Monday 8 February 1668/69
Up, and dressed myself; and by coach, with W. Hewer and my wife, to White Hall, where she set us two down; and in the way, our little boy, at Martin, my bookseller’s shop, going to ’light, did fall down; and, had he not been a most nimble boy (I saw how he did it, and was mightily pleased with him for it), he had been run over by the coach. I to visit my Lord Sandwich; and there, while my Lord was dressing himself, did see a young Spaniard, that he hath brought over with him, dance, which he is admired for, as the best dancer in Spain, and indeed he do with mighty mastery; but I do not like his dancing as the English, though my Lord commends it mightily: but I will have him to my house, and show it my wife. Here I met with Mr. Moore, who tells me the state of my Lord’s accounts of his embassy, which I find not so good as I thought: for, though it be passed the King and his Cabal (the Committee for Foreign Affairs as they are called), yet they have cut off from 9000l. full 8000l., and have now sent it to the Lords of the Treasury, who, though the Committee have allowed the rest, yet they are not obliged to abide by it. So that I do fear this account may yet be long ere it be passed — much more, ere that sum be paid: I am sorry for the family, and not a little for what it owes me. So to my wife, took her up at Unthank’s, and in our way home did shew her the tall woman in Holborne, which I have seen before; and I measured her, and she is, without shoes, just six feet five inches high, and they say not above twenty-one years old. Thence home, and there to dinner, and my wife in a wonderful ill humour; and, after dinner, I staid with her alone, being not able to endure this life, and fell to some angry words together; but by and by were mighty good friends, she telling me plain it was still about Jane, whom she cannot believe but I am base with, which I made a matter of mirth at; but at last did call up Jane, and confirm her mistress’s directions for her being gone at Easter, which I find the wench willing to be, but directly prayed that Tom might go with her, which I promised, and was but what I designed; and she being thus spoke with, and gone, my wife and I good friends, and mighty kind, I having promised, and I will perform it, never to give her for the time to come ground of new trouble; and so I to the Office, with a very light heart, and there close at my business all the afternoon.
This day I was told by Mr. Wren, that Captain Cox, Master-Attendant at Deptford, is to be one of us very soon, he and Tippets being to take their turns for Chatham and Portsmouth, which choice I like well enough; and Captain Annesley is to come in his room at Deptford.
This morning also, going to visit Roger Pepys, at the potticary’s in King’s Street, he tells me that Roger is gone to his wife’s, so that they have been married, as he tells me, ever since the middle of last week: it was his design, upon good reasons, to make no noise of it; but I am well enough contented that it is over.
Dispatched a great deal of business at the office, and there pretty late, till finding myself very full of wind, by my eating no dinner to-day, being vexed, I was forced to go home, and there supped W. Batelier with us, and so with great content to bed.
19 Annotations
First Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"[I] did shew her the tall woman in Holborne, which I have seen before; and I measured her, and she is, without shoes, just six feet five inches high"
Unlike John Evelyn, who took her exhibitor's word in that the tall Dutch woman was 6'10" tall http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1… , his friend, Samuel Pepys, the tailor's son, "measured her...without shoes."
Robert Gertz • Link
Jane seems unfazed by the sudden sacking which apparently will include Tom Edwards who I take it was the boy who evaded death this am. Hopefully she has good reason either to feel getting another spot will be easy or that Bess can be mollified into taking them back if Tom must go as well, lest poor Tom end up wishing he'd not been so nimble.
It remains curious that Sam never considers that Jane might have let slip a word or two about his previous passes, giving Bess solid grounds for her concerns...
Terry Foreman • Link
Jane's "unfazed" and Tom
They have marriage plans, haven't they?
Max Wainer • Link
Jane Birch married Tom Edwards (one of Pepy's clerks) in March of that year.
john • Link
Evelyn: "the tailor's son"
What cheek!
A. De Araujo • Link
"as the best dancer in Spain"
Now what kind of dance was it? a fandango,a jota aragonesa or a flamenco? I would love to have seen it.
jeannine • Link
"did see a young Spaniard, that he hath brought over with him, dance, which he is admired for, as the best dancer in Spain, and indeed he do with mighty mastery; but I do not like his dancing as the English, though my Lord commends it mightily: but I will have him to my house, and show it my wife"
A. De Araujo-you are much nicer than I am-you were thinking of his wonderful dance, while my first thought was, 'boy the dancer must be ugly or Sam would never let him near Elizabeth---probably nothing like Mr. Pembleton' (who I rather miss actually)!
