Sunday 24 December 1665
(Sunday). Up betimes, to my Lord Duke of Albemarle by water, and after some talke with him about business of the office with great content, and so back again and to dinner, my landlady and her daughters with me, and had mince-pies, and very merry at a mischance her young son had in tearing of his new coate quite down the outside of his sleeve in the whole cloth, one of the strangest mishaps that ever I saw in my life. Then to church, and placed myself in the Parson’s pew under the pulpit, to hear Mrs. Chamberlain in the next pew sing, who is daughter to Sir James Bunch, of whom I have heard much, and indeed she sings very finely, and from church met with Sir W. Warren and he and I walked together talking about his and my businesses, getting of money as fairly as we can, and, having set him part of his way home, I walked to my Lord Bruncker, whom I heard was at Alderman Hooker’s, hoping to see and salute Mrs. Lethulier, whom I did see in passing, but no opportunity of beginning acquaintance, but a very noble lady she is, however the silly alderman got her. Here we sat talking a great while, Sir The. Biddulph and Mr. Vaughan, a son-in-law of Alderman Hooker’s. Hence with my Lord Bruncker home and sat a little with him and so home to bed.
17 Annotations
First Reading
Michael Robinson • Link
" ... to dinner, my landlady and her daughters with me, and had mince-pies, ..."
Another C17th. Christmas Eve celebration:
"Visitors to New France in the 17th century were amazed by the colony's holiday feasts, which often stretched to 20 or 30 courses. At one celebration on Christmas Eve 1665, prominent residents stayed up all night gorging themselves on pigeon pies, pâtés de volaille, legs of Bayonne ham with sweet raisin-lemon bread, and much more. Even the legendary French chef François Vatel—who is later said to have committed ritual suicide when certain ingredients for a banquet he was preparing in Louis XIV's honor didn't arrive on time—was "most impressed" by the spread."
http://www.bonappetit.com/magazin…
Bryan M • Link
"...and very merry at a mischance her young son had in tearing of his new coate quite down the outside of his sleeve in the whole cloth, one of the strangest mishaps that ever I saw in my life."
Sam shows he is still a tailor's son.
chris • Link
Absolutely no last minute Christmas shopping? No thought of the morrow? When did the Noel thing kick in?
Bryan M • Link
When did the Noel thing kick in?
Wikipedia suggests that gift giving and shopping got going in the mid nineteenth century.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chri…
mary k mcintyre • Link
Just another day of networking, Sunday-style -- eyeballing the other congregants for pretty women, good singing, standing as close as possible to one's betters.
Merry Christmas from Toronto, everyone. This is the 1st time in 42 years that it's been a white Xmas from coast to coast!
Terry Foreman • Link
"my landlady and her daughters"
Mrs. Clerke, Sarah Clerke and (the unlinked) Mrs. Daniels.
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Merry Christmas from...Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. ;-)
jeannine • Link
Merry Christmas from travels in Cairo! Made it out late in a snowstorm, delayed further by a plane mechanical failure and then another day and a half by an airline strike in Italy. Still hoping Santa will find our luggage. The good news is the sphinx says hi to all and with an intermittent internet connection I can visit Sam and wish you all the very best! Enjoy your holidays friends --you are all a wonderful present to me every day of the year!
Robert Gertz • Link
Poor Bess...
Safe travels, all...
Todd Bernhardt • Link
Best wishes for safe and happy travels Jeannine! And of course, here's to a safe, happy and healthy 2009/1666 to all assembed here!
Second Reading
Al • Link
And a Merry Christmas to all 10 years later :-).
I hope 2018 was good for you and that 2019 will be better. I have enjoyed reading Sam's diary for a few years now but missed the first time round.. We are living through disruptive history now that will be in the history books for the next few hundred years (Maybe) - funny to think people will be reading about Trump, Syria, Brexit and wondering how we felt about it at the time .. so to paraphrase Todd -
Here's to a safe, happy and healthy 2019/1666 to all assembled here!
Nate Lockwood • Link
Happy Holidays. I came across a frozen Cornish Pasty which I will thaw and have as a small dinner in Pepys honor along with a British evening draught. My first pasty ever.
Harvey L • Link
Merry Christmas to all from New Zealand, where it is currently 9pm on Christmas Day... all over full on traditional heavy winter Northern Hemisphere Christmas fare as inherited from Pepys and his contemporaries... plus some Southern Hemisphere summer additions like strawberries.
Colin Spencer Hopkins • Link
A Merry Christmas to everybody and stay safe in 2019 ! I wouldn't think that Sam had a Cornish pasty for Christmas though :-) I am guessing that the mince pie was mainly mutton with spices such as cinnamon and cloves ?
Colin Skyrme • Link
May I add my seasonal felicitations and thanks to all Pepys Scholars which, as I read here each day (just north of London, UK) brings me fresh understanding of Our Man. Keep it coming good people! and enjoy our Christian festivities - or your own, if different, when they come due. P.S. Our Forum offers welcome relief from our own British political stresses and, I hope, to all globally with some problems far worse than ours - may good health, peace & fortune come to you all, wherever you are.
JB • Link
I was just thinking many of the same things about people in the future, Al. And Nate, I envy you your pasty.
I’ve been reading for two to three-ish years now. Drawn by Steven Pressfield’s discussion of the portion of Roseanne Cash’s book about her evolution as an artist, I listened to a talk she did at the New York Public Library and she mentioned this site.
I also wonder about the folks from the first round as to whether are following along again or have moved on to other pursuits. In any event, all the best to everyone in the coming year!
San Diego Sarah • Link
So how was your first pasty, Nate? I don't think their pastry was like ours, and it certainly wasn't frozen! For about a year in 1662-1663 people posted a lot about recipes and food, so if you want to know more about venison pie, etc., do some searches on the tab top right. It's amazing what can be found buried in the annotations.
Merry Christmas, Al, Nate, Harvey, Colin, Colin and JB. Happy 2019 annotations.
Colin Skyrme • Link
Thank you Sarah, and a Very Happy Christmas to you too from London, England.
Best wishes,
Colin
From your 2nd Colin or "Colin squared" should you prefer :-)