Wednesday 6 March 1666/67

Up, and with [Sir] W. Pen to White Hall by coach, and by the way agreed to acquaint [Sir] W. Coventry with the business of Mr. Carcasse, and he and I spoke to Sir W. Coventry that we might move it to the Duke of York, which I did in a very indifferent, that is, impartial manner, but vexed I believe Lord Bruncker. Here the Duke of York did acquaint us, and the King did the like also, afterwards coming in, with his resolution of altering the manner of the war this year; that is, we shall keep what fleete we have abroad in several squadrons: so that now all is come out; but we are to keep it as close as we can, without hindering the work that is to be done in preparation to this. Great preparations there are to fortify Sheernesse and the yard at Portsmouth, and forces are drawing down to both those places, and elsewhere by the seaside; so that we have some fear of an invasion; and the Duke of York himself did declare his expectation of the enemy’s blocking us up here in the River, and therefore directed that we should send away all the ships that we have to fit out hence. Sir W. Pen told me, going with me this morning to White Hall, that for certain the Duke of Buckingham is brought into the Tower, and that he hath had an hour’s private conference with the King before he was sent thither.

To Westminster Hall. There bought some news books, and, as every where else, hear every body complain of the dearness of coals, being at 4l. per chaldron, the weather, too, being become most bitter cold, the King saying to-day that it was the coldest day he ever knew in England. Thence by coach to my Lord Crew’s, where very welcome. Here I find they are in doubt where the Duke of Buckingham is; which makes me mightily reflect on the uncertainty of all history, when, in a business of this moment, and of this day’s growth, we cannot tell the truth. Here dined my old acquaintance, Mr. Borfett, that was my Lord Sandwich’s chaplain, and my Lady Wright and Dr. Boreman, who is preacher at St. Gyles’s in the Fields, who, after dinner, did give my Lord an account of two papist women lately converted, whereof one wrote her recantation, which he shewed under her own hand mighty well drawn, so as my Lord desired a copy of it, after he had satisfied himself from the Doctor, that to his knowledge she was not a woman under any necessity. Thence by coach home and staid a very little, and then by water to Redriffe, and walked to Bagwell’s, where ‘la moher’ was ‘defro, sed’ would not have me ‘demeurer’ there ‘parce que’ Mrs. Batters and one of my ‘ancillas’, I believe Jane (for she was gone abroad to-day), was in the town, and coming thither; so I away presently, esteeming it a great escape. So to the yard and spoke a word or two, and then by water home, wondrous cold, and reading a ridiculous ballad made in praise of the Duke of Albemarle, to the tune of St. George, the tune being printed, too; and I observe that people have some great encouragement to make ballads of him of this kind. There are so many, that hereafter he will sound like Guy of Warwicke. Then abroad with my wife, leaving her at the ’Change, while I to Sir H. Cholmly’s, a pretty house, and a fine, worthy, well-disposed gentleman he is. He and I to Sir Ph. Warwicke’s, about money for Tangier, but to little purpose. H. Cholmley tells me, among other things, that he hears of little hopes of a peace, their demands being so high as we shall never grant, and could tell me that we shall keep no fleete abroad this year, but only squadrons. And, among other things, that my Lord Bellasses, he believes, will lose his command of Tangier by his corrupt covetous ways of endeavouring to sell his command, which I am glad [of], for he is a man of no worth in the world but compliment. So to the ’Change, and there bought 32s. worth of things for Mrs. Knipp, my Valentine, which is pretty to see how my wife is come to convention with me, that, whatever I do give to anybody else, I shall give her as much, which I am not much displeased with. So home and to the office and Sir W. Batten, to tell him what I had done to-day about Carcasse’s business, and God forgive me I am not without design to give a blow to Sir W. Batten by it. So home, where Mr. Batelier supped with us and talked away the evening pretty late, and so he gone and we to bed.

29 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

John Evelyn's Diary

6 March. I proposed to my Lo. Chancellor Monsieur Kiviet's
[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joha… ] undertaking to warfe the whole river of Thames, or Key, from the Temple to the Tower, as far as the fire destroied, with brick, without piles, both lasting and ornamental.—Great frosts, snow and winds, prodigious at the vernal equinox ; indeede it had ben a yeare of prodigies in this nation, plague, warr, fire, rains, tempest, and comet.

http://snipurl.com/sz6lc

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Monsieur Kiviet’s undertaking to warfe the whole river of Thames, or Key, from the Temple to the Tower, as far as the fire destroied, with brick, without piles, both lasting and ornamental."

