Sunday 31 March 1667

(Lord’s day). Up, and my tailor’s boy brings my mourning clothes home, and my wife hers and Barker’s, but they go not to church this morning. I to church, and with my mourning, very handsome, and new periwigg, make a great shew. After church home to dinner, and there come Betty Michell and her husband. I do and shall love her, but, poor wretch, she is now almost ready to lie down. After dinner Balty (who dined also with us) and I with Sir J. Minnes in his coach to White Hall, but did nothing, but by water to Strand Bridge and thence walked to my Lord Treasurer’s, where the King, Duke of York, and the Caball, and much company without; and a fine day. Anon come out from the Caball my Lord Hollis and Mr. H. Coventry, who, it is conceived, have received their instructions from the King this day; they being to begin their journey towards their treaty at Bredagh speedily, their passes being come. Here I saw the Lady Northumberland and her daughter-in-law, my Lord Treasurer’s daughter, my Lady Piercy, a beautiful lady indeed. So away back by water, and left Balty at White Hall and I to Mrs. Martin … [and there haze todo which yo would hazer con her; – L&M] and so by coach home, and there to my chamber, and then to supper and bed, having not had time to make up my accounts of this month at this very day, but will in a day or two, and pay my forfeit for not doing it, though business hath most hindered me.

The month shuts up only with great desires of peace in all of us, and a belief that we shall have a peace, in most people, if a peace can be had on any terms, for there is a necessity of it; for we cannot go on with the war, and our masters are afraid to come to depend upon the good will of the Parliament any more, as I do hear.

19 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

“ …. So away back by water; and left Balty at White-hall, and I to Mrs. Martin and there did haze todo which yo would hazer con her; and so by coach home and there to my chamber; and then to supper and bed ­ having not had time to make up my accounts of this month at this very day, but will in a day or two and pay my forfeit for not doing it, though business hath most hindered me. …”

http://www.pepys.info/bits5.html

Carl in Boston  •  Link

I say, Terry, well done. I do love spoilers that illuminate the sweep and vastness of history, and how it is we came to be Americans with a constitutional government.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"I to church, and with my mourning, very handsome, and new periwigg, make a great shew."

And now, right here on our stage...

"Top of the world, Ma!!"

***

God, Sam...Tell us you didn't visit Mrs. M in your mourning suit.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"I do and shall love her, but, poor wretch, she is now almost ready to lie down."

Heaven...

Loud sobbing...

"Bess..."

"Bessie...?"

"My Sieuress de St. Michel?"

"Elisabeth, darling...."

"Bess, damnit say something...Tell me what I did?"

"Sir." the summoned Hewer eyeing Bess' locked door, hands him the Diary.

"What?"

"Sir...The line I underlined."

"About Betty Mitchell...Oh. Bess, you know that didn't mean anything. And you forgave me two hundred years ago. After a century of Purgatory...None of which I minded as much as not getting to see you again for all those years. Bess? This is a mite unfair..."

"Sir..." Hewer points.

"...'poor wretch'? What?...Oh, my God."

Sobbing intensifies behind door...

"I am dead."

"Well, sir. We are, after all, in the after..."

"I know that, Hewer! I'm speaking figuratively. Though quite literally too."

"I don't quite see why Mrs. P is so... I mean, sir. I could see her leaving you in Hell, let alone Purgatory, over those women...But, if she could forgive that and bail you out of Purgatory..."

"Hewer. It's clear to me you have never understood women. My boy, it was one thing to philander like there was no tomorrow during plague, fire, and war. But to use her pet name with another woman...? How could I have been such an..."

"#$8@!" call from behind door.

"Quite right, love."

Martin King  •  Link

"but by water to Strand Bridge".

Since this was clearly not across the Thames, was it across a small river running into the Thames, now entirely underground?

Mary  •  Link

Strand Bridge.

