Friday 10 February 1664/65

Up and abroad to Paul’s Churchyard, there to see the last of my books new bound: among others, my “Court of King James,” and “The Rise and Fall of the Family of the Stewarts;” and much pleased I am now with my study; it being, methinks, a beautifull sight.

Thence (in Mr. Grey’s coach, who took me up), to Westminster, where I heard that yesterday the King met the Houses to pass the great bill for the 2,500,000l.. After doing a little business I home, where Mr. Moore dined with me, and evened our reckonings on my Lord Sandwich’s bond to me for principal and interest. So that now on both there is remaining due to me 257l.. 7s., and I bless God it is no more.

So all the afternoon at my office, and late home to supper, prayers, and to bed.

27 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"there is remaining due to me 257l.. 7s., and I bless God it is no more"

I assume that Pepys is blessing God he has no more birds in the bush!

Terry Foreman  •  Link

This surely means the great amount Pepys 'parked' w/ Sandwich is in hand?

Michael Robinson  •  Link

" ... my “Court of King James,” and “The Rise and Fall of the Family of the Stewarts;” ..."

A curious juxtaposition. The first work presents a favorable view of James. Peyton, the second, "...divine justice in King Charles his overthrow vindicated, and the Parliaments proceedings against him clearly justified" is clearly far from the royalist propaganda apologia of 'Eikon Basilike' (1649) and an interesting selection for a man of former puritan sympathies now a loyal government servant of Charles II.

Paul Chapin  •  Link

As best I recall without looking it up, Sandwich owed Pepys in the neighborhood of 1000L. Sounds like they've whittled that down by 75%, to Sam's great relief.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Today in Commons

Damage Cleere [clerk's compensation].

An ingrossed Bill for taking away Damage Cleere was read the Third time.

Resolved, &c. That the said Bill do pass: And that the Title shall be, An Act for Taking away Damage Cleere.
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…

***
Charles II, 1665: An Act for takeing away of Damage Cleere.', Statutes of the Realm: volume 5: 1628-80 (1819), pp. 578-579. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…. Date accessed: 10 February 2008.

Recital that Damage Cleer is an unnecessary Charge.

Reasons for passing this Act.; No Damage Cleer to be taken after 29th Sept. 1672; Taking Damage Cleer; or refusing to sign Judgment till Damage Cleer paid; (Exception); Penalty.

Whereas the Moneyes which are taken by Prothonotaries of Your Majestyes Courts of Kings Bench and Common Pleas and by the Clerke, of Your Majestyes Court of Exchequer at Westminster and the Prothpnotary of Your Majesties Court of Common Pleas at Lancaster and the Prothonotaryes and Clerkes of other Your Majestyes Courts within the Realme of England and Dominion of Wales in the name of Damna Clericorum or Dammage Cleere are an unnecessary charge and burden to all Your Majestyes Subjects who have good cause and are putt to sue for Dammages in Actions where Damages are recoverable &c. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prot…

DAMAGE-CLEER [damna clericorum], a fee assessed of the tenth part in the Common Pleas, and the twentieth part in the Queen's Bench and Exchequer, out of all damages exceeding five marks recovered in those courts, in actions upon the case, covenant, trespass, &c., wherein the damages were uncertain ; which the plaintiff was obliged to pay to the prothonotary or the officer of. the court wherein recovered, before he could have execution for the damages. This was originally a gratuity given to the prothonotaries and their clerks, for drawing special writs and pleadings ; but it is now taken away by statute, and if any officer in these courts take any money in the name of damage-deer, or anything in lieu thereof, be shall forfeit treble the value. 17 Car. II. c. fi. It may be stated as a general proposition, that for breaches of contract and other wrongs and injuries cognizable at law, courts of equity do not entertain jurisdiction to give redress by way of compensation or damages, where these constitute the sole objects of the bill.
http://books.google.com/books?id=…

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Definitely interesting that Sam feels no nervousness about having folks (at the least the bookbinder and guests) know he carries a book praising the overthrow of Charles I in his study. Though perhaps he likes to keep that one in a lower corner, title hidden by plants or that microscope.

