Tuesday 25 February 1667/68
Up, having lain the last night the first night that I have lain with my wife since she was last ill, which is about eight days. To the office, where busy all the morning. At noon comes W. Howe to me, to advise what answer to give to the business of the prizes, wherein I did give him the best advice I could; but am sorry to see so many things, wherein I doubt it will not be prevented but Sir Roger Cuttance and Mr. Pierce will be found very much concerned in goods beyond the distribution, and I doubt my Lord Sandwich too, which troubles me mightily. He gone I to dinner, and thence set my wife at the New Exchange, and I to Mr. Clerke, my solicitor, to the Treasury chamber, but the Lords did not sit, so I by water with him to the New Exchange, and there we parted, and I took my wife and Deb. up, and to the Nursery, where I was yesterday, and there saw them act a comedy, a pastorall, “The Faythful Shepherd,” having the curiosity to see whether they did a comedy better than a tragedy; but they do it both alike, in the meanest manner, that I was sick of it, but only for to satisfy myself once in seeing the manner of it, but I shall see them no more, I believe.
Thence to the New Exchange, to take some things home that my wife hath bought, a dressing-box, and other things for her chamber and table, that cost me above 4l., and so home, and there to the office, and tell W. Hewer of the letter from Captain Allen last night, to give him caution if any thing should be discovered of his dealings with anybody, which I should for his sake as well, or more than for my own, be sorry for; and with great joy I do find, looking over my memorandum books, which are now of great use to me, and do fully reward me for all my care in keeping them, that I am not likely to be troubled for any thing of the kind but what I shall either be able beforehand to prevent, or if discovered, be able to justify myself in, and I do perceive, by Sir W. Warren’s discourse, that they [the House] do all they can possibly to get out of him and others, what presents they have made to the Officers of the Navy; but he tells me that he hath denied all, though he knows that he is forsworn as to what relates to me. So home to supper and to bed.
10 Annotations
First Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
Ormond to Ossory
Written from: Dublin
Date: 25 February 1668
Five of Lord Ossory's letters are now before the Duke. ... The first was very melancholy. ... The later letters have rescued him from uneasy thoughts; for as long as he is not abandoned by the King, he can struggle with all other difficulties; can bear, if unable to overcome, them. ... But he will adventure to tell Ossory that whilst the Duke of Buckingham governs affairs he, the writer, conceives that he cannot be in England with ease to the King, or advantage to himself. Certainly, he cannot concur in expedients to gratify the worst part of the Parliament, at the irreparable charge of the Crown and the Church. ...
http://www.rsl.ox.ac.uk/dept/scwm…
Terry Foreman • Link
"doubt"
For both occurrences above, read "fear," as dirk suggested http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
Christopher Squire • Link
OED distinguishes:
‘Doubt, v.
. . II 5 b. With infinitive phrase or objective clause: To fear, be afraid (that something uncertain will take or has taken place). arch. and dial.
a1300 Cursor M. 10869 (Cott.) , Þis leuedi nathing doted sco þat godd ne moght his will do.
. . 1665 S. Pepys Diary 27 Nov. (1972) VI. 387 Doubting that all will break in pieces in the Kingdom.'
and
' . . 6. In weakened sense (app. influenced by I.):
a. To anticipate with apprehension, to apprehend (something feared or undesired).
. . 1703 N. Rowe Fair Penitent ii. ii. 588 Still I must doubt some Mystery of Mischief.’
Here is the second meaning that is meant.
Robert Gertz • Link
"...and I do perceive, by Sir W. Warren’s discourse, that they [the House] do all they can possibly to get out of him and others, what presents they have made to the Officers of the Navy; but he tells me that he hath denied all, though he knows that he is forsworn as to what relates to me."
Put not your trust in Princes, Sam...Unless of course they would be going to the Tower with you.
I wonder if Parliament could reopen the hearings today based on the Diary and convict Sam in absentia.
***
Heaven...
"BESS!!!"
"Well, Sam'l...You were guilty."
Robert Gertz • Link
"Thence to the New Exchange, to take some things home that my wife hath bought, a dressing- box, and other things for her chamber and table, that cost me above 4l."
Our boy in exceptional good husband mode this week as to gift-giving.
Australian Susan • Link
Dressing boxes
http://www.hygra.com/vanitybox.htm
It seems from this site that Sam's purchase was not only generous, but at the cutting edge of desirable objects for ladies at that time. Possibly Bess wanted one before the next trip to Huntingdon. The examples at this site are all much later than our period.
Second Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
The Faithful Shepherdess (John Fletcher)
The Faithful Shepherdess isthe work that inaugurated the playwriting career of John Fletcher. Though the initial production was a failure with its audience, the first edition of the printed text that followed proved significant, in that it provided Fletcher's famous and often-quoted address "To the Reader," which includes his definition of tragicomedy. Fletcher states that the original audience, unfamiliar with the term and concept of tragicomedy, expected a play with characters "sometimes laughing together, and sometimes killing each other." For Fletcher, in contrast, "A tragicomedy is not so called in respect of mirth and killing, but in respect it wants deaths, which is enough to make it no tragedy, yet brings some near it, which is enough to make it no comedy...." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The…
Terry Foreman • Link
"with great joy I do find, looking over my memorandum books,"
L&M{ The office memorandum-books which survived in 1688 (but are no longer extant) consisted of a series of four, beginning in January 1666. Pepys also kept two more comprehensive memorandum-books : 'Memorandums and Conclusions of the Navy Board' (1660-8): (PRO. Adm. 106/3520); and his Navy White Book [1661-72] (PL 2581)
Stephane Chenard • Link
Feb. 25, Portsmouth. (Name missing) to Williamson. (...) Mons. De La Roche with his consort has gone for the coast of France, but met with Sir Thos. Allin's squadron of 5 frigates. Some guns fired, and they have lain this hour muzzled together [State Papers No. 77, https://play.google.com/books/rea…]
Uh-oh.
Wait a minute. Weren't Allen's instructions, dated just two days ago, to do nothing if De La Roche "is gone eastward, or to the coast of France"?
Our spy at the Savoy reports that Williamson will put this dispatch almost verbatim in the next Gazette (No. 238, of 24 Feb.), only adding that the engagement took place "off the Horse". We're unsure where that is, if it's a place. However we're also told, quite interestingly, that three items down the page will appear one official notice, rather unusual and in the extra-large typeface reserved for what Whitehall wants you not to miss, on how a book "lately published" contains "indecent expressions, and reflections upon the Most Christian King", Louis the Great; and on how "it must be acknowledged that the said Expressions and Reflections unhappily escaped the view of the Peruser, and that nothing of that Nature ought to be justified".
We are walking on eggs there, aren't we. We asked our bookseller, but he said someone just bought his entire stock of anti-French books. He offered us L'Escholle des Filles instead, but that's just not the same.
San Diego Sarah • Link
The Horse ... according to this Wikipedia site, there is a Napoleonic fort guarding Portsmouth called Horse Sands Fort.
In Pepys' day, The Horse was probably a sandbar in the Solent that ships had to avoid.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hor…