Wednesday 11 September 1667

Up, and with Mr. Gawden to the Exchequer. By the way, he tells me this day he is to be answered whether he must hold Sheriffe or no; for he would not hold unless he may keep it at his office, which is out of the city (and so my Lord Mayor must come with his sword down, whenever he comes thither), which he do, because he cannot get a house fit for him in the city, or else he will fine for it. Among others that they have in nomination for Sheriffe, one is little Chaplin, who was his servant, and a very young man to undergo that place; but as the city is now, there is no great honour nor joy to be had, in being a public officer. At the Exchequer I looked after my business, and when done went home to the ’Change, and there bought a case of knives for dinner, and a dish of fruit for 5s., and bespoke other things, and then home, and here I find all things in good order, and a good dinner towards. Anon comes Sir W. Batten and his lady, and Mr. Griffith, their ward, and Sir W. Pen and his lady, and Mrs. Lowther, who is grown, either through pride or want of manners, a fool, having not a word to say almost all dinner; and, as a further mark of a beggarly, proud fool, hath a bracelet of diamonds and rubies about her wrist, and a sixpenny necklace about her neck, and not one good rag of clothes upon her back; and Sir John Chichly in their company, and Mrs. Turner. Here I had an extraordinary good and handsome dinner for them, better than any of them deserve or understand, saving Sir John Chichly and Mrs. Turner, and not much mirth, only what I by discourse made, and that against my genius. After dinner I took occasion to break up the company soon as I could, and all parted, Sir W. Batten and I by water to White Hall, there to speak with the Commissioners of the Treasury, who are mighty earnest for our hastening all that may be the paying off of the Seamen, now there is money, and are considering many other things for easing of charge, which I am glad of, but vexed to see that J. Duncomb should be so pressing in it as if none of us had like care with him. Having done there, I by coach to the Duke of York’s playhouse, and there saw part of “The Ungratefull Lovers;” and sat by Beck Marshall, who is very handsome near hand. Here I met Mrs. Turner and my wife as we agreed, and together home, and there my wife and I part of the night at the flageolet, which she plays now any thing upon almost at first sight and in good time. But here come Mr. Moore, and sat and discoursed with me of publique matters: the sum of which is, that he do doubt that there is more at the bottom than the removal of the Chancellor; that is, he do verily believe that the King do resolve to declare the Duke of Monmouth legitimate, and that we shall soon see it. This I do not think the Duke of York will endure without blows; but his poverty, and being lessened by having the Chancellor fallen and [Sir] W. Coventry gone from him, will disable him from being able to do any thing almost, he being himself almost lost in the esteem of people; and will be more and more, unless my Lord Chancellor, who is already begun to be pitied by some people, and to be better thought of than was expected, do recover himself in Parliament. He would seem to fear that this difference about the Crowne (if there be nothing else) will undo us. He do say that, that is very true; that my Lord [Chancellor] did lately make some stop of some grants of 2000l. a-year to my Lord Grandison, which was only in his name, for the use of my Lady Castlemaine’s children; and that this did incense her, and she did speak very scornful words, and sent a scornful message to him about it. He gone, after supper, I to bed, being mightily pleased with my wife’s playing so well upon the flageolet, and I am resolved she shall learn to play upon some instrument, for though her eare be bad, yet I see she will attain any thing to be done by her hand.

20 Annotations

First Reading

Michael Robinson  •  Link

" ... which is out of the city (and so my Lord Mayor must come with his sword down, whenever he comes thither), ..."

Traditionally the Lord mayor is preceded within the City by the Swordbearer carrying the City sword aloft; the Lord Mayor's pew in City churches is marked always with a prominent sword rest.

"The Swordbearer of London. The office has been in existence since the 14th Century but is first distinctly mentioned in 1419 when issues about his job description came up. It was then recorded that the Lord Mayor should have, at his own expense, someone to bear his sword before him: ‘a man well-bred (one who knows how in all places, in that which unto such service pertains, to support the honour of his Lord and of the City)."
http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Co…

cum salis grano  •  Link

An insight to inner workings.
So a tanner necklace and the mismatched bejewelled wrist.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Mr. Gawden...tells me this day he is to be answered whether he must hold Sheriffe or no; for he would not hold unless he may keep it at his office, which is out of the city (and so my Lord Mayor must come with his sword down, whenever he comes thither), which he do, because he cannot get a house fit for him in the city, or else he will fine for it."

Alderman Sir Denis Gauden could avoid the burdeen of office, L&M note, by paying a fine; his office as Navy Victualler is in Smithfield, Middlesex; he will in fact serve as Sheriff in 1667-8.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sher…

Australian Susan  •  Link

"...Here I had an extraordinary good and handsome dinner for them, better than any of them deserve or understand, saving Sir John Chichly and Mrs. Turner, and not much mirth, only what I by discourse made, and that against my genius. After dinner I took occasion to break up the company soon as I could, and all parted, ..."

Sam is not usually either so rude about his guests, nor so boastful about the food, nor so dismissive of the whole occasion. He seems to be slipping into a formal pattern of giving and receiving hospitality with little enjoyment. No playing at cards and getting slightly tipsy afterwards, no carrying everyone off on an outing to the play or to drink somewhere out of town. No simple joy in good food and fellowship. - just ticking the boxes of tit-for-tat dinners and a lot of sneering. It's rather sad.

tonyt  •  Link

'... his office, which is outside the city...' This would have been solely an issue of protocol rather than convenience because 'Smithfield, Middlesex' is right on the NW edge of the City of London. Much closer to the City than, for example, Westminster.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Sounds like Sam expected Batten and Penn to be overwhelmed by his magnificence and was a bit down to find them taking it in stride. And Meg silent and perhaps not so interested in following him to his closet after dinner for a little...? Of course to be fair, it is annoying to prepare "Babette's feast" for guests and find they can't or won't properly appreciate it.

