Wednesday 19 July 1665

Up and to the office, and thence presently to the Exchequer, and there with much trouble got my tallys, and afterwards took Mr. Falconer [L&M have it as “Mr. Falconbr[idge]”. P.G.], Spicer, and another or two to the Leg and there give them a dinner, and so with my tallys and about 30 dozen of bags, —[?? D.W.]— which it seems are my due, having paid the fees as if I had received the money I away home, and after a little stay down by water to Deptford, where I find all full of joy, and preparing to go to Dagenhams to-morrow. To supper, and after supper to talk without end. Very late I went away, it raining, but I had a design ‘pour aller a la femme de Bagwell‘ and did so … [mais ne savais obtener algún cosa de ella como jo quisiere sino tocarla. – L&M] So away about 12, and it raining hard I back to Sir G. Carteret and there called up the page, and to bed there, being all in a most violent sweat.

16 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"I had un design pour aller a la femme de Bagwell; and did so, mais ne savais obtener algun cosa de ella como jo quisiere sino tocar la. (I had a fancy to go and see Bagwell's wife; and did so, but did not get anywhere with her ... ??)" [transl. Duncan Grey] http://www.pepys.info/bits2.html#…

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...being all in a most violent sweat."

God's just punishment as you well know, Samuel.

***

I wonder how the Carterets appreciated Sam's midnight return, should they have learnt of it.

"Ah, Sir George... Very sorry about the lateness of the hour. Important business at Deptford, you understand."

"Yes, Pepys. I used to have midnight 'business' at Deptford with Molly Bagwell myself a few years ago."

language hat  •  Link

"mais ne savais obtener algun cosa de ella como jo quisiere sino tocar la"

'but did not know how to get anything I wanted from her other than touching her'

Terry Foreman  •  Link

I'm with David Widger (D.W.) in finding the "about 30 dozen of bags" paired with the "tallys" obscure; L&M help not in any of the Glossaries they provide.
It isn't clear SP has moneybags in mind, but....

JWB  •  Link

360 moneybags in Sam's satchel
Take one out
And pass it about
259 moneybags in Sam's satchel
...
...
One moneybag in Sam's satchel
Take one out
And pass it about
Sam checks back to the exchequer.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Were it not for the following bit about "-which it seems are my due having paid the fees as if I had received the money..." one could guess the bags were to hold the tally sticks and keep them properly grouped (bags indicating a certain number corresponding to a certain amount in value)but it is confusing.

A. De Araujo  •  Link

"si no tocar la"
only groping

A. De Araujo  •  Link

"where I find all full of joy"
Never mind the "sickness"

Andrew Hamilton  •  Link

one could guess the bags were to hold the tally sticks and keep them properly grouped

This seems to be a plausible reading even given the subordinate clause. But I'm puzzled how Sam could manage to take 360 bags of tally sticks home with him without great difficulty, not to mention fear of being held up or tipping off robbers.

Carl in Boston  •  Link

and afterwards took Mr. Falconer, Spicer, and another or two to the Leg and there give them a dinner
It's odd how eating dinner together makes friends. Lawyers on opposing sides make a great point of eating a meal together after a trial to show there are no hard feelings, it's just business. In Boston we just had dinner with the Civic Organist of San Diego and it was a great time. Another is: "How would you like to see a picture of my dog?" Of course, they would like to see a picture of your dog, you show them, and then they talk about all the dogs in the world they have known. Dinners and dogs are wonderful.

CGS  •  Link

money bag: in the good old days prior to card credito, paper cheques and direct deposit , I used to get a bag of money containing 2 'alf dollars and a tanner, the bag be 1 3/4 inches by 2 inches made of rag paper with a flap glued down so it be enclosed on all sides.

I. General sense.

1. a. A receptacle made of some flexible material closed in on all sides except at the top (where also it generally can be closed); a pouch, a small sack.
c1230 Ancr. R. 168 Hit is beggares rihte uorte beren
Tally sticks, not be all a foot long.

CGS  •  Link

"...with much trouble got my tallys,..." in other words he finally got it right, the numbers balance , he found the farthing that went a missing, all money counters like to have tallied up correctly, and many find it very hard to find that missing number. Every day some poor geezer has spend many a ;lost hour trying to satisfy the count.
Now he split the total into 36 little accounts.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"Ah, my dear..." jubilant Sir George happily embracing his missus as they contemplate the glories of their new match for dear Phil.

"Sir! Sir George!"

"Yes, lad?" What trouble could it be on such a night?

"It's Mr. Pepys, Sir George. He came back late and is taken quite ill in his room...A most violent sweat."

Uh-oh...

"Is it...?"

"Not sure, sir. We're about to send for his wife and the doctor, sir."

Hmmn...

"George?" Lady Carteret, worried...

"Suppose we wait on the doctor, my boy. I tell you what...Lets have Mr. Pepys taken...Quietly...To a carriage and driven to his home in London. Have his wife meet him there if she wishes. Send someone to fetch a doctor for him there."

"I'm sure a good fellow like Pepys wouldn't want to pour water on the festivities." he notes to a relieved Lady Carteret.

"Ummn...No mention to the doctor of where Mr. Pepys came from before going home, my lad. Right, there's a good man."
***

London...

"Oh, Will..." Sam addresses the faithful Hewer.

Who fortunately is not aware of Sam's own actions in the case of his headache...

"Where is Bess...I must make my confession to her...Want my soul clear..."

"Mr. Pepys, sir...It's not like to be so bad as all..."

"Death hangs on me like a shroud, Will...I must see my dear Bess and tell her all...Beg her forgiveness for my meanness, my pettiness..."

"Sir, really...I would stop right..."

"...My infidelities...Why Hewer, that's a very comforting grip you have..."

"What?" Bess drops the hand she'd faithfully held.

***

dirk  •  Link

Re Sam's bags...

L&M refer to a "petty bag book" in their Pepys index (p.103), under the heading Accounts / Personal.

As far as I can judge, these petty bags (or petty-bags) must be small bags of money, each bag containing the amount received/due for a particular transaction. Sam mentioned his "petty bag book" once before, on 26 October 1663:

"I did give Dr. Williams 20s. tonight, but it was after he had answered me well to what I had to ask him about this business, and it was only what I had long ago in my petty bag book allotted for him" http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

Bryan M  •  Link

Sam's bags ... version II

A little background. The tallies are the equivalent of bills of exchange, IOUs from the government that can be sold at a discount and redeemed at some future time for their face value. When a person received money (or tallies) from the exchequer they naturally had to pay fees. Recall from 13 May:
"the King’s fees that he must pay himself for this 17,500l. coming to above 100l."

So to today's statement on bags:
"and about 30 dozen of bags, which it seems are my due, having paid the fees as if I had received the money I away home"

The fees presumably included an amount to cover the cost of the bags which contained the money paid out by the exchequer. We are talking about a lot of coins here; remember notes are still in the future. So Sam, having paid his fees for an amount of money, is entitled to the bags which his money would have come in, except of course that he received tallies instead of cash.

Second Reading

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