This seems (L&M) to have been the name for a landing-stage near Somerset House, i.e. on the north bank of the Thames.

cape henry  •  Link

"...having not had time to make up my accounts of this month at this very day..."Perhaps a bit less hazer todoing and one could find the time?

cum salis grano  •  Link

taking account,it be what gives the greater plaisir, lsd or sin

Michael Robinson  •  Link

" ... here the King, Duke of York, and the Caball, ..."

L&M '*' the word Caball; the glossary, (vii, 613), states "inner group of ministers; knot" and makes no connection to the particular group of advisers who succeed as Charles's ministers post Clarendon.

Glyn  •  Link

"there come Betty Michell and her husband. I do and shall love her, but, poor wretch, she is now almost ready to lie down."

I'm taking that to mean that Betty is heavily pregnant and very close to giving birth (with at least a 12% chance of being killed). Or am I misreading this?

Mary  •  Link

I think that you're reading it exactly right, Glyn. I wonder whether Sam has given any thought to his possible response if he is eventually asked to stand as godfather to the child.

Australian Susan  •  Link

I thought childbed mortality was as high as one in three? Was in the late 18th century.

cum salis grano  •  Link

per Lizard: chap 6 pg77
life expectancy 35 yrs vs 1990 78/ ( 73.5), infant mortality 25% before aged 10, at 30, one was middle aged.
Survival rate for the first 10yrs of betrothal very poor.

clod hoppers away from the stress of city life live decades longer than the city slickers.
Thanks to immigration London attracted many wealth seekers.

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Anon come out from the Caball my Lord Hollis and Mr. H. Coventry, who, it is conceived, have received their instructions from the King this day; they being to begin their journey towards their treaty at Bredagh speedily, their passes being come."

L&M: They did not set out until April, arriving at Breda on the 4/14. The treaty with the Dutch was signed there on 21/31st July. Holles was ambassador to France, and Coventry had recently completed a successful mission to Sweden.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Here I saw the Lady Northumberland and her daughter-in-law, my Lord Treasurer’s daughter, my Lady Piercy, a beautiful lady indeed."

L&M: The Cou8ntess of Northumberland was the wife of the 10th Earl. Her daughter-in-law, one off the greatest beauties of her time (and a co-heiress) had married Lord Joscelin Percy (later the 11th Earl) in 1671, when she was a widow, the 3rd Duke of Somerset is said to have died for love of her. For portraits of her, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eli…

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"I to church, and with my mourning, very handsome, and new periwigg, make a great shew."

And the shew was probably the only reason Pepys went to church. It certainly wasn't to listen to another dull sermon.

My suspicion is that he didn't go to Brampton because he needed to stay on top of the narrative(s), and ride herd on the Navy Board, so no one spilled any beans. He could easily have come back from the funeral only to find out that he was the scape goat, and a nice cell in the Tower awaited.

HOWEVER, with no money to float the fleet, was it really wise to be flashing two new French periwigs and very fine new clothing for the entire family? Adm. Penn is making his economies very conspicuous; perhaps he knows more than he's telling Pepys?

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"Anon come out from the Caball my Lord Hollis and Mr. H. Coventry, who, it is conceived, have received their instructions from the King this day; they being to begin their journey towards their treaty at Bredagh speedily, their passes being come."

The word cabal can be traced back to cabbala, which is the Latin word for a form of Jewish mysticism. But it took on a more political meaning over the years.
Charles Dickens came up with an alternative origin. He claimed cabal was an acronym for the names of political figures under Charles II — Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley, and Lauderdale. A clever story, but ultimately false.

https://www.wordgenius.com/all-wo…

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Since this meeting of the Stuart brother's current cabal was held at Southampton's home, I think we can assume Treasurer Southampton was involved in the conversation. As would be Arlington, who is in charge of intelligence. And Coventry, who was Secretary of the Navy. And Carteret, another money man. Everyone loved Albemarle, so he would have been there. Maybe Buckingham, if he wasn't in the Tower. Maybe Monmouth, as Charles was grooming him for higher office. Maybe Lauderdale, if Scotland was involved. Who's in, who's out, who's up and who's down?

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