Friday 11 August 1665

Up, and all day long finishing and writing over my will twice, for my father and my wife, only in the morning a pleasant rencontre happened in having a young married woman brought me by her father, old Delkes, that carries pins always in his mouth, to get her husband off that he should not go to sea, ‘une contre pouvait avoir done any cose cum else, but I did nothing, si ni baisser her’. After they were gone my mind run upon having them called back again, and I sent a messenger to Blackwall, but he failed. So I lost my expectation. I to the Exchequer, about striking new tallys, and I find the Exchequer, by proclamation, removing to Nonesuch. —[Nonsuch Palace, near Epsom, where the Exchequer money was kept during the time of the plague.]—

Back again and at my papers, and putting up my books into chests, and settling my house and all things in the best and speediest order I can, lest it should please God to take me away, or force me to leave my house.

Late up at it, and weary and full of wind, finding perfectly that so long as I keepe myself in company at meals and do there eat lustily (which I cannot do alone, having no love to eating, but my mind runs upon my business), I am as well as can be, but when I come to be alone, I do not eat in time, nor enough, nor with any good heart, and I immediately begin to be full of wind, which brings my pain, till I come to fill my belly a-days again, then am presently well.

22 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"only in the morning a pleasant rancontre [chance meeting] happened, in having a young married woman brought me by her father, old Delkes, that carries pins always in his mouth, to get her husband off that he should not go to sea, 'uno ombre pouvait avoir done an cosa cum ella, but I did natha sino besar her'. [I would have been able to have done the thing with her but I did nothing except kiss her.] And after they were gone my mind run upon having them called back again, and I sent a messenger to Blackwall, but he failed, so I lost my expectation." [Duncan Grey translation] http://www.pepys.info/bits2.html

jeannine  •  Link

"only in the morning a pleasant rencontre happened in having a young married woman brought me by her father, old Delkes, that carries pins always in his mouth, to get her husband off that he should not go to sea, ‘une contre pouvait avoir done any cose cum else, but I did nothing, si ni baisser her’.

It almost seems like Sam perhaps has gained a reputation for trading jobs for sex??? Perhaps the word has made its way to Old Delkes?????

Stacia  •  Link

Thank you for the translation, Terry.

Both Delkes and his daughter were at the meeting. Can we assume Delkes was offering his own daughter, or at least approved of her offer to Sam?

Michael Robinson  •  Link

"I find the Exchequer, by proclamation, removing to Nonesuch. —"

By the King. A proclamation for removing the receipt of His Majesties exchequer from Westminster to Nonsuch. ... Given at our court at Hampton-Court, the six and twentieth day of July, 1665. in the seventeenth year of our reign. God save the King.
London : printed by John Bill and Christopher Barker, printers to the Kings most Excellent Majesty, 1665.
1 sheet ([1] p.) ; 1⁰.
Wing (CD-ROM, 1996), C3416; Steele, I, 3428

Spoiler -- The move of the Exchequer back to Westminster was proclaimed, in a similar broadside issued in Oxford, on January 5th. 1666.

A Hamilton  •  Link

I immediately begin to be full of wind

Sam's "got his wind up" over the plague. Does the phrase refer to a churning stomach, I wonder?

Tony Eldridge  •  Link

"old Delkes, that carries pins always in his mouth"

Any ideas why? Is he a tailor, perhaps?

GrahamT  •  Link

"Wind" in this sense is intestinal gas.
It is interesting that he is reporting what is now accepted wisdom; snatched meals while working are bad for the digestion. I don't think filling ones belly with food is currently recommended as a remedy for flatulence, though.

CGS  •  Link

dump from From God's terrible voice... june 1665
"....Now the citezens of London are put to a stop in the career of their trade; they begin to fear whom they converse withal, lest the should have come out ingected places, now roses & toher sweet flowers wither in the gardens, are disregarded in the markets, and people dae not offer them to their noses, lest withe their sweet savour , that whic is infected should be atrracted; rue and wormwood is take in the hand; myrrhe and zedoary into the mout; and withour soe antidote few stir abooooooou in the morning...."

