Tuesday 4 June 1667

Up, and to the office, and there busy all the morning putting in order the answering the great letter sent to the office by the new Commissioners of the Treasury, who demand an account from the King’s coming in to this day, which we shall do in the best manner we can. At noon home to dinner, and after dinner comes Mr. Commander to me and tells me, after all, that I cannot have a lease of the ground for my coach-house and stable, till a suit in law be ended, about the end of the old stable now standing, which they and I would have pulled down to make a better way for a coach. I am a little sorry that I cannot presently have it, because I am pretty full in my mind of keeping a coach; but yet, when I think on it again, the Dutch and French both at sea, and we poor, and still out of order, I know not yet what turns there may be, and besides, I am in danger of parting with one of my places, which relates to the Victualling, that brings me by accident in 800l. a year, that is, 300l. from the King and 500l. from D. Gawden. I ought to be well contented to forbear awhile, and therefore I am contented. To the office all the afternoon, where I dispatched much business to my great content, and then home in the evening, and there to sing and pipe with my wife, and that being done, she fell all of a sudden to discourse about her clothes and my humours in not suffering her to wear them as she pleases, and grew to high words between us, but I fell to read a book (Boyle’s Hydrostatiques) aloud in my chamber and let her talk, till she was tired and vexed that I would not hear her, and so become friends, and to bed together the first night after 4 or 5 that she hath lain from me by reason of a great cold she had got.

12 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

A News-Letter, addressed to Sir George Lane
Written from: [Whitehall]
Date: 4 June 1667

The funeral of the Duke of Kendal [ http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo… ] was solemnized on the 30th ultimo.

Advices have come from Holland of the efforts of "De Witt's faction" to put obstacles in the way of the Treaty of Peace.

Brandt, the Envoy at this Court, of the the Elector of Brandenburgh, is about to proceed to Breda to use his good offices in the promotion of the Treaty. Meanwhile, a strong Dutch fleet is on its way towards the English Coast. ...

http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/s…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Odd that Pepys should not note the death of the Duke of York's youngest son.

Mary  •  Link

"high words between us"

Little surprise that this dispute should arise again. Elizabeth appears to have been quietly stewing about it for several days. I wonder if Sam admitted to his wife any of the second thoughts that he had almost immediately had about their argument and whether it was a half-apology from him that allowed them to become friends again.

Tony Eldridge  •  Link

"but I fell to read a book (Boyle’s Hydrostatiques) aloud in my chamber and let her talk, till she was tired and vexed that I would not hear her, and so become friends"
I cannot imagine a more unlikely way of "becoming friends". I assume Sam means that Bess just gave up.

Andrew Hamilton  •  Link

I fell to read a book (Boyle’s Hydrostatiques) aloud

I think you are right, Tony. Very comical scene however.

Michael McCollough  •  Link

I'd bet 'became friends' is a euphemism for 'scr...d her so she'd drop whatever she was nattering about'. And there would be hell to pay if anyone tried to read Boyle's Hydrostatiques to me.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"one of my places, which relates to the Victualling, that brings me by accident in 800l. a year, that is, 300l. from the King and 500l. from D. Gawden."

Fortunate 'accident' indeed. I assume he means Gauden's kickback being not part of his legit salary. Interesting that he's come to count on it more or less as a steady thing.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"Well, here we are...Friends again."

"Yeah." grimly.

"Bosum companions, joined by God, tested by awful trials to both the private and public person."

"Yeah." grimly.

"How's your cold?"

"Fine. Nice of you to finally ask."

"Yes, well. Anyway...Here we are, lovebirds rejoined...Clouds rolled by."

"If you want sex, we're not that good friends."

"Oh. I see. Well, if you must let bitterness infect your soul."

"Chapter One. Page one. 'Raoul entered the bedroom of Madame S. His shirt setting off his manly Gallic physique...'"

"Bess..."

"Only 435 pages to go."

"No, I mean...I'm getting turned on."

cum salis grano  •  Link

"...and let her talk, till she was tired and vexed..."
Oh! YER!, quiet maybe with a scowl but planning future strategy Mr Pepys, never be fooled by silence.
Every action will generate an opposite action, 'tis the source of new methods of getting even.

Second Reading

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

“Odd that Pepys should not note the death of the Duke of York's youngest son.“

He did … https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…

“This day I hear also that last night the Duke of Kendall, second son of the Duke of York, did die; and that the other, Duke of Cambridge, continues very ill still.”

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"I know not yet what turns there may be," ... I know exactly how you feel, Sam.

Tonight a stadium-sized asteroid will fly by -- We're expecting yet another fiery summer in California -- A pandemic has devastated the economy -- We have a leader who likes the ladies, rules with a cabal, and is rumored to be funded by the country's frenemies -- We're fighting a war at the behest of corporate interests that no one supports, wants or knows how to win, paid for by deficit spending which Pepys didn't know about or he would have done it -- And we have more than our fair share of people who believe God wills it to be so.

Where's my copy of "Boyle’s Hydrostatiques"?

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