Saturday 27 July 1667
Up and to the office, where I hear that Sir John Coventry is come over from Bredah, a nephew, I think, of Sir W. Coventry’s: but what message he brings I know not. This morning news is come that Sir Jos. Jordan is come from Harwich, with sixteen fire-ships and four other little ships of war: and did attempt to do some execution upon the enemy, but did it without discretion, as most do say, so as that they have been able to do no good, but have lost four of their fire ships. They attempted [this], it seems, when the wind was too strong, that our grapplings could not hold: others say we come to leeward of them, but all condemn it as a foolish management. They are come to Sir Edward Spragg about Lee, and the Dutch are below at the Nore. At the office all the morning; and at noon to the ’Change, where I met Fenn; and he tells me that Sir John Coventry do bring the confirmation of the peace; but I do not find the ’Change at all glad of it, but rather the worse, they looking upon it as a peace made only to preserve the King for a time in his lusts and ease, and to sacrifice trade and his kingdoms only to his own pleasures: so that the hearts of merchants are quite down. He tells me that the King and my Lady Castlemayne are quite broke off, and she is gone away, and is with child, and swears the King shall own it; and she will have it christened in the Chapel at White Hall so, and owned for the King’s, as other Kings have done; or she will bring it into White Hall gallery, and dash the brains of it out before the King’s face.1
He tells me that the King and Court were never in the world so bad as they are now for gaming, swearing, whoring, and drinking, and the most abominable vices that ever were in the world; so that all must come to nought. He told me that Sir G. Carteret was at this end of the town; so I went to visit him in Broad Street; and there he and I together: and he is mightily pleased with my Lady Jem’s having a son; and a mighty glad man he is. He [Sir George Carteret] tells me, as to news, that the peace is now confirmed, and all that over. He says it was a very unhappy motion in the House the other day about the land-army; for, whether the King hath a mind of his own to do the thing desired or no, his doing it will be looked upon as a thing done only in fear of the Parliament. He says that the Duke of York is suspected to be the great man that is for raising of this army, and bringing things to be commanded by an army; but he believes that he is wronged, and says that he do know that he is wronged therein. He do say that the Court is in a way to ruin all for their pleasures; and says that he himself hath once taken the liberty to tell the King the necessity of having, at least, a show of religion in the Government, and sobriety; and that it was that, that did set up and keep up Oliver, though he was the greatest rogue in the world, and that it is so fixed in the nature of the common Englishman that it will not out of him. He tells me that while all should be labouring to settle the kingdom, they are at Court all in factions, some for and others against my Lord Chancellor, and another for and against another man, and the King adheres to no man, but this day delivers himself up to this, and the next to that, to the ruin of himself and business; that he is at the command of any woman like a slave, though he be the best man to the Queene in the world, with so much respect, and never lies a night from her: but yet cannot command himself in the presence of a woman he likes. Having had this discourse, I parted, and home to dinner, and thence to the office all the afternoon to my great content very busy. It raining this day all day to our great joy, it having not rained, I think, this month before, so as the ground was everywhere so burned and dry as could be; and no travelling in the road or streets in London, for dust. At night late home to supper and to bed.
21 Annotations
First Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
Brodrick to Ormond
Written from: [London]
Date: 27 July 1667
Last night, Sir John Coventry [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John… ] arrived from Breda, with the 'Articles of Peace', as signed on 21/31 current.
... It seems the French dealt very frankly, since the Alternative was consented to, in the utmost latitude, although in the debates they juggled. ...
... The Dutch & Swedes are not only agreed in the main, but even in the circumstances of their pretensions, & their private Articles are signed.
... The enclosed ... verses he [Sir John Denham http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo… ] writ, "to redeem himself from the scandal of being reputed a philosopher, by his Majesty, for his graven copy, 'Of Love'. With this, he would have given me that, had he not presumed that my Lord Ossory ... had [already] transmitted ... a copy. This, he says, is so gay & airy, that his Majesty sings it every evening to the tune of 'Which nobody can deny'. His entire 'Poems' modest or immodest,- at least as many as can be collected, for he never kept [the] originals, save of 'Cooper's Hill', & the "2nd book of Virgil's Aeneas- will be shortly in print.
