Wednesday 26 July 1665
Up, and after doing a little business, down to Deptford with Sir W. Batten, and there left him, and I to Greenwich to the Park, where I hear the King and Duke are come by water this morn from Hampton Court. They asked me several questions. The King mightily pleased with his new buildings there. I followed them to Castle’s ship in building, and there, met Sir W. Batten, and thence to Sir G. Carteret’s, where all the morning with them; they not having any but the Duke of Monmouth, and Sir W. Killigrew, and one gentleman, and a page more. Great variety of talk, and was often led to speak to the King and Duke. By and by they to dinner, and all to dinner and sat down to the King saving myself, which, though I could not in modesty expect, yet, God forgive my pride! I was sorry I was there, that Sir W. Batten should say that he could sit down where I could not, though he had twenty times more reason than I, but this was my pride and folly.
I down and walked with Mr. Castle, who told me the design of Ford and Rider to oppose and do all the hurt they can to Captain Taylor in his new ship “The London,” and how it comes, and that they are a couple of false persons, which I believe, and withal that he himself is a knave too.
He and I by and by to dinner mighty nobly, and the King having dined, he come down, and I went in the barge with him, I sitting at the door. Down to Woolwich (and there I just saw and kissed my wife, and saw some of her painting, which is very curious; and away again to the King) and back again with him in the barge, hearing him and the Duke talk, and seeing and observing their manner of discourse. And God forgive me! though I admire them with all the duty possible, yet the more a man considers and observes them, the less he finds of difference between them and other men, though (blessed be God!) they are both princes of great nobleness and spirits.
The barge put me into another boat that come to our side, Mr. Holder with a bag of gold to the Duke, and so they away and I home to the office. The Duke of Monmouth is the most skittish leaping gallant that ever I saw, always in action, vaulting or leaping, or clambering.
Thence mighty full of the honour of this day, I took coach and to Kate Joyce’s, but she not within, but spoke with Anthony, who tells me he likes well of my proposal for Pall to Harman, but I fear that less than 500l. will not be taken, and that I shall not be able to give, though I did not say so to him. After a little other discourse and the sad news of the death of so many in the parish of the plague, forty last night, the bell always going, I back to the Exchange, where I went up and sat talking with my beauty, Mrs. Batelier, a great while, who is indeed one of the finest women I ever saw in my life. After buying some small matter, I home, and there to the office and saw Sir J. Minnes now come from Portsmouth, I home to set my Journall for these four days in order, they being four days of as great content and honour and pleasure to me as ever I hope to live or desire, or think any body else can live. For methinks if a man would but reflect upon this, and think that all these things are ordered by God Almighty to make me contented, and even this very marriage now on foot is one of the things intended to find me content in, in my life and matter of mirth, methinks it should make one mightily more satisfied in the world than he is. This day poor Robin Shaw at Backewell’s died, and Backewell himself now in Flanders. The King himself asked about Shaw, and being told he was dead, said he was very sorry for it.
The sicknesse is got into our parish this week, and is got, indeed, every where; so that I begin to think of setting things in order, which I pray God enable me to put both as to soul and body.
21 Annotations
First Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"Castle's ship"
See 11 January 1664/65 - "Mr. Castle with me [at Gresham College] to discourse over his draught of a ship he is to build for us." http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1… CGS tells us about the ship: "HMS Defiance was a 64-gun [64 guns comprising 22 demi-cannon, 28 culverins and 14 demi-culverins] third rate ship of the line of the English Royal Navy, ordered on 26 October 1664 under the new construction programme of that year, and launched on 27 March 1666 at William Castle’s private shipyard at Deptford in the presence of King Charles II." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_…
***
"The King mightily pleased with his new buildings there [in Greenwich]."
