Tuesday 27 August 1667

Up, and am invited betimes to be godfather tomorrow to Captain Poole’s child with my Lady Pen and Lady Batten, which I accepted out of complaisance to them, and so to the office, where we sat all the morning. At noon dined at home, and then my wife and I, with Sir W. Pen, to the New Exchange, set her down, and he and I to St. James’s, where Sir J. Minnes, [Sir] W. Batten, and we waited upon the Duke of York, but did little business, and he, I perceive, his head full of other business, and of late hath not been very ready to be troubled with any of our business. Having done with him, Sir J. Minnes, [Sir] W. Batten and I to White Hall, and there hear how it is like to go well enough with my Lord Chancellor; that he is like to keep his Seal, desiring that he may stand his trial in Parliament, if they will accuse him of any thing. Here Sir J. Minnes and I looking upon the pictures; and Mr. Chevins, being by, did take us, of his own accord, into the King’s closet, to shew us some pictures, which, indeed, is a very noble place, and exceeding great variety of brave pictures, and the best hands. I could have spent three or four hours there well, and we had great liberty to look and Chevins seemed to take pleasure to shew us, and commend the pictures.

Having done here, I to the Exchange, and there find my wife gone with Sir W. Pen. So I to visit Colonel Fitzgerald, who hath been long sick at Woolwich, where most of the officers and soldiers quartered there, since the Dutch being in the river, have died or been sick, and he among the rest; and, by the growth of his beard and gray [hairs], I did not know him. His desire to speak with me was about the late command for my paying no more pensions for Tangier.

Thence home, and there did business, and so in the evening home to supper and to bed. This day Mr. Pierce, the surgeon, was with me; and tells me how this business of my Lord Chancellor’s was certainly designed in my Lady Castlemayne’s chamber; and that, when he went from the King on Monday morning, she was in bed, though about twelve o’clock, and ran out in her smock into her aviary looking into White Hall garden; and thither her woman brought her her nightgown; and stood joying herself at the old man’s going away: and several of the gallants of White Hall, of which there were many staying to see the Chancellor return, did talk to her in her birdcage; among others, Blancford, telling her she was the bird of paradise.1

13 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

John Evelyn's Diary

27th August, 1667. Visited the Lord Chancellor [ http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo… ], to whom his Majesty had sent for the seals a few days before; I found him in his bedchamber, very sad. The Parliament had accused him, and he had enemies at Court, especially the buffoons and ladies of pleasure, because he thwarted some of them, and stood in their way; I could name some of the chief. The truth is, he made few friends during his grandeur among the royal sufferers, but advanced the old rebels. He was, however, though no considerable lawyer, one who kept up the form and substance of things in the Nation with more solemnity than some would have had. He was my particular kind friend, on all occasions. The cabal, however, prevailed, and that party in Parliament. Great division at Court concerning him, and divers great persons interceding for him.

http://bit.ly/9x1fLY

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"Having done here, I to the Exchange, and there find my wife gone with Sir W. Pen."

Revenge is a dish best served cold...

Terry Foreman  •  Link

For the Lady Castlemaine incident in context see *Life and administration of Edward, first Earl of Clarendon: with original correspondence and authentic papers never before published.* Volume 2 By Thomas H. Lister http://bit.ly/aibFBK

Paul Chapin  •  Link

"I could name some of the chief." Mr. Evelyn is more circumspect in his diary-making than Mr. Pepys.

Michael Robinson  •  Link

into the King’s closet, to shew us some pictures, which, indeed, is a very noble place, and exceeding great variety of brave pictures, and the best hands. I could have spent three or four hours there well, and we had great liberty to look and Chevins seemed to take pleasure to shew us, and commend the pictures. …”

Per Oliver Millar, there were 160 paintings drawings and miniatures in the room, Mss. Inv. c.1667. “In the King’s private apartments, much praised by Samuel Pepys – who ‘could have spent three or four hours there well’ – were Parmigianino’s Pallas Athene
http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/…
and two works by Palma Vecchio,
‘The Virgin and Child with Sts Catherine of Alexandria and John the Baptist’
http://www.royalcollection.org.uk…
and ‘A Sibyl’.
http://www.royalcollection.org.uk…

For a prior peep:
” … into the King’s closet, where I saw most incomparable pictures. Among the rest a book open upon a desk, which I durst have sworn was a reall book, …”

Oliver Millar footnotes, "there was no record of the illusionist work the in the Royal Collection after 1714."
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"we waited upon the Duke of York, but did little business, and he, I perceive, his head full of other business"

Perhaps the business of his father-in-law, Sir Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon, Lord Chancellor, and the Great Seal of England inscribed CAROLVS II DEI GRA[TIA] MAGNÆ BRITANNIÆ FRANCIÆ ET HIBERNIÆ REX FIDEI DEFENSOR?

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"am invited betimes to be godfather tomorrow to Captain Poole’s child with my Lady Pen and Lady Batten, which I accepted out of complaisance to them"

L&M explain Jonas Poole was a brother-in-law to Lady Penn. Pepys was forced to buy a gift in silver plate.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"this business of my Lord Chancellor’s was certainly designed in my Lady Castlemayne’s chamber; and that, when he went from the King on Monday morning, she was in bed, though about twelve o’clock, and ran out in her smock into her aviary looking into White Hall garden; and thither her woman brought her her nightgown; and stood joying herself at the old man’s going away."

Clarendon, describing his return on 26 August from a final interview with the King at Whitehall, wrote that Lady Castlemaine, Arlington and May 'looked together out of her open window with great gaiety and triumph, which all people observed' : Life, iii, 291. Nathanael Crew adds that Clarendon looked up and said, "O Madam, is it you? Pray remember that if you live, you will grow old.": Mem. (Camden Misc., ix) p. 9. (Per L&M footnote)

Tonyel  •  Link

O Madam, is it you? Pray remember that if you live, you will grow old.":

A great putdown. Reminds me of the (apochryphal?) Churchill spat: "Madam you are quite ugly"
"You sir, are drunk," "Yes, but tomorrow I'll be sober."

Gerald Berg  •  Link

Paul C brings up a good point. Writing in plain English may induce circumspection rather than candour. Perhaps shorthand allowed Pepys a little more freedom? A bit like Beckett writing in French.

Speaking of candour, I was always wondering whether Pepys pidgin Latin/French/Spanish liaison tidbits were written in full or, shorthand?

Gerald Berg  •  Link

So said Churchill who looks like a toad but drank like a fish.

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