Monday 19 March 1665/66

Up betimes and upon a meeting extraordinary at the office most of the morning with Lord Bruncker, Sir W. Coventry, and Sir W. Pen, upon the business of the accounts. Where now we have got almost as much as we would have we begin to lay all on the Controller, and I fear he will be run down with it, for he is every day less and less capable of doing business. Thence with my Lord Bruncker, Sir W. Coventry to the ticket office, to see in what little order things are there, and there it is a shame to see how the King is served. Thence to the Chamberlain of London, and satisfy ourselves more particularly how much credit we have there, which proves very little. Thence to Sir Robert Long’s, absent. About much the same business, but have not the satisfaction we would have there neither. So Sir W. Coventry parted, and my Lord and I to Mrs. Williams’s, and there I saw her closett, where indeed a great many fine things there are, but the woman I hate. Here we dined, and Sir J. Minnes come to us, and after dinner we walked to the King’s play-house, all in dirt, they being altering of the stage to make it wider. But God knows when they will begin to act again; but my business here was to see the inside of the stage and all the tiring-rooms and machines; and, indeed, it was a sight worthy seeing. But to see their clothes, and the various sorts, and what a mixture of things there was; here a wooden-leg, there a ruff, here a hobbyhorse, there a crown, would make a man split himself to see with laughing; and particularly Lacy’s wardrobe, and Shotrell’s. But then again, to think how fine they show on the stage by candle-light, and how poor things they are to look now too near hand, is not pleasant at all. The machines are fine, and the paintings very pretty.

Thence mightily satisfied in my curiosity I away with my Lord to see him at her house again, and so take leave and by coach home and to the office, and thence sent for to Sir G. Carteret by and by to the Broad Streete, where he and I walked two or three hours till it was quite darke in his gallery talking of his affairs, wherein I assure him all will do well, and did give him (with great liberty, which he accepted kindly) my advice to deny the Board nothing they would aske about his accounts, but rather call upon them to know whether there was anything more they desired, or was wanting. But our great discourse and serious reflections was upon the bad state of the kingdom in general, through want of money and good conduct, which we fear will undo all. Thence mightily satisfied with this good fortune of this discourse with him I home, and there walked in the darke till 10 o’clock at night in the garden with Sir W. Warren, talking of many things belonging to us particularly, and I hope to get something considerably by him before the year be over. He gives me good advice of circumspection in my place, which I am now in great mind to improve; for I think our office stands on very ticklish terms, the Parliament likely to sit shortly and likely to be asked more money, and we able to give a very bad account of the expence of what we have done with what they did give before. Besides, the turning out the prize officers may be an example for the King giving us up to the Parliament’s pleasure as easily, for we deserve it as much.

Besides, Sir G. Carteret did tell me tonight how my Lord Bruncker himself, whose good-will I could have depended as much on as any, did himself to him take notice of the many places I have; and though I was a painful man, yet the Navy was enough for any man to go through with in his owne single place there, which much troubles me, and shall yet provoke me to more and more care and diligence than ever.

Thence home to supper, where I find my wife and Mrs. Barbary with great colds, as I also at this time have.

This day by letter from my father he propounds a match in the country for Pall, which pleased me well, of one that hath seven score and odd pounds land per annum in possession, and expects 1000l. in money by the death of an old aunt. He hath neither father, mother, sister, nor brother, but demands 600l. down, and 100l. on the birth of first child, which I had some inclination to stretch to. He is kinsman to, and lives with, Mr. Phillips, but my wife tells me he is a drunken, ill-favoured, ill-bred country fellow, which sets me off of it again, and I will go on with Harman. So after supper to bed.

26 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"But then again, to think how fine they show on the stage by candle-light, and how poor things they are to look now too near hand, is not pleasant at all."

Samuel, you KNOW how it is; how YOU are:
"All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players...."

cgs  •  Link

"ticket office" an important institution in the world of finance similar to the modern check cashing shops for cashing the poor unbankable people.A place where the seamen get short changed.

cgs  •  Link

Security. Is it better to be an old mans darling or a young mans slave? Samuell is sure that being old drunks slave not be the answer.

Terry W  •  Link

“But then again, to think how fine they show on the stage by candle-light, and how poor things they are to look now too near hand, is not pleasant at all.”

350 years later and this hasn't changed at all!

cgs  •  Link

Avarice Insatiable Greed in a[n] 'istory repeat.
"...the Parliament likely to sit shortly and likely to be asked more money, and we able to give a very bad account of the expence of what we have done with what they did give before..."

