Tuesday 7 April 1668
Up, and at the office all the morning, where great hurry to be made in the fitting forth of this present little fleet, but so many rubs by reason of want of money, and people’s not believing us in cases where we had money unless (which in several cases, as in hiring of vessels, cannot be) they be paid beforehand, that every thing goes backward instead of forward. At noon comes Mr. Clerke, my solicitor, and the Auditor’s men with my account drawn up in the Exchequer way with their queries, which are neither many nor great, or hard to answer upon it, and so dined with me, and then I by coach to the King’s playhouse, and there saw “The English Monsieur;” sitting for privacy sake in an upper box: the play hath much mirth in it as to that particular humour. After the play done, I down to Knipp, and did stay her undressing herself; and there saw the several players, men and women go by; and pretty to see how strange they are all, one to another, after the play is done. Here I saw a wonderful pretty maid of her own, that come to undress her, and one so pretty that she says she intends not to keep her, for fear of her being undone in her service, by coming to the playhouse.
Here I hear Sir W. Davenant is just now dead; and so who will succeed him in the mastership of the house is not yet known. The eldest Davenport is, it seems, gone from this house to be kept by somebody; which I am glad of, she being a very bad actor. I took her then up into a coach and away to the Park, which is now very fine after some rain, but the company was going away most, and so I took her to the Lodge, and there treated her and had a deal of good talk, and now and then did baiser la, and that was all, and that as much or more than I had much mind to because of her paint. She tells me mighty news, that my Lady Castlemayne is mightily in love with Hart of their house: and he is much with her in private, and she goes to him, and do give him many presents; and that the thing is most certain, and Becke Marshall only privy to it, and the means of bringing them together, which is a very odd thing; and by this means she is even with the King’s love to Mrs. Davis. This done, I carried her and set her down at Mrs. Manuel’s, but stayed not there myself, nor went in; but straight home, and there to my letters, and so home to bed.
16 Annotations
First Reading
Robert Gertz • Link
"Here I saw a wonderful pretty maid of her own, that come to undress her, and one so pretty that she says she intends not to keep her, for fear of her being undone in her service, by coming to the playhouse."
Life upon the Wicked Stage ain't no place for a girl...
"And what would your name be, my pretty one?"
"Eve, sir. Eve Carrington, Mr. Pepys."
"Ah...Keeping up with Society I see. Well, Eve...Would you too like to be an actress like Mrs. Knipp and win the applause of the house and the favor of famous and powerful men?"
Eve gives Well, duh? look...
"Right. Yes, well you must ask Betty Knipp to tell you about that. Betty Knipp knows...All about it." shrewd look.
"All about what, sir?"
Ummn...
Christopher Squire • Link
‘rub n. . . 2.b. gen. Any physical obstacle or impediment to movement, esp. one that is unexpected. Also in figurative contexts. Obs.
. . 1769 H. Brooke Fool of Quality IV. xvii. 201 Men‥who would be perpetually putting rubs before the wheels of good government.
. . 3.a. An obstacle, impediment, or difficulty of a non-material nature.
Very common during the 17th and 18th centuries. In some instances difficult to distinguish from the use of sense 2b in figurative contexts.
. . 1640 K. Digby in Lismore Papers (1888) 2nd Ser. IV. 135 Your father‥is at euery rubb called vpon by the King, as yf nothing could be well done, that he did not dictate.
1686 J. Goad Astro-meteorologica i. xviii. 116 We must look for some Rubs in pursuit of Natural Knowledge.
1718 J. D. Breval Play is Plot iv. i. 37 My good Genius has thrown all these rubs in my Way, to prevent my Destruction.’
‘stay v. . . III. trans. To stop, arrest, check.
. . 23. a. To prevent, hinder, stop (a person or thing) from doing something; to check, restrain. Const. from, †of a course of action, etc.); †to (with inf.); †but that. Now rare or poet.
. . 1630 E. Pagitt Christianogr. (1636) i. ii. 73 This made St. Augustine‥to write his bookes‥to stay his countriemen from Idolatrie.’ [OED]
Terry Foreman • Link
"comes Mr. Clerke, my solicitor, and the Auditor’s men with my account drawn up in the Exchequer way with their queries, which are neither many nor great, or hard to answer upon it"
The "it" is apparently this enquiry, or so L&M: http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
martinb • Link
"as much or more than I had much mind to because of her paint."
Worried about tell-tale signs of lipstick/face-paint on the collar, presumably?
mary k mcintyre • Link
@martinb -- Sam hates patches & blonde hairpieces (on his wife, anyway), and dislikes the artifice of facepaint
nix • Link
There shouldn't be any worry about lipstick on the collar -- Elizabeth is still away, isn't she?
Kevin Peter • Link
Sam has previously remarked about his distaste for face paint. On one instance, he described the face paint on Mrs Pierce, who he normally considers a beauty, as making her look very unattractive.
No doubt he was so disgusted by the face paint on Knipp, that he could hardly stand to kiss her.
So ladies, if you want to keep Sam's hands off of you, wear the face paint!
Second Reading
Ivan • Link
Why does Mr P hate face paint so much? It seems almost pathological.
Terry Foreman • Link
"After the play done, I down to Knipp, and did stay her undressing herself;"
L&M: Actresses often allowed this privilege to their friends and patrons.
Terry Foreman • Link
"and there saw the several players, men and women go by; and pretty to see how strange they are all, one to another, after the play is done."
Think, Pepys: this is their routine: they have lives after work: they interact with one another as players, then the script ends. Knipp interacts with you.
Terry Foreman • Link
"Here I hear Sir W. Davenant is just now dead; and so who will succeed him in the mastership of the house is not yet known."
He had died on this day, and was succeeded by his widow. (L&M)
Terry Foreman • Link
"She tells me mighty news, that my Lady Castlemayne is mightily in love with Hart of their house: and he is much with her in private,"
L&M: For this affair, see G. SA. Steinman, Mem. Cleveland, pp. 98-9; cf. Burnet, i. 475-6.
San Diego Sarah • Link
"... but so many rubs by reason of want of money, and people’s not believing us in cases where we had money unless (which in several cases, as in hiring of vessels, cannot be) they be paid beforehand, that every thing goes backward instead of forward."
“It is a very good world to live in,
To lend or to spend, or to live in;
But to beg or to borrow, or to get a man's own,
It is the very worst world that ever was known.” – John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester – 1647- 1680
...Amanda... • Link
"and there saw the several players, men and women go by; and pretty to see how strange they are all, one to another, after the play is done."
I wonder if what Pepys is witnessing is that sort of theatrical, high camp, Polari communication style? Pretty and strange seem apt descriptors if so.
Stephane Chenard • Link
"Great hurry to be made" in particular about the gun crews, which the Ordnance Office was despairing of getting back. Just step back, gents, and let Sam Pepys work his magic network:
April 7, Portsmouth: Capt. John Tinker to Sam. Pepys. Has ordered the gunner of each ship to attend the Ordnance Officers, to get their stores ready to put aboard as soon as the ships are ready to take them. (https://play.google.com/books/rea…)
And, voilà. Anything else?
John G • Link
Thanks Christopher for the definition.
Missing is the much earlier quote from Hamlet! 'Aye, there's the rub.'