Monday 25 September 1665
Found ourselves come to the fleete, and so aboard the Prince; and there, after a good while in discourse, we did agree a bargain of 5,000l. with Sir Roger Cuttance for my Lord Sandwich for silk, cinnamon, nutmeggs, and indigo. And I was near signing to an undertaking for the payment of the whole sum; but I did by chance escape it; having since, upon second thoughts, great cause to be glad of it, reflecting upon the craft and not good condition, it may be, of Captain Cocke.
I could get no trifles for my wife. Anon to dinner and thence in great haste to make a short visit to Sir W. Pen, where I found them and his lady and daughter and many commanders at dinner. Among others Sir G. Askue, of whom whatever the matter is, the world is silent altogether. But a very pretty dinner there was, and after dinner Sir W. Pen made a bargain with Cocke for ten bales of silke, at 16s. per lb., which, as Cocke says, will be a good pennyworth, and so away to the Prince and presently comes my Lord on board from Greenwich, with whom, after a little discourse about his trusting of Cocke, we parted and to our yacht; but it being calme, we to make haste, took our wherry toward Chatham; but, it growing darke, we were put to great difficultys, our simple, yet confident waterman, not knowing a step of the way; and we found ourselves to go backward and forward, which, in the darke night and a wild place, did vex us mightily. At last we got a fisher boy by chance, and took him into the boat, and being an odde kind of boy, did vex us too; for he would not answer us aloud when we spoke to him, but did carry us safe thither, though with a mistake or two; but I wonder they were not more. In our way I was [surprised] and so were we all, at the strange nature of the sea-water in a darke night, that it seemed like fire upon every stroke of the oare, and, they say, is a sign of winde. We went to the Crowne Inne, at Rochester, and there to supper, and made ourselves merry with our poor fisher-boy, who told us he had not been in a bed in the whole seven years since he came to ’prentice, and hath two or three more years to serve. After eating something, we in our clothes to bed.
21 Annotations
First Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"indigo"
Presumably http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indi… ?
Terry Foreman • Link
"In our way I was [surprised] and so were we all, at the strange nature of the sea-water in a darke night, that it seemed like fire upon every stroke of the oare, and, they say, is a sign of winde."
Suggests a "red tide" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_…
CGS • Link
Looking at the spoils of warre, James and Charles not be happy as his court dothe think that at least one third be for them to make merry with the ladies of the court.
Robert Gertz • Link
So Sam wisely dodged signing alone for the 5000? So...I wonder are he and Capt Cocke buying the goods on margin? A down payment of what gold they have with promise to pay in full when the goods are sold? Surely Sam wouldn't risk his whole life savings, so either his percentage in the deal is quite small or he and Cocke must be putting down just a fraction.
CGS • Link
May pay on delivery? these goods may not be on site so the good faith amount up front..
Paul Chapin • Link
"Sir G. Askue, of whom whatever the matter is, the world is silent altogether"
What a great comment. LOL, as they say.
Paul Chapin • Link
"the strange nature of the sea-water in a darke night, that it seemed like fire upon every stroke of the oare"
Contra Terry, I don't believe this is red tide, which is visible only in the daytime, but marine phosphorescence, visible on a dark night, emitted by tiny crustaceans and other sea life. Google has various references for "marine phosphorescence"; the following one is quite readable and pertinent.
http://www.web-books.com/Classics…
Silvia Kruse • Link
"the strange nature of the sea-water in a darke night, that it seemed like fire upon every stroke of the oare"
I agree with Mr. Chapin.
It might have been just bioluminiscent plankton (noctilucae). It gives the water an incredible glow, and may be present just all by itself.
Pepys' description is a very good one for this phenomenon, for calm water won't glow but it will do so if disturbed (as with an oar stroke, a leaping fish or the breaking of waves). It won't be red or have a reddish quality at all –please note that Pepys does not mention any color– but look rather like bluish or greenish 'liquid' fire.
tonyt • Link
'...great cause to be glad of it...'. This seems to be a spoiler from Sam himself - in other words, he was able to apply hindsight by the time he wrote up this entry.
Robert Gertz • Link
"...and made ourselves merry with our poor fisher-boy, who told us he had not been in a bed in the whole seven years since he came to ‘prentice..."
Heaven, this am...
"Sam'l?!"
"I know, I know. But in 1665...Context of the time, dearest."
"But Eleanor Roosevelt was labeled a lesbian by her enemies (and some biographers) on less evidence..."
