Thursday 3 January 1666/67

Up, and to the office, where we sat all the morning. At noon by invitation to dinner to Sir W. Pen’s, where my Lord Bruncker, Sir W. Batten, and his lady, myself, and wife, Sir J. Minnes, and Mr. Turner and his wife. Indifferent merry, to which I contributed the most, but a mean dinner, and in a mean manner. In the evening a little to the office, and then to them, where I found them at cards, myself very ill with a cold (the frost continuing hard), so eat but little at supper, but very merry, and late home to bed, not much pleased with the manner of our entertainment, though to myself more civil than to any.

This day, I hear, hath been a conference between the two Houses about the Bill for examining Accounts, wherein the House of Lords their proceedings in petitioning the King for doing it by Commission is, in great heat, voted by the Commons, after the conference, unparliamentary. The issue whereof, God knows.

20 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Anglesey to Ormond
Written from: London
Date: 3 January 1667

Has acquainted the Lord Chancellor with the receipt, from the Duke, of the certiorari for subsidies, which accompanied His Grace's letter of December 27.

Troops have been sent to Portsmouth and elsewhere, in consequence of the advices from France, mentioned in the writer's letter of January 1st, although no further intelligence, as to the French preparations, has been received.

Believes that the differences between the two Houses, on certain details of the Cattle-Bill, will have the effect of putting an end to that Bill for the current session.

http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/s…

CGS  •  Link

interesting how Samuell describes the ex-girl friend of each of male diners.

Tony Eldridge  •  Link

What's the point you are making CGS?
He describes the knight's wife as his Lady because that's her title. Mr Pepys and Mr Turner have wives, like most of us.

Mary  •  Link

The Royal Society.

For all those who can listen (either direct or via the BBC website - www.bbc.co.uk and follow the links) BBC Radio4 is broadcasting 4 programmes this week on the origins and history of the Royal Society at 0900h GMT.

The first programme was broadcast this morning, and will be available on the BBC's "Listen Again" facility shortly.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

What seems rather interesting is that Bruncker didn't bring Abigail. Not socially acceptable to bring along the "lady of the house" unmarried to such a "family office" party?

Mary  •  Link

The Royal Society - repeat.

The programmes will be repeated in the evenings at 21.30 GMT. They form part of the "In Our Time" series of broadcasts.

CGS  •  Link

'What’s the point you are making CGS?'

Lady is not necessary a wife, but a wife is married woman.

OED:

lady some meanings: 15 to pick from
lady
I. Senses referring to a woman.

1. a. The female head of a household; a woman who has authority over servants, attendants, or slaves (now chiefly arch. or hist.). Cf. the lady of the house n. at Phrases 1a(a).

b. A woman who rules over subjects, a queen; a woman to whom obedience or feudal homage is due. Now rare except in lady of the manor n. at Phrases 1a(b).

d. A woman who is the object of (esp. chivalrous) love or devotion. Cf. LADY-LOVE n. 1. Now chiefly hist. or poet.

e. A woman in attendance on a queen, a lady-in-waiting.

.......
7. A wife, a consort. In later use colloq.: a girlfriend.

Fern  •  Link

A modern take on "lady":
A friend of mine refers to her son's long-term unmarried partner as his lady. She says it's the only suitable word. "Wife" she is not; "woman" is derogatory; "partner" leaves people uncertain if he's gay or straight.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...though to myself more civil than to any."

"But civil, count. Civil as an orange. And something of that jealous complexion."

-Much Ado About Nothing.

jean-paul  •  Link

"Indifferent merry"
OED
indifferent, a.1 (n. and adv.)
†C.C adv. = indifferently adv. 5. Obs. (Very common c 1600–1730.)
…
indifferently
5.5 To some extent, in some degree (as intermediate between very or very much and not at all); moderately, tolerably, fairly; esp. indifferently well, pretty well. (Cf. indifferent adv.) Now rare.

Mary  •  Link

only modified rapture.

Derrick  •  Link

"House of Lords their proceedings" is a use of the his-genitive which is a bit unusual because it uses the plural "their." His-genitive forms usually used "his," as in "for Jesus Christ his sake," but could also use "her" or "their." His-genitives were I think pretty much archaic by the eighteenth century.

language hat  •  Link

Just in case anyone is confused: "his-genitives" were unhistorical misinterpretations of the English genitive, which comes direct from the Old English genitive and is not a reduced "his."

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"This day, I hear, hath been a conference between the two Houses about the Bill for examining Accounts, wherein the House of Lords their proceedings in petitioning the King for doing it by Commission is, in great heat, voted by the Commons, after the conference, unparliamentary."

L&M: The Commons' objection was that their own bill on the same subject was still pending when the Lords' petition (asking the King to institute an enquiry by royal commission) was presented on 21 December.
See https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"Bruncker didn't bring Abigail."

Pepys has a cold. Maybe Abigail does also?

I think it's a bit late to shield the Navy Board's wives from knowing about her. Plus her abandoned marriage to a Royalist Cromwell (all of whom changed their name to Williams) should have been quietly accepted by now ... there were lots of "single-marrieds" around. Maybe you didn't introduce her to the children or the Stuart brothers, but ...

The Stuarts were not prudish Victorians.

I suspect Pepys' dislike of Abigail came from the Cromwell/Williams' claim to Hinchingbrooke. He seems like the sort of man who privately held petty prejudices against people, and the episode with her sketching the docks added to his distaste.

Another year has gone by without Pepys giving a Christmas party. He is a cheapskate.

RSGII  •  Link

What was the feast, play and music evening on Dec 26, with several guests, if not a Christmas party?

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Sorry RSGII ... I should have said OFFICE Christmas Party. Last summer Brouncker let it be known he finds Pepys a cheapskate. You can count on one hand how often Penn, Batten, Brouncker, Carteret or their wives have passed across his threshhold. Pepys socializes and feeds the clerks more often.

RSGII  •  Link

But see Jan 4, e.g. spoiler tomorrow, for the office party. Cheers and a wassail for all.

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