Friday 8 February 1666/67

This morning my brother John come up to my bedside, and took his leave of us, going this day to Brampton. My wife loves him mightily as one that is pretty harmless, and I do begin to fancy him from yesterday’s accident, it troubling me to think I should be left without a brother or sister, which is the first time that ever I had thoughts of that kind in my life. He gone, I up, and to the office, where we sat upon the Victuallers’ accounts all the morning. At noon Lord Bruncker, Sir W. Batten, [Sir] W. Pen, and myself to the Swan in Leadenhall Street to dinner, where an exceedingly good dinner and good discourse. Sir W. Batten come this morning from the House, where the King hath prorogued this Parliament to October next. I am glad they are up. The Bill for Accounts was not offered, the party being willing to let it fall; but the King did tell them he expected it. They are parted with great heartburnings, one party against the other. Pray God bring them hereafter together in better temper! It is said that the King do intend himself in this interval to take away Lord Mordaunt’s government, so as to do something to appease the House against they come together, and let them see he will do that of his own accord which is fit, without their forcing him; and that he will have his Commission for Accounts go on which will be good things.

At dinner we talked much of Cromwell; all saying he was a brave fellow, and did owe his crowne he got to himself as much as any man that ever got one.

Thence to the office, and there begun the account which Sir W. Pen by his late employment hath examined, but begun to examine it in the old manner, a clerk to read the Petty warrants, my Lord Bruncker upon very good ground did except against it, and would not suffer him to go on. This being Sir W. Pen’s clerk he took it in snuff, and so hot they grew upon it that my Lord Bruncker left the office. He gone (Sir) W. Pen ranted like a devil, saying that nothing but ignorance could do this. I was pleased at heart all this while. At last moved to have Lord Bruncker desired to return, which he did, and I read the petty warrants all the day till late at night, that I was very weary, and troubled to have my private business of my office stopped to attend this, but mightily pleased at this falling out, and the truth is [Sir] W. Pen do make so much noise in this business of his, and do it so little and so ill, that I think the King will be little the better by changing the hand.

So up and to my office a little, but being at it all day I could not do much there. So home and to supper, to teach Barker to sing another piece of my song, and then to bed.

27 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"The Bill for Accounts was not offered, the party being willing to let it fall; but the King did tell them he expected it."

So: Pepys et al. in the Navy Office are off the hook, for now?

***

I gather it's the Party (that will become the Tories) vs the Faction (the Whigs).

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"It is said that the King do intend himself in this interval to take away Lord Mordaunt's government"

Presumably John Lord Mordaunt's offices of Constable of Windsor Castle, keeper of Windsor Great Park and Lord Lieutenant of Surrey, considering that he is charged in the House of Commons with having imprisoned William Taylor, surveyor of Windsor Castle, and raped Taylor’s daughter. (Good move, C-Rex!)

http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

cape henry  •  Link

"...off the hook..." It would appear so, TF, but a dangerous moment if it breeds yet more complaisance. I suspect attention will come in other forms. And the Office itself is strained internally to the point of open hostilities.

cum salis grano  •  Link

Once more the King is telling those rascals that he is in charge.

cum salis grano  •  Link

signed and sealed:

Die Veneris, 8 Februarii, 19 Car. IIdi.
His Majesty commands this honourable House to attend Him in His House of Peers.
Parliament prorogued.

And accordingly Mr. Speaker, with the House, went up to attend his Majesty: Who was pleased to prorogue the Parliament, until the Tenth Day of October next.

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…

Bills passed.

"1. An Act for granting the Sum of Twelve Hundred Fifty-six Thousand Three Hundred Fortyseven Pounds, Thirteen Shillings, to the King's Majesty, towards the Maintenance of the present War."

"2. An Act explanatory of an Act for raising Monies, by a Poll and otherwise, towards the Maintenance of this present War."

"Le Roy, remerciant Ses bons Subjects, accepte leur Benevolence, et ainsi le veult."

"3. An Act for erecting a Judicature for Determination of Differences touching Houses burned or demolished by reason of the late Fire which happened in London."

"4. An Act for rebuilding the City of London."

"5. An Act to prevent the Disturbances of Seamen and others, and to preserve the Stores belonging to His Majesty's Navy Royal."

"6. An Act for Relief of poor Prisoners, and setting of them on Work."