Pepys was there 4 March 1663/64: "at Greenwich did observe the foundation laying of a very great house for the King, which will cost a great deale of money.2
"2 Building by John Webb; now a part of Greenwich Hospital. Evelyn wrote in his Diary, October 19th, 1661: “I went to London to visite my Lord of Bristoll, having been with Sir John Denham (his Mates surveyor) to consult with him about the placing of his palace at Greenwich, which I would have had built between the river and the Queene’s house, so as a large cutt should have let in ye Thames like a bay; but Sir John was for setting it in piles at the very brink of the water, which I did not assent to and so came away, knowing Sir John to be a better poet than architect, tho’ he had Mr. Webb (Inigo Jones’s man) to assist him.”" http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
Larry Bunce • Link
The Duke of Monmouth is the most skittish leaping gallant that ever I saw, always in action, vaulting or leaping, or clambering.
Lords a-leaping?
Robert Gertz • Link
"...though I admire them with all the duty possible, yet the more a man considers and observes them, the less he finds of difference between them and other men, though (blessed be God!) they are both princes of great nobleness and spirits."
One is again reminded of the famous Bernays story of Tom Edison and Henry Ford in conversation, Bernays desperately trying to remain quiet and learn something from the two great men.
"Tom!" Ford shouting to the partially deaf Edison. "You look good! How do you do it?"
"Every day my wife has me take two of Carter's little liver pills."
"Well...You look good!"
***
"...saw some of her painting, which is very curious..."
(Damnit, Sam. For once couldn't you have been a little remarkably thoughtful and considerate and described the darned things.)
"I call this one 'My dear husband's most foul innards turned inside out'."
"Ah, yes." Sam nods at the rather red painting.
"And this one is a predictive one. My ghost in twenty years visiting you."
"Hmmn... Rising out of my Diary journal with an axe. Most interesting. And this 'You outta know' for the title?"
"Actually it's also a poem set to music." hands Sam sheet.
Hmmn...Yes. Scans sheet. "'Did you forget about me, Mr. Duplicity?'".
"Just came to me in a dream."
Hmmn...
"'...hold me till ya died but you're still alive'?" Slightly hurt look. "Bess, I'm not the best of husbands in this world perhaps but you outta know I'd never abandon you living."
Smile... "I do. The title's a reminder to me too, you know."
"Oh?"
"Not to give up on you completely. And there's a rather happy conclusion to my vision." fond look.
(...which will await the last entry I think.)
dirk • Link
From the Carte Papers
http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/s…
Edward, Earl of Clarendon, Lord Chancellor, to Sandwich
Written from: Twickenham
Date: 26 July 1665
Cannot begin his journey towards Salisbury without first sending good wishes & assurance of friendly service. Hopes they may both outlive this devouring war, and see their country for years in Peace with all the world. Congratulates the Earl on the coming alliance of his family with that of the writer's friend the Vice-Chamberlain [Carteret].
Should the writer outlive the Earl, it will be his aim to serve all who are related to him, with all the ease and diligence he can. ...
CGS • Link
Samuell not yet for the High table nor for the high jump. So close yet so far from that Great A List.
Still ye be on the consulting list, and your name be remembered. Samuell the king will dub thee if ye hand over some of those little money bags.
A dash of gold coin of the realm will help thy saddened 'eart.
dirk • Link
"Down to Woolwich and there I just saw and kissed my wife, and saw some of her painting, which is very curious"
Has anything been preserved of Elizabeth's paintings?
language hat • Link
What a great entry. So much to ruminate on; this leaped out at me:
"and away again to the King and back again with him in the barge, hearing him and the Duke talk, and seeing and observing their manner of discourse. And God forgive me! though I admire them with all the duty possible, yet the more a man considers and observes them, the less he finds of difference between them and other men"
Indeed, Sam. Indeed.
JWB • Link
"For methinks if a man would but reflect upon this, and think that all these things are ordered by God Almighty to make me contented..."
And Leibniz only born 1646. Panglossist Zeigeist. Before dicarding this mindset in Voltaire cynicism (Candide), think what stength thinking oneself a member of the "elect" in a plague filled city gave our Greceful Sam.