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Anglesey to Ormond
Written from: London
Date: 27 July 1667
Has received the Lord Lieutenant's letter of July 16. ... With all that the writer & his assistants can do, in urging the need of it, they "cannot yet get the money for Ireland settle". ...
The House of Commons passed a vote, nemine contradicente, to desire the King to disband the new raised army ... We now grow too hard for the Dutch in the Thames, and have lately destroyed eleven of their fireships, and a frigate or two,- as 'tis written ...
http://www.rsl.ox.ac.uk/dept/scwm…
Michael L • Link
[Lady Castlemaine] is gone away, and is with child, and swears the King shall own it; ... or she will bring it into White Hall gallery, and dash the brains of it out before the King’s face.
Wow, she sure is quite the Drama Courtesan.
Terry Foreman • Link
"It raining this day all day to our great joy, it having not rained, I think, this month before, so as the ground was everywhere so burned and dry as could be; and no travelling in the road or streets in London, for dust."
L&M note L. & T. Wood (Life and times of Anthony Wood) report the first half of July in Oxford was the hottest in memory -- 'several scolars mad, with heat and strong drink.'
(What's new?!)
Robert Gertz • Link
"...they looking upon it as a peace made only to preserve the King for a time in his lusts and ease, and to sacrifice trade and his kingdoms only to his own pleasures..."
Well, he did start the war in part to please them [the merchants].
Terrible plague, devastating fire, a military disaster at the home base, a humiliating peace...I think I'd feel like a little heavy drinking, gambling, etc.
***
"the King and my Lady Castlemayne are quite broke off, and she is gone away, and is with child, and swears the King shall own it; and she will have it christened in the Chapel at White Hall so, and owned for the King’s, as other Kings have done; or she will bring it into White Hall gallery, and dash the brains of it out before the King’s face."
Babs, you're all class...
Michael L • Link
"... he is at the command of any woman like a slave, though he be the best man to the Queene in the world, with so much respect, and never lies a night from her: but yet cannot command himself in the presence of a woman he likes."
This sounds like someone we know. Do you suppose Sam just happens to be of similar temperament and behavior, or could he be (consciously or not) taking the King as an example to live by?
Mary • Link
official bastards
An L&M footnote revises the figures for Charles's acknowledged children by Castlemaine to 6 infants born between 1661 and 1672. None of those born around this particular time in the diary were acknowledged by him. Not unreasonable of Charles, as Barbara was having an affaire with Henry Jermyn, the Duke of York's Master of the Horse.
Ruben • Link
From John Fenn's apocryphal diary, I just find bundled with my morning paper:
"at noon to the ‘Change, where I met Pepys; and he tells me that Sir John Coventry...but I do not find the ‘Change at all glad of it, but rather the worse,...He tells me that the King and my Lady Castlemayne...He tells me that the King and Court ..."
Lgraz • Link
Has anyone a link to a drawing, painting, etc. of what the Navy Office buildings and/or Pepys' home looked like? Thanks.
Terry Foreman • Link
"what the Navy Office buildings and/or Pepys’ home looked like"
Peter Easton, in his In Depth Article, "Samuel Pepys and Fleet Street" Posted: Wednesday 21 September 2005 http://www.pepysdiary.com/indepth… provided this image of The Navy Office as Pepys would have known it (from 1714 engraving). http://www.pepysdiary.com/static/…
We don't have a contemporaneous image.
Mary • Link
1714 engraving of The Navy Office.
The Navy Office in which the diarist Pepys worked and lived burnt down in 1673. This engraving shows the building that was erected in its place. Thus Pepys would have known this version of the Navy Office during his later years of such employment, but it is not the office in which he worked during the diary period.
