Wednesday 1 August 1666

Up betimes to the settling of my last month’s accounts, and I bless God I find them very clear, and that I am worth 5700l., the most that ever my book did yet make out. So prepared to attend the Duke of Yorke as usual, but Sir W. Pen, just as I was going out, comes home from Sheernesse, and held me in discourse about publique business, till I come by coach too late to St. James’s, and there find that every thing stood still, and nothing done for want of me. Thence walked over the Parke with Sir W. Coventry, who I clearly see is not thoroughly pleased with the late management of the fight, nor with any thing that the Generalls do; only is glad to hear that De Ruyter is out of favour, and that this fight hath cost them 5,000 men, as they themselves do report. And it is a strange thing, as he observes, how now and then the slaughter runs on one hand; there being 5,000 killed on theirs, and not above 400 or 500 killed and wounded on ours, and as many flag-officers on theirs as ordinary captains in ours; there being Everson, and the Admiral and Vice- Admiral of Freezeland on theirs, and Seamour, Martin, and ——, on ours. I left him going to Chappell, it being the common fast day, and the Duke of York at Chappell. And I to Mrs. Martin’s, but she abroad, so I sauntered to or again to the Abbey, and then to the parish church, fearfull of being seen to do so, and so after the parish church was ended, I to the Swan and there dined upon a rabbit, and after dinner to Mrs. Martin’s, and there find Mrs. Burroughs, and by and by comes a pretty widow, one Mrs. Eastwood, and one Mrs. Fenton, a maid; and here merry kissing and looking on their breasts, and all the innocent pleasure in the world. But, Lord! to see the dissembling of this widow, how upon the singing of a certain jigg by Doll, Mrs. Martin’s sister, she seemed to be sick and fainted and God knows what, because the jigg, which her husband (who died this last sickness) loved. But by and by I made her as merry as is possible, and towzed and tumbled her as I pleased, and then carried her and her sober pretty kinswoman Mrs. Fenton home to their lodgings in the new market of my Lord Treasurer’s, and there left them. Mightily pleased with this afternoon’s mirth, but in great pain to ride in a coach with them, for fear of being seen.

So home, and there much pleased with my wife’s drawing today in her pictures, and so to supper and to bed very pleasant.

18 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"and ——-, on ours."

L&M also have this dash and say of it to supply therefor: John Parker of the Yarmouth, Joseph Saunders of the Breda and Arthur Ashby of the Guinea.

Mary  •  Link

"hath cost them 5,000 men, as they themselves do report"

If reports from the Low Countries are no more accurate than the varying reports that are circulating in London, then the fog of war is hardly dispersing.

Tony Eldridge  •  Link

to Mrs. Martin’s, and there find Mrs. Burroughs, and by and by comes a pretty widow, one Mrs. Eastwood, and one Mrs. Fenton, a maid; and here merry kissing and looking on their breasts, and all the innocent pleasure in the world.
What a jolly way to spend a fast day! This confirms my opinion that Mrs Martin and her friends were what we would call 'working girls'.

A. De Araujo  •  Link

"and by and by comes a pretty widow"
She probably was doing it out of necessity and then comes Mr Peppys with his dirty mind.

JWB  •  Link

10 to 1 kill ratio...now where have we heard this before? The inverse of decimate (word often misused itself) keeps popping up thoroughout military history; e.g. Tiger tanks v alles, F86 v MIG, Fred-t-Gt. uber alles, and is to be taken as an "attractor", strange or no, in minds of two fisted men. Don't count 'em unless you can place your boot upon his chest.

Peter Last  •  Link

OED relates towzed to the verb touse, the relevant meaning of which is 'To pull (a woman) about rudely, indelicately, or in horse-play; to tousle. Obs.'

Sam is unduly frank in describing his behaviour, implying that he was overbearing to a woman of lesser degree. It's extraordinary how honest he is in repeatedly recounting aspects of his life that most of us would acknowledge to be shameful.

As so often happens a vivid very old word, in this case dating to the 14th century, has drifted into obsolescence. It would be good to revive it if we could.

cgs  •  Link

Hooke has got me hooked on the Y

cgs  •  Link

JWB/PL: words may change, more indoctrination, more and better? tools but his DNA has only evolved to cure his survival rate, he still be stuck between his Lugholes.
His eyeballs still watch moving parts on his victim and he tries not to be caught by a bigger predator.

