Saturday 14 September 1667
Up, and to the office, where all the morning busy. At noon comes Mr. Pierce and dined with me to advise about several matters of his relating to the office and his purse, and here he told me that the King and Duke of York and the whole Court is mighty joyful at the Duchesse of York’s being brought to bed this day, or yesterday, of a son; which will settle men’s minds mightily. And he tells me that he do think that what the King do, of giving the Duke of Monmouth the command of his Guards, and giving my Lord Gerard 12,000l. for it, is merely to find an employment for him upon which he may live, and not out of any design to bring him into any title to the Crowne; which Mr. Moore did the other day put me into great fear of. After dinner, he gone, my wife to the King’s play-house to see “The Northerne Castle,” [L&M say “The Northerne Lasse”. P.G.] which I think I never did see before. Knipp acted in it, and did her part very extraordinary well; but the play is but a mean, sorry play; but the house very full of gallants. It seems, it hath not been acted a good while. Thence to the Exchange for something for my wife, and then home and to the office, and then home to our flageolet, and so to bed, being mightily troubled in mind at the liberty I give myself of going to plays upon pretence of the weakness of my eyes, that cannot continue so long together at work at my office, but I must remedy it.
7 Annotations
First Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"being mightily troubled in mind at the liberty I give myself of going to plays "
24 August, St. Bartholomew’s Day, Pepys swore "my belly now full with plays, that I do intend to bind myself to see no more till Michaelmas [ 29 September ]".
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
Methinks it of moment that both St. Bartholomew’s Day and today are days for solemn reflection -- or should be -- the former being the day of targeted group of assassinations, followed by a wave of Roman Catholic mob violence, both directed against the Huguenots http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._…'s_Day_massacre , of which Elizabeth St. Michel Pepys is one, and today being a Lord's Day.
Terry Foreman • Link
Of course, the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre had occurred in 1572, but it was not forgotten, and Pepys labeled the day in his Journall, as he did each year.
arby • Link
There seems to be a lot of "something for my wife" going on lately, I wonder why? He hasn't done much that was obviously guilt-inducing recently, since nearly getting pinned in church.
Robert Gertz • Link
Can't a man simply wish to express his love for his wife through material gratification?
"Bess...Why are all those people laughing?"
Anyway, Bess has been a good girl with the flagolet and all...Sam probably has had a lot of repressed guilt over the past year(s)...Plus his eyes are pooping out, the broken-down ole fellow might need his young and lovely wife to nurse him and keep his declining years comfortable and somewhat romantic.
And of course there has been more sex of late...
And, I really do think he likes pleasing her...When he can be the Santa Claus.
Robert Gertz • Link
Besides, she's seen some of his gold during the mad dash to Brampton. The ole "We are but one pay cycle from utter ruin" argument can't impress so much anymore.
cum salis grano • Link
"...Thence to the Exchange for something for my wife, ..."
sing a Playford ditty.
:tune by this title, it was renamed "The New New Exchange" (1665) and
H:"The New Royal Exchange" (1670).
W:I'll go no more to the New Exchange, there is no room at all
W:It is
W:so throng'd and crowded by the gallants of Whitehall
W:But I'll go to
W:the Old Exchange, where old things are in fashion
W:For now the Kew's
W:become the shop of this blessed Reformation
W:Come, my new Courtiers,
W:what d'ye lack? Good consciences? I you do
W:Here's long and wide,
W:the only wear, the straight will trouble you
http://www.ceolas.org/pub/tunes/a…
Second Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"And he tells me that he do think that what the King do, of giving the Duke of Monmouth the command of his Guards, and giving my Lord Gerard 12,000l. for it, is merely to find an employment for him upon which he may live, and not out of any design to bring him into any title to the Crowne;"
L&M: Monmouth succeeded Gerard in command of the 1st Life Guards only, in fact, a year later. He the paid him £8000 for it and gave him a preferential bargain of a house and land at Chiswick: https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/… and https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…
CSPD 1667-8, pp. 553, 560.