Friday 13 December 1667

Up, lying long all alone (my wife lying for these two or three days of sickness alone), thinking of my several businesses in hand, and then rose and to the office, being in some doubt of having my cozen Roger and Lord Hinchinbroke and Sir Thos. Crew by my cozens invitation at dinner to-day, and we wholly unprovided. So I away to Westminster, to the Parliament-door, to speak with Roger: and here I saw my Lord Keeling go into the House to the barr, to have his business heard by the whole House to-day; and a great crowd of people to stare upon him. Here I hear that the Lords’ Bill for banishing and disabling my Lord Clarendon from bearing any office, or being in the King’s dominions, and its being made felony for any to correspond with him but his own children, is brought to the Commons: but they will not agree to it, being not satisfied with that as sufficient, but will have a Bill of Attainder brought in against him: but they make use of this against the Lords, that they, that would not think there was cause enough to commit him without hearing, will have him banished without hearing. By and by comes out my cozen Roger to me, he being not willing to be in the House at the business of my Lord Keeling, lest he should be called upon to complain against him for his abusing him at Cambridge, very wrongfully and shamefully, but not to his reproach, but to the Chief justice’s in the end, when all the world cried shame upon him for it. So he with me home, and Creed, whom I took up by the way, going thither, and they to dine with me, and pretty merry, and among other pieces of news, it is now fresh that the King of Portugall is deposed, and his brother made King; and that my Lord Sandwich is gone from Madrid with great honour to Lisbon, to make up, at this juncture, a peace to the advantage, as the Spaniard would have it, of Spain. I wish it may be for my Lord’s honour, if it be so; but it seems my Lord is in mighty estimation in Spain. After dinner comes Mr. Moore, and he and I alone a while, he telling me my Lord Sandwich’s credit is like to be undone, if the bill of 200l. my Lord Hinchingbroke wrote to me about be not paid to-morrow, and that, if I do not help him about it, they have no way but to let it be protested. So, finding that Creed hath supplied them with 150l. in their straits, and that this is no bigger sum, I am very willing to serve my Lord, though not in this kind; but yet I will endeavour to get this done for them, and the rather because of some plate that was lodged the other day with me, by my Lady’s order, which may be in part of security for my money, as I may order it, for, for ought I see, there is no other to be hoped for. This do trouble me; but yet it is good luck that the sum is no bigger. He gone, I with my cozen Roger to Westminster Hall; and there we met the House rising: and they have voted my Lord Chief Justice Keeling’s proceedings illegal; but that, out of particular respect to him, and the mediation of a great many, they have resolved to proceed no further against him. After a turn or two with my cozen, I away with Sir W. Warren, who met me here by my desire, and to Exeter House, and there to counsel, to Sir William Turner, about the business of my bargain with my Lady Batten; and he do give me good advice, and that I am safe, but that there is a great many pretty considerations in it that makes it necessary for me to be silent yet for a while till we see whether the ship be safe or no; for she is drove to the coast of Holland, where she now is in the Texell, so that it is not prudence for me yet to resolve whether I will stand by the bargain or no, and so home, and Sir W. Warren and I walked upon Tower Hill by moonlight a great while, consulting business of the office and our present condition, which is but bad, it being most likely that the Parliament will change all hands, and so let them, so I may keep but what I have. Thence home, and there spent the evening at home with my wife and entering my journal, and so to supper and to bed, troubled with my parting with the 200l., which I must lend my Lord Sandwich to answer his bill of exchange.

16 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"being in some doubt of having my cozen Roger and Lord Hinchinbroke and Sir Thos. Crew by my cozens invitation at dinner to-day, and we wholly unprovided"

"doubt" = fear (in this case, methinks)

***
"Commons...will have a Bill of Attainder brought in against [Lord Clarendon]"

A bill of attainder (also known as an act of attainder or writ of attainder) is an act of a legislature declaring a person or group of persons guilty of some crime and punishing them without benefit of a judicial trial.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill…

"Our punishment is tougher than yours!"

Christopher Squire  •  Link

' . . being in some doubt of having . . and we wholly unprovided.' :

'doubt, n.1
. . 1.b. The condition of being (objectively) uncertain; a state of affairs such as to give occasion for hesitation or uncertainty.' [OED]

seems what is meant here. Would there be enough to go round?

Terry Foreman  •  Link

doubt

As its definition the L&M Companion's Large Glossary lists both "to fear" and "to wonder, be perplexed as to"

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Here we have Pepys concerned about who will show up for dinner, his wife sick in bed and "and we wholly unprovided."

Whatever satisfies that feeling he must have at the prospect......

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Our busy, tempest-tossed Sam...

"Your mind is tossing on the ocean;
There, where your argosies with portly sail,
Like signiors and rich burghers on the flood,
Or, as it were, the pageants of the sea,
Do overpeer the petty traffickers,
That curtsy to them, do them reverence,
As they fly by them with their woven wings."

