Wednesday 20 March 1666/67
Up pretty betimes, and to the Old Swan, and there drank at Michell’s, but his wife is not there, but gone to her mother’s, who is ill, and so hath staid there since Sunday. Thence to Westminster Hall and drank at the Swan, and ‘baiserais the petite misse’; and so to Mrs. Martin’s … [who I find in opposante and su hermana rising. So here I had opportunity para tocar tout sobra su body as I would, and did traher sus pernos out of the lecto and do hazer myself hazer. – L&M] I sent for some burnt wine, and drank and then away, not pleased with my folly, and so to the Hall again, and there staid a little, and so home by water again, where, after speaking with my wife, I with Sir W. Batten and [Sir] J. Minnes to our church to the vestry, to be assessed by the late Poll Bill, where I am rated as an Esquire, and for my office, all will come to about 50l.. But not more than I expected, nor so much by a great deal as I ought to be, for all my offices. So shall be glad to escape so. Thence by water again to White Hall, and there up into the house, and do hear that newes is come now that the enemy do incline again to a peace, but could hear no particulars, so do not believe it. I had a great mind to have spoke with the King, about a business proper enough for me, about the French prize man-of-war, how he would have her altered, only out of a desire to show myself mindful of business, but my linen was so dirty and my clothes mean, that I neither thought it fit to do that, nor go to other persons at the Court, with whom I had business, which did vex me, and I must remedy [it]. Here I hear that the Duke of Richmond and Mrs. Stewart were betrothed last night. Thence to Westminster Hall again, and there saw Betty Michell, and bought a pair of gloves of her, she being fain to keep shop there, her mother being sick, and her father gathering of the tax. I ‘aimais her de toute my corazon’. Thence, my mind wandering all this day upon ‘mauvaises amours’ which I be merry for. So home by water again, where I find my wife gone abroad, so I to Sir W. Batten to dinner, and had a good dinner of ling and herring pie, very good meat, best of the kind that ever I had. Having dined, I by coach to the Temple, and there did buy a little book or two, and it is strange how “Rycaut’s Discourse of Turky,” which before the fire I was asked but 8s. for, there being all but twenty-two or thereabouts burned, I did now offer 20s., and he demands 50s., and I think I shall give it him, though it be only as a monument of the fire. So to the New Exchange, where I find my wife, and so took her to Unthanke’s, and left her there, and I to White Hall, and thence to Westminster, only out of idleness, and to get some little pleasure to my ‘mauvais flammes’, but sped not, so back and took up my wife; and to Polichinelli at Charing Crosse, which is prettier and prettier, and so full of variety that it is extraordinary good entertainment. Thence by coach home, that is, my wife home, and I to the Exchange, and there met with Fenn, who tells me they have yet no orders out of the Exchequer for money upon the Acts, which is a thing not to be borne by any Prince of understanding or care, for no money can be got advanced upon the Acts only from the weight of orders in form out of the Exchequer so long time after the passing of the Acts. So home to the office a little, where I met with a sad letter from my brother, who tells me my mother is declared by the doctors to be past recovery, and that my father is also very ill every hour: so that I fear we shall see a sudden change there. God fit them and us for it! So to Sir W. Pen’s, where my wife was, and supped with a little, but yet little mirth, and a bad, nasty supper, which makes me not love the family, they do all things so meanly, to make a little bad show upon their backs. Thence home and to bed, very much troubled about my father’s and my mother’s illness.
15 Annotations
First Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
“…. Thence to Westminster-hall and drank at the Swan and besado the petite moza; and so to Mrs. Martins who I find in opposante and su hermana rising. So here I had opportunity para tocar tout sobra su body as I would, and did traher sus pernos out of the lecto and do hazer myself hazer. ….”
http://www.pepys.info/bits5.html
cum salis grano • Link
Has any body counted all his sources of legal income ?
He not pay the Poll for his gratuities?
"...But not more than I expected, nor so much by a great deal as I ought to be, for all my offices. So shall be glad to escape so...."
Robert Gertz • Link
"...where, after speaking with my wife,..."
The Pathological Liar at Home...Yeah, that's the ticket.
"Ticket?!" cries starving seaman.
Robert Gertz • Link
"But not more than I expected, nor so much by a great deal as I ought to be, for all my offices. So shall be glad to escape so."
"Pardon me, but would it be correct to assume that you are the closest living descendant of one Samuel Pepys, Esq.? It seems there's a little matter of unpaid taxes since 1667? As evidenced by the gentleman himself in his own Diary. And with the interest...Well, one hopes you have unneeded extra body parts to sell."
Robert Gertz • Link
"So home to the office a little, where I met with a sad letter from my brother, who tells me my mother is declared by the doctors to be past recovery, and that my father is also very ill every hour: so that I fear we shall see a sudden change there."
