Tuesday 9 August 1664
Up, and to my office, and there we sat all the morning, at noon home, and there by appointment Mr. Blagrave came and dined with me, and brought a friend of his of the Chappell with him. Very merry at dinner, and then up to my chamber and there we sung a Psalm or two of Lawes’s, then he and I a little talke by ourselves of his kinswoman that is to come to live with my wife, who is to come about ten days hence, and I hope will do well. They gone I to my office, and there my head being a little troubled with the little wine I drank, though mixed with beer, but it may be a little more than I used to do, and yet I cannot say so, I went home and spent the afternoon with my wife talking, and then in the evening a little to my office, and so home to supper and to bed.
This day comes the newes that the Emperour hath beat the Turke;1 killed the Grand Vizier and several great Bassas, with an army of 80,000 men killed and routed; with some considerable loss of his own side, having lost three generals, and the French forces all cut off almost. Which is thought as good a service to the Emperour as beating the Turke almost, for had they conquered they would have been as troublesome to him.2
22 Annotations
First Reading
Pedro • Link
Meanwhile in Zeeland...
(The knowledge of the activities of Holmes had already reached the United Provinces.)
Zeeland, where many shareholders of the WIC resided suggested that 12 warships should be equiped by the States General and lent to the WIC. The proposal was excepted... To prevent Downing hearing of it the descision was taken by only seven members and that De Ruyter should be ordered from the Med.
(Life of Admiral De Ruyter by Blok)
Michael Robinson • Link
"... we sung a Psalm or two ..."
Given SP's enthusiasm for his colleagues one possibility is Psalm 140 "Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man : and preserve me from the wicked men. Who imagine mischief in their hearts : and stir up strife all the day long. ... who are purposed to to overthrow my goings. ... Let hot burning coals fall upon them : let them be cast into the fire, and into the pit, that they never rise up again ..."
Terry F • Link
The battle of St. Gothard - details and map
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batt…
Robert Gertz • Link
"...and the French forces all cut off almost."
Alas, poor Balty...If he ever did go and join up.
"August 10th, 1664...
From the bloody field...
Brother Pepys,
Of the heroic struggle I have participated in...Of the noble deeds I have done...Of the honors I have acquired for Heaven, though by the wickedness of jealous men denied me on Earth...Your brother by law shall say nothing. I will merely ask that you inform my beloved sister that our family's honor may at last be taken to have been restored...In all things of true worth. Christendom is secure and safe once more...I am content to receive no further honor.
Sadly, however...My material wants are but poorly nourished by these glories. Men of bad faith and ill-practices have fixed me in their sights and sought to blight my blooming to prevent their own unworthiness from being noted. I must therefore request, dear brother, a modest loan of you that I may return once more to the loving arms of my family, among whom, I am proud and delighted to include you. An agent of mine stays for me in Dover, you may write to him and I will receive that which I know your generous heart will not fail to bestow upon a gallant, bloodied defender of Europe from the infidel.
Your loving brother,
Balthazar St. Michel, Esq."
***
"All right, get that to Samuel Pepys, Esquire, Clerk of the Acts at the Naval Office in Seething Lane, London. Hurry, man."
"Wait, boy. Here, St. Michel. You sure your brother's good for five pounds?" stern look.
"Madam...My brother is Clerk of the Acts of His Majesty's Navy...Quite good for it, Moll." he nervously concludes as innkeeper Moll summons goons.
"The way you're a soldier in the Emperor's army in Germany?" she frowns. "When you never got past Dover?"
"That wasn't my fault...I got seasick, had to turn back."
***
cape henry • Link
"...and then up to my chamber and there we sung a Psalm or two of Lawes's..." Can we assume this is the newly plastered room?
Robert Gertz • Link
"In enterprise of martial kind,
When there was any fighting,
He led his regiment from behind
(He found it less exciting).
But when away his regiment ran,
His place was at the fore, O-
That celebrated,
Cultivated,
Underrated
Nobleman,
The would-be Sieur of St. Michel-o!
In the first and foremost flight, ha, ha!
You found that gallant knight, ha, ha!
That celebrated,
Cultivated,
Underrated
Nobleman,
The (would-be) Sieur of St. Michel-o!
When, to evade Destruction's hand,
To hide the Germans proceeded,
No soldier in that gallant band
Hid half as well as he did.
He lay concealed throughout the day,
And so preserved his gore, O!
That unaffected,
Undetected,
Well-connected
Warrior,
The (would-be) Sieur of St. Michel-o!
In every doughty deed, ha, ha!
He always took the lead, ha, ha!
That unaffected,
Undetected,
Well connected
Warrior,
The (would-be) Sieur of St. Michel-o!
