Sunday 1 September 1667
(Lord’s day). Up, and betimes by water from the Tower, and called at the Old Swan for a glass of strong water, and sent word to have little Michell and his wife come and dine with us to-day; and so, taking in a gentleman and his lady that wanted a boat, I to Westminster. Setting them on shore at Charing Cross, I to Mrs. Martin’s, where I had two pair of cuffs which I bespoke, and there did sit and talk with her … [and no mas, ella having aquellos upon her; – L&M] and here I did see her little girle my goddaughter, which will be pretty, and there having staid a little I away to Creed’s chamber, and when he was ready away to White Hall, where I met with several people and had my fill of talk. Our new Lord-keeper, Bridgeman, did this day, the first time, attend the King to chapel with his Seal. Sir H. Cholmly tells me there are hopes that the women will also have a rout, and particularly that my Lady Castlemayne is coming to a composition with the King to be gone; but how true this is, I know not. Blancfort is made Privy-purse to the Duke of York; the Attorney-general is made Chief justice, in the room of my Lord Bridgeman; the Solicitor-general is made Attorney-general; and Sir Edward Turner made Solicitor-general. It is pretty to see how strange every body looks, nobody knowing whence this arises; whether from my Lady Castlemayne, Bab. May, and their faction; or from the Duke of York, notwithstanding his great appearance of defence of the Chancellor; or from Sir William Coventry, and some few with him. But greater changes are yet expected. So home and by water to dinner, where comes Pelling and young Michell and his wife, whom I have not seen a great while, poor girle, and then comes Mr. Howe, and all dined with me very merry, and spent all the afternoon, Pelling, Howe, and I, and my boy, singing of Lock’s response to the Ten Commandments, which he hath set very finely, and was a good while since sung before the King, and spoiled in the performance, which occasioned his printing them for his vindication, and are excellent good. They parted, in the evening my wife and I to walk in the garden and there scolded a little, I being doubtful that she had received a couple of fine pinners (one of point de Gesne), which I feared she hath from some [one] or other of a present; but, on the contrary, I find she hath bought them for me to pay for them, without my knowledge. This do displease me much; but yet do so much please me better than if she had received them the other way, that I was not much angry, but fell to other discourse, and so to my chamber, and got her to read to me for saving of my eyes, and then, having got a great cold, I know not how, I to bed and lay ill at ease all the night.
15 Annotations
First Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
Filling in this Diary entry's ellipsis
"...I to Mrs. Martin's, where I had two pair of cuffs which I bespoke, and there did sit and talk with her and no mas, ella having aquellos [ those ] upon her; and here I did see her little girl my goddaughter, which will be pretty."
L&M text.
Terry Foreman • Link
"she had received a couple of fine pinners (one of point de Gesne)"
The point laces of Genoa, which were so much prized in the seventeenth century, were all the work of the pillow (Planche's *' Cyclopaedia of Costume," Lace).
*The diary of Samuel Pepys ...* By Samuel Pepys, Mynors Bright, Henry Benjamin Wheatley, Baron Richard Griffin Braybrooke http://bit.ly/cRmTjx
L&M note these "pinners" were likely gorgets worn over a low décolletage, but could be a cap or decorative apron.
JWB • Link
"...got a great cold..."
Ragweed grows in England too.
Robert Gertz • Link
Sam takes to demon spirit... "called at the Old Swan for a glass of strong water".
The Mad Men lifestyle, circa 1667...Beware Sam, even Don Draper's started crumbling under the daily booze wash.
***
The pinners...Sam seems to have slowly come to some nervousness about recent Bess activities. Perhaps she accepted his leaving suddenly the other day at Penn's a bit too calmly... To be fair, with Sir Will Coventry looking round for sacrificial lambs, he has had a bit much on his mind to dwell on Coleman and other incidents. Could be it's been growing on him over time.
Robert Gertz • Link
"...little Michell..."
The sort of thing, bandied about casually, that gets Clerks of the Acts and other such types occasionally inclined to exploit their positions, a quick garroting one night on a dark street...Especially if it's the "little" quality that has been the major cause of Michell's tolerance of Sam's behavior with Betty.
Terry Foreman • Link
"Lock’s response to the Ten Commandments"
See Michael Robinson's annotation to
Locke's 'Modern church musick, pre accus'd, censur'd, and obstructed vindicated by the author'
The performance was obstructed when, in protest at the novelty of a different setting for each repetition of the Kyrie, the choristers had deliberately sabotaged the singing.
