Sunday 14 July 1667

(Lord’s day). Up, and my wife, a little before four, and to make us ready; and by and by Mrs. Turner come to us, by agreement, and she and I staid talking below, while my wife dressed herself, which vexed me that she was so long about it keeping us till past five o’clock before she was ready. She ready; and, taking some bottles of wine, and beer, and some cold fowle with us into the coach, we took coach and four horses, which I had provided last night, and so away. A very fine day, and so towards Epsum, talking all the way pleasantly, and particularly of the pride and ignorance of Mrs. Lowther, in having of her train carried up? The country very fine, only the way very dusty. We got to Epsum by eight o’clock, to the well; where much company, and there we ’light, and I drank the water: they did not, but do go about and walk a little among the women, but I did drink four pints, and had some very good stools by it. Here I met with divers of our town, among others with several of the tradesmen of our office, but did talk but little with them, it growing hot in the sun, and so we took coach again and to the towne, to the King’s Head, where our coachman carried us, and there had an ill room for us to go into, but the best in the house that was not taken up. Here we called for drink, and bespoke dinner; and hear that my Lord Buckhurst and Nelly are lodged at the next house, and Sir Charles Sidly with them and keep a merry house. Poor girl! I pity her; but more the loss of her at the King’s house. Here I saw Gilsthrop, Sir W. Batten’s clerk that hath been long sick, he looks like a dying man, with a consumption got, as is believed, by the pox, but God knows that the man is in a sad condition, though he finds himself much better since his coming thither, he says. W. Hewer rode with us, and I left him and the women, and myself walked to church, where few people, contrary to what I expected, and none I knew, but all the Houblons, brothers, and them after sermon I did salute, and walk with towards my inne, which was in their way to their lodgings. They come last night to see their elder brother, who stays here at the waters, and away to-morrow. James did tell me that I was the only happy man of the Navy, of whom, he says, during all this freedom the people have taken of speaking treason, he hath not heard one bad word of me, which is a great joy to me; for I hear the same of others, but do know that I have deserved as well as most. We parted to meet anon, and I to my women into a better room, which the people of the house borrowed for us, and there to dinner, a good dinner, and were merry, and Pendleton come to us, who happened to be in the house, and there talked and were merry. After dinner, he gone, we all lay down after dinner (the day being wonderful hot) to sleep, and each of us took a good nap, and then rose; and Tom Wilson come to see me, and sat and talked an hour; and I perceive he hath been much acquainted with Dr. Fuller (Tom) and Dr. Pierson, and several of the great cavalier parsons during the late troubles; and I was glad to hear him talk of them, which he did very ingeniously, and very much of Dr. Fuller’s art of memory, which he did tell me several instances of. By and by he parted, and we took coach and to take the ayre, there being a fine breeze abroad; and I went and carried them to the well, and there filled some bottles of water to carry home with me; and there talked with the two women that farm the well, at 12l. per annum, of the lord of the manor, Mr. Evelyn (who with his lady, and also my Lord George Barkeley’s lady, and their fine daughter, that the King of France liked so well, and did dance so rich in jewells before the King at the Ball I was at, at our Court, last winter, and also their son, a Knight of the Bath, were at church this morning). Here W. Hewer’s horse broke loose, and we had the sport to see him taken again. Then I carried them to see my cozen Pepys’s house, and ’light, and walked round about it, and they like it, as indeed it deserves, very well, and is a pretty place; and then I walked them to the wood hard by, and there got them in the thickets till they had lost themselves, and I could not find the way into any of the walks in the wood, which indeed are very pleasant, if I could have found them. At last got out of the wood again; and I, by leaping down the little bank, coming out of the wood, did sprain my right foot, which brought me great present pain, but presently, with walking, it went away for the present, and so the women and W. Hewer and I walked upon the Downes, where a flock of sheep was; and the most pleasant and innocent sight that ever I saw in my life — we find a shepherd and his little boy reading, far from any houses or sight of people, the Bible to him; so I made the boy read to me, which he did, with the forced tone that children do usually read, that was mighty pretty, and then I did give him something, and went to the father, and talked with him; and I find he had been a servant in my cozen Pepys’s house, and told me what was become of their old servants. He did content himself mightily in my liking his boy’s reading, and did bless God for him, the most like one of the old patriarchs that ever I saw in my life, and it brought those thoughts of the old age of the world in my mind for two or three days after. We took notice of his woolen knit stockings of two colours mixed, and of his shoes shod with iron shoes, both at the toe and heels, and with great nails in the soles of his feet, which was mighty pretty: and, taking notice of them, “Why,” says the poor man, “the downes, you see, are full of stones, and we are faine to shoe ourselves thus; and these,” says he, “will make the stones fly till they sing before me.” I did give the poor man something, for which he was mighty thankful, and I tried to cast stones with his horne crooke. He values his dog mightily, that would turn a sheep any way which he would have him, when he goes to fold them: told me there was about eighteen scoare sheep in his flock, and that he hath four shillings a week the year round for keeping of them: so we posted thence with mighty pleasure in the discourse we had with this poor man, and Mrs. Turner, in the common fields here, did gather one of the prettiest nosegays that ever I saw in my life. So to our coach, and through Mr. Minnes’s wood, and looked upon Mr. Evelyn’s house; and so over the common, and through Epsum towne to our inne, in the way stopping a poor woman with her milk-pail, and in one of my gilt tumblers did drink our bellyfulls of milk, better than any creame; and so to our inne, and there had a dish of creame, but it was sour, and so had no pleasure in it; and so paid our reckoning, and took coach, it being about seven at night, and passed and saw the people walking with their wives and children to take the ayre, and we set out for home, the sun by and by going down, and we in the cool of the evening all the way with much pleasure home, talking and pleasing ourselves with the pleasure of this day’s work, Mrs. Turner mightily pleased with my resolution, which, I tell her, is never to keep a country-house, but to keep a coach, and with my wife on the Saturday to go sometimes for a day to this place, and then quit to another place; and there is more variety and as little charge, and no trouble, as there is in a country-house. Anon it grew dark, and as it grew dark we had the pleasure to see several glow-wormes, which was mighty pretty, but my foot begins more and more to pain me, which Mrs. Turner, by keeping her warm hand upon it, did much ease; but so that when we come home, which was just at eleven at night, I was not able to walk from the lane’s end to my house without being helped, which did trouble me, and therefore to bed presently, but, thanks be to God, found that I had not been missed, nor any business happened in my absence. So to bed, and there had a cerecloth laid to my foot and leg alone, but… [Continued tomorrow. P.G.]

