Wednesday 17 January 1665/66

Busy all the morning, settling things against my going out of towne this night. After dinner, late took horse, having sent for Lashmore to go with me, and so he and I rode to Dagenhams in the dark. There find the whole family well. It was my Lord Crew’s desire that I should come, and chiefly to discourse with me of Lord Sandwich’s matters; and therein to persuade, what I had done already, that my Lord should sue out a pardon for his business of the prizes, as also for Bergen, and all he hath done this year past, before he begins his Embassy to Spayne. For it is to be feared that the Parliament will fly out against him and particular men, the next Session. He is glad also that my Lord is clear of his sea-imployment, though sorry as I am, only in the manner of its bringing about. By and by to supper, my Lady Wright very kind. After supper up to wait on my Lady Crew, who is the same weake silly lady as ever, asking such saintly questions. Down to my Lord again and sat talking an houre or two, and anon to prayers the whole family, and then all to bed, I handsomely used, lying in the chamber Mr. Carteret formerly did, but sat up an houre talking sillily with Mr. Carteret and Mr. Marre, and so to bed.

11 Annotations

First Reading

Michael Robinson  •  Link

" ... that my Lord should sue out a pardon for ... all he hath done this year past, ... For it is to be feared that the Parliament will fly out against him and particular men, the next Session. ..."

Plus ça change, ...

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"my Lady Crew, who is the same weake silly lady as ever, asking such saintly questions."

saintly = "pious: OED P 'befitting a sait', but the 'saint' is likely to imply a puritan of the Interregnum" (L&M Large Glossary)

Has Pepys gone completely around the (Anglican) bend?

jeannine  •  Link

"Has Pepys gone completely around the (Anglican) bend?"

My first thought was with all of the ladies that Sam has been toying around with over the past months that sitting with Lady Crew was quite a change of pace. Perhaps he is in the 'no fondling zone' and noting the difference of the company there.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Interesting about my Lady Crew...That seems the first real criticism I've heard from Sam of that branch of the family. Usually he's full of nothing but praise for all of them and regret that he's neglected them. I wonder if even Lady Jem might now be moving into our busy man of affairs' "weake and silly" category-though of course he does note that he has long found Jem's mum as such. Still, a bit startling...

Perhaps an indictation that the pressures of the last year are finally getting to him? Like a war or disaster vet who can't bear to listen to civilians or the unaffected drone on?

A. Hamilton  •  Link

"Lady Crew, who is the same weake silly lady as ever, asking such saintly questions."

I note that this is one of the OED's citations (another hit for Sam) for saintly, which it defines as: "Of, belonging to, or befitting a saint or saints;of great holiness or sanctity; sainted."

Is the sentence a pejorative assessment of Lady Crew, as the words "weake silly" suggest to our ears? Perhaps, but there is a wide range of meaning for each of the words. Perhaps to Sam "weake" meant deficient in power to control emotion, what we today would call "emotional"; and perhaps "silly" meant deserving of pity, compassion or sympathy. These meanings go together better with "saintly" than physically feeble or morally wavering, and frivolous.
If so, this is a sympathetic portrait, not a disparaging one. Of course, if Lady Jemima Crew is also letting her Puritan sympathies show and expressing distress about the decline of morals under Charles II, "weake silly" could also convey a meaning of "unwise" or "unwordly", and the latter assessment would fit nicely with "saintly."

cgs  •  Link

silly has wide range of simple meanings.
from an being an ass to being unworldly, unsophisticated.
"...who is the same weake silly lady as ever, asking such saintly question..."
Here I dothe 'fink' she be no Palmer or Jezebel,or other distractions that Samuell has been enjoying of late, witty views of female come- hithers showing their withers.
The fodder for RG's comments

Robert Gertz  •  Link

To follow my last thought, I wonder if it may not be coincidence that Sam's opinion of Lady Crew comes when he's newly fearful of another outbreak of plague just when it was hoped the frost was putting it to rest. Sam has been at a very high pitch this year and surely some of his frantic partying and womanizing has been a grab at life while seeing death everywhere. If Lady Crew now expressed some hope that more faith in God or prayer, etc would save His/Her Wicked people or worse, suggested her family had been spared owing to their superior faith and standing with the Lord, I could see it striking a nerve in Sam.

cgs  •  Link

." If Lady Crew now expressed some hope that more faith in God or prayer, etc would save His/Her Wicked people or worse,"

Samuell Pepys does not mention the excommunicated Protesting Clergy, especially Bros Tm. Vincent and Mr. Bunyon [out of the nick] whom were roaming the streets, helping the under privileged with physical and mental help in these trying times,blaming that the sins of the betters be the reason that the rats fleas be fleeing the ships.
People like Lady Crew be in sympathy.
While me Laud Rochester be enjoying non-saintly nights

A.Hamilton  •  Link

Protesting Clergy

Why, Old Salt, you sound like a republican!

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"so he and I rode to Dagenhams"

L&M: A home near Romford, Essex; home of Lady Wright, the widowed daughter of Lord Crew.

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