Not quite the Thames Embankment, but more than Wren had proposed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tham…

Bradford  •  Link

"to his knowledge she was not a woman under any necessity"---i.e., she was not compelled, by whatever method, to recant?

"[M]y wife is come to convention with me, that, whatever I do give to anybody else, I shall give her as much, which I am not much displeased with."

That's the diplomatic spirit, Elizabeth: bind him to a contract.

Michael Robinson  •  Link

" ... reading a ridiculous ballad made in praise of the Duke of Albemarle, to the tune of St. George, the tune being printed, too; ..."

KING Arthur and his Men they valiant were and bold,
The Table Hound was high renown'd, twelve hardy knights did hold;
All, in the dayes of old, extoll'd for Chivalrie :
But they long since are dead, and under ground do lie.
To keep up England's Fame, our present Story tells
How Lord George, Lord George, in prowess now excells.

Lord George wa» born in England, restor'd his Countrye's joy ;
Come, let us sing Vive le Roy ! Vive le Roy !

The Monarchies, all four, were purchased with blood ;
Carthage of old, and Rome as bold, each other long withstood ;
And many lives were lost in every enterprize.
Orlando Furioso, he was more rash than wise :
But never heard before, so well contrived a thing,
How Lord George, Lord George, in Peace brought home our King.

Lord George was born in England, restor'd his Countryes Joy, etc.

French Jfounsieur complements, his cracks and cringes many ;
The Spanish Don his Hat keeps on, and looks as big as any ;
The Irish Tory fierce ; Venetians' courage hot; [s.B.
The Welshman still high born ; most subtle is the Scot :
But yet among them all, deny it now who can,
Still Lord George, Lord George, Renowned Englishman :

Lord George [was born in England], etc.

Darby and Capel both did Noble Martyrs die,
Their latest breath, unto the Death, pronouncing Loyaltie ;
Good Subjects many more did suffer death most vile,
In Scotland brave Montrose was murder'd by Argyle :
For King and Countries sake, all these laid down their lives ;
But Lord George, Lord George, to serve his Prince survives.

Lord George [was bom in England], etc.

Brave famous Noblemen, and others here, did fight
For Charles his Cause, when 'gainst the Lawes detained was his Right,
In those unhappy Wars dy'd many Worthies good,
Did win Immortal Fame by losing loyal blood :
Yet maugre all their force, Usurpers got the Throne ;
But Lord George, Lord George, he gave the King his own.

Lord George [was born in England], etc.

By many Battles fought, the Turk's a potent Lord ;
King Philip's Son of Macedon got all the world by 'a sword ;
Great William 'gaiu'd this Land, and all the Danes drave out;
Fifth Harry Conquer'd France, by force and valour stout:
Their greatness to encrease, these exercised their might;
But Lord George, Lord George, doth for his Master fight.

Lord George [was born in England], etc.

Jephtha and Gideon by Miracle did strike,
The Son of Nun did stay the Sun, no Man did do the like ;
Sampson was the strongest begot of humane race ;
Jonathan and David kill'd Phitistin[e]s apace :
All those did fight on Land, their foes wheu slaughter'd they ;
But Lord George, Lord George rides Conquerour at Sea.

Lord George [was born in, England], &c.

Of many brave Exploits do ancient Stories tell,
But Sea-fights such as ours with Dutch, yet none could parallel —
Towards Midsummer the Moon works strongly on their brain,
If in the month of June they venture once again ;
For thrice they had the worst at that time of the year,
And Lord George, Lord George still keeps them all in fear.

Lord George [was born in England], &c.

We often read of Knights, [who] wilde Beasts did overcome ;
Our General, beyond them all, beats Belgick Lyon home ;
A Beast of wondrous size, sometime did hold him play,
But he the Conquest gain'd upon St. James's day.
The Lyon then was hurt, did lamentably rore,
But Lord George, Lord George since that did wound it more.

Lord George [was born in England], etc.

The Victory obtain'd, was further still made good,
Our Englishmen, unto their Den, the Dutchmen home pursu'd ;
Their Fleet in Harbour fir'd, their Village sack'd and buru'd,
Made Butterboxes swear the Monck to Devil was turu'd;
As flam'd the Trojan Walls, so did their Ships, or worse,
For Lord George, Lord George sent in the Wooden-horse.

Lord George [was born in England], &c.

If daring French-men now our Valour longs to try,
Soon us he will, we ready still, his mind to satisfie,
His Itch shall quickly Cure, when he shall feel our sword,
With Dutch not blunted yet, we'l t'other Bout afford ;
And if he thinks it good, the Dane may likewise call,
For Lord George, Lord George doth hope to beat them all.

Lord George [was born in England], <tc.

