Friday 1 November 1667
Up betimes, and down to the waterside (calling and drinking a dram of the bottle at Michell’s, but saw not Betty), and thence to White Hall and to Sir W. Coventry’s lodging, where he and I alone a good while, where he gives me the full of the Duke of Albemarle’s and Prince’s narratives, given yesterday by the House, wherein they fall foul of him and Sir G. Carteret in something about the dividing of the fleete, and the Prince particularly charging the Commissioners of the Navy with negligence, he says the Commissioners of the Navy whereof Sir W. Coventry is one. He tells me that he is prepared to answer any particular most thoroughly, but the quality of the persons do make it difficult for him, and so I do see is in great pain, poor man, though he deserves better than twenty such as either of them, for his abilities and true service to the King and kingdom. He says there is incoherences, he believes, to be found between their two reports, which will be pretty work to consider. The Duke of Albemarle charges W. Coventry that he should tell him, when he come down to the fleete with Sir G. Carteret, to consult about dividing the fleete, that the Dutch would not be out in six weeks, which W. Coventry says is as false as is possible, and he can prove the contrary by the Duke of Albemarle’s own letters. The Duke of Albemarle says that he did upon sight of the Dutch call a council of officers, and they did conclude they could not avoid fighting the Dutch; and yet we did go to the enemy, and found them at anchor, which is a pretty contradiction. And he tells me that Spragg did the other day say in the House, that the Prince, at his going from the Duke of Albemarle with his fleete, did tell him that if the Dutch should come on, the Duke was to follow him, the Prince, with his fleete, and not fight the Dutch. Out of all this a great deal of good might well be picked. But it is a sad consideration that all this picking of holes in one another’s coats — nay, and the thanks of the House to the Prince and the Duke of Albemarle, and all this envy and design to ruin Sir W. Coventry — did arise from Sir W. Coventry’s unfortunate mistake the other day, in producing of a letter from the Duke of Albemarle, touching the good condition of all things at Chatham just before the Dutch come up, and did us that fatal mischiefe; for upon this they are resolved to undo him, and I pray God they do not. He tells me upon my demanding it that he thinks the King do not like this their bringing these narratives, and that they give out that they would have said more but that the King hath hindered them, that I suppose is about my Lord Sandwich. He is getting a copy of the Narratives, which I shall then have, and so I parted from him and away to White Hall, where I met Mr. Creed and Yeabsly, and discoursed a little about Mr. Yeabsly’s business and accounts, and so I to chapel and there staid, it being All-Hallows day, and heard a fine anthem, made by Pelham (who is come over) in France, of which there was great expectation, and indeed is a very good piece of musique, but still I cannot call the Anthem anything but instrumentall musique with the voice, for nothing is made of the words at all.
I this morning before chapel visited Sir G. Carteret, who is vexed to see how things are likely to go, but cannot help it, and yet seems to think himself mighty safe. I also visited my Lord Hinchingbroke, at his chamber at White Hall, where I found Mr. Turner, Moore, and Creed, talking of my Lord Sandwich, whose case I doubt is but bad, and, I fear, will not escape being worse, though some of the company did say otherwise. But I am mightily pleased with my Lord Hinchingbroke’s sobriety and few words.
After chapel I with Creed to the Exchange, and after much talk he and I there about securing of some money either by land or goods to be always at our command, which we think a thing advisable in this critical time, we parted, and I to the Sun Taverne with Sir W. Warren (with whom I have not drank many a day, having for some time been strange to him), and there did put it to him to advise me how to dispose of my prize, which he will think of and do to my best advantage. We talked of several other things relating to his service, wherein I promise assistance, but coldly, thinking it policy to do so, and so, after eating a short dinner, I away home, and there took out my wife, and she and I alone to the King’s playhouse, and there saw a silly play and an old one, “The Taming of a Shrew,” and so home and I to my office a little, and then home to supper and to bed.
14 Annotations
First Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"Mr. Yeabsly’s business "
Sc. as victualler to the Tangier garrison.
Glyn • Link
According to the link, this was an adaptation of Shakespeare's play alternatively called Sawney the Scot by the comic actor John Lacy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John…
"His popularity with Charles II did not prevent Lacy from getting into significant trouble at one point in his career. On April 15, 1667, Pepys saw Lacy play in The Change of Crowns, by Edward Howard. The King and Queen were in the audience, along with the Duke of York and his Duchess, and "all the Court". During the performance, Lacy improvised some lines about corruption at Court and the selling of offices. The King was so angry that he had the company banned from performing; and Lacy was incarcerated. Lacy was released on April 20 ... The actors prevailed upon the King to allow them to return to the stage, and Lacy was soon forgiven."
