Friday 14 July 1665
Up, and all the morning at the Exchequer endeavouring to strike tallys for money for Tangier, and mightily vexed to see how people attend there, some out of towne, and others drowsy, and to others it was late, so that the King’s business suffers ten times more than all their service is worth. —[All government’s business have been and are yet conducted in the same wasteful and desultory way. D.W.]— So I am put off to to-morrow. Thence to the Old Exchange, by water, and there bespoke two fine shirts of my pretty seamstress, who, she tells me, serves Jacke Fenn. Upon the ’Change all the news is that guns have been heard and that news is come by a Dane that my Lord was in view of De Ruyter, and that since his parting from my Lord of Sandwich he hath heard guns, but little of it do I think true. So home to dinner, where Povy by agreement, and after dinner we to talk of our Tangier matters, about keeping our profit at the pay and victualling of the garrison, if the present undertakers should leave it, wherein I did [not] nor will do any thing unworthy me and any just man, but they being resolved to quit it, it is fit I should suffer Mr. Povy to do what he can with Mr. Gauden about it to our profit. Thence to the discoursing of putting some sums of money in order and tallys, which we did pretty well. So he in the evening gone, I by water to Sir G. Carteret’s, and there find my Lady Sandwich and her buying things for my Lady Jem.’s wedding; and my Lady Jem. is beyond expectation come to Dagenhams, where Mr. Carteret is to go to visit her to-morrow; and my proposal of waiting on him, he being to go alone to all persons strangers to him, was well accepted, and so I go with him. But, Lord! to see how kind my Lady Carteret is to her! Sends her most rich jewells, and provides bedding and things of all sorts most richly for her, which makes my Lady and me out of our wits almost to see the kindnesse she treats us all with, as if they would buy the young lady.
Thence away home and, foreseeing my being abroad two days, did sit up late making of letters ready against tomorrow, and other things, and so to bed, to be up betimes by the helpe of a larum watch, which by chance I borrowed of my watchmaker to-day, while my owne is mending.
22 Annotations
First Reading
Sjoerd • Link
'a larum watch'
Found this in the etymology dictionary:
Alarm c.1325, from O.Fr. alarme, from It. all'arme "to arms!" (lit. "to the arms"). An interj. that came to be used as the name of the call or warning. Extended 16c. to "any sound to warn of danger or to arouse." Weakened sense of "apprehension, unease" is from 1833. Variant alarum is due to the rolling -r- in the vocalized form.
Robert Gertz • Link
Don't do it Sam...You can still save us from the beeping, buzzing, never-ceasing horrors about to come. Break that hideous thing, cast it into the sea! While it may too late for us at least some parallel Earth may be spared.
Excuse me my buzzer is bleeping... "Coming, Master!"
Paul Chapin • Link
Why, Mr. Wheatley - an editorial comment?!? Some temptations are beyond resisting, it seems.
—[All government’s business have been and are yet conducted in the same wasteful and desultory way. D.W.]
CGS • Link
for trivia minded: alarm in Latin be terror, formido ,clamor or trepidatio, trepidus
Australian Susan • Link
DW was writing at the end of the 19th century, but, alas, this statement is probably *still* true. And government officials now have a whole new range of excuses ("The computer says No.")
The Carterets seem to be indulging in "anything you can do, I can do better", but maybe hoping the Montagus will come up with the household good too.
reminds me of that scene in Father of the Bride [ the remake] when Steve Martin's character has bought a cappucino machine for his daughter and the other parents turn up with a sports car.
Linda F • Link
"which makes my Lady and me out of our wits almost to see the kindnesse she treats us all with"
Sam's language is sometimes so modern and immediate. This "out of our wits almost" is one of those times.
andy • Link
to be up betimes by the helpe of a larum watch,
this wasn't a graet leap forward Sam, however much you might think it. Just wait till you get a Blackberry!
Robert Gertz • Link
"...my proposal of waiting on him, he being to go alone to all persons strangers to him, was well accepted, and so I go with him."
Isn't there a war on, Sam?
Meanwhile...
"But he did receive my gift, ja?"
"I presented your wedding present to Lord Sandwich personally, Admiral De Ruyter." the orderly nods.
"I cannot believe mine Lord would not send me, his greatest opponent, an invitation to the wedding of the season." De Ruyter shakes head.
"I'm sure the invitation's just delayed in the mail, sir. The mailboats have been slow this week."
dirk • Link
From the Carte Papers
http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/s…
Sir William Coventry to Sandwich
Written from: Hampton Court
Date: 14 July 1665
Communicates advices, brought by a Danish Ship, of the course of De Ruyter's Squadron, and also of the severities exercised in Holland against many naval officers. "I hope", adds the Writer, "it will make them more ready to yield their ships hereafter, than to return home to be hanged." Adds particulars as to the filling up of various commissions &c. ...
dirk • Link
From the Carte Papers
http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/s…
Henry Moore to Sandwich
Written from: Deptford
Date: 14 July 1665
Has had an interview with Lady Jemima Montagu at Dagenham [the seat of Lady Wright, a sister of Lord Sandwich]. She "doth with all chearfulness & decent consideration, commit herself to the conduct & direction of ... Your Lordp and My Lady, my Ld Crewe, others of her relations" ... [in respect of her marriage with Mr. Carteret.]
dirk • Link
From the Carte papers
(Hinchinbroke, Sandwich's son, is spending some time abroad with his tutor? For Hinchinbroke, see http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo… )
De Prat(a) to Sandwich
Written from: Paris
Date: 14 July (British calendar) /24 July (continental calendar) 1665
[...] Hinchinbroke prepares for his return; meanwhile, makes a little tour of amusement in the vicinity of Paris.