Second Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"Here I met with Mr. Moore, who tells me the state of my Lord’s accounts of his embassy, which I find not so good as I thought: for, though it be passed the King and his Cabal (the Committee for Foreign Affairs as they are called),"
L&M: A Committee for Foreign Affairs, nine in number, had been constituted in February 1668, an d served as a Cabinet.
Terry Foreman • Link
"the state of my Lord’s accounts of his embassy, which I find not so good as I thought: for, though it be passed the King and his [Cabinet]... , yet they have cut off from 9000l. full 8000l., and have now sent it to the Lords of the Treasury, who, though the Committee have allowed the rest, yet they are not obliged to abide by it."
L&M: The Treasury quickly confirmed the lower figure: CTB, iii. 22-4. For the subsequent disputes, see Harris, ii. 162-5. For a summary of the accounts, see CSPD 168-9, pp. 54, 191-3, 454. In August 1669 Sandwich agreed to the reductions, and the accounts passed. The A Foreign Affairs,Committee cut down his weekly allowance from £133 to £100, and agreed to pay £4000 (instead of £6000) for travelling and other costs.
Terry Foreman • Link
"This day I was told by Mr. Wren, that Captain Cox, Master- Attendant at Deptford, is to be one of us very soon, he and Tippets being to take their turns for Chatham and Portsmouth, which choice I like well enough; and Captain Annesley is to come in his room at Deptford."
L&M: John Cox was made Commissioner at Chatham on 20 March 1669. John Tippets had served in the same office at Portsmouth since February 1668. Abraham Ansley had been Cox's deputy at Deptford.
Terry Foreman • Link
"This morning also, going to visit Roger Pepys, at the potticary’s in King’s Street, he tells me that Roger is gone to his wife’s, so that they have been married, as he tells me, ever since the middle of last week: it was his design, upon good reasons, to make no noise of it; but I am well enough contented that it is over."
L&M: Esther Dickenson, https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…
She was his fourth wife.
Regertz • Link
Ah Jack not Tom
San Diego Sarah • Link
"but at last did call up Jane, and confirm her mistress’s directions for her being gone at Easter, which I find the wench willing to be, but directly prayed that Tom might go with her, which I promised, and was but what I designed;"
Pepys had decided they both should leave last August … I don't know why they are there still, beyond both being much beloved by the Pepyses, until today:
https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…
Well paid jobs are easy to get after a pandemic ... I don't need to give a citation for that fact. Just watch the current news.
San Diego Sarah • Link
"there pretty late, till finding myself very full of wind, by my eating no dinner to-day, being vexed, I was forced to go home, ..."
I NEVER remember Pepys completely skipping lunch before ... a quick snack, yes ... and it gives him such embarrassing gas he has to leave the office! Poor man.
Either the gas subsided quickly, or Batelier didn't care, as Pepys gorged himself to make up for lost time.
Johan11 • Link
The "little boy" who fell can't be Tom Edwards who is now an adult. Does he refer to male child servants anywhere else?
San Diego Sarah • Link
Hi Johan ... if you look closely you'll see that "little boy" is in blue. Click through on that and you'll find that Phil has identified the servant to be Jack. We don't know his last name, but Pepys took him in last year.
https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…
Timo • Link
“wonderful ill humour“ - lovely phrase. I can almost imagine the wry smile on his lips as he writes this down.
Alev Öncül • Link
In the middle of the entry he says "there to dinner, and my wife in a wonderful ill humour; and, after dinner" etc., then at the closure comes "by my eating no dinner to-day". I wonder if he just sat there and watched Bess have her dinner or is there a small case of amnesia?
San Diego Sarah • Link
I had missed that, Alev. You're right.
My guess is that Elizabeth's griping took up so much of Pepys' time/energy at lunch, he didn't eat more than a couple of mouthfulls before putting it aside in frustration and calling in Jane.
By the time things were settled the food was cold, and he still needed to resolve emotions so he could go back to work with the clarity needed.
So yes, he sat at the dining room table ... but he didn't enjoy nourishment.