When told that they would all be shot
Unless they left the service,
That hero hesitated not,
So marvellous his nerve is.
He sent his resignation in,
The first of all his corps, O!
That very knowing,
Overflowing,
Easy-going
Balthazar,
The (would-be) Sieur of St. Michel-o!
To men of grosser clay, ha, ha!
He will always show the way, ha, ha!
That very knowing,
Overflowing,
Easy-going
Balthazar,
The (would-be) Sieur of St. Michel-o!"
"Very funny..." Bess glares at Sam and company. "So insulting my brother's what this new room is for?"
***
A. De Araujo • Link
"French cavalry under Coligni"
I wonder if he was related to the early Huguenot gendarme who came to the New World.
Bradford • Link
"my head being a little troubled with the little wine I drank, though mixed with beer"
For "though," substitute "because it was". What is earliest record in print of the adage "Never mix, never worry"?
Australian Susan • Link
Coligni
Also, was he a descendant of Admiral Coligny of the 1570s?
Wine and Beer
Yeeuch was my first thought, but then I realised it meant he alternated the drinks - receipe for a hangover I would have thought.
Pedro • Link
"To prevent Downing hearing of it the decision was taken by only seven members and that De Ruyter should be ordered from the Med."
This secret decision was taken on 9th August according to the Dutch author Block in his Life of Admiral De Ruyter, and he takes the dates from De Ruyter's journal. . France adopted the new calendar on Monday, 20 December 1582, following Sunday, December 9, 1582.[2] The Protestant Dutch provinces
of Holland and Zeeland also adopted it in December of that year.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg…
The 9th of August Dutch would correspond to the 30th July for Sam's date (from Dirk's background on the calendar) but on the 3rd August Sam tells us...
"for the Dutch do prepare a fleet to oppose us at Guinny,"
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
And so Downing's intelligence is better than suspected? (Theory open to falsification.)
Robert Gertz • Link
"...so Downing's intelligence is better than suspected?"
Sounds like he may have a very highly placed informant.
I notice Sam's said nothing about operations against New Amsterdam...The fleet moving to take what will be New York must be well on its way.
***
Pedro • Link
Sounds like he may have a very highly placed informant.
"The whole thing was done with so much secrecy that Downing heard nothing about it, although he was usually well informed concerning everything that went on by certain members of the States with whom he had relations, and by the clerks of the States General and of Holland who were in his pay."
(Life of Admiral De Ruyter by Blok)
Robert Gertz • Link
"...clerks of the States General and of Holland who were in his pay."
Damn...Sam thinks, reading. Some Dutch clerks have all the luck. What's with those cheap burghers anyway, I would've easily been worth a thousand pounds to them.
Strictly on the grounds of the King's best interest being the preservation of peace through good intelligence being available to all sides, of course...
Second Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"Which is thought as good a service to the Emperour as beating the Turke almost, for had they conquered they would have been as troublesome to him."
The Emperor had suspected his French allies (whose losses are here exaggerated) of caballing with the Hungarians and of holding secret correspondence with the Turks. (L&M note)
StanB • Link
Given the Military mention today an interesting aside in about 9 weeks one of the elite forces in the UK and World set its roots down. The Royal Marines were formed in 1755 as the Royal Navy's infantry troops. However, the marines can trace their origins back to the formation of the English Army's "Duke of York and Albany's maritime regiment of Foot" at the grounds of the Honourable Artillery Company on 28 October 1664
Kyle in San Diego • Link
How ironic, the French helping the Germans in war.
Terry Foreman • Link
Kyle in San Diego says "How ironic, the French helping the Germans in war."
There is nothing "ironic" about having a common enemy. the Turks.
San Diego Sarah • Link
Kyle has forgotten that the Poles defeated the Turks at the gates of Vienna in the 17th century. God bless the Poles, who came late to the fight as I recall, or we might all be speaking Turkish now.
Kyle in San Diego • Link
I didn't forget that because I never knew it in the first place. But thanks for informing me of this.
Alev Öncül • Link
Sarah, being a Turk I can say that Ottoman Empire hasn't imposed its language, religion or way of living over the people of the lands they have conquered. Today you wouldn't meet many people speaking Turkish in Balkans or Middle East and they are mainly of Turkish descent. And come on, Turkish is a fascinating language once you get the hang of it :)
San Diego Sarah • Link
Thank you or speaking up, Alev Öncül.
If the Ottoman Empire was so benign, how come people were so terrified of them for centuries? This is a sincere question from a Brit who has to admit the British Empire left a lot of room for improvement. What did you guys do that we got wrong?
San Diego Sarah • Link
This book review is admittedly about the 16th century fear of the Spanish to the Ottoman expansion throughout the world, to the point that they assumed buildings in South America to be mosques.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/1…