JWB  •  Link

'Beck' near hand, caveat Sam:
"Rebecca had a reputation as a beauty, which apparently caused her difficulties: she twice petitioned King Charles II for protection from obstreperous men in her audience.[6] And she had a habit of feuding with Nell Gwyn."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebe…

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Petitioned Charlie for protection? Hmmn... Sort of like turning to the Gestapo for police protection in a hate crime.

Apparently she didn't care for the Betty Pierce eternal pregnancy method of dissuading obstreperous types...

Terry Foreman  •  Link

“Rebecca [ known as a beauty ]twice petitioned King Charles II for protection from obstreperous men in her audience"

Did those men confuse the actresses with their supposed parts, or have fantasies, Mr. Pepys?!

THE COQUET
(from “The Unfortunate Lovers,” 1643)
by: Sir William Davenant (1606-1668)

‘IS, in good truth, a most wonderful thing
(I am even ashamed to relate it)
That love so many vexations should bring,
And yet few have the wit to hate it.

Love’s weather in maids should seldom hold fair:
Like April’s mine shall quickly alter;
I’ll give him to-night a lock of my hear,
To whom next day I’ll send a halter.

I cannot abide these malapert males,
Pirates of love, who know no duty;
Yet love with a storm can take down their sales,
And they must strike to Admiral Beauty.

Farewell to that maid who will be undone,
Who in markets of men (where plenty
Is cried up and down) will die for even one;
I will live to make fools of twenty.

http://www.poetry-archive.com/d/t…

L. K. van Marjenhoff  •  Link

This is the second day that it's been mentioned that the seamen are finally going to be paid. May it happen!

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"my Lord [Chancellor] did lately make some stop of some grants of 2000l. a-year to my Lord Grandison, which was only in his name, for the use of my Lady Castlemaine’s children; and that this did incense her, and she did speak very scornful words, and sent a scornful message to him about it."

L&M note Clarendon, by his own account, did all he could to reduce Lady Castlemaine's influence: Life, iii, 267. Grandison, her uncle, also acted in this way several times as her straw man. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Str…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Sir W. Batten and I by water to White Hall, there to speak with the Commissioners of the Treasury, who are mighty earnest for our hastening all that may be the paying off of the Seamen, now there is money"

L&M: The Treasury minute runs: 'The principal officers og the Navy called in (and inform my Lords) that about 12,000l or 14,000lper week will serve to pay off the seamen' (CTB, ii. 81).

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"I by coach to the Duke of York’s playhouse, and there saw part of “The Ungratefull Lovers;”

L&M: No play with this title has been found; Pepys may be referring to Davenant's tragedy, The Unfortunate lovers: http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"Mrs. Lowther, who is grown, either through pride or want of manners, a fool, having not a word to say almost all dinner; and, as a further mark of a beggarly, proud fool, hath a bracelet of diamonds and rubies about her wrist, and a sixpenny necklace about her neck, and not one good rag of clothes upon her back;"

Pepys didn't appreciate that her Gucci’s standard pair of ripped jeans cost a minimum of $600. And her classic John Lenno HOME t-shirt cost at least $16,400. What's a fashionable young woman about town supposed to wear? And she's very proud of her necklace ... she won it throwing beanbags at the Faire. And the bracelet? She wore it because she could, just to drive her thrifty mother -- and the nouveau riche Pepys -- crazy. And her flashy coach -- and flashier coachmen -- are awaiting her ladyship outside. HAHA-HAHAHA.

Louise Hudson  •  Link

"Mrs. Lowther, who is grown, either through pride or want of manners, a fool, having not a word to say almost all dinner; and, as a further mark of a beggarly, proud fool, hath a bracelet of diamonds and rubies about her wrist, and a sixpenny necklace about her neck, and not one good rag of clothes upon her back;"

MEOW!

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"... and there bought a case of knives for dinner ..."

The general use of silverware provided by the host was catching on.

"In France, in the 1630s, Armand Jean du Plessis (better known as Duc de Richelieu, chief minister to Louis XIII) got tired of watching people stabbing their knives and daggers into chunks of food and then at the end of the meal picking their teeth with the sharp ends of their daggers. He ordered the kitchen staff to file off the sharp points of all house knives, and soon round-tipped knives became the latest thing.

"The grinding down of knife points led to other design changes. Cutlers began to make the blunt ends of knives wider and rounder so that any food which fell between the two tines of a fork could be piled on the knife. In fact, many knives were designed with a handle like a pistol grip and a blade which curved backward so the wrist would not have to be contorted to get food to the mouth.

"In 1669, Louis XIV of France banned pointed knives, at the table or as weapons, trying to reduce violence."

For more on utensils, see http://www.askandyaboutclothes.co…

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

The funeral of the Lord Treasurer Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton was followed by great political changes in England:
On 23 May 1667 there was concluded a treaty of commerce with Spain,
on 24 August, 1667 a peace treaty was concluded with Holland.
On 31 August, 1667 Chancellor Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon was dismissed.

All these changes alarmed Louis XIV so much that, on 11 September, 1667, Henri de Massue, Marquis de Ruvigny sought an audience with Charles II, having come over with instructions “to sound the disposition of the English Court, and to know whether, upon Clarendon’s being turned out, the king had not been prevailed on to quit the friendship of France and enter into a closer alliance with Spain.”

Henri de Massue, Marquis de Ruvigny continued to hold communications with the English Court during 1667 and 1668. https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…

Log in to post an annotation.

If you don't have an account, then register here.