Pepys: "Ummn...It's only one ship, off the Holland ooast..."

"Believe me, sir, had I such venture forth,
The better part of my affections would
Be with my hopes abroad. I should be still
Plucking the grass, to know where sits the wind,
Peering in maps for ports and piers and roads;
And every object that might make me fear
Misfortune to my ventures, out of doubt
Would make me sad."

Pepys: "But..."

"My wind cooling my broth
Would blow me to an ague, when I thought
What harm a wind too great at sea might do.
I should not see the sandy hour-glass run,
But I should think of shallows and of flats,
And see my wealthy Andrew dock'd in sand,
Vailing her high-top lower than her ribs
To kiss her burial. Should I go to church
And see the holy edifice of stone,
And not bethink me straight of dangerous rocks,
Which touching but my gentle vessel's side,
Would scatter all her spices on the stream,
Enrobe the roaring waters with my silks,
And, in a word, but even now worth this,
And now worth nothing? Shall I have the thought
To think on this, and shall I lack the thought
That such a thing bechanced would make me sad?"

Pepys: "Not to mention having the Montagus constantly hitting me up. And the house in no shape to receive dinner guests."

"Truly, Mr. Pepys, sir, no man hath greater cause for sorrow."

Pepys: "You're making fun of me, aren't you, Bess?"

Smile...

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

""Commons...will have a Bill of Attainder brought in against [Lord Clarendon]"

L&M: An attainder would deprive Clarendon of his estate, a penalty his enemies looked on as necessary. The bill of banishment was, however, given its first reading now (for the debate, see Milward, pp. 165-6, and Grey, i. 64), passed the Commons on the 18th, by 65 to 42 votes, and received the royal assent at the end of the session (19-20 Car. II c. 2).

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"By and by comes out my cozen Roger to me, he being not willing to be in the House at the business of my Lord Keeling, lest he should be called upon to complain against him for his abusing him at Cambridge, very wrongfully and shamefully, but not to his reproach, but to the Chief justice’s in the end, when all the world cried shame upon him for it."

L&M: See https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/… and https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"that my Lord Sandwich is gone from Madrid with great honour to Lisbon, to make up, at this juncture, a peace to the advantage, as the Spaniard would have it, of Spain. "

L&M: Alfonso VI (a lunatic) had been deposed on 13/23 November, and his brother made Regent. Sandwich was now preparing to go to Portugal with instructions from the Spaniards to act as peacemakers between the two governments. He did not in fact leave Madrid until 26 December/5 January. The treaty of Lisbon was signed on 2/13 February 1668. Harris, ii. 125-6.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tre…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"He gone, I with my cozen Roger to Westminster Hall; and there we met the House rising: and they have voted my Lord Chief Justice Keeling’s proceedings illegal; but that, out of particular respect to him, and the mediation of a great many, they have resolved to proceed no further against him."

L&M: CJ, ix. 37. Kelyng, according to one witneww 'gave a very modest and faire answeare' to the charge against him: HMC, Rep., 14/4/81.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"there is a great many pretty considerations in it that makes it necessary for me to be silent yet for a while till we see whether the ship be safe or no; for she is drove to the coast of Holland, where she now is in the Texell, so that it is not prudence for me yet to resolve whether I will stand by the bargain or no,"

Pepys writing style got me again ... I was thinking Lady Elizabeth Turner Woodstocke Batten had been driven into the Texel, but then I realized it was the Flying Greyhound that had taken safe harbor from a winter storm. If the ship doesn't make it home, the question of a sale is probably mute.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"So, finding that Creed hath supplied them with 150l. in their straits, and that this is no bigger sum, I am very willing to serve my Lord, though not in this kind; but yet I will endeavour to get this done for them, and the rather because of some plate that was lodged the other day with me, by my Lady’s order, which may be in part of security for my money, as I may order it, for, for ought I see, there is no other to be hoped for. This do trouble me; but yet it is good luck that the sum is no bigger."

As I understand this, Lady Sandwich is in dire straights for want of 200/. Creed uncharacteristically ponied up 150/., so Pepys only need find 50/. For unspecified reasons, Lady Sandwich had asked Pepys to take care of some silver for her recently, so if they default on the loan, he can keep the silver.

What is Pepys' problem? He is as mean as a dog in a manger sometimes. Perhaps he's worried about it becoming the beginning of on-going string of requests. I think he's made his point adequately ... now pony up, Pepys. (If you don't, you can never tell them when you buy that coach and horse next year.)

And they are going to ask you for loans anyways. Get used to it.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"What is Pepys' problem?"
My apologies, Pepys ... I forgot that you clarified later that Sandwich needs 200/. over and above Creed's 150/. That would be a whole lot of silver plate.

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