Monday 20 January 1667/68

Up, and all the morning at the office very busy, and at noon by coach to Westminster, to the ’Chequer, about a warrant for Tangier money. In my way both coming and going I did stop at Drumbleby’s, the pipe-maker, there to advise about the making of a flageolet to go low and soft; and he do shew me a way which do do, and also a fashion of having two pipes of the same note fastened together, so as I can play on one, and then echo it upon the other, which is mighty pretty. So to my Lord Crew’s to dinner, where we hear all the good news of our making a league now with Holland against the French power coming over them, or us which is the first good act that hath been done a great while, and done secretly, and with great seeming wisdom; and is certainly good for us at this time, while we are in no condition to resist the French, if they should come over hither; and then a little time of peace will give us time to lay up something, which these Commissioners of the Treasury are doing; and the world do begin to see that they will do the King’s work for him, if he will let them. Here dined Mr. Case, the minister, who, Lord! do talk just as I remember he used to preach, and did tell a pretty story of a religious lady, Queen of Navarre; and my Lord also told a good story of Mr. Newman, the Minister in New England, who wrote the Concordance, of his foretelling his death and preaching a funeral sermon, and did at last bid the angels do their office, and died.

It seems there is great presumption that there will be a Toleration granted: so that the Presbyterians do hold up their heads; but they will hardly trust the King or the Parliament what to yield them, though most of the sober party be for some kind of allowance to be given them. Thence and home, and then to the ’Change in the evening, and there Mr. Cade told me how my Lord Gerard is likely to meet with trouble, the next sitting of Parliament, about [Carr] being set in the pillory; and I am glad of it; and it is mighty acceptable to the world to hear, that, among other reductions, the King do reduce his Guards, which do please mightily. So to my bookbinder’s with my boy, and there did stay late to see two or three things done that I had a mind to see done, and among others my Tangier papers of accounts, and so home to supper and to bed.

27 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"my Lord Gerard is likely to meet with trouble, the next sitting of Parliament, about [Carr] being set in the pillory"

See last 16 December: "And so to Westminster, where I find the House mighty busy upon a petition against my Lord Gerard, which lays heavy things to his charge, of his abusing the King in his Guards; and very hot the House is upon it. "
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...my Lord also told a good story of Mr. Newman, the Minister in New England, who wrote the Concordance, of his foretelling his death and preaching a funeral sermon, and did at last bid the angels do their office, and died."

We demand fair and proper return for our labors in New England. Nice to know the Almighty respects that.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...the good news of our making a league now with Holland against the French power coming over them..."

Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia and in alliance with Eastasia. Oceania has always been in alliance with Eurasia and at war with Eastasia.

Carl in Boston  •  Link

That Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia featured in George Orwell's 1984 has not passed unnoticed.

Phoenix  •  Link

"So to my bookbinder’s with my boy, and there did stay late to see two or three things done that I had a mind to see done ..."

Would this "boy" be at hand throughout the day, ready to run forward with a note or inquiry, pick up parcels, courier documents etc.? Is he the boy of Sam's house or office or both?

JWB  •  Link

'the Concordance'
The Presbyterian who will write 'the Commentary', Matthew Henry, is @ this diary time 5 or 6 years old, living in Shropshire with his Presbyterian minister father who lost his living under Act of Uniformity.

Mary  •  Link

"the boy"

He was part of the Pepys household and would certainly have been expected to run errands, take messages etc. whenever Sam required such service. He would also have been appropriately clothed so as to enhance the respect that his master was accorded by the world and would accompany him on his daily rounds - though presumably not on those occasions when Sam was in pursuit of Mrs. Bagwell or any of his other doxies. No doubt he spent much of his time kicking his heels outside offices and other meeting places whilst he waited for Sam either to reappear or to send him about a piece of business.

Sam has had several boys by 1667. This one seems to be doing quite well as we haven't heard of him being beaten lately.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"the Commentary" by Matthew Henry, whose influence extends to the present day

"Matthew Henry's well-known six-volume Exposition of the Old and New Testaments (1708–1710) or Complete Commentary, originally published in 1706, provides an exhaustive verse by verse study of the Bible.[3] covering the whole of the Old Testament, and the Gospels and Acts in the New Testament....

"Henry's commentaries are primarily exegetical, dealing with the scripture text as presented, with his prime intention being explanation, for practical and devotional purposes. While not being a work of textual research..., Henry's Exposition is seen to quietly give the result of an accurate critical knowledge of the original fully up to the best critics of his time, and excels at practical application,[5][6] displaying good sense, discrimination, high moral tone and simple piety, combined with the well-sustained flow of its English style, and was long celebrated as the best of English commentaries for devotional purposes, while still seeing wide use today." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt…

The unadbridged Commentary online http://www.ccel.org/ccel/henry/mh…

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Spoiler ahoy!...

The boy, Tom Edwards, apparently was not only talented enough to generally please Sam, but to win the heart of our dear Jane...

