Thursday 28 March 1667

My tailor come to me betimes this morning, and having given him directions, I to the office and there all the morning. At noon dined well. Balty, who is mighty thoughtful how to dispose of his wife, and would fain have me provide a place for her, which the thoughts of what I should do with her if he should miscarry at sea makes me avoid the offering him that she should be at my house. I find he is plainly jealous of her being in any place where she may have ill company, and I do pity him for it, and would be glad to help him, and will if I can. Having dined, I down by water with Sir W. Batten, [Sir] W. Pen, and [Sir] R. Ford to our prize, part of whose goods were condemned yesterday — “The Lindeboome” — and there we did drink some of her wine, very good. But it did grate my heart to see the poor master come on board, and look about into every corner, and find fault that she was not so clean as she used to be, though methought she was very clean; and to see his new masters come in, that had nothing to do with her, did trouble me to see him. Thence to Blackwall and there to Mr. Johnson’s, to see how some works upon some of our repaired ships go on, and at his house eat and drank and mighty extraordinary merry (too merry for me whose mother died so lately, but they know it not, so cannot reproach me therein, though I reproach myself), and in going home had many good stories of Sir W. Batten and one of Sir W. Pen, the most tedious and silly and troublesome (he forcing us to hear him) that ever I heard in my life. So to the office awhile, troubled with Sir W. Pen’s impertinences, he being half foxed at Johnson’s, and so to bed.

19 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

The Royal Society today at Arundel House — from the Hooke Folio Online

March. 28. 1667. [ Francis ] Smethwicks glasse
[ http://www.greatwalloptical.com.h… ].)

There was an expt. made by Dr. Kings operation of bleeding a sheep into a spaniell dog. soe as 15 ounces of the doggs blood being first Lett out before any supply of the other blood was giuen there was afterwards transfused into him out of the sheep 36 ounces at Least which was computed by the time of bleeding measurd by a minute watch. by which it appeard that in the space of 4 minutes 17. ounces of blood at Least had been Lett Run into the dog out of the sheep since that the sheep being afterwards sufferd to bleed into a dish for the space of 8 minutes the blood Let out in that time weighed about 36 [ounce] during wch. time the blood must be supposed to run slower than it did before when it was sufferd to run into the Dog. (account of transfusion).

mr. Hooke produced some muscles grown in a stone at the bottom of the sea for the Repository.

Dr. Wren produced the shapes of haile falln march 26. 1667. the vpper part of which was a perfect cone. the vnder part the frustrum of a cone
[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frus… ], being turnd vp the represented a marigold flower. the angle that of a pentagon. soe tht 5 of them ioynd together did make a circle orderd to be registred

Dr. Wilkins the silk of Pinna marina [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinn… ])

The curator proposed an expedite way of making Bricks the consideration whereof referred to the next meeting. he promised to bring in a 6 foot glasse to compare wth. the Reflecting box and to change the obiect glasses -

http://webapps.qmul.ac.uk/cell/Ho…

Phoenix  •  Link

It seems like Penn can't do anything right except help out Sam ... er ... poor Sam.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Hard to picture Admiral Sir William Penn as "impertinent". Foxed or half-foxed, maybe...

My hat remains off to the good admiral's eternal patience with his young upstart colleague. How he manages to restrain himself from having Sam given a burial at sea sometimes, I don't know.

Of course not reading the Diary helps, doubtless...

Robert Gertz  •  Link

A Swedish ship taken? Hmmn...Because it was trading with the Dutch or sailing under their flag? Or has Sweden sided with Holland?

Or perhaps, just seaway robbery without excuse? Which might explain Sam's little pang (of guilt?)?

"But it did grate my heart to see the poor master come on board, and look about into every corner, and find fault that she was not so clean as she used to be, though methought she was very clean; and to see his new masters come in, that had nothing to do with her, did trouble me to see him."

I presume the "poor master" was Swedish?

A. De Araujo  •  Link

"but they know it not"
Wasn't Sam suppose to wear an external sign, like a black arm band, to show the world he was in mourning?

Mary  •  Link

I don't think so. He's waiting for his new suit of mourning in which to make a show - anything less would look ignoble.

Mary  •  Link

"the poor master" was Jean-Francois Vlaming, a name that indicates the Low Countries rather than Sweden.