Mme de Turenne, the other day, complimented Lord Hinchinbroke on the approaching alliance of the Montagu family with that of Carteret, with which she has a great friendship. ...
-----
Subjoins: an account of travelling-expenses for Lord Hinchinbroke & his suite in Switzerland and in Italy; Sept - Dec. 1664
Date: Sept.-Dec. 1664
[The total expense, from Lyons to Rome, extending over nearly three months (and apparently for five persons) is 1400 livres.]
Andrew Hamilton • Link
Good enough for government work
When I was on the staff of the Senate Budget Committee in its first year of operation we adopted a counting rule in which 1 = $1,000,000,000 and 0.1, equalling $100,000,000, was the smallest sum that, supposedly, we would concern ourselves with. At an earlier time Sen. Dirksen of Illinois famously said, "A billion here, a billon there, and pretty soon we're talking about real money." Nowadays, 40 years later, we are juggling trillions. Exactitude suffers.
Terry Foreman • Link
"the present undertakers"
See 30 July 1664: "I finished the contracts for victualling of Tangier with Mr. Lanyon and the rest, and to my comfort got him and Andrews to sign to the giving me 300l. per annum, by which, at least, I hope to be a 100l. or two the better." http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
Terry Foreman • Link
“my proposal of waiting on him, he being to go alone to all persons strangers to him, was well accepted, and so I go with him.”
L&M note that a "family adviser" was a usual presence during the courtship in an arranged marriage at that time; that here Pepys's client as matchmaker is Lady Jemima Mountagu; and that John Locke will perform that function in 1669 for the son of Shaftesbury (whose secretary he was).
dirk • Link
"Mme de Turenne, the other day, complimented Lord Hinchinbroke on the approaching alliance of the Montagu family with that of Carteret, with which she has a great friendship. …" (Carte Papers above)
Possibly the wife (or at least related in one way or another to) of Henri Turenne, Marshall of France, one of the most important nobles of France...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henr…
Ruben • Link
"Mme de Turenne..."
Charlotte de Caumont (1623-1666), married in 1651 Marshal Turenne. She was Protestant, as her husband. Many years later the famous Marshal converted and died a Catholic.
I looked around and found no other Turenne ladies in those years.
Pedro • Link
Hinchinbroke, Sandwich’s son, is spending some time abroad with his tutor?
Perhaps a recap may be of interest here.
The two Sandwich sons, Lord Hinchingbroke (Edward) and Sydney Montague (the younger and favourite son) had departed on the Grand Tour in August 1661. Sydney had returned in May 1664 while his brother went on the full Tour and returned in August 1665.
Sydney is mentioned by Sandwich in his Journal as being with the Fleet during the time of the Battle of Lowestoft but is not mentioned in any action. He will sail with Teddiman to Bergan at the end of this month.
Second Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
Henry B. Wheatley, editor of the 1893 edition, has been libeled:
...."Why, Mr. Wheatley - an editorial comment?!? Some temptations are beyond
resisting, it seems.
"—[All government’s business have been and are yet conducted in the same wasteful and desultory way. D.W.]"
“D.W.” is David Widger, who produced the electronic text for Project Gutenberg.
http://www.pepysdiary.com/about/t…
Terry Foreman • Link
"my Lady Jem. is beyond expectation come to Dagenhams, where Mr. Carteret is to go to visit her:
L&M: Dagnams, Essex, the home of Lady Wright, widow of Sir Henry Wright (d. 1663) and Lady Jemimah Mountagu's aunt. The house (pulled down and rebuilt in the late 18th century: now demolished) had been built by Sir Henry. It stood about three miles from the village of Dagenham, on part of what is now the Harold Hill Estate.
San Diego Sarah • Link
"... Mr. Carteret is to go to visit her tomorrow; and my proposal of waiting on him, he being to go alone to all persons strangers to him, was well accepted, and so I go with him."
"L&M note that a "family adviser" was a usual presence during the courtship in an arranged marriage at that time; that here Pepys's client as matchmaker is Lady Jemima Mountagu; ..."
I hate to disagree with L&M, but this reads to me that Lady Jem has her aunt and all sorts of support for this first meeting with her intended. Pepys has offered to accompany Philip Carteret so the young man has the support of someone who can introduce him around and help him feel comfortable.
I'm sure they are correct in saying that it was customary for there to be other adults around during these delicate first introductions.
arby • Link
A quote attributed to Dirksen when asked about the "A billion here, a billion there..." quote: "Oh, I never said that. A newspaper fella misquoted me once, and I thought it sounded so good that I never bothered to deny it." From Wikiquote.
Gerald Berg • Link
Thanks TF. I was thinking it pretty egregious that Pepys sex talk is excised while adding political afterthoughts is OK.