JWB • Link
That's Graceful not Greceful
Having received the gift you'd think would have led a more "Levitical" life.
Robert Gertz • Link
Interesting that no one meeting him seems to worry about Sam's being in London so steadily. Apparently, at least at the moment, unless one has visible symptoms of plague or an actual victim in the house there's no worry of it being passed on.
I note no mention of kissing hands though, perhaps he simply left that out or possibily they did avoid that with Sam. Would be interesting to learn his time with the royals and senior staff is being deliberately limited and these failures to invite him to dinner, etc are polite exclusions just to be on the safe side.
***
"Look, Jamie...It's Pepys. Pon my soul, is he still alive? Still works in our London office, doesn't he? Or did the man let sense overcome Duty yet?"
"Still in London. Lets keep the briefing with Mr. Pepys, short, gentlemen. But don't rush him out too fast, no need to hurt the poor fellow. Just keep him off a little ways, would you?"
JWB • Link
Oh, and that's Zeitgeist
This string of corrections reminds me of Acton in Ray Bradbury's "Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl" erasing fingerprints.
Australian Susan • Link
"...The Duke of Monmouth is the most skittish leaping gallant that ever I saw, always in action, vaulting or leaping, or clambering...."
ADHD?
jeannine • Link
“…The Duke of Monmouth is the most skittish leaping gallant that ever I saw, always in action, vaulting or leaping, or clambering….”
ADHD?
Susan--I don't know if it's ADHD syndrome or if it's "It's all about me" syndrome. I am very sure that the over-indulged Monmouth suffered from the latter.....
Second Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
Monmouth, "the leaping-lord", was now 16.
Terry Foreman • Link
"The sicknesse is got into our parish this week,"
L&M: In St Olave's there was one death from plague (out of a total of 1089) recorded in the bills of mortality for the week ending 25 July.
Marquess • Link
The King being mightily pleased with his new buildings, I myself have just recently returned from Greenwich Naval College, and was mightily pleased with what I saw; especially the portico like false windows which contain busts of great British naval figures, with Charles II in the centre. It would have been a national tragedy if the Naval College and concomitant buildings had been sold off as the government once intended.
San Diego Sarah • Link
"After a little other discourse and the sad news of the death of so many in the parish of the plague, forty last night, the bell always going, ..."
Pepys is talking to Anthony Joyce, and I don't have a note of where he and Kate lived. The context here would be how many deaths there were in the Joyce's parish recently (40) rather than St. Olave's (1).
San Diego Sarah • Link
"... Mr. Castle, who told me the design of Ford and Rider to oppose and do all the hurt they can to Captain Taylor in his new ship “The London,” and how it comes, and that they are a couple of false persons, which I believe, and withal that he himself is a knave too."
Capt. John Taylor's new ship was named The Loyal London, and L&M says it was launched in 1666, so I guess this was its working name. The old London was launched in 1656, so it wasn't the new ship.
They sound so petty: There's a war in progress, Tangier is desperate for food and supplies, people are dying all around them, and they are scheming against each other.
Terry Foreman • Link
The L&M Companions says Anthony Joyce, the unsuccessful of the two Joyce Brothers, had owned several houses (presumably by inheritance);; some were destroyed in the Fire but seven survived. In 1664 he took up innkeeping (at the Three Stags, Holbein conduit), but failed to prosper and in 1668 died after attempting to drown himself. He was then living in St-Giles-without-Cripplegate.
San Diego Sarah • Link
"I home to set my Journal for these four days in order, they being four days of as great content and honor and pleasure to me as ever I hope to live or desire, or think anybody else can live."
I hope Pepys had the opportunity to wear that expensive new red suit. And I bet his hat was off for the entire four days.
San Diego Sarah • Link
"... with Anthony, who tells me he likes well of my proposal for Pall to Harman, but I fear that less than 500l. will not be taken, and that I shall not be able to give, though I did not say so to him."
Shame on you, Pepys. And exactly why won't you contribute to Pall's dowry?