Wednesday 13 January 1668/69

So up and by coach to Sir W. Coventry’s, but he gone out, so I to White Hall, and thence walked out into the Park, all in the snow, with the Duke of York and the rest, and so home, after visiting my Lady Peterborough, and there by invitation find Mr. Povy, and there was also Talbot Pepys, newly come from Impington, and dined with me; and after dinner and a little talk with Povy about publick matters, he gone, and I and my wife and Talbot towards the Temple, and there to the King’s playhouse, and there saw, I think, “The Maiden Queene,” and so home and to supper and read, and to bed. This day come home the instrument I have so long longed for, the Parallelogram.


11 Annotations

First Reading

Chris Squire  •  Link

‘parallelogram, n. Etym: < French parallélogramme (1547) . .
2. A former name for a pantograph (pantograph n. 1). Obs.
. . 1668 S. Pepys Diary 9 Dec. (1976) IX. 390 Showing me the use of the Paralelogram, by which he drow in a quarter of an hour before me, in little from a great, a most neat map of England; that is, all the outlines.
1704 J. Harris Lexicon Technicum I, Parallelogram,‥an Instrument made of five Rulers of Brass or Wood, with Sockets to slide or set to any Proportion, used to enlarge or diminish any Map or Draught . . ’ [OED]

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Who was with Pepys as his "monitor" from beginning to end. Any ideas?

Mary  •  Link

"there saw, I think, 'The Maiden Queen.'"

I presume that this vagueness means that Pepys is again compiling his diary entry in arrears from a set of running notes, rather than that the play was so boring that he promptly fell asleep in his seat and only woke again at the end of the performance with no clue as to what had been going on.

In either case it was apparently not a memorable outing.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

“there saw, I think, ‘The Maiden Queen.’” - "not a memorable outing."

You'd think SP would at least have distinguished QE from Catiline; unless he'd been absorbed in NOT looking at which ladies had been in the theatre this day.

john  •  Link

I recall toy pentographs sold as a child (made out of plastic). Are they still available?

Andrea  •  Link

Pantographs are still sold. Used for woodworking and by artists and it probably has other uses also.
sign me, Lurker grieving the upcoming end in sight

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Pantographs are still sold. Used for woodworking and by artists and it probably has other uses also."

A quick web search shows that quilting -- repeat patterns (of course) -- is a major application of pantographs at the present.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Pepys, Povy and Lady Penelope O'Brien Mordaunt had Tangier in common, so I see why she had them over to lunch at the same time. (I wonder if she accompanied her lovely husband there when he was the Governor?)

But Talbot Pepys? -- I've alerted Phil to change the link from the one who died in 1666. It should be Pepys' cousin, https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…

Plus L&M says that Impington was incorrect, it should read Brampton.

I wonder why cousin Talbot was included in a Tangier meeting, unless some legal action is planned.

Tonyel  •  Link

SDS, I think the reference to Lady Peterborough is a red herring, i.e. it should be read as
"and so home, and there by invitation find Mr Povy, etc.

I wonder if Sam's vagueness about the play is due to his excitement about another piece of technical kit being delivered for him to play with?

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

You're right again, Tonyel ... he didn't have lunch at Lady Peterborough's. I must have got to the point I don't seem commas any more.

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