Charles II may be easy-going but best not to push it too hard.
Michael Robinson • Link
"... saw a silly play and an old one, “The Taming of a Shrew,”
Lacy in costume as 'Sawney the Scott' on the left
John Lacy in three if his roles, after John Michael Wright
watercolour, (circa 1668-1670)
8 3/8 in. x 6 7/8 in. (212 mm x 175 mm) paper size
http://www.npg.org.uk/collections…
Michael Robinson • Link
“… saw a silly play and an old one, “The Taming of a Shrew,”
Primary version of above.
John Michael Wright (1623-1700)
John Lacey c.1668-70
Oil on canvas
234.3 x 173.4 cm
Painted for Charles II
"This comic actor and dramatist was a particular favourite of Charles II. He is depicted in three of his most celebrated roles: the lead from Sauny the Scot: or The Taming of The Shrew (his own adaptation from Shakespeare); Monsieur Device from The Country Chaplain (by the Duke of Newcastle); and Scruple from The Cheats (by John Wilson)."
http://www.royalcollection.org.uk…
[I believe this version hangs at Hampton Court]
Robert Gertz • Link
"...calling and drinking a dram of the bottle at Michell’s, but saw not Betty..." Hitting the morning sauce to see the morning dove...Without success. I wonder if Sam's changed his morning routine as to hard spirits just to catch poor Betty.
Robert Gertz • Link
"...thence to White Hall and to Sir W. Coventry’s lodging, where he and I alone a good while, where he gives me the full of the Duke of Albemarle’s and Prince’s narratives..."
"It's nor ri', Sir Will...Nor' ri'!" fist slammed...
"Pepys?"
"Nor'..." Hic... "Ri' they shoud do us this turn, sir."
"Pepys. Have you been drinking?"
"Jes ma..." Hic, hic... "Mornin' dram...At Michell's. But she wasn' there, Sir Will...Why wasn' she there?"
"Oh...Yes." Nod. "That one. I've spent a few mornings getting my dram there myself."
"Sir Will?"
Don O'Shea • Link
For those of us who like to peek in on history, there is a new blog by Adam Goodheart of Washington College on the New York Times Web site that will look at the American Civil War from a distance of 150 years.
"Several times each week — aided in my research by two of my students at Washington College, Jim Schelberg and Kathy Thornton — I will write about something that happened precisely 150 years earlier. My subject may be as large as a national election or as small as a newspaper ad. I won’t be trying to draw a grand saga of the national conflict (much less searching for any all-encompassing templates). Instead, I’ll try to bring the reader, for a brief present moment, into a vanished moment of the past — and into a country both familiar and strange."
The first entry, The Last Ordinary Day, is at http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.…
language hat • Link
Thanks very much for that, Don; I know a fair amount about the Civil War and look forward to the day-by-day immersion.
Terry Foreman • Link
"I cannot call the Anthem anything but instrumentall musique with the voice, for nothing is made of the words at all."
Apparently Pepys is an old-fashioned lyrics man who has shown he digs harmonies in his own composing, but does not value tones per se and the voice as an instrument. Too bad.
Second Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
" Sir W. Coventry...gives me the full of the Duke of Albemarle’s and Prince’s narratives, given yesterday by the House,"
Read the Narrative in the Commons Journal, of which Coventry's "full" was a version. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…
Terry Foreman • Link
"He is getting a copy of the Narratives, which I shall then have,"
L&M say Coventry's copies of the Narratives (with his marginal notes) and his twq draft replies were in the British Museum, but do not compare them to the Commons Journal's linked in the post just above.
Terry Foreman • Link
"I to the Sun Taverne with Sir W. Warren (with whom I have not drank many a day, having for some time been strange to him), and there did put it to him to advise me how to dispose of my prize,"
Pepys and Warren had been estranged by Warren's association with Brouckner, Pepys' office competition.
john • Link
"[...] all this envy and design to ruin Sir W. Coventry — did arise from Sir W. Coventry’s unfortunate mistake the other day, in producing of a letter from the Duke of Albemarle, touching the good condition of all things at Chatham just before the Dutch come up [...]; for upon this they are resolved to undo him [...]"
If I read this correctly, because Albemarle is the House's golden boy and can do no wrong, Coventry has raised their enmity by showing them otherwise.
San Diego Sarah • Link
"The first entry, The Last Ordinary Day, is at http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.… "
Sadly this no longer exists. How fortunate we are to have Phil as the Pepys guardian, and not the New York Times. Thank you, Phil, once again.