Sunday 13 January 1666/67
(Lord’s day). Up, and to church, where young Lowther come to church with Sir W. Pen and his Lady and daughter, and my wife tells me that either they are married or the match is quite perfected, which I am apt to believe, because all the peoples’ eyes in the church were much fixed upon them. At noon sent for Mercer, who dined with us, and very merry, and so I, after dinner, walked to the Old Swan, thinking to have got a boat to White Hall, but could not, nor was there anybody at home at Michell’s, where I thought to have sat with her … [et peut être obtain algo de her — which I intend para essayer. – L&M] So home, to church, a dull sermon, and then home at my chamber all the evening. So to supper and to bed.
22 Annotations
First Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"At noon sent for Mercer, who dined with us, and very merry; and so after dinner walked to the old Swan, thinking to have got a boat to White-hall; but could not, for was there anybody at home at Michells, where I thought to have sat with her et peut être obtain algo de her-which I did intend para essayer. So home to church, a dull sermon; and then home at my chamber all the evening. So to supper and to bed.”
http://www.pepys.info/bits5.html
Robert Gertz • Link
Aw, Sam...That is terrible. What is the world coming to that Betty Mitchell wouldn't understand that her place is to be available to you at her own home at any hour? Young and innocent she may be but surely the girl has some inkling of your intents by now? How could she do this to you?
cape henry • Link
"...because all the peoples’ eyes in the church were much fixed upon them." This line has its own special visual quality. One can easily envision the stares - and hear the whispers - as the young couple arrives and take their seats among the curious and envious.
Sam • Link
"et peut être obtain algo de her-which I did intend para essayer" Can we have a translation of this please
Michael Robinson • Link
" ... nor was there anybody at home at Michell’s, where I thought to have sat with her …"
Might this, and the sending for Mercer, be an unconscious response to "... my wife tells me that either they are married or the match is quite perfected, ..." ? Recall, " ... and Pegg with me in my closet a good while, and did suffer me ‘a la baiser mouche et toucher ses cosas’ upon her breast, wherein I had great pleasure, ..." http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
In the past SP has never taken easily to his paramour's potential marriage -- for example when Betty Lane married Martin ‘a sorry simple fellow,’ ‘without discourse,’ ‘not worth a farthing’ etc., but contrast L&M's opinion of him: http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…
Robert Gertz • Link
So assuming the wedding has taken place, would this mean Sam and Bess did not make the cut for the Penn-Lowther wedding? Or that Admiral Sir Will was too cheap to put on a reception/wedding do? Would either be unusual or were weddings frequently very small affairs at the time unless involving a major family?
"Just a little family affair, Pepys. Meg wanted it simple."
"Penn!" Minnes claps the Admiral on back. "That had to have been the most incredible party ever put on in England! The wine, the food, the musicians, and even His Majesty and the Duke in attendance? Wonderous...Especially when I got to dance with my Lady Castlemaine. And those fireworks afterwards... In the sky I mean... Though I must tell you, Penn...My Lady Castlemaine proved to be...
Oh, hello, Pepys."
A. De Araujo • Link
Sam
and maybe obtain something from her which I did intend to try.
Mary • Link
We can't be sure that the marriage has taken place.
"or that the match is quite perfected" means that the terms of the match may have been settled, not that it is already done and dusted.
Robert Gertz • Link
Yet Sam seems unsure whether the marriage has taken place which seemed odd to me. Unless it was not common for a wedding to require a major splash.
Bryan M • Link
"were weddings frequently very small affairs at the time unless involving a major family?"
As I recall Lady Jem & Carteret jnr's wedding seemed like a fairly low key affair (didn't Sam arrive late?) so perhaps they were much more private ceremonies than these days.
Don McCahill • Link
I don't know about SPs time, but in the 19th century, based on Dickens, Austen, and the Brontes, weddings were rather modest, with only a dozen or so close family members at the church. The wedding spectacle seems to be something that has developed in our consumption-mad generation.
But I seem to recall that Banns announcing a wedding had to be made for the three weeks prior, and this should have gotten the news out of an upcoming engagement. This was a RC practice, but I think one that the Anglicans also adopted.
Terry Foreman • Link
Speaking of Sir Kenelm Digby and 17c celebrity weddings
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_…
Terry Foreman • Link
"in the 19th century, based on Dickens, Austen, and the Brontes, weddings were rather modest, with only a dozen or so close family members at the church. The wedding spectacle seems to be something that has developed in our consumption-mad generation."