Australian Susan  •  Link

Pictures of flageolots, including a double one (last image) which may be something like Sam is describing in this diary entry, though probably more complex.

http://www.flageolets.com/images/

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"the making of a flageolet to go low and soft"

A flageolet bought for £1 at about this time appears in Pepys's accounts in Rawl. (Per L&M footnote)

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"a good story of Mr. Newman, the Minister in New England, who wrote the Concordance, of his foretelling his death and preaching a funeral sermon, and did at last bid the angels do their office, and died."

Samuel Newman, author of the Large and complete concordance to the Bible (first published in London in 1643: PL 2535) had in 1663 died in Massachusetts, whither he had emigrated in 1637. The story of his death was well known at the time. It is told in a letter of Henry More to Lady Conway, 17 March 1666: 'Whyle he was well [he] did many moneths predict his own death, the very hour of it, and that day that he dyde, rose very well, and after some meditations and studious fitts in his study, and after some exhortations to his Family, and praying with them,when he had rose from his prayers, and sett himself down in his chaire, he having said these words, Now good Angel, do thy office, he presently gave up the Ghost.' (M.H. Nicolson, ed. Conway Letters, pp. 269-70).
(Per L&M footnote)

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"a good story of Mr. Newman, the Minister in New England, who wrote the Concordance, of his foretelling his death and preaching a funeral sermon, and did at last bid the angels do their office, and died."

Samuel Newman, author of the Large and complete concordance to the Bible (first published in London in 1643) had in 1663 died in Massachusetts, whither he had emigrated in 1637. The story of his death was well known at the time. It is in a letter of Henry More to Lady Conway, 17 March 1666" 'Whyle he was well [he] did many moneths predict his own death, the very hour of it, and that day that he dyde, rose very well, and after some meditations and studious fitts in his study, and after some exhortations to his Family, and praying with them,when he had rose from his prayers, and sett himself down in his chaire, he having said these words, Now good Angel, do thy office, he presently gave up the Ghost.' (m.h. Nicolson, ed. Conway Letters, pp. 269-70). (Per L&M footnote)

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"It seems there is great presumption that there will be a Toleration granted: so that the Presbyterians do hold up their heads; but they will hardly trust the King or the Parliament what to yield them, though most of the sober party be for some kind of allowance to be given them."

Since the fall of Clarendon in the autumn of 1667, the government had encouraged discussion of a bill of comprehension (for Presbyterians) and indulgence (for Independents and others). A bill had been drafted before Christmas; a second draft was now in preparation for the parliamentary session due to begin on 10 February. But the Commons proved hostile, and the bill was never passed. The number of Pepys's references to this subject shows both his interest in it and its importance. (Per L&M footnote)

psw  •  Link

How long has it been now Mr. Pepys has not done his Net Worth monthly recokoning? Me thinks he not likes to show his hand from the pressure of the investigations...an unconscious oversight, perhaps.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Newman's 'A Concordance of the Holy Scriptures'

Samuel "Newman's famous Concordance was the third in English ever published and greatly superior to its two predecessors. The first edition was published in London in 1643, which Pepys retained: PL 2535 Inscribed on the title 'Price 1l. 7s. od. yet bought of a friend for 1l. 5s 6d.' https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Live link to the National Library of Australia catalog holdings

The Conway letters : the correspondence of Anne, Viscountess Conway, Henry More, and their friends, 1642-1684 / edited by Marjorie Hope Nicolson https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/185…
The correspondence of Cambridge Platonist Henry More and Lady Anne Conway, a remarkable woman who became a philosopher in her own right at a time when most women were denied even basic education. These letters depict their long-standing friendship and views on philosophy and other topics.

Conway, Anne, 1631-1679
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

" I did stop at Drumbleby’s, the pipe- maker, there to advise about the making of a flageolet to go low and soft; and he do shew me a way which do do, and also a fashion of having two pipes of the same note fastened together, so as I can play on one, and then echo it upon the other, which is mighty pretty."

L&M: The pipes being presumably of different timbre and volume.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"So to my Lord Crew’s to dinner, where we hear all the good news of our making a league now with Holland against the French power coming over them, or us "

L&M: Signed on the 13th/23rd znd within three days broadened into the Triple Alliance between Britain, Holland and Sweden [to support Spain against France].
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tri…

Tonyel  •  Link

"the boy"
One would have to have a disciplined mind (like Sam) to make best use of this messaging service - once he was sent off on his errands he could be gone for several hours.
I'm old enough to recall when the only way of getting a written message delivered speedily was by a telegram which was charged by the word and not cheap.
Now, with social media, email, etc, nearly all that discipline has gone and the ether is filled with verbal garbage which few people have the time to study, let alone to respond to..... progress eh?

(Don't bother to read this if you are busy).

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

I was wondering why, in a month of storms and ships founding on rocks, being forced into the wrong harbors, and losing their masts, the Duke of Monmouth took the Duke of York's yacht on January 20, and sailed for Dieppe, France.

Also, Charles II thinking it necessary to send Louis XIV a valuable gift of 17 horses at this time of year made no sense. Until now.

