Monday 17 June 1667

Up, and to my office, where busy all the morning, particularly setting my people to work in transcribing pieces of letters publique and private, which I do collect against a black day to defend the office with and myself. At noon dined at home, Mr. Hater with me alone, who do seem to be confident that this nation will be undone, and with good reason: Wishes himself at Hambrough, as a great many more, he says, he believes do, but nothing but the reconciling of the Presbyterian party will save us, and I am of his mind. At the office all the afternoon, where every moment business of one kind or other about the fire-ships and other businesses, most of them vexatious for want of money, the commanders all complaining that, if they miss to pay their men a night, they run away; seamen demanding money of them by way of advance, and some of Sir Fretcheville Hollis’s men, that he so bragged of, demanding their tickets to be paid, or they would not work: this Hollis, Sir W. Batten and W. Pen say, proves a very … [wind-fucker – L&M], as Sir W. B. terms him, and the other called him a conceited, idle, prating, lying fellow. But it was pleasant this morning to hear Hollis give me the account what, he says, he told the King in Commissioner Pett’s presence, whence it was that his ship was fit sooner than others, telling the King how he dealt with the several Commissioners and agents of the Ports where he comes, offering Lanyon to carry him a Ton or two of goods to the streights, giving Middleton an hour or two’s hearing of his stories of Barbadoes, going to prayer with Taylor, and standing bare and calling, “If it please your Honour,” to Pett, but Sir W. Pen says that he tells this story to every body, and believes it to be a very lie. At night comes Captain Cocke to see me, and he and I an hour in the garden together. He tells me there have been great endeavours of bringing in the Presbyterian interest, but that it will not do. He named to me several of the insipid lords that are to command the armies that are to be raised. He says the King and Court are all troubled, and the gates of the Court were shut up upon the first coming of the Dutch to us, but they do mind the business no more than ever: that the bankers, he fears, are broke as to ready-money, though Viner had 100,000l. by him when our trouble begun: that he and the Duke of Albemarle have received into their own hands, of Viner, the former 10,000l., and the latter 12,000l., in tallies or assignments, to secure what was in his hands of theirs; and many other great men of our masters have done the like; which is no good sign, when they begin to fear the main. He and every body cries out of the office of the Ordnance, for their neglects, both at Gravesend and Upnor, and everywhere else. He gone, I to my business again, and then home to supper and to bed. I have lately played the fool much with our Nell, in playing with her breasts. This night, late, comes a porter with a letter from Monsieur Pratt, to borrow 100l. for my Lord Hinchingbroke, to enable him to go out with his troop in the country, as he is commanded; but I did find an excuse to decline it. Among other reasons to myself, this is one, to teach him the necessity of being a good husband, and keeping money or credit by him.

14 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

“....This Hollis, Sir W. Batten and W. Penn say, proves a very wind-fucker, as Sir W. Batten terms him:....”

L&M text.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

John Evelyn's Diary

17th June, 1667. This night, about two o'clock, some chips and combustible matter prepared for some fire-ships, taking flame in Deptford-yard, made such a blaze, and caused such an uproar in the Tower (it being given out that the Dutch fleet was come up, and had landed their men and fired the Tower), as had liked to have done more mischief before people would be persuaded to the contrary and believe the accident. Everybody went to their arms. These were sad and troublesome times.

http://bit.ly/9S4cwR

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Brodrick to Ormond
Written from: [London]
Date: 17 June 1667

Commisioner Pett is sent to the Tower; no other yet questioned. Great are the rumours against my Lord Brouncker [in MS:- "Brunkard"], Sir John Duncombe, &c. ...

... "To alleviate the animosities of the House of Commons" [now about to meet, it is expected] "some of the forward members have been used with more than ordinary kindness. God grant",- adds the writer,- "they deserve it".
_____

Ormond to Arlington
Written from: Dublin
Date: 17 June 1667

... The latter end of Lord Arlington's letter had like to have carried away Lord Ossory this evening, ... very ill prepared, ... but the Duke has prevailed with him to stay,- upon consideration of the port he holds here, & upon the possibility that the French may attempt this Kingdom.

