Tuesday 15 October 1667

Up, and to the office, where, Sir W. Pen being ill of the gout, we all of us met there in his parlour and did the business of the office, our greatest business now being to manage the pay of the ships in order and with speed to satisfy the Commissioners of the Treasury. This morning my brother set out for Brampton again, and is gone. At noon home to dinner, and thence my wife and I and Willet to the Duke of York’s house, where, after long stay, the King and Duke of York come, and there saw “The Coffee-house,” the most ridiculous, insipid play that ever I saw in my life, and glad we were that Betterton had no part in it. But here, before the play begun, my wife begun to complain to me of Willet’s confidence in sitting cheek by jowl by us, which was a poor thing; but I perceive she is already jealous of my kindness to her, so that I begin to fear this girle is not likely to stay long with us. The play done, we home by coach, it being moonlight, and got well home, and I to my chamber to settle some papers, and so to supper and to bed.

15 Annotations

First Reading

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...Sir W. Pen being ill of the gout..."

Enter Pepys solus.

"Now is the [Dutch] winter of our discontent made hopeful spring by this death of Batten. [Penn] cannot live, I hope; and must not die till [Clarendon] be pack'd with post-horse up to heaven. I'll in, to urge [Charles'] hatred more to [Clarendon], With lies well steel'd with weighty arguments; And, if I fall not in my deep intent, [the Earl] hath not another day to live: Which done, God take [Sir Will Penn] to his mercy, And leave the [naval office] world for me to bustle in! [Hee]"

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...the most ridiculous, insipid play that ever I saw in my life..."

So, at last "Midsummer's Night Dream" is beaten out?

Geesh, Bess must have radar.

Judy Bailey  •  Link

Ever the theater critic, Pepys's critique of Midsummer Night's Dream was on Monday, 29 September 1662.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Brodrick to Ormond
Written from: [London]
Date: 15 October 1667

The Commons have passed a vote of thanks to his Majesty for disbanding certain late-raised forces; for dismissing Roman Catholics from his guard for condemning the 'Canary Patents'; and, more especially, for removing from office the late Lord Chancellor [ Clarendon ]. This vote is now sent up to the Peers, for their concurrence; although that House had already sent up a general address of thanks, without enumerating particulars.
_____

Conway to Ormond
Written from: London
Date: 15 October 1667

The Solicitor [ General ] informs Lord Conway that an impeachment of the Duke is being contrived in the House of Commons, "by some particular members, who acquainted him [ the Solicitor ] with twelve of the Articles" - of which he promises to procure a copy for his Grace. ... "Sir Jeffrey Smith makes a great noise of a ship sent into Galway, which was worth there £140,000, & which the Duke sold for £14,000, or thereabouts." ...
_____

Clarendon to Ormond
Written from: "From my house" [London]
Date: 15 October 1667

Accredits Dr Gorges [ who goes into Ireland on the Land business of the Duke of York, & in relation to certain conflicting claims of H.R.H., & of the Lord Lieutenant ], as, the writer believes, "very faithfully your servant", and knowing well the writer's "concernment that he be so. You may trust him in whatever he shall say to you & he will give you a better account of this place, with reference to all particulars - &, it may be, of future designs, than is fit to be committed to paper; at least, by me." ...

Adds, at considerable length, his opinion concerning the legal construction of certain Acts of Parliament, relating to Ireland; with more particular reference to a clause in the 'Settlement-Act' conferring on the Duke of York certain lands, in that Kingdom, formerly possessed by Regicides.
_____

Ormond to the Archbishop of Canterbury
Written from: Dublin
Date: 15 October 1667

Is in some pain to understand one part of his Grace's letter. Does not doubt who the party is for whose sake the Archbishop & the writer "are not like to fare the better", but is most unwilling "to believe that he [ Clarendon ] has failed upon his part, and shall be more confounded with shame, than disturbed with any other passion, to be convinced that he has." ... Has more reverence for what proceeds from his Grace than for like intimations elsewhere made, yet wishes he might, "by some safe hand, have an instance, wherein his confidence is deluded, & his friendship so ill requited." ...
_____

Arlington to Ormond
Written from: Whitehall
Date: 15 October 1667

Barker's affair [ http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1… ] came to an end on Friday; the decision given upon it at the Council Board of Ireland being confirmed. We are told, adds the writer, that he will appeal to Parliament. ... But I do not think they will allow a thing the Long Parliament would not [allow], when it had the appearance of merit in their service. ...

Cannot but add an account of this day's work, howsoever unhappy to the Duke's hearing. ... Upon both Houses attending the King ... "he assured them he would never more employ the Earl of Clarendon, which is a great lesson to us all."

http://www.rsl.ox.ac.uk/dept/scwm…

Horace Dripple  •  Link

"cheek by jowl . . ." Can someone enlighten us about the history of this expression?

Nate  •  Link

A bit off topic.
I found a site with a portion of a diary written in the US in the 1700s while looking for some early US Revolutionary War history. It has some similarities with Sam's diary in that it was written in an obscure shorthand which the author apparently thought would keep it private forever and so put down things he probably would not have otherwise. It's life on a plantation and Americans, at least, will notice some interesting surnames and locations.

