Sunday 10 March 1666/67
(Lord’s day). Having my cold still grown more upon me, so as I am not able to speak, I lay in bed till noon, and then up and to my chamber with a good fire, and there spent an hour on Morly’s Introduction to Musique, a very good but unmethodical book. Then to dinner, my wife and I, and then all the afternoon alone in my chamber preparing a letter for Commissioner Taylor to the City about getting his accounts for The Loyal London, by him built for them, stated and discharged, they owing him still about 4000l.. Towards the evening comes Mr. Spong to see me, whose discourse about several things I proposed to him was very good, better than I have had with any body a good while. He gone, I to my business again, and anon comes my Lady Pen and her son-in law and daughter, and there we talked all the evening away, and then to supper; and after supper comes Sir W. Pen, and there we talked together, and then broke up, and so to bed. He tells me that our Mr. Turner has seen the proclamation against the Duke of Buckingham, and that therefore it is true what we heard last night. Yesterday and to-day I have been troubled with a hoarseness through cold that I could not almost speak.
15 Annotations
First Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"the proclamation against the Duke of Buckingham"
By the King. A proclamation for the discovery and apprehension of George, Duke of Buckingham
In the Savoy : Printed by the assigns of John Bill and Christopher Barker ..., 1666/7 [i.e. 1667] 1 sheet ([1] p.)
Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 21:4. Wing C3468
http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Recor…
Robert Gertz • Link
"...and anon comes my Lady Pen and her son-in law and daughter, and there we talked all the evening away, and then to supper; and after supper comes Sir W. Pen, and there we talked together..."
For all Sam's ranting, the Penns seem determined to remain friends or at least keep the peace. Of course the current situation in the office probably requires it, but Penn has always seemed willing to forgive bitterness between them if only on the surface fairly quickly. I expect Sam keeps most of his rage confined to the Diary and would startle us with a mix of friendly and perhaps even obseqious behavior toward Admiral Sir Will if we were to actually meet them together.
A. De Araujo • Link
"a very good but unmethodical book"
So many books like that, lacking analytical and synthetic hard work.
cape henry • Link
"...so as I am not able to speak..." Except, of course, when he is "discoursing" or "talking." But who's counting?
Terry Foreman • Link
Did Pepys not visit him often when Penn was laid up with gout?
arby • Link
Ah, John Spong. They don't make names like that any more.
Okay, I know one of you will dig out a long line of Spongs down to the current day, but still, it has a nice 'olde' ring to it.
Mary • Link
[Well arby, there's a Bishop John Spong in the USA today].
cape henry • Link
(Well arby, I happen to know a William Spong who was a U.S. Senator and then a revered college professor. He is a gentleman's gentleman and a rare fellow, indeed.
And 'olde' certainly describes him today.)
A. De Araujo • Link
"Spong"
From gaelic meaning tinder,some suggested as being the origin of punk.
cf online etymology dictionnary
cum salis grano • Link
Spong
OED version.
[var. of SPANG n.3]
1. A long narrow piece or strip (of ground or land).
1650 FULLER Pisgah II. ix. 185 Shiloh succeeds (in a narrow southern spong of this Tribe). Ibid. IV. ii. 22 A spong of ground somewhat nigh a thousand miles,..and not bearing a proportionable breadth.
GrahamT • Link
Spong is the name of the most common meat mincer in the UK, so familiar to almost anyone here. Allegedly, its inventor, John Osbourne Spong was descended from this John Spong and via another line, the daughter Frances of "La Belle Stuart", though the link is tenous. More detail here.
http://www.zyworld.com/felbridge/…
Fern • Link
Going back several decades, I think Spong was used in The Goon Show, sometimes as a name and sometimes as whatever the Goons wanted it to be.
Australian Susan • Link
Nostalgia time! Yes! Spong mincers! We had one when I was a child (which if you listen to my husband was when mammoths roamed the plains). It was used on Tuesdays to turn what was left of the Sunday roast joint into rissoles. On Mondays we had cold slices of the joint. Also for my mother to make her own mince from steak. They were sturdy items with different sized mincing discs, the word SPONG on the side and were horrid to wash if they had been used with raw meat. OK, sorry Phil, off topic.
Second Reading
San Diego Sarah • Link
A Broadside Proclamation printed in black letter on one side of a sheet, 1666-7 March 8. 0. folio (of which four other copies only are known).
By the King
A PROCLAMATION For the Discovery and Apprehension of George Duke of Buckingham. Given at Our Court at Whitehall the 8th day of March, In the Nineteenth year of Our Reign, 1669.
see https://books.google.com/books?pg…
you have to scroll down; lots of other interesting proclamations to read.
JB • Link
And at the end of the 20th century, John Shelby Spong was the controversial Bishop of Newark, NJ.