"7. An Act extending a former Act concerning Replevins and Avowries to the Principality of Wales and the County Palatines."

"8. An Act for Redress of Inconveniencies by Want of Proof of the Decease of Persons beyond the Seas, or absenting themselves, on whose Lives Estates do depend."

"Le Roy le veult."

"9. An Act for the naturalizing of Esther Le Lou, the Daughter and Coheir of Gideon Le Lou, Lord of Colombiers in Normandy, the now Wife of the Right Honourable Denzell Lord Holles, of Ifeild."

"10. An Act for confirming, explaining, and enlarging, an Act, intituled, An Act to enable John Lord Abergaveny, Son and Heir of Henry late Lord Abergaveny, to sell certain Lands, for Payment of his Debts, and Preferment of his Brother and Sisters."

"11. An Act for the Illegitimation of the Children of the Lady Anne Roos."

"12. An Act for Sale of a Messuage in Chiswich, for Payment of the Debts of Edward Russell Esquire."

"13. An Act for Confirmation of a Settlement of the Estate of Sir Seymour Shirley Baronet."

"14. An Act for settling the Moiety of the Manor of Iron Acton on Sir John Poyntz."

"15. An Act for settling an Estate in Trust for the Benefit of Mrs. Elizabeth Pride and her Children."

"16. An Act for the ascertaining the Bounds of the several Rectories of Swaffham St. Cyriac and of Sawffham St. Marie's, within the Town of Swaffham Prior, in the County of Cambridge, and for the uniting of the Two Churches there."

"17. An Act for the restoring of Francis Scawen Gentleman in Blood."

"18. An Act for naturalizing Dame Mary Frazer and others."

"19. An Act to enable a Sale of Lands, for Payment of the Debts of Henry Kendall Esquire."

"20. An Act for selling Part of the Lands of Henry Mildmay Esquire deceased, for Payment of his Debts, and making Provision for his Children."

"21. An Act to enable Leicester Grosevenor and his Trustees to sell certain Lands, for Payment of Debts."

"Soit fait come il est desiré."

Afterwards His Majesty made this Speech following:
King's Speech.

"My Lords and Gentlemen,
.......
Parliament prorogued.

"My Lords; and you, Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses, of the House of Commons;

"It is His Majesty's Pleasure, that this Parliament be prorogued to the Tenth Day of October next. And accordingly this Parliament is prorogued to the Tenth Day of October next."
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…

Paul Chapin  •  Link

Thanks to CGS (or csg) and TF for those valuable posts. i note that a couple of the acts are listed with the addendum "Le roy le veult" ('the king desires it'), or an expansion thereof. Can someone explain the import of this? Evidently it wasn't required for the act to become law, like a President's signature in the U.S., since the acts listed without it also appear to be official. Did it mean that the particular act was one that the king asked the Parliament to pass?

andy  •  Link

At dinner we talked much of Cromwell; all saying he was a brave fellow, and did owe his crowne he got to himself as much as any man that ever got one.

Ah! the good old days...

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"'pretty harmless'?"

"Now, Johnny."

***

Of course Oliver's safely dead and can be respected now but it's certainly not a good sign for Charlie that his boys are feeling this way.

***
"The Bill for Accounts was not offered, the party being willing to let it fall; but the King did tell them he expected it. They are parted with great heartburnings, one party against the other."

Religion having been more or less settled (at least on the surface), money is now the visible issue, while the ongoing struggle between Court and Parliament, Autocratic and (more or less) Constitutional and Representational theories of government goes on barely beneath.

***
So much for the benefit of removing poor Minnes from much of his post. A little sad to see our boy move so far from his support for Coventry's dream of reforming the Navy to being happy to see the office in disarray to spite an enemy and secure his own position. Human, of course...

Tony Eldridge  •  Link

"Say what you like about Cromwell, at least he made the trains run on time."

Michael Robinson  •  Link

Royal Assent ...

