Tuesday 6 December 1664
Up, and in Sir W. Batten’s coach to White Hall, but the Duke being gone forth, I to Westminster Hall, and there spent much time till towards noon to and fro with people. So by and by Mrs. Lane comes and plucks me by the cloak to speak to me, and I was fain to go to her shop, and pretending to buy some bands made her go home, and by and by followed her, and there did what I would with her, and so after many discourses and her intreating me to do something for her husband, which I promised to do, and buying a little band of her, which I intend to keep to, I took leave, there coming a couple of footboys to her with a coach to fetch her abroad I know not to whom. She is great with child, and she says I must be godfather, but I do not intend it. Thence by coach to the Old Exchange, and there hear that the Dutch are fitting their ships out again, which puts us to new discourse, and to alter our thoughts of the Dutch, as to their want of courage or force. Thence by appointment to the White Horse Taverne in Lumbard Streete, and there dined with my Lord Rutherford, Povy, Mr. Gauden, Creed, and others, and very merry, and after dinner among other things Povy and I withdrew, and I plainly told him that I was concerned in profit, but very justly, in this business of the Bill that I have been these two or three days about, and he consents to it, and it shall be paid.
He tells me how he believes, and in part knows, Creed to be worth 10,000l.; nay, that now and then he [Povy] hath three or 4,000l. in his hands, for which he gives the interest that the King gives, which is ten per cent., and that Creed do come and demand it every three months the interest to be paid him, which Povy looks upon as a cunning and mean tricke of him; but for all that, he will do and is very rich. Thence to the office, where we sat and where Mr. Coventry came the first time after his return from sea, which I was glad of.
So after office to my office, and then home to supper, and to my office again, and then late home to bed.
21 Annotations
First Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
Some of today's correspondence inventoried in the Carte Calendar
William Coventry to Sandwich
Written from: St James's
Date: 6 December 1664
Shelfmark: MS. Carte 75, fol(s). 261
Document type: Holograph
Communicates various naval advices received from Plymouth, and from Malaga. Mentions the King's desire that some of the runaways should be punished by martial law on shipboard. Adds that he finds that some, who are "prevalent in Council, are against the Embargo", But, without it, it will, he fears, be "hard work to get men". ...
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James, Duke of York, to Lord Sandwich
Written from: Whitehall
Date: 6 December 1664
Shelfmark: MS. Carte 75, fol(s). 263
Document type: Original; signed & countersigned
Instructs him to issue orders to all Commanders of his Majesty's ships, who are not already so ordered, for the seizure, or if need be, for the destruction, of all ships whatsoever belonging to the United Provinces of the Netherlands.
http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/s…
jeannine • Link
"So by and by Mrs. Lane comes and plucks me by the cloak to speak to me, and I was fain to go to her shop, and pretending to buy some bands made her go home, and by and by followed her, and there did what I would with her, and so after many discourses and her intreating me to do something for her husband, which I promised to do, and buying a little band of her, which I intend to keep to, I took leave, there coming a couple of footboys to her with a coach to fetch her abroad I know not to whom. She is great with child, and she says I must be godfather, but I do not intend it."
Hmmm, I think that Pepys rhymes with "Creeps" -how fitting!
cape henry • Link
Not to belabor the obvious, where Jeannnine has been so succinct, but it IS difficult not to be judgmental about these episodes with women over whom he maintains some [dishonest] power. But there is also his web of dealings for the office in which he takes a cut. Today he reveals himself to be 'cunning' in the very manner he criticizes in others.
Robert Gertz • Link
Well, Betty clearly knows what she's about...Whether or not Mrs. Bagwell is as innocent and modest as she seems, our Betty takes the initiative and seems to enjoy giving Sam a merry tumble.
This footboys and coach thing throws me though...Who'd've thought Betty would have such connections.
"Boy? Yes, you there."
"Sir?"
"Yes...Tell me, who is your...?"
"What's the delay here, boys? Pepys?"
"Uh, Mr. Coventry, sir?"
Robert Gertz • Link
And still no word from our heroic fighter for Christendom, Balty, in Germany...Assuming he ever got cross the Channel. I must say, I'm worried.
AussieRene • Link
Takes two to tango,as the saying goes. Mrs. Lane is prostituting herself in the hope of advancement for her husband and her unborn.
andy • Link
Let me (carefully) put a proposition that there is a difference between Mrs Lane and Mrs Bagwell. Wanting Sam to be the child's godfather, Betty Lane seems to think, perhaps unwisely, that she has (or maybe she wants) a long term relationship with Sam, whereas Mrs B was I think chillingly exploited. Sam performs the ultimate caddish act with Mrs B. in that at the end of doing what he would with her in the back room of a blind alehouse, there is still no job for her husband. As Rick said to the young wife in similar circumstances in Casablanca, when asked if the cop would keep his word and issue letters of transit afterwards, he always has done before. Morality of a sort.
