe, Moore, Creed, Pepys." Sandwich nods.
Todd Bernhardt • Link
Yet another "mayd" named Jane! I wonder if there's a resource anywhere that lists and ranks the popularity of English names for that period...
Bradford • Link
Conversely, an upper-class family two hundred years in later in Britain always called their current maid Parker (or Reynolds or some other surname) because that was the name of a ultimate precedecessor, until one jade insisted that if she was to be called by a name not her own she would have to be paid extra.
Plainly Dickens's propensities in nomenclature had a solid basis in historical precedent. Thanks to Mr. G.
Clement • Link
Spelman's book.
There is also a new edition in 1664 by William Dugdale of another work, cited in the article quoted by JWB on the Spelman background page.
"Spelman's most important work, Concilia, decreta, leges, constitutiones in re ecclesiarum orbis britannici, is an attempt to place English church history on a basis of genuine documents. The first volume, which occupied him seven years, came down to 1066 and was published in 1636. A second volume was edited by Sir William Dugdale in 1664."
http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/S…
Clement • Link
Vow of economy maintained
Our man is adept at personal policy rationalization, so perhaps since the books are only 'bespoken' and not paid for, he's anticipating taking delivery and settling the debt after his boat of fortune has risen above the 1000 quid watermark.
(At least, that's what I would do.)
Cumsalisgrano • Link
on Tic be the name to get a tab running for lady day.
Terry F • Link
"Sir Harry Spillman's book"
Based on the holdings of The Pepysian Library, Magdalene College, L&M identify this as the much-awaited 2nd ed. of 'Glossarium Archaiologicum,' which will be licensed 2 July, so can only be "bespoken" today.
Pepys has said he wanted to study English law. An essential tool is:
Glossarium Archaiologicum: Continens Latino-Barbara, Peregrina, Obsoleta, & Novatoe Significationis Vocabula; Quoe Post Labefactatas a Gothis, Vandalisque Res Europoeas, in Ecclesiasticis, Profanisque Scriptoribus; Variarum Item Gentium Legivus...
by Spelman, Sir Henry
published posthumously, largely through the efforts of Sir William Dugdale. Although Dugdale has in the past been credited with much of the work in volume two, a handwritten manuscript of Spelman himself confirms that the work is that of Spelman alone. It is the first known Anglo-Saxon dictionary. Wing S4926. Cordell 158. http://www.alibris.com/search/det…
Cumsalisgrano • Link
Mayds, they come and they go, no wonder that we use Jane Doe, for an unknown wench, they that does ones unmentionables.
The turn over of lessors in the dirty work trades, sounds so modern, in order to keep our dinner on time now, people travel half the world to have the luxury of feeding the uppers.
Cumsalisgrano • Link
"Yet another "mayd" named Jane! I wonder if there's a resource anywhere that lists "
Jane OED: a jane be a coin and also clothe:
app. the same as ME. Gene, Jene, Jeyne, Jayne, Jane, in OF. Janne(s, mod.F. Gênes, med.L. Janua, Genoa, a city of Italy; cf. JANE1, a coin of Genoa, and GEANE.]
1. A small silver coin of Genoa introduced into England towards the end of the 14th century: cf. GALLEY-HALFPENNY. Obs.
1590 SPENSER F.Q. III. vii. 58 [She] flat refusd to have adoe with mee, Because I could not give her many a Jane.
Female Christian name.]
A woman, girl, girlfriend.
Jane of Apes
1906 Dialect Notes III. [f. after Jack-of-apes, with the female name Jane.]
The female counterpart of a Jackanapes.
1623 MASSINGER Bondman III. iii, But we shall want A woman... No, here's a Jane-of-apes shall serve.
2. a. A twilled cotton cloth; a kind of fustian. Orig. jene (ge(a)ne, geanes) fustian, shortened to jeanes, jean, etc.
The form jeans is used in U.S.
1567
1622 Househ. Bks. Ld. W. Howard (Beck Draper's Dict.), A quarter of jean for my Ladie's stockins, 3d.
1662 Stat. Ireland (1765) II. 407 Fustians called janes.
[f. JEAN + -ETTE.]
A name for various types of material resembling jean (see quot. 1950).
1785 Daily Universal Reg. 1 Jan. 4/2 Half-ell printed jeanets.
Todd Bernhardt • Link
Hee hee, Mr. Salty, thanks for the OED reference and etymology lesson. I had no idea that I'm wearing a *pair* of Janes!
language hat • Link
I remember how astonished I was to discover that the surname Janeway was traditionally pronounced JAN-away (three syllables) and was simply a respelling of the place name Genoa.
Paul Chapin • Link
Jane of Apes sounds like a creation of Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Clement • Link
Terry F, thanks for the clarification. I've copied your annotation to the background page for Spelman's book.
And I can't wait to use "Jane of Apes" around the office.
tonyt • Link
From a letter of 27th June 1664 from Charles II to his sister in France:
'The last letter I writ to you [21st June] I had so great a pain in my head as I could not make an end to my letter. I did intend to have told you then of the Holland Ambassador's being arrived here. He had two private audiences before his public one. If his masters be but as apprehensive of a war with us as he in his discourse seems to be, I may expect to have very good conditions from them. And I have reason to believe, by the letter they writ to me, their fears are no less at home; for, after taking great pains to assure me of the great affection they have for me, they desire by all means that I will not let my ships which I am preparing go out to sea, lest, by the indiscretion of some of the captains, the quarrel might be begun. And they promise me that they will not send out more men-of-war but such as are of absolute necessity to look to the East India fleet and fishermen, and they desire me that I would likewise give it under hand that those ships which I set out may not fight with theirs. You may guess by such a simple proposition whether these people are not afraid. I have made no other answer to all this, but that I do intend very speedily to dispatch Sir George Downing to Holland, and by him they shall have a return of all this.
......
I do not doubt but your weather there is as hot as ours here; nobody can stir anywhere but by water, it is so very hot and dusty.'
This complements Sam's diary entry of 20th June though (not surprisingly) expressed in more guarded language.
Robert Gertz • Link
Downing 'the terminator' dispatched to Holland...
***
Dutch State Council, the Hague...
"And what else does the Englander king-fool's intercepted letter say?"
"Let's see...'And they promise me that they will not send out more men-of-war but such as are of absolute necessity to look to the East India fleet and fishermen, and they desire me that I would likewise give it under hand that those ships which I set out may not fight with theirs. You may guess by such a simple proposition whether these people are not afraid.' Gentlemen, he bought it."
General laughter...
"Oh, ja. We fear the mighty Charles Stuart and his brother and that aging idiot fop of a cousin, Rupert." More hearty laughter. "When do we blow on his little fleet to sink it and send him looking for a safe exile in Iceland?"
"Of course, he does have Coventry. And Pepys." one member notes.
Hmmn...Quiet stares about the room.
tonyt • Link
Robert. Bluff and double bluff. Charles would have been aware of the risk that his letter might be intercepted and may even have expected the Dutch to hear about it through gossip at the French Court.
Andrew Hamilton • Link
Vow of economy maintained
There always the possibility (likelihood, I'd say, with precedent in mind) that he will use Navy funds to purchase Spelman, and perhaps other work-related books that he has bespoken today.
Second Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"to Woolwich, and there spent the afternoon till night under pretence of buying Captain Blackman’s house and grounds, and viewing the ground took notice of Clothiers’ cordage with which he, I believe, thinks to cheat the King."
For the cordage, see http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
Blackman's house appears to have been bought by the Ordnance Office , who then made over the gunyard to the use of the navy. CSPD. (Per L&M footnote)