This site has some excerpts but I've not yet attempted to see if it has been scanned and on line. Enjoy.

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.co…

cum salis grano  •  Link

a version OED:
4. Here perhaps belongs the phrase cheek by jowl, in earlier usage cheek by cheek: see CHEEK n. 5.
In this the j form is known from
1577, which is somewhat earlier than it is known in sense 1 above. The 17th c. variants cheek by chole, chowl, agree in form better with JOWL n.2 or n.3. But it is probable that, by the time the phrase came into use, all three ns. were already felt as one. The following examples supplement those under CHEEK.

1577 HANMER Anc. Eccl. Hist. VIII. xxv. 165 Cheeke by iole with the Emperour.
1589 Hay any work (1880) 46 That maidenly Doctor, (who sits cheek by ioll with you).

1590 SHAKES. Mids. N. III. ii. 338 Follow? Nay, Ile goe with thee cheeke by iowle.

1660 S. FISHER Rusticks Alarm Wks. (1679) 336 Howbeit they may..set up their meer Transcriptions, so as to make them sit cheek by chole with the first Hand-writings.

1678 Trans. Crt. Spain 172 There to find Father Nitard cheek to jowl with me. 1818 SCOTT Rob Roy xiv, In puir auld Scotland's Parliament they a' sate thegither, cheek by choul.

1820 W. IRVING Sketch Bk. II. 146 The dragon and the grass-hopper actually lie, cheek by jole.

1880 BROWNING Dram. Idylls II. Doctor {emem} 159 Old and young, rich and poor{em}crowd cheek by jowl.

1. A jawbone, a ‘chaft’; a jaw; esp. the under jaw; pl. Jaws.

2. Idle or malicious talk; = JAW n.1 6. to lead chawle, to give mouth. Obs.
a1225

3. The cheek, a cheek. (In late use often blending with JOWL n.2)
1668 WILKINS Real Char. II. vii. 177 Cheek, Jole.
1711 STEELE Spect. No. 32 {page}2 If his Sides are as compact as his Joles, he need not disguise himself to make one of us.

5. Comb., as chawle-bone, a jawbone.
1430-40

Cheek
5. a. cheek by jowl; earlier {dag}cheek by cheek. (In 6-7 cheek(e to jowl, by chole, jole, joll, gig(g by geoul, jowl, 7-8 jig(g by jowl, 9 cheek by chowl, for chowl, and jowl, Sc. cheek-for-chow, dial. jig-by-jow.) Side by side; in the closest intimacy.
c1330 R. BRUNNE Chron. Langt. (1810) 223 Vmwhile cheke bi cheke.
c1530 LD. BERNERS Arth. Lyt. Bryt. (1814) 352 Then they..rode togyther cheke by cheke.
1577 HANMER Anc. Eccl. Hist. (1619) 164 Cheek by iowle with the Emperour.
1598 SYLVESTER Du Bartas I. i. (1641) 4/2 Mercie and Justice, marching cheek by joule.

1606 G. W[OODCOCKE] Justine 101a, Agathocles, sitting cheeke by cheeke with the king.
c1645 HOWELL Lett. IV. xxxvi, In their Churches..the Laundresse gig by geoul with her Lady.

1719 D'URFEY Pills V. 293 He with his Master, jig by jowl, Unto old Gillian hy'd.

a1734 NORTH Ld. Keeper Guilford (1742) 142 Every one in his Turn..came up Cheek by Joul, and talk'd with my Lord Judge.

Nate  •  Link

Terry, I'd rather find the book than pay the fee to read it, too bad it's still in copyright. I delayed making lunch and found that site as well. What can be read is a nice explanation of the diary.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Nate, the reference to William Byrd's personal habits as recorded in his diary is not so far off-topic as you fear. He makes Pepys look good.

Follow the link to the Wikipedia article and you will see he not only had sex with his wife [ he "flourished" her, he wrote ], but was unfaithful in thought -- with express regrets, like Pepys -- and deed, even in public; and was a cruel master of his slaves.

Too bad it's not in the public domain, but it wasn't published first until 1941.

There are sample excerpts on some other sites. E.g., http://nationalhumanitiescenter.o…

http://www.indiana.edu/~h105swrd/…

Fern  •  Link

It ain't easy being a lady's companion, treading that fine line between buddy and employee.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"A Series of Lamentable Occurences: My Life with the Pepys" by Deborah Willet.

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"our greatest business now being to manage the pay of the ships in order and with speed to satisfy the Commissioners of the Treasury."

L&M note that on 2 October the Treasury had granted £10,000 to pay tickets dating before the previous January.

Batch  •  Link

Nate, thank you for the redirection to the Byrd diary.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

“If I am incontinent, and lye with every Woman I meet, I use those women as if they belonged to me when they really do not, and suffer myself to be governed by appetite like a Brute, & not by Reason like a man, and is in effect Saying that I am a brute.” -- William “Black Swan” Byrd II (1674 – 1744), contemplating John Locke's "Some Thoughts Concerning Education", published in 1693.

As noted above, insight did not change his behavior.

Log in to post an annotation.

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