***
Mr. Barlow's most timely death, fair peace on the homefront, and now good news on the Sandwich loan...Life is good.

Don McCahill  •  Link

> As best I recall without looking it up, Sandwich owed Pepys in the neighborhood of 1000L.

Can someone clarify this? When I read it, I thought that the L250 would have been the majority of SPs worth, at the time it was given, and thus not much dropped (other than as a percentage of SPs worth). Did Sam not pass the L1000 mark just a few months back?

Michael Robinson  •  Link

Sandwich owed Pepys in the neighborhood of 1000L.

That was the original bond between Sandwich and Thomas Pepys to which SP was co-signor; however when SP heard about the extent of Sandwitch's debts from Moore ( http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1… ) he began to extricate himself from the problem (" ...yet with all duty to my Lord my resolution to be bound for whatever he desires me for him, yet that I would be glad he had any other security...." http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1… ) Over the following months Pepys, becoming yet more anxious that Sandwich might die at sea and his money be lost, has been gradually calling the loan in and as of today's date: "here is remaining due to me 257l.. 7s., and I bless God it is no more. "

Michael Robinson  •  Link

Did Sam not pass the L1000 mark just a few months back?

"The Lord be praised for what I have, which is this month come down to 1257l.. I staid up about my accounts till almost two in the morning."
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

jeannine  •  Link

“Journals of the Earl of Sandwich” edited by R.C. Anderson

10th. Friday. Weighed anchor about 10 oclock, course N. by E. Before 12 we had the shoaling of 16 fathom, about 3 oclock 10 fathom. 4 oclock we came into 18 and 21 fathom and in 20 fathom came to an anchor. Wind a hard gale at S.W. & by S. A S.S.E. moon made full sea, but it ran flood south. The Rear Admiral accounts the ship to be W. ½ southerly from Oxfordness about 9 leagues off. The stream of the tide wan N.E. by N. and S.W. by S. We ran this day from out last anchoring to our anchoring this evening N. by E. 7.5 leagues. This day the Dutch fleet are reported to be gone in again to Flushing.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Today in Commons: Can someone explain this? (Perhaps that was the Q being asked in Commons!)

Navy Debt.

Ordered, That it be referred to the Committee to which the Petition of the Creditors of the Navy was formerly committed, to receive such Proposals as shall be offered; and report some Expedients to the House for Satisfaction of the Debts due to the said Creditors: And the Committee is revived; and they are to sit this Afternoon at Two of the Clock in the Speaker's Chamber."

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…

CGS  •  Link

here be how it be charted;

Thames Estuary - Tilbury to North Foreland Kent and

Thames. and Oxfordness,
Oxford Ness lies between Woodbridge and Aldenborough

a chart [all fathomed out]of the times:

http://www.nmm.ac.uk/collections/…

CGS  •  Link

My limited guess be, ye get a fart[h]ing on the bob, when it comes to getting ones due reward.
dealin' with Governments when broke [short of tax monies ]be very tricky.

CGS  •  Link

The Castle near by, be called Orford, connection unknown with Oxford Ness, Orford locates the landward side of the water sports location call de North sea battles.
The above map be useful for the future.

Mary  •  Link

Oxfordness?