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...[I would have been able to have done the thing with her but I did nothing except kiss her.] And after they were gone my mind run upon having them called back again, and I sent a messenger to Blackwall, but he failed, so I lost my expectation."

Sounds as though Sam were anxiously reassuring himself that he could have and would have...But for bad timing. Perhaps, what with the will and all on top of all else, grim thoughts of mortality are beginning to weigh a little too heavily. The musing over digestive problems and the lack of company at meals seems related. I think Sam's spirits are beginning to flag a little.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"I think Sam’s spirits are beginning to flag a little."

Robert, you are surely right: our favorite bibliophile has written he's even been "putting up my books into chests, and settling my house and all things in the best and speediest order I can, lest it should please God to take me away, or force me to leave my house."

rob  •  Link

Hi there,

Over the last weeks there have been repeated mentionings of tallys. I may have overlooked it but I do not quite understand the function of them. What is Sam supposed to do with them?

Thanks,

Mary  •  Link

tally sticks.

Go to
http://nationalarchives.gov.uk/mu…
and you will find illustrations and explanation.

Sam has been raising money for the King by 'placing' these tallies with goldsmiths, wealthy merchants etc.who will eventually hope to secure repayment from the Treasury on presentation of their tallies.

rob  •  Link

Thanks Mary, very usefull indeed

Paul Chapin  •  Link

The Duncan Grey text and translation

Thanks to Terry for providing a link to this site, which I hadn't known about. Grey's text and translation of Sam's polyglot passage in this entry raises two interesting points. Repeated here for easy reference:

‘uno ombre pouvait avoir done an cosa cum ella, but I did natha sino besar her’. [I would have been able to have done the thing with her but I did nothing except kiss her.]

Grey's use of "uno ombre" instead of Wheatley's "une contre" suggests a better translation than Grey's: "a man could have done the thing with her" etc. And "natha" in place of "nothing" looks like Sam's representation of Spanish "nada", in which the /d/ is pronounced like English voiced /th/.

Can someone with L&M tell us how they transcribe this passage?

Mary  •  Link

polyglot passage.

The L&M reading is almost identical to the Duncan Grey quoted by Paul.

The only, small difference is that they give "any cosa" rather than "an cosa."

Michael Robinson  •  Link

The L&M reading is almost identical to the Duncan Grey quoted by Paul.

This is hardly surprising since, on reviewing his site, for these passages Grey appears to be working from L&M, using Tomlin for translation suggestions; nowhere does he suggest or imply that he has been allowed direct access to, or made an independent additional transcription/translation directly from, the Diary Mss at Magdalene.

Paul Chapin  •  Link

Thanks to Mary. With "any" the translation becomes smoother: "A man could have done anything with her ..."

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

"(which I cannot do alone, having no love to eating, but my mind runs upon my business)"

What a fantastic insight into Sam's nature. Yes, he's a sensualist, but only in certain areas, and ultimately he's a social animal. Can't see our boy staying home drinking alone, for example -- after all, there's work to be done. And once that's done, there's time for play. And play, of course, usually involves another (or others)...

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"I find the Exchequer, by proclamation, removing to Nonesuch. —"

Nonsuch House, near Epsom, Surrey. The proclamation (necessitate by the plague) was issued on 26 July, and the Precept of Exchequer and the Tally Office stayed there until 20 January 1666. CSPD 1664-6, p. 492. (Per L&M note)

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"... having a young married woman brought me by her father, old Delkes, ..., to get her husband off that he should not go to sea, ..."

Sounds to me like Mr. Robins has been impressed, and "old" Delkes and young (newly married?) Judy have conspired to do whatever they can to rescue him. Perhaps Robins is the family wage earner? -- they must be desperate to suggest this.

Third Reading

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"old Delkes, that carries pins always in his mouth,"

Old Delkes must have worked in the office because Early Modern society had a great fear of swallowing pins which was likely influenced by their widespread use. Pins were used to hold together clothing, style hair, organize documents and, of course, for sewing.

For more about this fear -- and the use of pins by supposed witches in the 17th century -- see
https://theconversation.com/early…

Log in to post an annotation.

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