Sunday 8 March 1667/68

(Lord’s day). At my sending to desire it, Sir J. Robinson, Lieutenant of the Tower, did call me with his coach, and carried me to White Hall, where met with very many people still that did congratulate my speech the other day in the House of Commons, and I find all the world almost rings of it. Here spent the morning walking and talking with one or other, and among the rest with Sir W. Coventry, who I find full of care in his own business, how to defend himself against those that have a mind to choke him; and though, I believe, not for honour and for the keeping his employment, but for his safety and reputation’s sake, is desirous to preserve himself free from blame, and among other mean ways which himself did take notice to me to be but a mean thing he desires me to get information against Captain Tatnell, thereby to diminish his testimony, who, it seems, hath a mind to do W. Coventry hurt: and I will do it with all my heart; for Tatnell is a very rogue. He would be glad, too, that I could find anything proper for his taking notice against Sir F. Hollis. At noon, after sermon, I to dinner with Sir G. Carteret to Lincoln’s Inn Fields, where I find mighty deal of company — a solemn day for some of his and her friends, and dine in the great dining-room above stairs, where Sir G. Carteret himself, and I, and his son, at a little table by, the great table being full of strangers. Here my Lady Jem. do promise to come, and bring my Lord Hinchingbroke and his lady some day this week, to dinner to me, which I am glad of. After dinner, I up with her husband, Sir Philip Carteret, to his closet, where, beyond expectation, I do find many pretty things, wherein he appears to be ingenious, such as in painting, and drawing, and making of watches, and such kind of things, above my expectation; though, when all is done, he is a shirke, who owns his owing me 10l. for his lady two or three years ago, and yet cannot provide to pay me. The company by and by parted, and G. Carteret and I to White Hall, where I set him down and took his coach as far as the Temple, it raining, and there took a hackney and home, and so had my head combed, and then to bed.

19 Annotations

First Reading

Christopher Squire  •  Link

Re: ‘ . . though, when all is done, he is a shirke, who owns his owing me 10l. . ’

‘Shirk, n.1 Obs.  A needy, disreputable parasite; one who makes a living by sponging on others, cheating at play, swindling, or the like; a sharper. = shark n.2
. . 1668    S. Pepys Diary 8 Mar. (1976) IX. 109   He is a shirke, who owns his owing me 10l for his Lady two or three year ago, and yet cannot provide to pay me.
. . 1730    N. Bailey Dict. Britannicum (fol.),   Shirk, a sharping Fellow that lies upon the Catch, as the Shark-fish.’

Perhaps if Sir Philip had known that that he would be remembered by posterity only by this damning remark in P’s Diary, he would have exerted himself to get a living honestly and pay his way in the world. On the other hand, perhaps not.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Lets hope not too many nits lest "combing Master Pepys' head" find itself up there with cleaning the house of office and emptying drool buckets.

chris  •  Link

How effective is "combing" versus the nits? Did any of Sam's colleagues at the Royal Society have other, more effective, treatments?

Australian Susan  •  Link

Combing can get rid of adult lice if you use a fine enough comb, but the eggs are "glued" to the individual hairs and combing does not remove them. Modern treatments kill both eggs and lice. The only effective treatment then was to simply shave the head thus getting rid of all the egg ridden hair. Then avoid close contact with anyone likely to be infected (in Sam's day - everyone!) and get regular combing to remove adult lice as they land. So, in theory, you could keep the lice at bay with regular combings - provided you had no eggs in the first place. Sam got lice from a wig once : no escaping the itchy horrors. [scratches head]

Robert Gertz  •  Link

The Damnation of Pepys:

Lord Sandwich: "...To suffer a company of rogues..."

Penn: "...I know him for a knave and one that hates me in his heart..."

John Pepys Jr: "...my wife says he is harmless..."

Charles II: "...playing with his codpiece...the weakest speech methinks..."

Bess: "...she is a fool..."

Lady Penn: "...an old Dutchwoman..."

Abigail Williams: "...Lord Brouncker's whore..."

Lady Castlemaine: "...she would dash its head..."

Marfy Goodspeed  •  Link

Philip Carteret is remembered as something more than a shirke in New Jersey USA for his confrontations with Edmund Andros while serving as governor of his father's colony.

nix  •  Link

"and so had my head combed" --

In the U.S., the leading treatment to eliminate head lice and nits is called . . . Nix!

http://www.nixlice.com/

#Wish I could claim some royalties.#

Australian Susan  •  Link

@nix - we have that on sale here too!

pepfie  •  Link

Carteret vs. Andros

TF's links elucidate some sources for John Barth's tangled background in The Sot-Weed Factor. Wouldn't Capt. John Smith's secret diary rival SP's were it not wholly fictitious?

