Sunday 17 June 1666

(Lord’s day). Being invited to Anthony Joyce’s to dinner, my wife and sister and Mercer and I walked out in the morning, it being fine weather, to Christ Church, and there heard a silly sermon, but sat where we saw one of the prettiest little boys with the prettiest mouth that ever I saw in [my] life.

Thence to Joyce’s, where William Joyce and his wife were, and had a good dinner; but, Lord! how sicke was I of the company, only hope I shall have no more of it a good while; but am invited to Will’s this week; and his wife, poor unhappy woman, cried to hear me say that I could not be there, she thinking that I slight her: so they got me to promise to come.

Thence my father and I walked to Gray’s Inne Fields, and there spent an houre or two walking and talking of several businesses; first, as to his estate, he told me it produced about 80l. per ann., but then there goes 30l. per. ann. taxes and other things, certain charge, which I do promise to make good as far as this 30l., at which the poor man was overjoyed and wept.

As to Pall he tells me he is mightily satisfied with Ensum, and so I promised to give her 500l. presently, and to oblige myself to 100 more on the birth of her first child, he insuring her in 10l. per ann. for every 100l., and in the meantime till she do marry I promise to allow her 10l. per ann.

Then as to John I tell him I will promise him nothing, but will supply him as so much lent him, I declaring that I am not pleased with him yet, and that when his degree is over I will send for him up hither, and if he be good for any thing doubt not to get him preferment.

This discourse ended to the joy of my father and no less to me to see that I am able to do this, we return to Joyce’s and there wanting a coach to carry us home I walked out as far as the New Exchange to find one, but could not. So down to the Milke-house, and drank three glasses of whay, and then up into the Strand again, and there met with a coach, and so to Joyce’s and took up my father, wife, sister, and Mercer, and to Islington, where we drank, and then our tour by Hackney home, where, after a little, business at my office and then talke with my Lady and Pegg Pen in the garden, I home and to bed, being very weary.

19 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

John Evelyn's Diary
17: Came his Majestie, Duke, & many Noblemen; after Council, we went to Prayers: having dispatch’d my buisinesse, I return’d to Chattham having layne but one night at sea, in the Royal Charles, we had a tempestuous sea; I went on shore at Sheere-Nesse [ http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo… ], where they were building an Arsenal for the Fleete, & designing a royal Fort, with a receptacle for greate ships to ride at Anker; but here I beheld that sad spectacle, namely more than halfe of that gallant bulwark of the Kingdome miserably shatterd, hardly a Vessell intire, but appearing rather so many wracks & hulls, so cruely had the Dutch mangled us: when the losse of the Prince (that gallant Vessell) had ben a losse to be universaly deplor’d, none knowing for what reason we first ingagd in this ungratefull warr: we lost besids 9 or 10 more, & neere 600 men slaine, & 1100 wounded 2000 Prisoners, to balance which perhaps we might destroy 18 or 20 of the Enemies ships & 7 or 800 poore men:
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Le…

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

How heart-warming to read about the scene between Sam and his father, especially following on the sentiment he expressed the other day in regards to his father's portrait. There is real love between the two, as well as gratitude (and a little pride) on Sam's part that he's able to help take care of his father in his old age, even playing the role of family patriarch in some ways.

cgs  •  Link

navy 'REME' at worke, dragging home all those mangled masts and hulls, wot a blooming job. Pepys will be busy getting materials and handouts. War provides a lot out of the picture money making schemes, and there is no budget and it lacks the romance of showing off the latest exotic state of art gizmo model.

A. Hamilton  •  Link

Todd,

Nicely put. I agree/

Paul Chapin  •  Link

"if he be good for any thing doubt not to get him preferment"

This is the first time I remember seeing Sam use "doubt" the way we would. It may be because it's in a negative context.

Paul Chapin  •  Link

"we saw one of the prettiest little boys with the prettiest mouth that ever I saw"

I suspect he may mean a choir boy who sang especially well.

Paul Chapin  •  Link

"our tour by Hackney home"

Phil glosses this as a hackney carriage. That could be right, but Wheatley evidently thought Sam meant they returned home through the town of Hackney, hence the capital H. Looking at the map, Hackney is certainly out of the way for going home from Islington, but maybe that was what made it a "tour." Also, Sam mentioned earlier that they went on the tour by "coach," and there's no reason to suppose they changed vehicles midway.

Mary  •  Link

"I doubt not"

In this particular context the 'doubt' could be interpreted either way - either in the modern sense or in Sam's usual sense of 'fear' expressed in an elliptical construction.