... All the assistance which can, for the present, be drawn from hence may be to exchange well-trained & disciplined men, for such as are ignorant of the use of their arms, & this may be done in good proportions; allowing the necessary time & provision for it. ...

http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/s…

Bradford  •  Link

"to teach him the necessity of being a good husband, and keeping money or credit by him"---i.e., to "husband" his resources? How easily the vocabulary of casual chat gives one away.

Tony Eldridge  •  Link

Bankers running out of money and men refusing to risk their lives until they are paid. What is the world coming to?

JWB  •  Link

First casualty of war...

Who was closer to the truth?
a) Hollis's charicature of Laynton, Middleton, Taylor & Pett or
b) Pepys excuse to Monsieur Pratt.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

L&M say no goldsmith-banker went broke; but Sir Robert Vyner, unlike his rival Blackwell, was unable to lend the Treasury on the Eleven Months Tax, and by December would petition the King for assistance in maintaining his credit.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Hayter, the nonconformist, thinks Hamburg's a city of refuge for English like him.

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Throughout its history Hamburg has been a major commercial port. Until the Hansa dissolved in the seventeenth century, Hamburg was one of the long-standing members of the loose economic and political alliance. In 1558 it opened its stock exchange, the first in a German territory, and in 1619 its first merchant bank was founded. The city's merchants shipped goods all across Europe, and by the end of the eighteenth century destinations included ports worldwide. Other major economic activities included whaling, insurance, sugar refining, textile production, and tobacco preparation.

"By the seventeenth century confessional outsiders made up a significant minority of the city's population, and non-Lutherans contributed in important ways to the city's economy. For political and economic reasons the council allowed members of the best established of non-Lutheran communities (Calvinists, Catholics, Jews, and Mennonites) to settle in Hamburg. Nonetheless, because of pressure from Lutheran clergymen, religious minority communities were denied the privilege of practicing religious rites publicly in the city; non-Lutheran religious services were usually held in nearby Altona. "
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic…

Hamburg was growing, tolerant and not Dutch!

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Up, and to my office, where busy all the morning, particularly setting my people to work in transcribing pieces of letters publique and private, which I do collect against a black day to defend the office with and myself."

L&M: These letter-books have not been traced:
https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"at home, Mr. Hater with me alone, who do seem to be confident that this nation will be undone, and with good reason: Wishes himself at Hambrough, as a great many more, he says, he believes do, but nothing but the reconciling of the Presbyterian party will save us, and I am of his mind."

L&M: This view soon became widespread, according to Pepys. Hayter was a nonconformist: https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/… and https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…
Hamburg (which was both Lutheran and tolerant) does not appear in fact to have been a city of refuge for English nonconformists.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

The list of commanders is available at https://www.british-history.ac.uk…

If the English response to the Dutch sounds lazy and haphazard, take a look at this link and think about the amount of writing that went into organizing the response. Then runners had to find all the civilians addressed. The civilians then had to round up dozens of volunteer men, mounts, plus ammo, guns, food, etc., and ride for a day or so to get to their post. It would take days to respond.

One example, Charles II wrote personally to Prince Rupert on June 13, "... Having ordered works and batteries to be raised in or near Woolwich, for better security of the river against attempts of the enemy, wishes him to go thither and direct the same; also charging persons of all ranks to obey his orders therein."

HOWEVER, there is a delicious unproven rumor that Rupert was away at Petersham, Surrey on the 11th, getting married to Frances Bard. The pages from the registry have been torn out and are missing; Frances always said they were married; Rupert always said they were not. Being that close to the throne, it was smarter not to leave behind legitimate children. I wonder where the messenger found Rupert, and just how welcome he was(n't).

How could spy-master Arlington survive the later inquest? They knew the Dutch fleet was there ... why no General Muster ahead of this attack? His intelligence was awful ... AGAIN. If Rupert could wander off into the countryside to quietly marry, he must have believed the coast was clear.

https://mercuriuspoliticus.wordpr…

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