Saturday 29 December 1666

Up, called up with newes from Sir W. Batten that Hogg hath brought in two prizes more: and so I thither, and hear the particulars, which are good; one of them, if prize, being worth 4,000l.: for which God be thanked! Then to the office, and have the newes brought us of Captain Robinson’s coming with his fleete from Gottenburgh: dispersed, though, by foul weather. But he hath light of five Dutch men-of-war, and taken three, whereof one is sunk; which is very good newes to close up the year with, and most of our merchantmen already heard of to be safely come home, though after long lookings-for, and now to several ports, as they could make them. At noon home to dinner, where Balty is and now well recovered. Then to the office to do business, and at night, it being very cold, home to my chamber, and there late writing, but my left eye still very sore. I write by spectacles all this night, then to supper and to bed. This day’s good news making me very lively, only the arrears of much business on my hands and my accounts to be settled for the whole year past do lie as a weight on my mind.

11 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Broderick to Ormond
Written from: London
Date: 29 December 1666

... There is a poem, of the last summer's sea-fights by Mr Dryden, in the press
[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annu… ] [ Originally dedicated to the Corporation of London. The prefatory letter (to Howard) bears date from "Charlton, November 10 1666 "; so that the printing must have occupied little less than two months ] ... [ my ] next letter shall certainly bring it [ to the Duke ]. ... H.R.H. [ the Duke of York ] "is indeed very ill, and disdaining the course of physic prescribed by his physicians for an inveterate calamity (incident to ancient lovers), is like to run much hazard". ...

Notices pending proceedings as to the Patent of the Canary Company; and adds: - "to mingle trifles with things serious", - that he would have sent "Tom Coriate" [ Crudities, in five months' Travels ( Published in 1611) ] back to his Grace, by Mr Gaghan, had he called before leaving for Ireland; but will certainly send it through Lord C.J. Smythe, who will present it with the present writer's duty.
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Conway to Ormond
Written from: London
Date: 29 December 1666

The 'Irish Bill' sticks at the word "nuisance". ... My Lord Ashley moved that the word might be changed into "felony" or "praemunire". My Lord Chancellor
[ Clarendon ] drolled very well, & said he thought it might as well be called "adultery". ...
After a very copious account of other parliamentary & political incidents, at home; the writer proceeds to notice the advices from Scotland, brought by Lord Carlisle, who (he says) told the King: - "That those who engaged in the late rising were zealous hot-headed people, like our fifth-monarchy men, [but] incited by the gentry to try the issue & success; intending to follow when these had broke the ice" ... "If the French send 3,000 or 4,000 men into Scotland, the next summer, ... the whole kingdom will join with them". ...
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Ormond to the Bishop of Down & Connor
Written from: Dublin
Date: 29 December 1666

Thinks it necessary that the Bishop should give a list of those Scottish ministers who are returned into this kingdom, and the names of those landlords & others who authorise the raising of pensions from the people, ... and also who they were that entertained Crookeshank. ... Kennedy, late of Temple Patrick, who preached a seditious sermon, should be apprehended. ...

http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/s…

cape henry  •  Link

"...This day’s good news making me very lively..." The thought of money does indeed lighten our protagonist's step.

(Thanks to TF for the interesting insertions above.)

Roger  •  Link

'Then to the office to do business, and at night, it being very cold,'

Sam has made several references to the cold weather this December, 1666. Indeed, records show that this was a colder than average December, being ranked the 81st coldest December since 1659, which is about a degree colder than the current December and which seems awfully cold and snowy to me! Thank God for today's central heating! No doubt Sam will have his servants lighting plenty of fires but the poor in London must be feeling the cold at this time.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"“Tom Coriate”

Coryat's Crudities: Hastily gobled up in Five Moneth's Travels was a travelogue published in 1611 by Thomas Coryat of Odcombe, an English traveller and mild eccentric. The book is an account of a journey undertaken, much of it on foot, in 1608 through France, Italy, Germany, and other European countries. Among other things, it is credited [by whom?] with beginning the custom of the Grand Tour, and introducing the use of the fork to England.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cory…'s_Crudities

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Up, called up with newes from Sir W. Batten that Hogg hath brought in two prizes more: and so I thither, and hear the particulars, which are good; one of them, if prize, being worth 4,000l.: for which God be thanked!"