Michael Robinson  •  Link

" ... to Islington, ... our tour by Hackney home, ..."

Would seem to just be the reverse of the evening route SP has taken to calling the 'Grand Tour':

" ... our long tour by coach, to Hackney, so to Kingsland, and then to Islington, there entertaining them by candlelight very well, and so home ..."
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

Per Terry F.'s note
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

Mary  •  Link

Islington/Hackney.

Although Hackney does not lie in a direct line between Islington and London, it is Islington's eastern neighbour and provides a good route into the city for those who are on a 'tour' rather than a there-and-back outing. Hackney at this time was a fairly rural area where many gentlemen built their out-of-town houses. (As late as the first half of the 19th century it was noted for its market-gardens and nurseries). It would have provided a refreshing excursion away from the smells of the city, especially in the warmer weather.

Mary  •  Link

Looking after Dad.

Yes, I think that Sam does love his father, but could he not have been a bit more generous than offering just the £30 annual subsidy? Papa may not be a brilliant financial manager, but he's given no sign of dangerous profligacy so far. Perhaps Sam fears that a further loosening of the purse-strings might remove the sense of growing urgency that attends the question of Pall's marriage; it's clearly important to get her off the family's hands.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

At least 30Ls is a bump up over the 10Ls per year Sam was giving out earlier. Interesting to hear though that John has still his own income of 50Ls, minus the 30L in taxes, etc...Puts Sam in a somewhat better light, since the combined former 60Ls (John's 50, Sam's 10) and now presumably 80Ls isn't a bad little income for a retired couple, considering they have a nice little house at Brampton.

As for Pall, well there's never apparently been too much love lost in either direction and Sam is willing to help out considerably.

Spoiler...

Given that Pall will find her husband on her own and Sam will after a little grousing accept the situation, he doesn't do too badly by her in the end. Nice to know they actually ended up as friends with Pall showing considerable concern for him when he got into his troubles with Shaftsbury and he showing decent appreciation.

***

John Jr. still in the doghouse, though? Must have been quite a letter or two he wrote to Tom.

language hat  •  Link

"none knowing for what reason we first ingagd in this ungratefull warr"

Nice to see Evelyn put it so bluntly.

cgs  •  Link

meaning 2, unpleasant, distasteful be my take:

un-grateful, a.
1. Not feeling or displaying gratitude.
1553 ...
1621 in Foster Eng. Factories Ind. (1906) I. 354 Such base ungratfull slaves they bee.
1697 DRYDEN Æneis IV. 529 All, symptoms of a base ungrateful mind, So foul, that which is worse, 'tis hard to find.
b. Of actions, etc.: Displaying lack of gratitude.
c. transf. Of soil, trees, etc.: Not responding to cultivation.

2. Unpleasant, disagreeable, distasteful.
1596 ...
1641 Vind. Smectymnuus iii. 53 It is in his power to save himselfe and us this ungrateful labour.

1691 HARTCLIFFE Virtues 178 For a Man to praise or dispraise himself is ungrateful, and quickly cloyes the hearer.

b. Of taste or smell, or of things in respect of these.
1597
1663 BP. PATRICK Parab. Pilgr. xxviii, Good wine which..is rendred..acid and ungrateful to our palate.

a1682 SIR T. BROWNE Tracts (1683) 12 That which we now have is of an ungratefull odour.

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"to Christ Church [Newgate St.]"

Christ Church, Newgate St. served as the chapel of Christ Church Hospital School "The Bluecoat school for orphans and other poor children--mostly boys--founded in 1552 under the authority of the city corporation and occupying the site of the dissolved Greyfriars monastery in Newgate St....By 1680 the school was rebuilt, and by 1687 housed close to 800 pupils. In 1892 it was transferred to Horsham in Sussex.

"From the 1670s Pepys was to have a close connection with it. He took a leading part in the establishment in 1673 of the Royal Mathematical School in which 40 boys were trained in the science of navigation for the royal and mercantile navies. After his appointment as a Governor of the foundation in 1675 he produced two masterly memoranda--one on the administration of the Mathematical School (1677), the other on the grammar school (1682)"
http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

John Evelyn called it right. Make sure you read Terry's entry above.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"... and then talke with my Lady and Pegg Pen in the garden, ..."

You tell me about your day, and I'll tell you about mine. Oy, relatives!

Log in to post an annotation.

If you don't have an account, then register here.