Shouldn't that be Orfordness, well known shingle promontory and bank furnished with former military installations?

cgs  •  Link

Orford vs Oxford Suffolk UK., should have done more research. Orford be on all places, be that place one fords the river Ore.
"the one stop site which will introduce you to Orford, Suffolk. Here you can find out about the lovely ancient town of Orford and the pretty villages around it, the Suffolk coast and the Alde & Ore Estuary"
http://www.visit-orford.co.uk/

CGS  •  Link

ness not be confused with a famous Loch or its inhabitant, not even with the suffix.

ness, n.1

[Cognate with Old Icelandic nes, Old Swedish näs (Swedish näs), Danish næs < the same Germanic base as NASE n.; prob. also from the same base are Middle Dutch nesse tongue of land (Dutch nes land outside the dykes), Middle Low German nes headland (in place names). Cf. NESE n. 2.
In Old English a rare weak noun næssa or næsse (of uncertain gender) existed alongside strong næss.
Freq. in descriptive place names, which cannot always easily be distinguished from contextual uses. Cf. e.g.:

A promontory, headland, or cape.

491 Rolls of Parl. VI. 441/2 Within the Nasse and Haven of Orford.
a1552 J. LELAND Itinerary (1711) VII. 118 Runnyng ynto a Poynt yt standeth as an Arme, a Foreland, or a Nesse.
1587 SIR P. SIDNEY & A. GOLDING tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. viii. 123 That great Nesse which conteyneth both Brasilie and Perow.

a1600 (1535) W. STEWART tr. H. Boece Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) I. 38 All fra ane nes lyis far within the se.
1674 N. FAIRFAX Treat. Bulk & Selvedge 68 When we first make a Ness at Land too, it seems more a Ness than when we are less off at Sea.

tother meaning as suffix
A quality or condition denoted by -ness (see -NESS suffix); a word ending in -ness. Usu. in pl.
1651 T. HOBBES Leviathan I. viii. 40 In the question of Transubstantiation; where after certain words spoken, they that say, the Whitenesse, Roundnesse, Magnitude, Quality.., all which are incorporeall, &c. go out of the Wafer, into the Body of our blessed Saviour, do they not make those Nesses, Tudes and Ties, to be so many spirits possessing his body?

Pedro  •  Link

Orford Ness.

The site given by CGS is excellent for anyone wishing to follow the events of the coming months where Orford, the Ness and many other places will be mentioned in the Journals of old sea dogs such as Penn, Sandwich and Allin.

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"I heard that yesterday the King met the Houses to pass the great bill for the 2,500,000l."

"1. An Act for granting a Royal Aid to the King's Majesty of Twenty-four Hundred Threescore and Seventeen Thousand and Five Hundred Pounds, to be raised, levied, and paid, in the Space of Three Years." http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…

"This was the 'Royal Aid' (16-17 Car. II c. I) granted for the approaching war against the Dutch." Cf. https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/… and https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/… (L&M note)

An account of this Royal Aid and the date it came to be passed: https://books.google.com/books?id…

mountebank  •  Link

I wonder how Sam got into the pickle of having lent so much money to Sandwich in the first place?

The idea of lending such a massive sum to one's employer puts me in mind of the poor sods working for Enron who had their life's savings as company shares in 401(k)s.

john  •  Link

"and much pleased I am now with my study; it being, methinks, a beautifull sight."

His study gives pleasure in viewing as well as in reading. All one's books rebound in the same style is an interesting thought. The majority of my books are yellow (Springer's colour of choice), but I feel no inclination to have them rebound. I do sometimes envy Pepys having books of the same size, though.

Tonyel  •  Link

I wonder how Sam got into the pickle of having lent so much money to Sandwich in the first place?

This is the problem when you start amassing some wealth and there are no banks to keep it safe. Sam was content to lodge it with Sandwich until he discovered the extent of the latter's debts and gambling habits. Now he has it at home and worries about strange sounds on the roof.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

mountebank wonders "how Sam got into the pickle of having lent so much money to Sandwich in the first place?"

"Mr. Moore dined with me, and evened our reckonings on my Lord Sandwich’s bond to me for principal and interest. So that now on both there is remaining due to me 257l.. 7s...."

Methinks it was Pepys's desire to both give Sandwich's money a friendly shelter (the principal) and to earn a little for himself (the interest).

Log in to post an annotation.

If you don't have an account, then register here.