Ruben • Link
Brampton is still there. Good images at http://www.pepys.info/bramho.html
The library at Magdalene College, Cambridge was built years after Pepys passed away but the books Pepys treasured and the bookcases his carpenter (did he pay or the Naval Office payed for them?) built for him are there to be admired. And the desk. They really are what Pepys wanted us to be remembered for. (As every one that loves books and knowledge will tell you).
And you can look for the 128-9 funeral rings that were given away by his request to mourners the day Pepys was buried. See:"The art of death: visual culture in the English death ritual, page 86 http://books.google.co.il/books?i… and better illustrations at http://urngarden.com/cremationblo… ) Interesting to note that our Samuel spent more than a 100 L for the rings!
This rings were of 3 different qualities, depending on to whom they were given.
The 14 Apr 2004 I posted the adress of the ring image but I can not open it anymore. It was at the Museum of London.
At http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/… you can see Pepys image and a memento mori ring but the interpretation does not say if this ring comes from Pepys funeral or it is only a specimen to show how it looked like.
And the St Olave Church were Samuel and his wife's rest is there to be seen.
Somewhere in this blog you will find all these images.
FJA • Link
I have never been to London. Can anyone hazard a guess for me as to how much time on average it might have taken our Sam to walk from the Navy Office to Westminster Hall?
tonyt • Link
From the Navy Office (Seething Lane) to Westminster Hall is about 2.5 miles. So perhaps 1 hour since much of the route was heavily built up (or had been before the Great Fire) but this is really no more than speculation.
Depending on the state of the tide, it could have been much quicker to take a boat on the River Thames
FJA • Link
Thank you, tonyt. I know Sam often goes by wheels or water, but I've been wondering about the scale of time and distance when he walks.
Second Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"This morning news is come that Sir Jos. Jordan is come from Harwich, with sixteen fire-ships and four other little ships of war: and did attempt to do some execution upon the enemy, but did it without discretion, as most do say, so as that they have been able to do no good, but have lost four of their fire ships."
L&M say there were seven, not four, small men-of war. The action took place on the 26th off the mouth of the Thames, andf goes by the name of the Second Battle of the North Foreland after the cape on the Kent coast of England. Jordan had sailed hurriedly and with mutinous men on board. His losses amounted all told to 15 fireships. Several burned uselessly without damaging the enemy. Pepys kept an account of the fight sent to him on 3 August by Capt. James Jenifer: sources in libraries at Oxford and London.
psw • Link
Michael L on 28 Jul 2010 • Link • Flag
"... he is at the command of any woman like a slave, though he be the best man to the Queene in the world, with so much respect, and never lies a night from her: but yet cannot command himself in the presence of a woman he likes."
This sounds like someone we know. Do you suppose Sam just happens to be of similar temperament and behavior, or could he be (consciously or not) taking the King as an example to live by?
__________________
D'aquerdo, ML: This is what I have been thinking as well: Mr. Peeps is of the same bent with his peccadillos (los pecados) and the women are part of the play and just as lusty with perhaps a need besides to be met $$$. It is hard for us Americanos with our Puritan birthplace to accept this as normal behaviour, but it was for that time.
This helps explain the "outlier" Peg/Meg Penn: she wasn't an outlier; she wanted to play, too.
Marquess • Link
Barbara Villiers was a commanding beauty and it is easy to see why the king fell for her. Just such a shame he allowed her to wrap him round her little finger.
San Diego Sarah • Link
"It is hard for us Americanos with our Puritan birthplace to accept this as normal behavior, but it was for that time."
These same Americanos brought us the Roaring 20's after WWI, and the Swinging 60's during the Vietnam War. Drinking, sex, drugs and gambling are classic ways vets and the victims of war/trauma deal with PTSD.
And yes, Pegg Penn Lowther wanted to play as well, to get away from her mother and her brother's influence. Now she's married and wealthy (and 15), she thinks her consequences are manageable.
