Friday 26 May 1665

Up at 4 o’clock, and all the morning in my office with W. Hewer finishing my papers that were so long out of order, and at noon to my bookseller’s, and there bespoke a book or two, and so home to dinner, where Creed dined with me, and he and I afterwards to Alderman Backewell’s to try him about supplying us with money, which he denied at first and last also, saving that he spoke a little fairer at the end than before. But the truth is I do fear I shall have a great deale of trouble in getting of money. Thence home, and in the evening by water to the Duke of Albemarle, whom I found mightily off the hooks, that the ships are not gone out of the River; which vexed me to see, insomuch that I am afeard that we must expect some change or addition of new officers brought upon us, so that I must from this time forward resolve to make myself appear eminently serviceable in attending at my office duly and no where else, which makes me wish with all my heart that I had never anything to do with this business of Tangier. After a while at my office, home to supper vexed, and to bed.

15 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"I am afeard that we must expect some change or addition of new officers"

Apparently Pepys fears Albemarle might believe the tide of the Thames could be turned by adding some faces to the Navy Office on Seething Lane!

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Dinner...

"What shall we do? Hewer, we must get those victualing ships out of the Thames...Immediately."

"But sir, it's impossible. The ships would have to be pulled or rowed out against the tide and wind."

"If only some new force existed...An independent power of motion..." Sam sighs.

"Sam'l? You should speak to Papa." Bess offers. "He was just telling me about a new device of his, based on the work of Hero of Alexandria, using st..."

"Papa?!" Sam fumes. "You want me to trust our future and the Navy's fate to one of your idiot father's crackpot devices? Do you remember what happened last time I put any faith in that man's work?!"

"His perpetual motion machine nearly succeeded..."

"Nearly...The key word... Like the man who promised to train a horse to live on air but sadly the horse died just after he'd gotten it down to a straw a day."

"Sam'l...Papa is sure this will be the future of sea travel."

"Yes...And is he still working on that flying machine using heated air?"

"If it hadn't caught fire..." Bess tries.

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

"which makes me wish with all my heart that I had never anything to do with this business of Tangier"

As CGS noted in yesterday's annotations, it's that damned credit crunch again. Some things never change ... plenty of people nowadays who wish they'd never had anything to do with this business of mortgage-backed securities...

(Of course, for Sam, free-flowing credit still wouldn't do anything about the weather!)

CGS  •  Link

RG: You forgot about Leonardo's new fangled pyramid Parachute, nobody would believe that it would work , but it does.
There were many ideas that died on the vine for want of brave geyser to go against the grain of accepted thought.

CGS  •  Link

"...supplying us with money..." tally ho?

Tony Eldridge  •  Link

But the truth is I do fear I shall have a great deale of trouble in getting of money.

Interesting change of mood from Sam. Only recently he was full of pride to be trusted with the tallies. Now, perhaps, he's realising that he has been given a chalice which, while not poisoned, is definitely musty smelling. And the ships are still in the river.

Michael Robinson  •  Link

"But the truth is I do fear I shall have a great deale of trouble in getting of money. "

Again one wonders how much of a 'fool' was Povey; he appears to have got out of the Tangier Treasury business, and transfered it to a willing and enthusiastic SP, within weeks of the moment that the cash flow ceased to be easy.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

And best of all, the King knows his name...

"PEPYS!!!!!!? Where's my credit?!!"

CGS  •  Link

What can the Navy put up for collateral, land on the Potomac or on the lake Michigan?

Terry Foreman  •  Link

John Evelyn’s Diary (in lieu of a post by Dirk)

[May] 26: To treate with the Holl: Ambassador at Chelsey, for the release of divers Prisoners of Warr, in Holland, upon Exchange here. After dinner, being calld into the Council Chamber at White hall, I gave his Majestie an accompt what I had don[e], informing him of the vast charge upon us, being now amounted to no lesse than 1000 pounds weekely; desiring our Treasurer might have another Privy-Seale for 500 pounds speedily, then went home:
***

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"If you were writing a diary and just tired and found it too much a bother, wouldn’t your diary be very spasmodic? Like an entry every other day or weeks skipped, writing only when you felt like it."

Evelyn's Diary has that appearance, perhaps because he lived out of town at Sayes Court near Deptford. Many days were spent at work on his estate, gardening, etc., of which he kept other records. He cared to record in his Diary important visits at Sayes Court -- e.g., when the King drops by --, his visits to London, and other travels for his work on the several government commissions on which he serves. A trip like the one he will begin in three days, on the 29th, on the business he's begun today, will presumably be spasmodic because he only writes it as he can (as Pepys does on occasion).

dirk  •  Link

The Rev. Josselin today... The plague?

"one Brocke a maid died suddenly in our town - one Brownson buried that died within 24 hours of her sickening(,) god awaken us by all providences to watchfulness"

CGS  •  Link

The Aldermen were expected to cough up monies to sweeten the king, an example back on May 10th 1660:
from:
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…
But as he [the king ] has perogued them, it be difficult to appeal to the conscience of the city money men.
Remittances to the King.

Whereas in Pursuance of the Order of this House, there is paid to Sir John Greenville, by Alderman John Robinson, towards the Fifty thousand Pounds ordered to be presented to the King's Majesty, the Sum of Four thousand Five hundred Pounds in ready Gold, for the Use of his Majesty; and also a Letter of Credit is delivered him, subscribed by John Langham, the said Alderman John Robinson, William Vincent, Thomas Riche, and Thomas Bloudworth, Esquires, for the Sum of Twentyfive thousand Pounds Sterling, to be paid at Amsterdam on Sight, being also for his Majesty's Use, and in further Part of the said Fifty thousand Pounds:

Ordered, That the said Sum of Four thousand Five hundred Pounds be, in the First Place, repaid to the said Alderman Robinson, and, next after That, the said other Sum of Twenty-five thousand Pounds, to the said John Langham, Alderman John Robinson, William Vincent, Thomas Riche, and Thomas Bloudworth, Esquires, out of the first Monies that shall be advanced by the City of London, upon the Credit of the Ordinance for Three Months Assessments.
Thanks to Advancers of it.

Ordered, That the Thanks of this House be given unto the said John Langham, Alderman John Robinson, Wm. Vincent, Thomas Rich, and Thomas Bloudworth, Esquires, Members of this House, for their great Forwardness to advance this Service.

Mr. Speaker accordingly, gave them the Thanks of this House, as followeth: viz.

Gentlemen, the House takes notice of your Forwardness and Readiness to engage your Credits for the Furtherance of this great Service; wherein the Welfare and Happiness of this Kingdom is so much concerned: And I am commanded to return you their very hearty Thanks for it.

Log in to post an annotation.

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