Samuell is just better at recording his deviations to the acceptable norm of? and in spite of normal behaviour of the court that is leading the fashion in human relationships and poetized by Rochester.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Much as we might feel for poor Bess, painting away...If Sam would stick to willing ladies like his bevy above, his indiscretions would be rather poignant, almost "innocent" as he rather unbelievably claims.

Unfortunately even the occasional eager Mrs. Knipp isn't enough to satisfy our boy's desire to push the envelope and indulge darker fantasies of control and power with Bagwell and poor Betty Mitchell. Would be interesting to see him on the receiving end, husbandwise, if for example Sandwich had stayed and leaned harder on an unwilling but frightened Bess. I hate to say it but I doubt he would have stood up to such a challenge...Especially given his easy dismissal of Uncle Wight's "indecent proposal" and his airy assumption of William Bagwell's compliance.

***
"I'm not saying you shouldn't refuse my Lord...Just perhaps...We should consider our situation carefully."

"Sam'l?!"

"I mean...Our whole future riding here, Bess. And it's not like he's bloated old Uncle Wight."

***
But of course we're talking about people who could be broken...And I mean Bess and Sam...With relative ease by anyone as powerful as Sandwich and it would be unfair to judge were they to fall into that situation. It is hard though to see a man like Sam, risen so far, so sensitive to the world about him, with so little feeling for others.

Ruben  •  Link

I can not imagine Sam's wife escaping from the hands of his Lordship, or the King, if they decided to make the move. But it never happened.
Like in many stage presentations of his and later times, Sam was playing the same game as his superiors, but at his level, with lower standing females.
This was possible because females were considered more or less objects, like many still think they are today, I am sorry to say.
Not having rights to property, not being part of the power structure, they depended completely on the males. As we see along the diary in many occasions, lately concerning Pauline, a woman was not considered but for the moneys or properties their families could afford to transfer to get them married.
We think Sam did get nothing when he married Beth and for this reason we presume they were in love, but it is possible that he got nothing because he himself was worth nothing in those days and could not afford a better deal.
Today, with money in his pockets, Sam is playing the same power game all who could afford it were playing. The only difference being that he candidly put everything on paper.
Good for us!

Second Reading

psw  •  Link

"power game" "so little feeling for others" "darker fantasizes of control and power" ??? over some kissing and several beautiful bobbing breast? [look within thee self tal vez]

I think it was A.Hamilton here relating his meeting LBJ who ignored him and fastened his attention on his wife (young to LBJ's roaming eyes.... who, BTW, Lady Bird excused because her husband just loved people...and half the people are woman, she explained).

I dunno you all..all this sounds very Puritanically American.

Sam loved beauty in many forms and the archetype for all beauty is woman. These were not "working girls"; highly probable they were in need of money and they indulged peeps kisses and caresses looking to derive some advantage of it. Sam "tips" his assignments. These girls would not repeatedly engage with Sam unless it was worth their while and Sam was probably quite generous to have his way. Most men are the same.

Sam's tip of 5-6 shillings is what? 25 or 30 pounds. A current price massage parlour is $60usd for a rub and a pump.

and here merry kissing and looking on their breasts, and all the innocent pleasure in the world.

I say: what a man: with 3 or 4 woman with their beautiful bosom exposed. This is pretty innocent.
No disrespect for the annotators here who otherwise annotate fascinatingly well.

psw  •  Link

I love the way cgs stays with our dna:
His eyeballs still watch moving parts on his victim and he tries not to be caught by a bigger predator.

That's sam watching those beauties bounce and worrying in the coach he may been seen.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"hear that De Ruyter is out of favour, and that this fight hath cost them 5,000 men, as they themselves do report. "

L&M: Losses on both sides were abnormally high. Those of the Dutch were put at 4000-5000 men in the Dutch news printed in the London Gazette, 6, 13, August, They were probably about 2000: J.C. de Jonge, Geschiedenis van het nederlandshe zeewesen, ii. 84.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"not above 400 or 500 killed and wounded on ours"

L&M: A modern estimate is c. 300. Clowes, ii. 282-3.

Marquess  •  Link

Sounds like Sam had a jolly time looking at the breasts of all those women, a most delightful afternoon.

Tonyel  •  Link

It's so tempting to look back 350 years and feel morally superior, isn't it?

By coincidence, Saudi Arabia have just announced that they will in future allow women to travel abroad without being accompanied by a male - described as a liberalising decision!

Timo  •  Link

Good point Tony. Give it another 350 years and your average Saudi lad might be able to meet some fun loving girls and gaze upon their breasts too.

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