31 Annotations

First Reading

Paul E  •  Link

Ha, he stalking Nell.

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

Surprised Sam's belly didn't hurt him after the purgative and then the fresh milk and sour cream...

Great pastoral scene in the middle there.

Bradford  •  Link

The happiest, least clouded entry in some time, full of life, color, and detail---until he twists his foot. It's always somethin'.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

So Sam's ideal existence this week at least is that of our RV set...Traveling round each weekend to a new place, no bother about a country place.

It's not too hard to see what pulls Bess back to him even after he's behaved like a jerk. It must have been charming to watch him with the old shepherd and son.

"Well...?"

"A couple of shillings..." the old man snorts. "What, put yer damned hand back in that pocket, you greedy little bastard." slaps boy. "You were supposed to be dancing round the ladies, getting them to throw you some cash."

"Quick, there's another couple comin'...Get your Bible out and start reading to me, you stupid little... Damn, where those god-awful sheep get to now? C'mon, start readin', ya lazy, good-for-nothing little...Oh, hello there, sir...Fine day, miss."

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Sam and Bess doing "Over the Hills and Far Away..." all the way to Epsum?...Yeah.

Spoiler...

Actually a lovely but melancholy tune if handled right...Knowing what's to come. A couple of actor friends of ours used it in a little Sam and Bess scene a short time ago, it had people in tears with Bess singing to Sam.

"And I will love you all the day. Every night we will kiss and play. If with me you'd fondly stray, over the hills and far away..."

(Yeah, I know but I already said long ago that I believe Gay was writing about an earlier era.)

Dr.Horst Fassl  •  Link

"Pox" was syphilis. Infection by spirochaeta pallida. Your commentary refers to "small-pox" a viral infection.

Ruben  •  Link

“How about this King’s Head being Pepys King’s Head?”