There are three traditional Norman French formulas to signify Royal Assent and each is used in the appropriate place above; Bills 1 & 2 are 'supply' to the Crown, i.e. money, Bills “Le Roy, remerciant Ses bons Subjects, accepte leur Benevolence, et ainsi le veult.” Bills 3-8 are Public Bills, i.e. affected the entire Kingdom, “Le Roy le veult,” and Bills 9-21 are Private Bills affecting only the limited class of persons stated in the Bill “Soit fait come il est desiré.” For the current standing orders, which describe the procedure 'By Commission' see:
http://www.parliament.the-station…

The procedure of Royal Assent by Commission was instituted in 1541 because Henry VIII did not wish to listen to the public recital of Catherine Howard's entire sexual history and adultery before personally assenting to the bill of attainder authorizing her execution.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roya…

The last time Royal Assent was given in person was Queen Victoria in 1854; the last time Royal Assent was refused was in 1707-08 when Queen Anne refused her Assent to a Bill for settling the militia in Scotland. However, in 1999 Queen Elizabeth II, acting on the advice of the government, refused to signify her consent to the Commons hearing the 'Military Action Against Iraq (Parliamentary Approval) Bill', which sought to transfer from the monarch to Parliament the power to authorize military strikes against Iraq; because the Bill affected the residual prerogative powers of the crown, Royal Consent was necessary for the Bill to move to the stage of a second reading in the Commons.

classicist  •  Link

Chancellor Clarendon on Cromwell:
'He was one of those men "quos vituperare ne inimici quidem possunt nisi ut simul laudent" ('whom even their enemies can't criticize without also praising them')for he could never have done half that mischief without great parts of courage and industry and judgment . . .he could never have accomplished those trophies without the assistance of a great spirit, an admirable circumspection and sagacity, and a most magnanimous resolve.'
Clarendon continues with several anecdotes which, actually, make his master Charles look ineffectual by comparison, and concludes: 'he will be looked upon by posterity as a brave bad man.'

L. K. van Marjenhoff  •  Link

Le roi le veult. It's good to be King.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"This being Sir W. Pen’s clerk [my Lord Brouncker] took it in snuff, and so hot they grew upon it that my Lord Bruncker left the office. "

"he took it in snuff", i.e., he took offense (fig. from the unpleasant smell left by the smoking 'snuff' -- burnt wick -- end of a candle). (L&M Large Glossary)

arby  •  Link

After this last year it only now crosses his mind that "..I should be left without a brother or sister..."?

cum salis grano  •  Link

The Forgotten years. If they had never happened , the revolution would have come later, and it might have been like many of later disagreements very disturbing. The Parliamentary rule would not be as it be now. The control over the Colonies would have been absolute if Charles I had had his way.

Just a thought.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"The control over the Colonies would have been absolute if Charles I had had his way."

De jure, perhaps. But could this have been the case de facto, given the times-and-distances involved? What does subsequent -- even 17c -- history teach -- and not just about the English?

Michael Robinson  •  Link

"... it troubling me to think I should be left without a brother or sister, ..."

What about Pall, Paulina? She is with us still ...
http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…

arby  •  Link

I think he was saying it had never crossed his mind that a sibling could die, until his bro dropped "upon the ground dead" yesterday.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Of course, his brother Tom had already died. I gather SP had sort of assumed that John would go on; but if he died, then Pall, who was unwell in her way, could, and....

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

While Pepys ponders with us these distressing family matters, he does not share writing to
Lady Sandwich, noting public discontent and the state of the fleet

The life, journals and correspondence of Samuel Pepys, &c. Volume I, pp. 115ff.
http://books.google.com/books?id=…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"The Bill for Accounts was not offered, the party being willing to let it fall; but the King did tell them he expected it."

L&M: LJ, xii. 111. The bill providing for examination of accounts
(q.v. https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/… and https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/… ) was now abandoned, the Commons now alleging that the Lords' amendments made it unworkable: see the debates of 7, 8 February in Milward, pp. 81, 82. The scheme was revived in another form (as the Brooke House Committee) at the end of the year: see https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/… and
https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"the King do intend himself in this interval to take away Lord Mordaunt’s government, so as to do something to appease the House against they come together, and let them see he will do that of his own accord which is fit, without their forcing him;"

L&M: See https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/… and https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…
Mordaunt resigned as Governor and Constable of Windsor Castle in September 1668: CSPD 1667-8, p. 608.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"Clarendon continues with several anecdotes which, actually, make his master Charles look ineffectual by comparison, and concludes: 'he will be looked upon by posterity as a brave bad man.'"

Okay -- which Charles? Anyone know? (an example of where we need a page citation so we can read the context; even the whole date could be unhelpful since he was caring for Prince Charles while in the service of King Charles.)

Mind you, it could be equally said of both of them IMHO.

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