Phil Gyford  •  Link

Thanks Mary - I've added a link to Vlaming now.

cape henry  •  Link

"...which the thoughts of what I should do with her if he should miscarry at sea makes me avoid the offering him that she should be at my house."Interesting admission.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"Balty, who is mighty thoughtful how to dispose of his wife, and would fain have me provide a place for her, which the thoughts of what I should do with her if he should miscarry at sea makes me avoid the offering him that she should be at my house."

Sadly for our hero, Cape H. I was thinking the same thing. And yet I suspect Sam here was being totally aboveboard (for once) and an innocently good brother-in-law.

What might have happened had Esther moved in...Well, lets hope Sam's strong sense of social propriety would kick in to block any inclinations that way.

I still get a little queasy regards the delightfully bratty Thee Turner, given Sam's behavior with some very young girls. But I count on Sam's true and pure love for Jane there as well as the social barrier.

Don't let us down, Samuel.

Nix  •  Link

Yes, Sam Pepys is just the man to whom a seafaring man should entrust his wife's virtue during a long voyage. What could possibly go wrong here?

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Heaven...

"But Lord?! What do these people think? That I hit on every woman I encountered?! Every woman I hit on wanted to be hit!...Ummn, on...Ummn..."

"Wasn't the wisest thing to say to you, was it, Bess?...Bess?"

"Bess...All water under London Bridge now, eh? Bess?"

"Bess...?"

"It's that passionate St. Michel nature. Ummn...If she wasn't angry, that would be bad too, right?"

"I couldn't say, sir." St. Peter shrugs. "The mystery of why Mrs. Pepys continues to tolerate you alone is already far too much for me to fathom."

Knock...

"Father-in-law?" Sam eyes the troubled Alex at door...

"I see you've been having troubles with the daughter as well." Alex sighs, dragging chest.

"Trust me. Two or three decades, it will all blow over, my son."

***

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"But the real question, brother-in-law Pepys...Which I put to you as a successful man of the world..."

"Balty?"

"How to handle a woman?"

"How to what?...How to handle a woman?"

Balty, expectantly...

Hmmn...Well...

"How to handle a woman. There's a way, my dear young man. A way known by every woman...Since the whole...Rigamarole began."

"Do I flatter her, I beg you answer? Brother Sam, do I threaten or cajole or plead?"

(Certainly tried all those, Sam thinks...)

"Do I brood...(You'd be good at that, Sam eyes him)...Or play the gay romancer?"

Smiling.... "No, indeed. Yes...Well,now. How, to handle a woman... Mark well and I'll tell you, sir. The way to handle a woman..."

"Bess? Way to handle a womnan?! Balty wants to know!"

"Love her!!"

"Simply love her?!!"

"Merely love her!!"

"Spiritually or..." OW!!...Chamber pot makes direct hit, fortunately empty.

"Merely love her." Sam nods wisely, rubbing forehead.

"Just love her..."

"...And deny everything..." hiss.

language hat  •  Link

"Interesting admission."

I think we all had that instinctive reaction, but a moment's thought makes clear he simply doesn't want to be burdened with being indefinitely responsible for a widow's care and feeding. Perfectly understandable, if not the most generous sentiment in the world.

Kevin Peter  •  Link

I got the same impression of this as Language Hat. Sam was reluctant to have Balty's wife stay with him, since if Balty was to perish at sea, Sam would have the obligation to continue to care for her until she found a new husband. It's possible he would be considered obliged as her caretaker to cough up a dowry if she were to marry again.

Sam is thinking about money here and is reluctant to risk gaining a financial burden if he can avoid it.

Second Reading

Gerald Berg  •  Link

Great commentary all. Thanks!

This is Liz's brother right? She has no interest, say, worry....?

Spoilers anyone?

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"Dr. Wren produced the shapes of haile falln march 26. 1667. the vpper part of which was a perfect cone. the vnder part the frustrum of a cone
[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frus… ], being turnd vp the represented a marigold flower. the angle that of a pentagon. soe tht 5 of them ioynd together did make a circle orderd to be registred"

A gentian is a herb often used in medieval medicine. The origin seems to have been the marsh marigold, Caltha Palustris, possibly alluding to its past medical uses, and its association with medieval church festivals.
It is one of the 'golden flowers' dedicated to the Virgin Mary; and so we have the name, 'Mary's Gold'.

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