Governor Philip Carteret (1639–1682), however, as noted by CGS earlier, is Sir George Carteret's cousin. The shirke above is Sir Philip Carteret Kt FRS (1641–1672), son of Sir George Carteret.
http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…

By the way, Nix: Permethrin is toxic even if available OTC. I recommend non-toxic Dimethicone which is at least as effective eliminating lice and nits.

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"with Sir W. Coventry, who I find full of care in his own business, how to defend himself against those that have a mind to choke him; and though, I believe, not for honour and for the keeping his employment, but for his safety and reputation’s sake, is desirous to preserve himself free from blame, and among other mean ways which himself did take notice to me to be but a mean thing he desires me to get information against Captain Tatnell,"

L&M: In April a petition was presented in the House of Commons accusing Coventry of selling places: see https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/… and https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/… Coventry regarded Valentine Tatnell as his principal enemy among the naval officers, and as chiefly responsible for the petition: Longleat, Coventry MSS 101, p;p. 157-8, 214-215; Rawl, A 195a, f. 74. Pepys wrote to Coventry on 9 March giving detail of frauds committed by Tatnell. He had once, for instance, been imprisoned for tampering with seamen's tickets: Longleat, Coventry MSS 97, f. 111r.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"He would be glad, too, that I could find anything proper for his taking notice against Sir F. Hollis."

L&M: His other principal enemy; a member of Rupert's faction at court.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"At my sending to desire it, Sir J. Robinson, Lieutenant of the Tower, did call me with his coach, and carried me to White Hall, where met with very many people still that did congratulate my speech the other day in the House of Commons, and I find all the world almost rings of it."

This is the second time he's gone to the Whitehall end of town since the hearings, and been acclaimed. But on March 6 he had gone for business reasons, but that's not the case today by the sound of things.

I'm thinking that by being available around Westminster he is giving MPs the opportunity to talk to him about any part of his presentation they didn't understand, and counteracting any naysayers who might want to negatively influence the verdict which will be voted on in a few days. Granted he's enjoying every minute of it ... but it's good for any doubting MPs to see the accolades.

Plus it will remind the Duke of York that he has earned his travel reimbursements!

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"I to dinner with Sir G. Carteret to Lincoln’s Inn Fields, where I find mighty deal of company — a solemn day for some of his and her friends, and dine in the great dining-room above stairs, where Sir G. Carteret himself, and I, and his son, at a little table by, the great table being full of strangers."

How weird. Obviously Sir George felt obligated to be there, but was free to sit at the over-flow table with Pepys and Philip so their solemn friends were solemn without him.

In the past an uninvited Pepys has been late for lunch and left quietly to eat elsewhere ... maybe this time Carteret said "no, come on in lad, save me from this lot!"

Maybe the Carterets were hosting something like a funeral lunch?

Stephane Chenard  •  Link

Sam is now the town's hottest new celeb. Through powerful telescopes, he is tracked to glittering East End dinners by the engravers of gossip broadsheets such as "Good Morrow!" and "The Illustrated Advisements of the World", who remark on the subdued elegance of his camelott coat, rumors of his Speech being turned to a play, and his seemingly infinite collection of coaches. Why, he came yesterday to Lincoln's Inn Fields in one of the latest Glass Chariots - only the Lord Lieutenant has the same! There, he was seen, oblivious to the revels around him, at a side table with beautiful ladies and Vice-Chamberlain Baronet Sir George Carteret MP, hunched over some papers - "what prodigies of eloquence were flowing then from the quill of our new Bard of the Acts?"

Duh. It's the daily grind. He's onto "the contract for west-country canvas", about which Col. B. Reymes wrote to Sam yesterday, "I desire you to reduce it to writing by Tuesday, when I will subscribe my part". Can't Reymes just draft it himself? He wants a bigger contract too, "if it can be increased to more than 50L. per week, you will add greater encouragement to the manufactory" (State Papers No. 28, https://play.google.com/books/rea…)

Interestingly, yesterday Treasury secretary Downing also wrote up an invite to the Commissioners, "the Treasury Commissioners desire to speak with you on Monday at 8 a.m. about the business of tickets" (S.P., No. 33, same page).

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