Robert Gertz • Link
It's interesting to contrast Sam's two female acquaintances...Betty, who seems well able to handle him and makes her own demands and desires felt; Mrs. Bagwell, who may (or may not) be an unwilling victim to Sam's lust and newfound enjoyment of power and her husband's ambition/desperation. As I've said of course even if Mrs. B. has happily planned out her campaign Pepys with her husband in detail, she remains Sam's victim whereas Betty seems to be eagerly pressing herself on Sam, and to be, at least to some limited extent, a friend.
Sam is a man of many lights and shadows but I am puzzled by his callousness towards Mrs. B's protests. I can't help wondering if in fact it reflects some awareness on his part that he is being played by the Bagswells, at least by William. Vanity might possibly be holding him back from revealing information that would show him a bit more of a gull than the scheming seducer. Certainly I can't believe Mrs. B is suffering all this in silence and not at least discussing Mr. P's unwanted attentions with her husband. And again, it doesn't let Sam off the hook to suggest he may not be as in control as he would have us believe.
Bradford • Link
How great was she with child? Not that that need be any hindrance to doing what he would . . . in fact, a positive bonus for both---and suitable for exact parsing by the ethicists among us.
Martha Wishart • Link
Since Mrs. Lane is pregnant, she needn't worry about any repercussions with Sam (although he may be infertile). I think that by asking Sam to be the child's godfather, she is trying to hitch her child's fortunes to someone who appears to be a rising star. I agree that the balance of power and/or using of each other seems more equal here than with poor Mrs. B.
Bob G • Link
Do we know for a fact that William Bagwell didn't receive any benefit from his wife's actions? Or has Sam simply neglected to mention his 'payment for services rendered' in his diary? Sam seemed willing enough to do his part back on Oct 20.
Pedro • Link
There may be trouble ahead...
Holmes sights the Dodman and steers in for Plymouth as the Jersey was leaking badly. A letter was sent to Coventry.
Pedro • Link
Double trouble.
Downing writes to inform of the further instructions to De Ruyter; to continue from Guinea to Barbados and America.
Robert Gertz • Link
Guinea, Barbados, America...Ambitious.
"Ach, that's nothing, Herr Downing. We will seat a king on the throne of England one day."
Bww-haw-haw-haw... Ummn...
Carl in Boston • Link
Pedro has stumbled across a clue: Holmes sights The Dodman...
Somewhere someone days:
Dodman Point, one of the highest land marks along the coast, lies just to the southwest of Gorran Haven. The peninsula was once a large iron-age promontory fort.
From Dodman Point, there are spectacular views of both St Austell and Veryan Bays.
"Dodman" relates to prehistoric surveyors (The Long Man of Wilmington is a Dodman) and the interesting but arcane subject of Ley Lines which criss cross all of Britain and predate Stonehenge.
Terry Foreman • Link
"Creed do come and demand it every three months the interest to be paid him"
Creed practices a little usury; no wonder he is a wealthy man.
Second Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"Creed do come and demand it every three months the interest to be paid him, which Povy looks upon as a cunning and mean tricke of him"
The payment of interest at three-monthly intervals was most unusual; both bankers and the Exchequer made up their interest accounts every six months. Moreover, Creed was not entitled to 10%: the legal limit was 6%. The additional 4% which the King gave at this time was a 'gratuity' given of grace and authorised by special warrant. (L&M footnote)
San Diego Sarah • Link
"... and she says I must be godfather, but I do not intend it."
Pepys may think Mrs. Lane is setting him up to take responsibility for this child. Standing godparent for an illegitimate child is an old custom, so even if he wasn't the father, such an act could encourage gossip and possibly give Elizabeth cause for concern. Mrs. Lane isn't their social equal. Maybe four years ago, but not now. It doesn't say he gave her any reason to think he would accept.
The arrival of the coach does indicate she was fundraising the old fashioned way. A booth in Westminster Hall must have been a good way to meet wealthy men.
Louise Hudson • Link
“ . . . and so after many discourses and her intreating me to do something for her husband, which I promised to do, and buying a little band of her, which I intend to keep to, I took leave. . . . She is great with child, and she says I must be godfather, but I do not intend it.“
I wonder if he intends to fulill any of his promises he made.
Robert Gertz says, Sam is “a man of many lights and shadows.” Is that what they called sexual exploitation back then?
JayW • Link
We are reading this today in the light of the #MeToo campaign. It’s 350 years or so since Pepys was meeting Mrs Lane and Mrs Bagwell but the world hasn’t changed. Even if women succeed in improving their position and demanding respect in the US and U.K. there will be many others around the world who will still be exploited.
Sasha Clarkson • Link
From what I've seen in life, women, on average, are no more moral than men:
the two differences are men's physical strength, and the fact that, even today, men have more financial and wordly power to enable them to be exploiters, if they so choose. Also of course, women are literally left "holding the baby" after any dalliances.
In this light, it's interesting to compare and contrast the careers of two siblings, near contemporaries of Pepys, John and Arabella Churchill, both of whom prostituted themselves: the former to Lady Castlemaine, and the latter to James II.
To be fair to Charles II, he did acknowledge John Churchill's "double bastard" by Castlemaine, even though he almost certainly knew she wasn't his!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joh…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ara…