Pepys isn't a warrior, but he was sent away from home at an impressionable age after seeing his siblings die, and he's experienced the plague and the Great Fire. He's 34. He's been married 12 years. We know he has nightmares which began to worry him 6 months after the Fire -- another PTSD signal -- and he craves diversion from what has become an impotent life. No children ... a wife who throws tantrums ... work he cannot fulfill ... servants who steal and drink ... neighbors who spy ... colleagues who are all sick and incompetent ... bosses who flaunt their mistresses and demand the impossible ... aged and sick parents ... an unmarried sister who no one wants to marry ... even bad timing to buy a nice little chariot in which to run around town with his crest on the side ... why have money if you can't enjoy it? So he's found some discrete women he can take a bottle of wine to, and take some time off laughing and scratching, with no fear of consequences.
Lately his actions have become more risky, the discrete women insufficient, as if he wants to get caught. The monthly vows have stopped working. Maybe life without consequences has become too much? He wants someone else to be in charge? Will it be Elizabeth? Penn? Mitchell? Lowther? James? The Keeper of the Tower?
San Diego Sarah • Link
"Do you suppose Pepys happens to be of similar temperament and behavior, or could he be (consciously or not) taking the King as an example to live by?"
Broadly speaking, life before birth control was conducted differently. People got married younger, and had affairs afterwards. These days we get to know ourselves and each other first, then settle down.
In the 17th century it was even more different: Arranged marriages meant that desire usually had no legal expression. That's what the Masques about "Courtly Love" were addressing: how to express sexual tension without cheating. Where exactly was 'the line'?
Consciously or not, the ruling class of England by and large took Charles II's and James' behavior as permission to act out their own angst. But there always had been bad apples (as there are today) like the Earl of Castlehaven who took full advantage of his position and privilege in the staid times of Charles and Henrietta Maria (don't read this unless you want to be outraged http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/Bios… )
Louise Hudson • Link
“Charles owned only four children by Lady Castlemaine-Anne, Countess of Sussex, and the Dukes of Southampton, Grafton, and Northumberland. The last of these was born in 1665. The paternity of all her other children was certainly doubtful. See pp. 50,52.”
How in the world could they establish paternity in those days before they even had so much as blood typing? Was it all decided by opinion? Why was the paternity of all of Lady Castlemaine’s children “doubtful”? Doubtful to whom. Was that based solely on the opinion or doubts of the King? How bloody convenient!
San Diego Sarah • Link
"How in the world could they establish paternity in those days before they even had so much as blood typing?"
Charles II or one of his assistants undoubtedly paid off some of Castlemaine's servants to inform on her "activities". Everyone spied on everyone.
Secondly, Charles was still sleeping with the Queen and hoping she would finally carry a legitimate child. Monmouth had caused enough scandal.
Third, he had been and was generous to Castlemaine, so money for child support wasn't the problem -- she had more diamonds than the Queen.
Fourth, once he got to know the children and saw which did and did not favor the Stuart/Bourbon side of the family, he made judgment calls.
Fifth, Castlemaine wasn't the only one using threats. One story goes that after 1670 Nell Gwyn held her younger son, Charles, out of a bedroom window at Lauderdale House by his leg and threatened to drop him if he didn't get a title. Charles II cried out "God save the Earl of Burford!" and subsequently officially created the peerage, saving his son's life.
Another version of this story is that Nell obtained a title for her younger son when he was six. When the King arrived for a visit, Nell said, "Come here, you little bastard, and say hello to your father." When the King protested, she replied, "Your Majesty has given me no other name by which to call him." On 21 December 1676, Charles II granted to Charles Beauclerk, the titles of Baron of Heddington and Earl of Burford.
Then there was Charlotte Jemima Henrietta Maria Boyle, daughter of Elizabeth "Black Betty" Killigrew and Francis Boyle, Viscount Shannon (the brother of the 2nd Earl of Cork), who married James Howard, grandson of Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk in Heston, Middlesex on March 9, 1663. They were both 13.
In 1667 Charles II granted the couple an annual pension of 500/., which continued throughout her life. The Shannons asked Charles NOT to recognize Charlotte.
Who knows. At best an imperfect science and system.
For lots of stories, some verified and some not, see http://everything2.com/title/Char…