"Bess, I know...I'm 'Mr. Papist', remember?"
"Well, thank God Shaftsbury never got hold of this...I knew this Diary of yours was trouble."
"Bess...Anyone reading of my exploits will know I...Ummn..."
"Right, lets not go that way. Anyway...What's this about your risking everything we had then on this stupid trade goods deal?"
Spoiler...
"I did tell you about it, remember? And I wasn't risking 'everything'. Keep reading."
FJA • Link
Pepys says it was a "darke night" and so it must have been. But had there been any moon out to speak of a red tide would light up the disturbances of the water like fire. Being night, one would not see the "red" of the water, but only the phosphorescence of the disturbances. I've gone body-surfing at 2am, determining the size and distance of approaching waves only by the line of glowing foam as the wave begins to curl from out of total blackness. Of course, one has only to kick one's feet to be engulfed in fantastic colors.
FJA • Link
If it were a red tide, however, I wonder that the boatmen do not seem to recognize it as such. It occurs here anywhere from a couple times a year to once every few years, and its color during the day, beauty at night, smell of dying plankton and association with jellyfish, make it immediately recognizable.
Terry Foreman • Link
Today is St. Crispin's Day
Is this off-topic, given Pepys's opinion of Shakespeare and his ignorance of the Bard's *Henry V*? Men are being tested by the war that is underway.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sain…'s_Day
Second Reading
Alice Teasdale • Link
Indigo - definitely the dye, or the plant from which the dye is derived. Probably the former as the extraction process is quite tedious and smelly.
Terry Foreman • Link
"we did agree a bargain of 5,000l. with Sir Roger Cuttance for my Lord Sandwich for silk, cinnamon, nutmeggs, and indigo."
L&M: Their total value , when sold (excluding those sent to Hinchingbrooke)), was £4786 9s. 0d. , of which Sandwich gave £600 to Cuttance. (Pepys note).
Terry Foreman • Link
"many commanders at dinner. Among others Sir G. Askue, of whom whatever the matter is, the world is silent altogether. "
He was still in command of the Henry, in which he had served as Vice-Admiral of the Blue (Sandwich's squadron) in the summer campaign: Sandwich, p. 271.
(L&M note)
Terry Foreman • Link
"the strange nature of the sea-water in a darke night, that it seemed like fire upon every stroke of the oare, and, they say, is a sign of winde. "
L&M note Dr D.J. Schove writes: 'This phenomenon is caused by the oxidation of living organisms. Several gales were reported about this date.'
San Diego Sarah • Link
Rochester is the next town down the Medway from Chatham (i.e. west, and around a bend in the river). It must have been very dark! Or the fisher boy really didn’t want to go to Chatham.
San Diego Sarah • Link
Today Sandwich was visiting with John Evelyn. From Evelyn's Diary:
"25th September, 1665. My Lord Admiral being come from the fleet to Greenwich, I went thence with him to the Cock-pit, to consult with the Duke of Albemarle. I was peremptory that, unless we had ^10,000 immediately, the prisoners would starve, and it was proposed it should be raised out of the East India prizes now taken by Lord Sandwich.
"They being but two of the commission, and so not empowered to determine, sent an express to his Majesty and Council, to know what they should do. In the meantime, I had five vessels, with competent guards, to keep the prisoners in for the present, to be placed as I should think best.
"After dinner (which was at the General's) I went over to visit his Grace, the Archbishop of Canterbury, at Lambeth." [Archbishop of Canterbury Gilbert Sheldon]
http://brittlebooks.library.illin…
This leads me to think Monck and Sandwich were Prize Commissioners, but they knew they couldn't make distribution decisions alone.
John G • Link
St. Crispin and Crispinian's Day is actually on 25 OCTOBER.
San Diego Sarah • Link
"Anon to dinner and thence in great haste to make a short visit to Sir W. Pen, where I found them and his lady and daughter and many commanders at dinner. Among others Sir G. Askue, of whom whatever the matter is, the world is silent altogether. But a very pretty dinner there was, and after dinner Sir W. Pen made a bargain with Cocke for ten bales of silke, at 16s. per lb., which, as Cocke says, will be a good pennyworth, and so away to the Prince ..."
Pepys intends to make a flying visit to see Adm. Penn, but ends up staying (for a second dinner?) and discussing business. Considering the times, it may be significant that he records the presence of the two Margarets, but not the names of the many commanders?