No desire to run to Brampton to see the potentially dying ps? Well, at least no noting that it might save him 10-20Ls per annum, along with wondering if he could still get that 50Ls back.
[Spoiler...Flee like Rush Limbaugh from the US tomorrow.]
Heaven...
"Lord? I never thought of that..."
Ummn...Eyes frowning Bess.
"I mean...If only I'd gone up to see them. My heart is still heavy with the shame."
"I'm still keeping that 50Ls, son." frowning John notes.
language hat • Link
"but sped not"
This is the archaic sense of speed, 'to prosper in an undertaking'; here the phrase means "but I didn't have any luck."
It's odd how he fluctuates between being repentant and merry about his "mauvaises amours."
JWB • Link
"God fit them and us for it!"
No creeping lowlander, low church Arminianism here! Arminius thought God made us all fit and that we are free to choose=Baptists & Methodists, et al.
Robert Gertz • Link
"Ah, Pepys, Pepys...The one woman I ever truly loved..." Charles sighs.
"Yes, Sire...But as to the matter of the naval budget..."
"How can a man think of 'budgets' when his reason for living is gone, Pepys?"
"Yes, Sire. But as to my report here for the Council...Gentlemen, a moment..." Nervous turn to frowning rest of Council.
"Yes, yes...Business, war..." Charles shrugs, throwing up hands. "I suppose it's money you all want...Always money. No heart among any of you. There's no love left in the world, Pepys. I..." Looks out windown...
Hmmn...Who is that charming creature?
"Pepys...Ever happen to see that lovely young thing before?" nod to lovely young thing appearing to be searching for the right entrance.
"Bess?!" Sam stares.
Australian Susan • Link
What a whirlwind of a day! Scurrying hither and yon - here a grope, there a leer, busy, busy, busy. Take a coach, eat a pie, rush, rush, rush. See the puppets, read a letter, dash, dash, dash. Little Mr Bug Eyes in his dirty shirt and third-best breeches.
Second Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"Has any body counted all his sources of legal income ?"
L&M have: Pepys had been rated at £5 as an esquire, and at £52 10s. for his salary as Clerk of the Acts. His salaries from his Tangier and victualing posts had not been taxed, nor were any of his 'profits'.
Terry Foreman • Link
" it is strange how “Rycaut’s Discourse of Turky,” which before the fire I was asked but 8s. for, there being all but twenty-two or thereabouts burned, I did now offer 20s., and he demands 50s., and I think I shall give it him, though it be only as a monument of the fire."
L&M: For the book and its purchase, see https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/… and https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…
In November 1666 Lord Herbert gave 20s. for a copy, and reported that the author himself had none left: HMC, Beaufort, p.55. The third edition of 1670 cost only 10 s. bound: E. Arber, Term Cat., i. 22.
Terry Foreman • Link
"Fenn...tells me they have yet no orders out of the Exchequer for money upon the Acts, which is a thing not to be borne by any Prince of understanding or care, for no money can be got advanced upon the Acts only from the weight of orders in form out of the Exchequer so long time after the passing of the Acts."
L&M: Fenn (Paymaster to the Navy Treasurer) thought that the Lord Treasurer ought to have issued orders immediately after the passage of the two acts (for the Eleven Months Tax and the Poll Tax) had authorized them. He now feared that the money market would be congested and discount rates raised by a sudden rush of orders.
San Diego Sarah • Link
Forgive me if I've posted these sketches before, but I do love them. Plus when I think of this rebuilt version of the Old Swan, some of the more dilapidated cottages are what I have in mind. Or worse.
John Thomas Smith was born in 1766, so they were probably sketched around the turn of the century ... 150 years after Pepys.
https://spitalfieldslife.com/2020…
Nicolas • Link
“ Forgive me if I've posted these sketches before...”
Thanks for posting, I like them too.
Third Reading
Guy de la Bedoyere • Link
During the making of new transcriptions from the shorthand for my forthcoming book The Confessions of Samuel Pepys, this entry proved a problem. L&M read 'opposante' which means 'challenger'. This makes no sense whatsoever. On re-examining the shorthand I see it more likely reads aposento (ap and op are the same sign in Shelton). This word means 'lodging', i.e. Betty was in lodging. It isn't exactly clear what that means on this occasion - she may have been away leaving only Doll in residence - but on 12 May 1669, for example, P met Betty in her lodging for sex. The passage also includes the word transcribed variously as mosa and moza. It's actually P's shorthand phonetic version of móça ('servant girl'/'wench') which was the 17th century spelling. Both móça and aposente are in Percivale's 1623 Spanish-English dictionary which P possessed a copy of. It is a curiosity of L&M's transcriptions that they seem never to have looked beyond transcribing polyglot words, even when what they produced made no sense. There is no evidence that they ever looked any up or attempted to translate them; if they had they would have noticed immediately that their transcription had to be wrong. There are other such instances in polyglot passages throughout the diary text in their published edition.