Tuesday 19 February 1666/67
Up, and to the office, where all the morning doing little business, our want of money being so infinite great. At noon home, and there find old Mr. Michell and Howlett come to desire mine and my wife’s company to dinner to their son’s, and so away by coach with them, it being Betty’s wedding-day a year, as also Shrove Tuesday. Here I made myself mighty merry, the two old women being there also, and a mighty pretty dinner we had in this little house, to my exceeding great content, and my wife’s, and my heart pleased to see Betty. But I have not been so merry a very great while as with them, every thing pleasing me there as much as among so mean company I could be pleased. After dinner I fell to read the Acts about the building of the City again;1 and indeed the laws seem to be very good, and I pray God I may live to see it built in that manner! Anon with much content home, walking with my wife and her woman, and there to my office, where late doing much business, and then home to supper and to bed. This morning I hear that our discourse of peace is all in the dirt; for the Dutch will not like of the place, or at least the French will not agree to it; so that I do wonder what we shall do, for carry on the war we cannot. I long to hear the truth of it to-morrow at Court.
12 Annotations
First Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
John Evelyn's Diary
19 Feb. I saw a comedy acted at Court. In the aftemoone I saw a wrestling-match for ,£.1000 in St. James's Park, before his Majesty, a world of lords and other spectators, 'twixt the Western and Northern men, Mr. Secretary Morice and Lo. Gerard being the judges. The Western men won. [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn… ] Many greate sums were betted.
http://snipurl.com/sz6lc
Terry Foreman • Link
Brodrick to Ormond
Written from: [London]
Date: 19 February 1667
Notices further rumours respecting the pending Treaty for Peace. ...
"My Lord Chancellor [ Clarendon http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo… ]", adds the writer, "is in perfect health but so feeble in his limbs, he cannot yet walk. Yesterday, he was carried in a sedan to Clarendon House ... where H.R.H. [Duke of York] dined with him. ... On Thursday" his Lordship "sends the writer, & Hugh May, to wait on his son to Cornbury, where he is deep in building." ...
http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/s…
cape henry • Link
"...every thing pleasing me there as much as among so mean company I could be pleased." How. Very. Nice. And so jolly for the little people, too, I'm sure.
Terry Foreman • Link
"the Acts about the building of the City again"
'Charles II, 1666: 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.', Statutes of the Realm: volume 5: 1628-80 (1819), pp. 601-603. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…
'Charles II, 1666: An Act for rebuilding the Citty of London.', Statutes of the Realm: volume 5: 1628-80 (1819), pp. 603-612. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…
Robert Gertz • Link
“…every thing pleasing me there as much as among so mean company I could be pleased.” Especially what with young Betts not realizing her role in life is to put out for you. Ah, Sam, the burdens a superior human being must bear.
At least you behaved yourself and it sounds like you made the old ladies happy, however uncomfortable Betty may have felt having you around.
***
Dutch having fun jerking you around eh? Well, you guys started the war expecting a cheap and easy win.
martinb • Link
Shrove Tuesday but no mention of fritters/pancakes this year. Perhaps Pepys's attention was too taken up by the various women in the room to notice what he was eating.
Something I've never really understood but been too shy to ask: why the past tense in "Shrove Tuesday"? "Shrive Tuesday" or "Shriving Tuesday" would seem to make more sense.
language hat • Link
It's not necessarily from the past tense, it could be a combining form that just happens to look like the past tense. The OED calls the derivation "obscure," so you're in good company!
Carl in Boston • Link
why the past tense in “Shrove Tuesday”? “Shrive Tuesday” or “Shriving Tuesday” would seem to make more sense.
Very useful discussion, as the Vicar and I are communing about this very matter. I am unshriven, not having been at the pancake supper during the Great Storm of Tuesday, but expect to be properly shriven tomorrow.
cum salis grano • Link
Shrove according to OED
have a good time:
[ tis wot our Samuell did like to do, to go a shroving]
to shrove
[f. shrove- in SHROVE-TIDE.]
intr. To keep Shrove-tide; to make merry. Often in (to go) a-shroving (locally applied to the practice of going round singing for money on Shrove Tuesday).
1586 J. HOOKER Hist. Irel. in Holinshed II. 99/1 He trauelled to Rome a shrouing, of set purpose to be merrie.
1596 NASHE Saffron Walden {ESSEX} P2b, To certefie him that verie shortly hee would send him a couple of Hennes to Shroue with.
1611 FLORIO, Berlingaccione, one that loueth to shroue euer and make good cheere.
1620 in Crt. & Times Jas. I (1849) II. 198 Those ladies have invited them to a masque..so that on Thursday next, the king, prince, and all the court go thither a shroving.
a1625 FLETCHER Noble Gent. III. ii, To see him stated thus, as though he went A shroving through the City.
c1645 HOWELL Lett. IV. vii. (1892) II. 571 Hans Boobikin, a rich Boor's Son, whom his Father had sent abroad a Fryaring, that is, shroving in our Language. [See also SHROVING vbl. n.]
The keeping of Shrove-tide; the merrymaking characteristic of this season; festive rejoicing; carnival.
1580 TUSSER Husb. (1878) 180 At Shroftide to shrouing, go thresh the fat hen.
....
. a1656 HALES Gold. Rem. III. (1673) 4 What else..was the whole life of this miserable man here, but in a manner a perpetual Shroving?
Second Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"I hear that our discourse of peace is all in the dirt; for the Dutch will not like of the place,"
L&M: The Hague, which the English had proposed. See http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
Terry Foreman • Link
'Charles II, 1666: 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.'
The Fire of London Disputes Act 1666 was an Act of the Parliament of England (18 & 19 Cha. II c. 7) with the long title "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." [1] Following the Great Fire of London, Parliament established a court to settle all differences arising between landlords and tenants of burnt buildings, overseen by judges of the King's Bench, Court of Common Pleas and Court of Exchequer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fir…
San Diego Sarah • Link
"Burnet wrote (“History of his Own Time,” book ii.): “An act passed in this session for rebuilding the city of London, which gave Lord Chief Justice Hale a great reputation, for it was drawn with so true a judgment, and so great foresight, that the whole city was raised out of its ashes without any suits of law.”
Burnet is wrong.
Sir Matthew Hale was Chief Baron of the Exchequer from 7 November 1660 – 1671. He became the Lord Chief Justice after that.
http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…