Saturday 1 June 1667

Up; and there comes to me Mr. Commander, whom I employ about hiring of some ground behind the office, for the building of me a stable and coach-house: for I do find it necessary for me, both in respect to honour and the profit of it also, my expense in hackney-coaches being now so great, to keep a coach, and therefore will do it. Having given him some instructions about it, I to the office, where we sat all the morning; where we have news that our peace with Spayne, as to trade, is wholly concluded, and we are to furnish him with some men for Flanders against the French. How that will agree with the French, I know not; but they say that he also hath liberty, to get what men he pleases out of England. But for the Spaniard, I hear that my Lord Castlehaven is raising a regiment of 4000 men, which he is to command there; and several young gentlemen are going over in commands with him: and they say the Duke of Monmouth is going over only as a traveller, not to engage on either side, but only to see the campagne, which will be becoming him much more than to live whoreing and rogueing, as he now do. After dinner to the office, where, after a little nap, I fell to business, and did very much with infinite joy to myself, as it always is to me when I have dispatched much business, and therefore it troubles me to see how hard it is for me to settle to it sometimes when my mind is upon pleasure. So home late to supper and to bed.

14 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

John Evelyn's Diary

1st June, 1667. I went to Greenwich, where his Majesty was trying divers grenado's shot out of cannon at the Castlehill, from the house in the park; they broke not till they hit the mark, the forged ones broke not at all, but the cast ones very well. The inventor was a German there present.
At the same time, a ring was shown to the King, pretended to be a projection [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proj… ] of mercury, and malleable, and say'd by the gentlemen to be fix'd by the juice of a plant.

http://bit.ly/9S4cwR

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Clarendon to Ormond
Written from: Clarendon House
Date: 1 June 1667

Has good excuse to plead, for his long silence, in the many mortifications the writer has lately had to bear, ... [although] since he last wrote he has received the Duke's letters of the 6th., 11th., 14th., 21st., and 24th., of this month. ...

Besides the public calamity [in the death] of the Duke [ of York ]'s children, in which, he thinks, "every good Englishman is concerned, & even the government itself; he has lost a friend - a firm and unshaken friend [ Lord Treasurer Southampton ] and whether my only [underscored by the writer] friend, or no, you [ the Duke of Ormond ] only know, - and how fast [ a friend ] you can stand, against all temptations and assaults, - of which, I must tell you, I do not make the least doubt, in spite of all mens vanity". ... Cannot enlarge upon many particulars "in your trade & new designs of good husbandry, nor [ stay ] to enquire whether there be a necessity or convenience in the Commissioners [ of the Court of Claims ]' present separation". ...

Never thought it fit that he the Duke should take upon him "to decide the Reprisals - how much or little soever - amongst the English. Let that, in God's name, be the affair [The word of original is of doubtful reading] of the Commissioners". ...

Is heartily glad that "old Newburgh's friend" [without reference to Ormond's letter this blank cannot be filled up] is taken, "which, methinks", he adds, "is like an effect of Providence; and you will hear from Lord Arlington the King's sense & order upon it ... It is a great pity you should defer the work, since his confusion is so clear, & his excuse so foolish. ... Too much security cannot be used against treason ... who have been privy to bad designs. ... No question, if the Treaty [ at Breda ] doth succeed, you must expect a storm in Ireland, which must begin in some domestic attempt".
_____

Colonel Edward Cooke to Ormond
Written from: Roehampton
Date: 1 June 1667

Has yet in his pocket that part of his pacquet which was to be delivered to Lady Cavendish, & to Lord Devonshire. By appointment, both were to have been already here, from Lattimore, but they are not yet arrived.

... Upon stricter examination of all in the house, from least to greatest, all that can be charged upon "that young lady is that she is too affable, & too humble; lets down her quality too low, by a general civility; and is niggardly of her pains about the adornment of her own person; but - take her with all her faults - we cannot think where we could mend ourselves, were our own wishes the carvers for us." ... For my Lord, adds the writer, ... "I wish him better, but I thought him worse." ...
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Anglesey to Ormond
Written from: London
Date: 1 June 1667

The Lord Treasurer's illness and death have still hindred the settlement of the pending affairs. But His Majesty will be again attended, by the writer and by his friends at Court, "tomorrow", thereupon ...

http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/s…

Andrew Hamilton  •  Link

Thanks, Terry, for these courtly, if obscure, communications. Flavor of the spirit of the times, think you not, M'Lud?