L&M footnote — http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…
Pepys has convened a group of avant-garde musicians. Matthew Locke wrote unconventional masses, and would, in 1673, 1674 and 1675, pen the first two and fourth English semi-operas. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semi…
L. K. van Marjenhoff • Link
"I find she hath bought them for me to pay for them, without my knowledge."
She charged them!
CGS • Link
'twas not called charge 'em then, before Hire Purchase or credit cards. Men of ?substance? would get the bill at the end of the month to be settled on Lady day reckoning when thee went around settled thy accumulated debts. Men that be honest and known to be of good standing , but those that lacked the trust would go to the Scrivener like Milton and borrow and pay a nice vigorish, but labouring class had to starve if thy did not have a tab or cash thus the nearly useless tickets.
In my ill gotten youth I would go to my taylor [actually pop's] get sized up then Papa would get the bill at the end of the month, no signature was ever requested.
Last time I did a no signature trans action was when I bought my wife a nice time piece.
Tabs were a bain for all Tradesmen as most times they had to wait a whole year for settlement as they had to carry their dead beat clients with no interest charged. It was then understandable, as many high income characters only got their monies on an annual, maybe quarterly, rarely monthly basis. But now big business and governments have found the power of collecting their funds as often as they can,the power of compounding and never seeing the coin of the realm is a great incentive to in gathering the kmoins into one heap.
Second Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"betimes by water from the Tower..; and so, taking in a gentleman and his lady that wanted a boat, I to Westminster. Setting them on shore at Charing Cross,"
L&M remind us boats were hard to come by on Sundays, except for officials.
Terry Foreman • Link
"Sir H. Cholmly tells me..... Blancfort is made Privy-purse to the Duke of York; the Attorney-general is made Chief justice, in the room of my Lord Bridgeman; the Solicitor- general is made Attorney-general; and Sir Edward Turner made Solicitor- general."
L&M warn this news about appointments was inaccurate. Blanquefort appears to have held no financial office and was not on the list of commissioners appointed in December to manage the Duke's revenue. Bridgman's successor as Chief Justice of Common Pleas was Sir John Vaughan, who was not appointed until May 1668. The Attorney-General (Sir Geoffrey Palmer) continued in that office until his death in May 1670; and tthe Solicitor-General (Sir Heneage Finch) did not resign in Turnor's favor until 1670, when he was made Lord Keeper.
john • Link
Methinks that "little Michell" was used as a term of endearment (below from the OED) and not to belittle. Until recently, the phrase "the little woman" was used to denote a wife without belittlement.
3. Used to convey an implication of endearment or depreciation, or of tender feeling on the part of the speaker. Also coupled with an epithet expressing such feelings, e.g. pretty, sweet little.
1567 Satir. Poems Reform. iii. 154 The wois that Ouid in Ibin Into his pretty lytill buik did wryte. 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. iii. i. 204 And when she weepes, weepe euerie little flower. 1596 ― Merch. V. v. i. 21 In such a night Did pretty Iessica (like a little shrow) Slander her Loue. 1597 ― 2 Hen. IV, ii. iv. 225, I prethee Iack be quiet, the Rascall is gone: ah, you whorson little valiant Villaine, you. 1694 Wood Life 23 June, I returned from London in the company of a little poore thing, Sir Lacy Osbaldeston. 1819 Shelley Cyclops 246 My dear sweet master, My darling little Cyclops. [...]
john • Link
Elizabeth bought the cuffs and expected Pepys to pay for them. She knows him more than he realizes.
Ricadus • Link
Mention of the Old Swan Tavern reminded me of this recent blog post about “Doggett’s Coat and Badge” race, an annual boat race held in late summer that had it’s starting line at the Old Swan.
https://knowyourlondon.wordpress.…
In its early years contestants apparently raced against the outgoing tide, so that the event could take hours to be completed. Presumably this also enabled spectators to walk along the riverside and shout encouragements and to reach the endpoint — the Swan Inn at Chelsea — in time to see the finish.
The event began just a few years after Pepys’s lifetime, in 1715, and apparently continues to this day, making it the oldest boat race in the world, although it is not nearly as famous as the annual University Boat Race held further upstream at Putney
Liz • Link
‘here I did see her little girle my goddaughter, which will be pretty,’
I hope he is not sizing her up for future antics.
Alev Öncül • Link
Three days in a row and no mention of supper. I wonder if he's on a diet or the supper has fallen out of consideration.