Success wait on his Arm, till Tryumph bring him home
To Native soil, enrich'd with spoil of Enemies o're-come :
Whilst they by Weeping-Cross are driven back again,
May he with joy return to his Dear Soveraigu ;
And in his proper Orb, with Honour still attend,
Till Lord George, Lord George 'mong Angels shall ascend.

Lord George was born in England,
He restor'd his Countrye's Joy,
Come, let us end, Vive le Roy.

Roxburghe Ballads,(1889) VI, 730-731.

JWB  •  Link

"...which makes me mightily reflect on the uncertainty of all history..."

History as "an agreed upon narrative" has all the charm of "agreed upon science" and requires pensioned poets laureate and balladiers to maintain.

A. De Araujo  •  Link

"where the woman was inside(dentro instead of defro)but would not have me stay there because Mrs Batters and one of my servants, I believe Jane...."

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Great get, MR!

"An Heroical Song on the Worthy and Valliant Exploits
of Our Noble Lord General
George, Duke of Albemarle, et.,
Foth by Land and Sea"
Made in August 1666. To the Tune of St. George.

http://bit.ly/aeLRgh

followed, of course, by the words of "Sir Guy of Warwick," another of the many ballads set to that tune, according to the essay preceding the Albemarle ditty.

A. De Araujo  •  Link

maybe "maids" would be a better translation

martinb  •  Link

"which I did in a very indifferent, that is, impartial manner"

"Indifferent" is a word which has sometimes caused trouble to annotators here, so it's nice of Pepys himself to gloss the word this time. Almost as if he can see the future reader coming...

Mary  •  Link

"maids"

Indeed, A de A. I am reminded that the Vulgate Bible translates "Ecce, ancilla Domini" as 'Behold, the handmaid of the Lord."

Singularly apt in Pepys' case.

cum salis grano  •  Link

"where ‘la moher’ was ‘defro, sed’ "
Mother was defrocked but????
So embarrassing to see an old lady in a state of dishabille, now if younger.....

cum salis grano  •  Link

‘demeurer’???
[A derived or extended form of meure, mewre, MURE a., used in same sense, a. OF. meur, now mûr, ‘ripe, mature, mellow; also, discreet, considerate, aduised, setled, stayed’ (Cotgr. 1611). The nature and history of the prefixed de- are obscure.

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

Ancilla
[L. ancilla handmaid, dim. of ancula, dim. fem. of early L. ancus, anca, servant; cf. also ANCILLE.]

A maidservant, handmaid.
1871 M. COLLINS Inn of Strange Meetings 27 The pert ancilla flutters foolish feet.

A rather an embarrassing moment I gather, to walk in on a female sacred moment and be spotted by the under mayde too.

Mary  •  Link

demeurer.

French. To stay or remain (somewhere).

Jesse  •  Link

Re: Evelyn's entry (thanks for adding these)

Recall, the Julian date does put things (ten days) closer to the equinox then we are now.

Kievit's background is interesting and I'm somewhat surprised he's not been mentioned in the diary (yet?).

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Kievit’s background is interesting and I’m somewhat surprised he’s not been mentioned in the diary (yet?)."

He was mentioned in the very long entry of 17 February: "comes Captain Cocke to me, to talk of State matters, and about the peace; who told me that the whole business is managed between Kevet, Burgomaster of Amsterdam, and my Lord Arlington" http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

and moves more at the social level of Evelyn.

cum salis grano  •  Link

“which I did in a very indifferent, that is, impartial manner”

there are a few subtle meanings e.g.: [not worthy of consideration]
OED
indifferent

I. Of a person or thing, in relation to two or more objects, courses, etc.

1. Without difference of inclination; not inclined to prefer one person or thing to another; unbiased, impartial, disinterested, neutral; fair, just, even, even-handed. Const. to, unto ({dag}for). arch. a. Of persons: esp. indifferent judge, critic, reader.
1387...
1594 WEST 2nd Pt. Symbol. §22 Two things seeme necessarie..namely that the arbitrators be sufficient, and indifferent. a1618 RALEIGH Apol. 21, I leave to all worthy and indifferent men to judge. 1745 De Foe's Eng. Tradesman (1841) II. xxxix. 119 A man who means honestly, is never afraid..to refer all differences to the next unbiassed and indifferent man he meets.