Terry Foreman  •  Link

AH, What strikes me most about this diplomatic correspondence is (a) its variance from reality (or not); (b) the eminence of the principals.

And THIS is what counted for intelligence?! And we are going THERE?

GrahamT  •  Link

Re:the Duke of Monmouth
"...which will be becoming him much more than to live whoreing and rogueing, as he now do. "
Like father, like (bastard) son.
Sam at his acid best.

diphi  •  Link

"After dinner to the office, where, after a little nap, I fell to business, and did very much with infinite joy to myself, as it always is to me when I have dispatched much business, and therefore it troubles me to see how hard it is for me to settle to it sometimes when my mind is upon pleasure."

Me too, Sam!! Me too!!!

martinb  •  Link

"A little nap"

He doesn't do this often, does he? Perhaps it's all that talking about "the Spaniard" that brings it on...

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Heavy snoring fills the large office from the sanctum santorium at the far end, much to the...Necessarily quiet, as Will Hewer reminds them...Amusement of the staff.

Particularly when their employer allows a few words to escape his lips while deep in the rapturous arms of dreams...

Hayter doing his best not to notice...Mr. Pepys just having a minor tussle with Satan...

At least an improvement over that woman he had a tussle with in the office yesterday.

"Mrs. P?" Will stares at the unexpected visitor. "Just wanted to look in on Mr. P, Will. He seemed very tired..." Bess pauses to listen. "Yep, that's how he sounded at dinner. He was worried about falling asleep this afternoon, what with Sir Will Coventry and the new Treasury commission dropping by so often. I'll just go in a moment and make sure he's comfortable."

"But, ma'am..."

"I know you're working, William..." Comes over... "Actually, I wanted to surprise him. We need a little love-healing session after the past few. Just leave me be and let me know if any of the senior officers come in."

Well, he has had just about everyone else in there...Will sighs as door closes.

And I mean...Had...

Perhaps she's here to sing a psalm with him, Hayter thinks hopefully.

"Oh, Elisabeth..." Sam moans in sleep... "Oh, Betty, Betty...Ohhhh, dear Betty...Ohhhhh....Ohmigod!! Bess?"

"Sorry...Just wanted to surprise you, darling."

"My God, you succeeded! Bess..."

"Why you sweet thing..." Bess, beaming... "Dreaming about me all this time? I knew I was right to come."

"I think I am still dreaming..." Sam staring..."Mrs. Pepys?! Is the door closed?!!"

"Firmly...And you may just consider this my way of saying we shouldn't let a minor thing like clothing come between us, love."

"Not likely right now..." he eyes Bess, sans everything.

"So tell me...What were you dreaming about? Anything like the present?" She taking seat in his lap.

"Ummmn...Yes, actually...In a manner of speaking."

)Yes, yes I owe you big time Lord. Praise be to making nearly all my mistresses Elisabeths...And no letting me move on to my Castlemaine fantasy just yet.)

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"they say the Duke of Monmouth is going over only as a traveller, not to engage on either side, but only to see the campagne, which will be becoming him much more than to live whoreing and rogueing, as he now do. "

He appears not to have gone, but to have served in the troops defending Harwich against a Dutch attack, which Pepys reports (L&M note): http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"for I do find it necessary for me, both in respect to honour and the profit of it also, my expense in hackney-coaches being now so great, to keep a coach, and therefore will do it."

L&M: See https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…

Tonyel  •  Link

"for I do find it necessary for me, both in respect to honour and the profit of it also, my expense in hackney-coaches being now so great, to keep a coach, and therefore will do it."
This must be the third or fourth time that Sam has tried to justify this expensive move to himself.

Such a familiar problem - "I 'd really like that flash car - and of course it makes financial sense - but will folks think I'm showing off? - well, I'm not the office boy anymore - then again..."

john  •  Link

Nap time explained by yesterday's entry: "and to the office, where the weather so hot now-a-days that I cannot but sleep before I do any business"

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