I donno. Don. That may be a novelistic convention; and the English wedding's sumptuousness was a function of social class. Take the bride (please):
"Medieval brides of an elevated social standing wore rich colors and expensive fabrics. It was common to see well-to-do brides wearing boldly colored layers of furs, velvet and silk. Those of a lower social standing wore fabrics that weren’t as rich, though they copied the elegant styles as best they could.
As the Years Went By
"Throughout the years, brides continued to dress in a manner befitting their social status. Always in the height of fashion, with the richest, boldest materials money could buy. Those without unlimited resources did the best they could, while the poorest of brides wore their church dress on their wedding day. The amount of material a wedding dress contained was a reflection of the bride’s social standing. The more material used, the more sleeves flowed, the longer the train, the richer the bride’s family was apt to be.
The White Wedding Dress
"In 1840, Queen Victoria married Prince Albert of Saxe wearing a white wedding gown. In those days white was not a symbol of purity, blue was. In fact, many women chose the color blue for their wedding dresses for specifically that reason. White, on the other hand, symbolized wealth.
"Since white wasn’t generally chosen as the color in which to be married, Victoria’s dress came as quite the surprise. It wasn’t an unpleasant surprise, however, because soon after Women all over Europe and America began wearing white wedding dresses as well. There were still those who chose to get married in other colors, but it was the trend among those of an elevated social status to wear a glamorous white dress." http://weddings.lovetoknow.com/wi…
Australian Susan • Link
It is not just "novelistic convention": if you read Austen and Bronte letters, weddings described therein tended to be much more low key compared with what happens today, but things changed during the Victorian period in England with the beginnings of consumerism, promoted by the Great Exhibition.
Yes, the Church of England in Sam's time required banns to be read for 3 weeks prior to the wedding. I think with the persons Sam is talking about, there are monetary matters to be sorted out! Marriage was/is a contract and it would be important to get all these details arranged beforehand.
CGS • Link
Weddings be contracts:
Man dothe luv to show his status, just like bower birds/magpies, must show status with the best of glitter.
Samuell when he got hitched, rather than spend his lack on fortune on pomp, used it on having a maid , now at this time in the diary and he was making the deal of a lifetime, his Lawyers would be there to protect his monies and they would also be finding ways to enhance his status with additional lands [Tangier comes to mind]and other goodies.
Fathers of daughters want to protect and the father of sons want to get, 'twas a time when a girl's wealthy dad would love to obtain penniless title to have their offspring to be known as a lady.
Money is the unspoken third party in the contract of wedded bliss.
Bradford • Link
"et peut être obtain algo de her-which I did intend para essayer."
"and maybe obtain [?] from her---which I did intend to attempt."
I with Sam the Annotator---just what does this say?
Mary • Link
It means that, had Betty Michell been home, Sam might (peut etre) have obtained something (algo = a sexual favour in this context) from her that he intended to attempt/essay.
You may have noticed that whenever Sam uses dog-French, dog-Spanish etc. it is his way of feebly 'disguising' what he relates.
Paul Chapin • Link
A. de Araujo has it right at 11:39 AM. Algo = 'something' (in Spanish). The fact that Sam has gone polyglot about it shows just what the "something" was that he hoped to get from her - but she wasn't home, darn the luck.
Second Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"my wife tells me that either they are married or the match is quite perfected, which I am apt to believe, because all the peoples’ eyes in the church were much fixed upon them."
L&M note their marriage-license was issued on 12 February, and they were married on 15 February.
San Diego Sarah • Link
"thinking to have got a boat to White Hall, but could not,"
The boatmen were on strike?
They has all been impressed?
The Thames was still sufficiently frozen over they could not work?
Lady Castlemaine was throwing a Christmas Party for them?
They didn't like Pepys' smell?
Pepys didn't tip enough?
They were all with the Mitchells at a private event?
Elizabeth had bribed them to keep Pepys at home that day?
I never remember Pepys reportng there were no boatmen available.
john • Link
SDS, I recall an entry where a boatman would not take Pepys but rather transport some livestock. Apologies but I am unable to locate it. (Pepys wrote about revenge against the boatman and there was speculation whether he would be pressed.)
San Diego Sarah • Link
Yes, John ... good memory! I think that was when he was in Greenwich during the plague. A search on "waterman" didn't reveal it to me either.
However, refusal of service is one thing ... no watermen is another. I suspect the Thames was still full of ice chunks and therefore dangerous, but this was early afternoon so if it was navigable, this would be the hour. Apparently Pepys and I think the same about this.