Thank you,Phoenix for the references. May I add
http://www.exploringsurreyspast.o…
with the original archive record.

language hat  •  Link

"Dr. Fuller’s art of memory, which he did tell me several instances of"

The art of memory was an inheritance from ancient times, which had been much elaborated in the Middle Ages by Ramon Lull, Giordano Bruno, and others; at the very time Pepys is writing, Leibniz is studying it, and it forms a significant basis of his "characteristica." Anyone interested in the subject should read Frances Yates's classic book The Art of Memory (which ends with Leibniz).

Don McCahill  •  Link

Up to three hours to travel 15 miles at a coach's pace. I wonder if you could ever make the trip in 15 minutes (Google maps says you need 43 minutes to drive by car today ... no doubt most of it in getting out of London).

cum salis grano  •  Link

"43 minutes to drive by car " when at 3 am?

Larry Hill  •  Link

Having beer and chicken as a picnic out in the countryside.

Some simple pleasures never seem to change!!

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"my resolution...is never to keep a country-house...."

But, note L&M, in fact from 1677 to 1681 Pepys will join with his friends the Houblons in renting a country villa at Parson's Green, a few miles west of Chelsea .

Pepys will have a Restoration-era time-share?!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time…

Brian  •  Link

Dr. Pierson (Pearson)

I have a copy of Bishop Pearson's "An Exposition on the Creed," fifth edition (1683) in my library, the oldest book I own. A very impressive text, the man was quite a linguist and scholar.

http://anglicanhistory.org/pearso…

djc  •  Link

Driving from Seething Lane to Epsom at 9 on Sunday morning took around an hour. No traffic but there is practically no open road and traffic signals to impede progress at every junction.
Some views here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/djc_…

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

“How about this King’s Head being Pepys King’s Head?”

The archive record linked to by Ruben has it a functioning establishment 1691-1817; Phoenix links to 18th century establishments. Alas.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"and so we took coach again and to the towne, to the King’s Head"

For long, one of the three principal inns: Some particulars relating to the history of Epsom, compiled from the best authorities; containing a ... description of the origin of horse racing, and of Epsom races, with an account of the mineral waters, and the two celebrated palaces of Durdans and Nonsuch, &c., &c. To which is added, an appendix, containing a botanical survey of the neighbourhood ... By an inhabitant ... (1825), p.117.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Here I saw Gilsthrop, Sir W. Batten’s clerk that hath been long sick, he looks like a dying man, with a consumption got, as is believed, by the pox, but God knows that the man is in a sad condition, though he finds himself much better since his coming thither, he says."

L&M: He died in the following December.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

" Tom Wilson come to see me, and sat and talked an hour; and I perceive he hath been much acquainted with Dr. Fuller (Tom) and Dr. Pierson and several of the great cavalier parsons during the late troubles"

L&M: Fuller was the author and John Pearson the Cambridge theologian -- after 1662 Master of Trinity and after 1672 Bishop of Chester. They had both been active as preachers in the 1650s.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"the lord of the manor, Mr. Evelyn (who with his lady, and also my Lord George Barkeley’s lady, and their fine daughter, that the King of France liked so well, and did dance so rich in jewells before the King at the Ball I was at, at our Court, last winter, and also their son, a Knight of the Bath...."

L&M: For the ball, see https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…
Richard Evelyn of Woodcote Park was brother if the diarist. Lord George Berkeley was the 9th Baron Berkeley; the daughter (whose association with the King of France has not been traced) was probably Elizabeth, his eldest; his son was Charles, later the 10th Baron and 2nd Earl. The Berkeley's had a house, Durdans, nearby.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Then I carried them to see my cozen Pepys’s house"

L&M: At Ashtead. The cousin was John Pepys, brother of Mrs. Turner, one of Pepys's companions on this jaunt. He had been secretary to Chief Justice Coke and had died in about 1652.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"So to our coach, and through Mr. Minnes’s wood, and looked upon Mr. Evelyn’s house; "

L&M: Woodcote Park, since 1663 owned by Elizabeth, wife of Richard Evelyn and daughter of George Mynne, on whose death in 1553 she had inherited the property. Pepys had known the wood as 'Mr. Minnes's' in his youth. VCH, Surrey, iii. 375-6; O. W. Manning and W. Bray, Hist. Surrey (1804-14), ii. 612-13.
----------
Woodcote Park is a stately home near Epsom, Surrey, England, currently owned by the Royal Automobile Club. It was formerly the seat of a number of prominent English families .... The present house was built in 1679 by Richard Evelyn, brother to John Evelyn the diarist, and is mentioned in the diary of Samuel Pepys.[1][2] The Evelyns left Woodcote to Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore, proprietary governor of the colony of Maryland.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woo…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"to keep a coach, and with my wife on the Saturday to go sometimes for a day to this place, and then quit to another place; and there is more variety and as little charge, and no trouble, as there is in a country-house."