L&M: See Hogg to Penn (27 December): CSPD 1666-7, p. 373. He had sailed from Cowes on the 23rd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cow… Marvell (ii. 49) mentions the captures -- by 'a Privateer of Sir William Battens' -- in a letter of 29 December. But for some of the prize, protection was claimed under the Swedish flag: see https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"I met with Mr. Cade to-night, my stationer; and he tells me that he hears for certain that the Queene-Mother is about and hath near finished a peace with France, which, as a Presbyterian, he do not like, but seems to fear it will be a means to introduce Popery."

L&M: St Albans, the Queen-Mother's confidant, and a leader of the pro-French faction at court, was now engaged in negotiations with France which had begun in profound secrecy in the autumn and were confided at first only to the King himself. In January 1667 he was sent to Paris where he made an agreement by which Charles agreed to enter no agreement contrary to France's interests. He was later (in 1669-70) prominent in the negotiations that led to the treaty of Dover which was (by some) meant to be the 'means to introduce Popery'.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Then to the office, and have the newes brought us of Captain Robinson’s coming with his fleete from Gottenburgh: dispersed, though, by foul weather. But he hath light of five Dutch men-of-war, and taken three, whereof one is sunk"

L&M: Capt. Robert Robinson, with a squadron of six ships, had escorted the Gothenburg fleet there and back. His action against the Dutch men-of-war took place on Christmas Day. The fleet came home in ragged order; it seems that two ships foundered: CSPD 1666-7, pp. 317, 374-81, 438.

Nate Lockwood  •  Link

Regarding cold temperatures, I assume that the temperatures in the houses and apartments were quite cold. They had no knowledge of the Franklin stove so the only heat came from really inefficient fireplaces and coal was expensive. The kitchen would be warmer for those that had one.

For the poor in the winter the daylight fades to darkness, it's really cold so the only recourse is to go to bed and snuggle up.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

'H.R.H. [the Duke of York] "is indeed very ill, and disdaining the course of physic prescribed by his physicians for an inveterate calamity (incident to ancient lovers), is like to run much hazard". ...'

Sir Allen Broderick MP is implying James has the clap???

Sir Allen was a self-serving player, beloved by the Stuart brothers for his participation in The Sealed Knot.
In the House of Commons, he was less useful to the Court party than Henry Coventry (whom he succeeded as commissioner for the Irish land settlement), consequently missing the 1663 session. It was said that of the seven commissioners three were for Charles II, three for the English interest, and ‘one for himself, viz. Brodrick’.

Listed as a court dependant in 1664 and 1665, in the Oxford session Sir Allen Brodrick MP spoke against the bill to prohibit the import of cattle from Ireland, but was appointed to the committee.

Sir Allen Brodrick MP returned from Ireland on 12 Oct. 1666, and in accordance with Charles II’s directions attended the House on the following day to speak and vote against the Irish cattle bill; but it was carried by 57 votes. Charles really did try to avoid this bill passing.

Reporting to Ormonde on the slow progress with supply, Brodrick declared himself ashamed
“at our own folly who depend on the King and are in truth able to carry any vote we firmly resolve within these walls; but to deal frankly with your Grace we are not directed as formerly, it being left to that accident of wind and tide, [which] in a populous assembly, drive at random. The consequence will be fatal if not timely prevented.”

You'll remember Pepys note on 19 December 1666 about how Sir Allen and his cousin, Sir Allen Apsley MP, known as 'the two Allens’, were leaders of the drunkards in the Court party, a charge borne out by the account of their disorderly conduct in the House of Commons.

So this note is Brodrick checking in with his boss, Lord Lt., of Ireland, James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde.

https://www.historyofparliamenton…

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

'Lord Carlisle, who (he says) told the King: "That those who engaged in the late rising were zealous hot-headed people, like our fifth-monarchy men, [but] incited by the gentry to try the issue & success; intending to follow when these had broke the ice" '

Not wishing to overly depress you during Christmas, I omitted to note that justice was being swiftly delivered by the Secretary for Scotland, John Maitland, Earl of Lauderdale to the Covenanters caught after the Penland Rising:

http://www.executedtoday.com/2011…
December 27, 1666: Nine Covenanters hanged in Ayr and Edinburgh

https://drmarkjardine.wordpress.c…
Six Covenanters executed in Edinburgh on 22 December, 1666:

https://drmarkjardine.wordpress.c…
A week after ten men were executed in Edinburgh for their part in the Pentland Rising, four more Covenanters were hanged in Edinburgh on 14 December, 1666.

You get the idea ... Presbyterians were being forced to become Anglicans and attend Church and obey the Bishops. Many were also deported to the Caribbean.

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