Of course, it might all be coincidental, ...

https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…

Stephane Chenard  •  Link

Once again Mr. Pepys was at absolutely the right dinner party, to hear of a deal with the Dutch that (we all use the Gregorian calendar, right?) will not even be signed before the 23rd. This would seem to be a leak, maybe authorized. Or was there some public announcement out of the Hague? He seems fainly surprised. Clearly the triple alliance is above his pay grade, but he could have been told in advance at the Office to pump up the victualling a bit.

In any case the news must be getting around, as today Mr. Thomas Holden ("a merchant", as per https://www.britishmuseum.org/col…) writes "to Hickes" that "It is reported that the King intends to put out 110 men-of-war this spring, and the Dutch 100 more, against the French" (State Papers, https://shorturl.at/ayAB6, p. 176). "Against" as in "to defend against", in the very unfortunate event we have to, and we're pretty sure Charles will do no such thing, but still; that would a be lot of ships to mobilize. It may call for more biscuits.

As for the horses, well, why not being nice to Louis, someone we can't really fight and might just be signing another treaty with in the not too distant future. And the French also just seem to love English horses. Since early November, it's a total of 292 horses that various dispatches reported crossing the channel, gifts (or trade) to various French grandees, including the 17 nice ones for the Most Christian, and a whole herd of 140 conveyed by the highly francophile Sir George Hamilton just yesterday (State Papers, p. 178, No. 195). That's great, because what other luxury goods does England have on offer, exactly?

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"Since early November, it's a total of 292 horses that various dispatches reported crossing the channel, gifts (or trade) to various French grandees ... because what other luxury goods does England have on offer, exactly?"

I had noted horses were on their way to Flanders, which I had assumed were for the war effort, either for or against the Dutch, as I was uncertain until today which side England was now on ... or possibly to be eaten. (I never remember Pepys saying he ate horse.)

As for luxury goods, there are some Benedictine monks thinking the science of Devonshire's apple cider might work with grapes ... but I think you're right: the import trade was flourishing. (The Irish are now exporting cattle to France since the English are too thickheaded to take it. But Ireland presumably doesn't count.)

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"... the King do reduce his Guards, which do please mightily."

Seems that Charles II uses the laws to his own advantage. When at war, keep on the dissenters; in peace, send them to France.
Louis XIV, it is noted at other times, makes a point of deploying English mercenaries to other fronts so they did not have to fight their countrymen.

Jan. 17. 1668
Pass to France of Flanders for
Robert Duke Richmond, Thomas Bulkley, and 10 others,
disbanded out of Capt. Cheek's company of foot,
for refusing the oath of supremacy.
Minute. [S.P. Dom., Entry Book 30, f. 3b.]

[I WONDER WHO ROBERT DUKE RICHMOND IS?
Charles Stuart, 3rd Duke of Richmond, 6th Duke of Lennox and the husband of the to-die-for Frances La Belle Stuart isn't the right person, much as Charles II might have wanted it to be.]

Jan. 23. 1668
Petition of Arthur Magenis, and 20 other soldiers, to Lord Arlington,
for a pass to Flanders or France, that they may earn their bread by their swords until his Majesty has occasion for them, when they will cheerfully return to his service.
Have served in the King's regiment of Guards, but were disbanded for not conforming to the oath of supremacy.
[Original signatures. S.P. Dom., Car. II. 233, No. 29.] Annexing,

Jan. ? 1668
Petition of Col. Stephen White to Charles II,
for an order to Sir Stephen Fox to pay him 10d. a day, as an additional relief to his present pension of 20d.;
served as a private soldier in the foot guards since the raising of the same,
but has not obtained the employment promised by his Majesty, and was turned off 3 months since, on account of an oath then prescribed to the guards.
[S.P. Dom., Car. II. 233, No. 145.]
https://www.british-history.ac.uk…

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

In 1660, the Oath of Allegiance and Supremacy declaring it unlawful on any pretense whatever to take up arms against the king, and was imposed on all soldiers and persons holding military offices (14 Car. II., c. 3, as, 17, 18).

Pepys possibly took it twice, once from Sandwich on July 19, and again on 23 July, 1660 before both Secretaries of State, so it included the Navy Board as well as soldiers.

This proved not to be enough for Parliament, so The Act of Uniformity (14 Car. II., c. 4, s. 6) of July 1663 contained a like declaration, but added a declaration against the Solemn League and Covenant, was passed.

(A similar provision in the corporation act was overlooked at the Glorious Revolution, and escaped repeal until the reign of King George I.)

By 1668 we find sailors and soldiers being discharged under the pretext of not taking the Oath, so there were consequences for not swearing ... as James, Duke of York also experienced later on.

In 1672 there was a revival of anti-Catholic agitation following Charles II's attempts to dispense with the existing statutes regarding Catholics and Dissenters by a declaration of liberty of conscience, which resulted in new restrictions which fed into the Popish Plot.

This added a declaration against transubstantiation to the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy, authorized by a new penal statute entitled "An act for preventing dangers which may happen from popish recusants," (25 Car. II., c. 2).

After the Glorious Revolution of 1688 William III and Mary II authorized a rewrite.

For the wording and the complete history, see
https://oll.libertyfund.org/page/…

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