L&M: From 1677 to 1681 Pepys in fact joined with his friends the Houblons in renting a country villa at Parson's Green, a few miles west of Chelsea.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"I left him and the women, and myself walked to church, where few people, contrary to what I expected, and none I knew, but all the Houblons, brothers, and them after sermon I did salute, and walk with towards my inn, which was in their way to their lodgings. They come last night to see their elder brother, who stays here at the waters, and away tomorrow."

If I read this history of the Houblon family correctly, the eldest son was named Peter. My guess is that he wasn't well as there's little known about him, and here he is, staying in Epsom where he can take the waters. But he lives another 30 years so ...?

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Pa…

Briefly:
In November 1620 James Houblon Snr, married Marie Du Quesne, a daughter in a refugee family represented by the modern house of Du Cane, and had 10 sons and 2 daughters. ...

Peter Houblon, the eldest of James and Marie Houblon’s sons, was less eminent than Pepys’ “five brothers.” It is known he married Elizabeth Dingley, who was buried in St. Antholin’s Church on 25 November 1697, and where, on the following 26 December, he himself was laid.

They had a daughter, Sara, who had been buried on 21 May, 1673, and apparently were survived by a son, Peter — the “Mr. Peter Houblon” whose burial was registered on 7 September, 1714.

And the other four brothers? Probably never made it passed childhood.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"W. Hewer rode with us, and I left him and the women, and myself walked to church ..."

The church on Church Street, Epsom, is St. Martin of Tours. It was rebuilt in the 19th century, but the original tower from the 14th century survived.

The medieval church of St. Martin’s consisted of a nave, 51 feet long with flanking aisles, a south porch, a north west tower with a slim, shingled, spire, and a chancel, 35 feet long. The nave was probably the oldest part of the church, and fragments of red Purbeck marble found when the north wall of the building was being demolished in 1824 could easily have been 12th century. The chancel was built shortly before 1285, for, in that year, Bishop Pontissara granted to the Rector, Roger de Grava, all “oblations and obventions issuing out of the vicarage for five years” in consideration of the charges ‘incurred by him in its building.

During the 15th century the church, with the exception of this chancel, was re-built and enlarged at the expense of John Merston, who had succeeded the abbot of Chertsey as Lord of the manor of neighboring Horton in 1440. A notable addition was the present tower – although the existing dressing of yellow Bath stone and flint dates from the rebuilding of 1824.

The 16th and 17th centuries saw the creation and destruction of the royal palace of Nonsuch, events which seemed to have affected the parish little, and the emergence of Epsom first as a spa town, then as a racing center.

The church was neglected during this period. The medieval windows were mutilated, galleries were squeezed into the aisles, and, in 1801, the tower was reported as being in a ruinous state. The combination of an increased and more fashionable population, the decrepit state of the old church, and a religious revival which was beginning to take effect after the Napoleonic Wars, called for action.
More at https://eehe.org.uk/?p=60554

Several monuments from the old church survived and are now in the nave of the new church. They represent the following individuals:

Robert Coke (1643) and wife (1653)
Richard Evelyn (1660), son of Richard Evelyn of Wootton.
Robert Coke of Nonesuch (1681)
Elizabeth Evelyn (1691) wife of Richard Evelyn of Woodcott

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_….

Harry R  •  Link

An excellent and enjoyable Day Trippers' journal. A timely digression from the worries of the office. Sam's attempts to beat the traffic are thwarted by his wife's dressing up for the day in prospect. Fortunately for her she remembers the booze. Four horses to pull the coach seems a lot for such a slow paced journey. To drink 4 pints of the waters must have had him disappearing behind every other tree for a pee, not to mention the stools, and then he drinks a belly full of milk. How unusual was it I wonder for a shepherd's boy to be able to read, or to have a copy of the bible? And Sam's considerations on the merits and demerits of purchasing a holiday retreat could have been written today.

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