Samuell any bonuses handed out, the tars do not like script, it does not keep the babes fed.????
Can not raise taxes the merchants will complain.

Ah! sell more titles of dubious worth, ye know! like the title the Duke of Thrombosis, [it be in the dictionary of useless medical terms]

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"But God knows when they will begin to act again."

L&M note the King's order to cease production because of plague issued 5 June 1665 will not be fully repealed until the latter part of November 1666.

Mary  •  Link

"the woman I hate"

We would probably say "I can't stand the woman" rather than using 'hate' which sounds disproportionately strong to modern ears.

David  •  Link

I am reminded of Franz Kafka's wonderful two sentence short story, "From the Gallery", which gives two visions of the same circus performer from the same man in the gallery, one view is that which we wish to see, and the other that which is. http://meandliterature.googlepage…

Andrew Hamilton  •  Link

Going further in this vein of artifice vs. reality, and the important role played by our own imaginations, I suggest "Sailing After Lunch" by Wallace Stevens.

It is the word pejorative that hurts.
My old boat goes round on a crutch
And doesn't get under way.
It is the time of the year
And the time of the day.

Perhaps it's the lunch that we had
Or the lunch that we should have had.
But I am, in any case,
A most inappropriate man
In a most unpropitious place.

Mon Dieu, hear the poet's prayer.
The romantic should be here.
The romantic should be there.
It ought to be everywhere.
But the romantic must never remain,

Mon Dieu, and must never again return.
This heavy historical sail
Through the mustiest blue of the lake
In a really vertiginous boat
Is wholly the vapidest fake....

It is least what one ever sees.
It is only the way one feels, to say
Where my spirit is I am,
To say the light wind worries the sail,
To say the water is swift today,

To expunge all people and be a pupil
Of the gorgeous wheel and so to give
That slight transcendence to the dirty sail,
By light, the way one feels, sharp white,
And then rush brightly through the summer air.

Bradford  •  Link

"[T]o see their clothes, and the various sorts, and what a mixture of things there was; here a wooden-leg, there a ruff, here a hobbyhorse, there a crown . . . to think how fine they show on the stage by candle-light, and how poor things they are to look now too near hand, is not pleasant at all."

It's long been a fact of stage magic that paste sparkles brighter than jewels, and terrycloth can mimic velvet at a fraction of cost and upkeep, if there's just sufficient distance from the audience to provide suspension of disbelief. As for examining the "machines" . . . think of how the extras on DVDs today explain until they explain away every special effect.

A. De Araujo  •  Link

"to see their clothes"
Vivian Leigh is said to have questioned wearing fancy clothing when the audience wouldnt know the difference and was told by the director: You would know.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...thence sent for to Sir G. Carteret by and by to the Broad Streete, where he and I walked two or three hours till it was quite darke in his gallery talking of his affairs, wherein I assure him all will do well, and did give him (with great liberty, which he accepted kindly) my advice to deny the Board nothing they would aske about his accounts, but rather call upon them to know whether there was anything more they desired, or was wanting..."

"You mean to say, Pepys, that you've just spent three hours telling me in summary... 'Honesty is the best policy'..."

"Well, Sir George, I would perhaps not put it quite so baldly. You see, Sir George, my advice...Though I am well aware that you, Sir George, are no need of advice from me, is that in all things one does well to act with prudence and moderation...And yet, Sir George, to give all and be open to all in all things concerning matters to which one has been entrusted. However...I do think, Sir George, to lay open as it were, all the faults of one's soul...Even to those minor transgressions which as men we are after all in the eyes of God who is a just God and tolerant of men's petty faults.."

"Pepys..."

"Sir George?"

Hmmn... "Pepys? Do you think you might possibly be willing to speak before the Parliamentary commission...Going on just as you were now?"

"Well, Sir George...I am honored...And yet I do wonder, Sir George..."

"You're the perfect man to speak for us, Pepys..."

Australian Susan  •  Link

Painful = painstaking

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

"Besides, Sir G. Carteret did tell me tonight how my Lord Bruncker himself, whose good-will I could have depended as much on as any, did himself to him take notice of the many places I have; and though I was a painful man, yet the Navy was enough for any man to go through with in his owne single place there, which much troubles me, and shall yet provoke me to more and more care and diligence than ever."

Think how many ways one could respond to something like this, yet his response is, "I will work harder." This positivity is, I think, the secret of his success.

