Saturday 3 September 1664

I have had a bad night’s rest to-night, not sleeping well, as my wife observed, and once or twice she did wake me, and I thought myself to be mightily bit with fleas, and in the morning she chid her mayds for not looking the fleas a-days. But, when I rose, I found that it is only the change of the weather from hot to cold, which, as I was two winters ago, do stop my pores, and so my blood tingles and itches all day all over my body, and so continued to-day all the day long just as I was then, and if it continues to be so cold I fear I must come to the same pass, but sweating cured me then, and I hope, and am told, will this also.

At the office sat all the morning, dined at home, and after dinner to White Hall, to the Fishing Committee, but not above four of us met, which could do nothing, and a sad thing it is to see so great a work so ill followed, for at this pace it can come to

[The Project Gutenberg version of the 1893 edition here jumps to the end of the entry for 4th September. Following is the remainder of today’s entry taken from Latham & Matthews. P.G.]

nothing but disgrace to us all. Broke up and did nothing.

So I walked to Westminster, and there at my barber’s had good luck to find Jane alone; and there I talked with her and got the poor wretch to promise to meet me in the abbey on tomorrow come sennit, telling me that her maister and mistress have a mind to get her a husband, and so will not let her go abroad without them — but only in sermon time a-Sundays she doth go out. I would I could get a good husband for her, for she is one I always thought a good-natured as well as a well-looked girl.

Thence home, doing some errands by the way; and so to my office, whither Mr. Holliard came to me to discourse about the privileges of the Surgeon’s hall as to our signing of bills, wherein I did give him a little, and but a little, satisfaction; for we won’t lose our power of recommending them once approved of by the hall.

He gone, I late to send by the post &c; and so to supper and to bed — my itching and tickling continuing still, the weather continuing cold. And Mr. Holliard tells me that sweating will cure me at any time.

8 Annotations

First Reading

Martin  •  Link

sennit
Wheatley has "sennight", seven-nights or a week

Terry F  •  Link

Jane

Is this Jane Gentleman or Jane Birch? It is a servant whom Pepys knows well.

MissAnn  •  Link

Can't help feeling that a good hot bath followed by a rigourous rub down and some body oil followed by some lovely clean clothing and Sam would feel just grand once again.

Cum Grano Salis  •  Link

SENNIGHT

[Originally two words: OE. seofon SEVEN, nihta pl. of niht NIGHT n. OE. had the derivative seofonnihte adj., seven days old (of the moon). Cf. FORTNIGHT.]

A period of seven (days and) nights; a week. approx anno 1000

fortnight

[Contracted form of OE. féowertýne niht fourteen nights. Cf. SENNIGHT. For the ancient Germanic method of reckoning by nights see Tacitus Germania xi.]

1. A period of fourteen nights; two weeks.
a1000

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Jane... It's neither Terry. This is Sam's barber Gervais' (Jervais?) assistant Jane whom Sam has been eyeing for some time now. Our dear Jane Birch managed to put a slight fear of Bess into him ("...for fear she should prove honest and tell my wife...") when he considered a little horseplay when he and she were alone together more or less during the roof raising at Seething Lane and Ms. Gentleman seems to have dodged his attention (hopefully she threatened to land one where it would count and he felt it unnecessary to log that entry) so far. Apparently Jane the barber's assistant is a bit more willing...Either the barber's assistant game's dull enough to make a Sunday afternoon's romp with flush toff customer Pepys welcome or she's a bit too trusting.

And after poor Bess played nurse so diligently last night.

I guess it should be a routine part of the upcoming Pepysian get-togethers for a periodic call of... "Sir, why do you kiss the gentlewoman so?!" ...just before the lecture on "Pepys as Administrative Organizer of the Royal Navy".

Terry F  •  Link

Thank you, Robert. I searched the "Janes" under "People" and didn't come up with this Jane, who we can s'pose is well-acquainted with Samuel Pepys's nits and ergo him, very up close and personal.

Terry F  •  Link

"Mr. Holliard came to me to discourse about the privileges of the Surgeon's hall as to our signing of bills, wherein I did give him a little, and but a little, satisfaction; for we won't lose our power of recommending them once approved of by the hall."

L&M clarify this -- an attempt by Hollier (as a Warden of the Worshipful Company of Barber-Surgeons) to get Pepys (as Clerk of the Acts for the Navy Board) to sign off on such ships' surgeons and surgical goods as the Company of Barber-Surgeons should propose. The Company failed to secure a monopoly franchise, and (in an 18 Oct. letter) would formally state its deference to the Board or the requests of ships' commanders.

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