7. Not definitely possessing either of two opposite qualities; esp. (in current use), Neither good nor bad; of neutral quality.

b. Hence, by euphemism: Not particularly good; poor, inferior; rather bad. (Frequently preceded by but or very.)
1638 F. JUNIUS Paint. Ancients 66 The favourable acclamations of them that praise and extoll every indifferent worke. 1647 CLARENDON Hist. Reb. VI. §60 After an ill supper, he was shewed an indifferent bed.

cum salis grano  •  Link

Day off? Was it possible, not to be 24/7. that be on call , [unlike today, no cell phone to ensure one be on his/her master's/miss tresses leash, "wheres 'me' comb"]
"Mrs. Batters and one of my ‘ancillas’, I believe Jane (for she was gone abroad to-day)"

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Here the Duke of York did acquaint us, and the King did the like also, afterwards coming in, with his resolution of altering the manner of the war this year; that is, we shall keep what fleete we have abroad in several squadrons: so that now all is come out; but we are to keep it as close as we can, without hindering the work that is to be done in preparation to this."

L&M comment: The decision to lay up the big ships and abandon all hope of setting out a battle fleet was made by the Cabinet is February, the Duke of York dissenting.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Great preparations there are to fortify Sheernesse and the yard at Portsmouth"

L&M note an agreement was signed this day with Sir Bernard de Gomme, joint engineer-in-chef of royal castles and forts, for the construction of works at Sheerness. The works, although vital to the defense of Chatham, proceeded slowly and was nor completed when the Dutch sailed into the Medway in June. See http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
They also note commissions for the fortification of Portsmouth dockyard had been set up in 1665 and 1666 and was now within a few weeks of completion.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"hear every body complain of the dearness of coals, being at 4l. per chaldron"

In the previous December the price had been 3l. 3s.(63s.) a chaldron: http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1… Because of the war [ and shortages also due to the aftermath and rebuilding following the Great Fire ] the price now continued to rise during the summer, when normally a fall would have been expected. At 26 June Pepys records the highest known price of the century for London -- 110s. a chaldron (c. 82s. 6d. a ton). By September it had dropped to 28s.-29s. See http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"the King saying to-day that it was the coldest day he ever knew in England."

L&M: Similarly Anthony à Wood (at Oxford) remarked that such weather 'hath not been remembered by man'. The Thames at Oxford, though not at London, was frozen over so tat carts could be driven across it.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"the King saying to-day that it was the coldest day he ever knew in England."

L&M: Similarly Anthony à Wood (at Oxford) remarked that such weather 'hath not been remembered by man'. The Thames at Oxford, though not at London, was frozen over so that carts could be driven across it.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"There are so many, that hereafter he will sound like Guy of Warwicke. "

Guy of Warwick, or Gui de Warewic, is a legendary English hero of Romance popular in England and France from the 13th to 17th centuries. The story of Sir Guy is considered by scholars to be part of the Matter of England.[2]
The core of the legend[3] is that Guy falls in love with the lady Felice ("Happiness"), who is of much higher social standing. In order to wed Felice he must prove his valour in chivalric adventures and become a knight; in order to do this he travels widely, battling fantastic monsters such as dragons, giants, a Dun Cow and great boars. He returns and weds Felice but soon, full of remorse for his violent past, he leaves on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land; later he returns privately and lives out his long life as a hermit (according to local legend in a cave overlooking the River Avon, situated at Guys Cliffe).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Then abroad with my wife, leaving her at the ‘Change, while I to Sir H. Cholmly’s, a pretty house"

L&M: A large establishment in the fashionable new Pall Mall, taxed on 23 hearths in 1666, and described in the hearth-tax returns of 1666 as 'empty, new-built'....

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"so I away presently, esteeming it a great escape. So to the yard and spoke a word or two, and then by water home, ..."

Jane knows Mrs. Bagwell? You're right; a great escape indeed. At the yard, establish a hasty alibi, and then home before you freeze your buns off, or anyone from the house sees you. It's amazing no rumors have reached Elizabeth yet.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Jane the maid ... the only maid Jane we are sure about was Jane the cook: A tall woman whom Pepys liked, but Elizabeth did not. Jane was hired on 27 June 1664 and was let go on 2 February 1665.

That Pepys hasn't mentioned hiring a new Jane shows us just how far he has strayed from being the slightest bit interested in the running of his household. Decorating it, yes. Running it, no.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"Sir W. Pen told me, going with me this morning to White Hall, that for certain the Duke of Buckingham is brought into the Tower,"

"Here I find they are in doubt where the Duke of Buckingham is; which makes me mightily reflect on the uncertainty of all history, when, in a business of this moment, and of this day’s growth, we cannot tell the truth."

Three hundred and fifty years later I can tell you what the historians at the House of Commons think was the truth:

Henry Belasyse MP ‘ran a great hazard’ by concealing George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham when his arrest for treasonable practices was ordered in February 1667;
https://www.historyofparliamenton…

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