Monday 7 May 1666

Up betimes to set my Victualling papers in order against Sir W. Coventry comes, which indeed makes me very melancholy, being conscious that I am much to seeke in giving a good answer to his queries about the Victualling business. At the office mighty busy, and brought myself into a pretty plausible condition before Sir W. Coventry come, and did give him a pretty tolerable account of every thing and went with him into the Victualling office, where we sat and examined his businesses and state of the victualling of the fleete, which made me in my heart blushe that I could say no more to it than I did or could. But I trust in God I shall never be in that condition again. We parted, and I with pretty good grace, and so home to dinner, where my wife troubled more and more with her swollen cheek. So to dinner, my sister-in-law with us, who I find more and more a witty woman; and then I to my Lord Treasurer’s and the Exchequer about my Tangier businesses, and with my content passed by all things and persons without so much as desiring any stay or loss of time with them, being by strong vowe obliged on no occasion to stay abroad but my publique offices. So home again, where I find Mrs. Pierce and Mrs. Ferrers come to see my wife. I staid a little with them, being full of business, and so to the office, where busy till late at night and so weary and a little conscious of my failures to-day, yet proud that the day is over without more observation on Sir W. Coventry’s part, and so to bed and to sleepe soundly.

10 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

John Evelyn's Diary

7 I went to Rochester:
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Le…

Living on his estate, Sayes Court, at Deptford, where most days were routine (by his pretty lofty standards), Evelyn's "memoirs", unlike Pepys's "journal", were not daily. He used it to record significant events -- e.g., a London visit and encounter with the King or visit to the Royal Society or unusual events -- in great detail; to record his itinerary of travels on both official and unofficial business; and to note expenses pursuant to his role as a Commissioner for the Sick and Wounded during the Second Anglo-Dutch War.

Carl in Boston  •  Link

where my wife troubled more and more with her swollen cheek.
What, what? What lies in the future. What is happening? What is happening?

cgs  •  Link

surely it be to find a dentist?

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"proud that the day is over without more observation on Sir W. Coventry’s part"

"proud" here seems to mean "glad":

8. Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. pleased; happy: I'm proud to meet you. http://dictionary.reference.com/b…

I'd never heard that before I moved to the mid-South U.S.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"You did send the servants away, but for Jane?"

"They're all gone." Sam nods, putting wine bottles on the table.

"How many you think?" Bess eyes bottles.

"Well...You're not much used to wine. Two, perhaps three."

"This is very kind of you Sam'l. But I don't know..."

"Bess, I can't bear to see you suffer and the dentist warns me this will make my stone operation seem easy. Here..." Pushes glass her way.

"Papa will never find out...Even in a good cause, he'd be livid."

"Secret to my grave..." Sam nods.

Two hours later...

"You know..." hic... "I gotta gud min ta hit you ri' in the nose, you....Cause..." hic... "Ya deserves it...Leavin' me heres all alone...And you hit me tha' Christmas..."

"I'm really sor' Bessie...Oh..." hic...Sam having agreed to keep company. "I'ma brute...I'ow never to make ya eye black agai'...Oh..." hic.

"You...Leavin' me alone...And wha' you doin' all the time out there, late? You got some girl out an' abouts there...?"

"Uh...No..." Sam hasn't allowed himself to drink that much, being no fool.

"Well, my ma says...You look lik da type...Ya know da typ'..." hic.

"Nope..." Hic. "A lil' more, I think you can still feel your face...No, tha's mine. Well, anyway." Pours

"Ya... Oh, Sam'l...You ain't the type, are ya? I didn't go hoppin' off with m'Lord Sandy when he was comin' round in '62. Or lil' Hinchy when he come by this summer at Brampon..ton..." Hic.

"Hinchy?...My Lady's and Lord's boy?"

"Not a boy since he been ta France..." grin...Hic.

"I'll kills him..." Rising

"I didn't do nothin' Sam...Wait...Yous in no cond...Right way to travel...'sides, I gotta get my tooth yanked."

"Later then...But you said no?"

"Big fa' No...Like with Unk Wighty..."

"You're the best, Bessie..."

"Damn straight...Luv of ma life..."

"Oh..."

"Wha...Sammy? W'as wrong, honey?"

"Ima fiend, Bessie...A co...wardly cad...Oh, there's no word bad enough for me." hic.

"You didn't screw up the victual stuff tha' bad, honey...Sir Willy said twas OK, ya said."

"Oh, Bessie...Here, hav' sum more..." Pours...

"Gotta bare my soul, Bessie..."

"Now I ca' feel my face neither..." she notes.

"Bessie, oh beautiful Bessie...I gotta tell ya...Bessie? Bessie?"

Snore...

Well, perhaps another time...

"She's out, sir?" Jane sticks head in door...

"Oh, yeah... Have Tom fetch the dentist."

"She's plastered, Tommy!!" yell at door... "Go and get him."

"Oh, Jane...I loves my Bessie there...But Ima very bad lot, sometimes."

"No argument there, sir."

"Ummn...Jane...? You're lookin' very..."

"Forget it, sir."

"

A. De Araujo  •  Link

"so to bed amd to sleepe soundly"
Obviously written afterwards.

JWB  •  Link

"...pretty plausible... pretty tolerable..."

Pert'neer a redneck.

Second Reading

Third Reading

Meg H  •  Link

How many of us cover ourselves in glory after a good day out and then home to someone else’s discomfort…even our beloved’s or especially so..have exercised grace? Bess must have hated him on occasions.

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