Kevin Peter  •  Link

"..but my wife tells me he is a drunken, ill-favoured, ill-bred country fellow.."

I see Elizabeth has spent enough time at Brampton during the summers to have come to know the locals pretty well, or at least know them much better than Sam.

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"the King’s play-house, all in dirt, they being altering of the stage to make it wider."

L&M: Pepys had earlier complained ( http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1… ) of inaudibility at the theatre (the TR, Drury Lane) and had ascribed it to the distance between the stage and the boxes.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"The machines are fine, and the paintings very pretty."

L&M: The chief 'machines' of the Restoration stage were the large central trap-door, which could be mechanically lowered and raised, and the system of ropes, windlasses, and pulleys whereby characters and properties could seem to fly, or be lowered to the stage and raised from it. But Pepys may have been using the term to describe the grooves attached to the stage and the underside of the flies by means of which the painted wings and rear flats could be shunted into position and withdraw: cf. http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1… By 'paintings' he means the scenes represented on the wings and rear flats, or on backdrops. For scenery, see Elkanah Settle's The Empress of Morocco (1673). https://archive.org/details/empre…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Besides, the turning out the prize officers may be an example for the King giving us up to the Parliament’s pleasure as easily, for we deserve it as much."

In January the number of sub-commissioners for prize-goods in the ports had been reduced. (Per L&M footnote)

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"a match in the country for Pall, which pleased me well"

financially? well-connected?

Kevin Peter "..but my wife tells me he is a drunken, ill-favoured, ill-bred country fellow.."
I see Elizabeth has spent enough time at Brampton during the summers to have come to know the locals pretty well, or at least know them much better than Sam.

L&M: He was Robert Ensum, of Ellington, Hunts.; nephew of Lewis Philipps, a lawyer whom Pepys had several times consulted. The proposal did not prosper, and Ensum died later in the year.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

I Googled SHOTRELL, ACTOR and came up with this information:

Robert and William Shotterel both belonged to the King's company at the opening of their new Theatre in 1663. One of them [WILLIAM], called by Downs a good actor, but nothing further is recorded of his merits or career, had been quartermaster to the troop of horse in which Hart was serving as lieutenant, and Burt as cornet under Charles I’s standard; but nothing more is recorded of his merits or career. Pepys refers to Robert Shotterel who, it appears, was living in Playhouse Yard, Drury Lane, in 1681-84 .

https://books.google.com/books?id…

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Sir George Carteret must have had excellent mathematical skills in order to navigate and fire cannon in sea battles, but it appears his math skills did not include organization, bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing. How awkward both Carteret and Mennes were accountingly-challenged at the same time.

No wonder Brouncker thought Pepys had his hands full just keeping the Navy books straight. With colleagues like these, who needs 'enemies'?

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"Besides, the turning out the prize officers may be an example for the King giving us up to the Parliament’s pleasure as easily, for we deserve it as much."

Who got turned out? The only names I have gleaned from the Diary so far are Anthony Ashley-Cooper, Lord Ashley; Clifford; Sir Elisha Leighton; Robert Southwell; Sir Henry Bennet (later Earl of Arlington), all seem to have flourished.

JayW  •  Link

David’s comment on 20 Mar 2009:

I am reminded of Franz Kafka's wonderful two sentence short story, "From the Gallery", which gives two visions of the same circus performer from the same man in the gallery, one view is that which we wish to see, and the other that which is.
Updated link:
http://www.kafka-online.info/up-i…

Gerald Berg  •  Link

"he and I walked two or three hours till it was quite darke in his gallery talking of his affairs"

Am I to understand that they walked for 2 or 3 hours in Carteret's gallery? Must be of some size! Is this gallery of use for pictures or...?

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Galleries were long passageways often with windows where people could walk, talk and stay dry and reasonably warm during the winter months.

Many older houses, like Ham House near Richmond, were modified during the Puritan Interregnum using rooms that had been used for dancing or theater. At Ham, the Countess of Dysart cut a big oval in the middle of her dancing room floor which was located above her dining room. It made for a spectacular 2 storey dining room, and demonstrated her adoption of Puritan ethics (a good move since she was a Royalist spy on the quiet, and the Sealed Knot met here). The no-longer dancing room now opened onto a windowed passage, making the area into an interesting walking "gallery." I'm sure they hung paintings (which were now becoming available to the middling sort as well as rich people), and displayed their treasures from their travels as well. People then as now love to show off their stuff when they can.

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