Monday 22 March 1668/69
Up, and by water, with W. Hewer, to White Hall, there to attend the Lords of the Treasury; but, before they sat, I did make a step to see Sir W. Coventry at his house, where, I bless God! he is come again; but in my way I met him, and so he took me into his coach and carried me to White Hall, and there set me down where he ought not — at least, he hath not yet leave to come, nor hath thought fit to ask it, hearing that Henry Saville is not only denied to kiss the King’s hand, but the King, being asked it by the Duke of York, did deny it, and directed that the Duke shall not receive him, to wait upon him in his chamber, till further orders. Sir W. Coventry told me that he was going to visit Sir John Trevor, who hath been kind to him; and he shewed me a long list of all his friends that he must this week make visits to, that come to visit him in the Tower; and seems mighty well satisfied with his being out of business, but I hope he will not long be so; at least, I do believe that all must go to rat if the King do not come to see the want of such a servant. Thence to the Treasury-Chamber, and there all the morning to my great grief, put to do Sir G. Downing’s work of dividing the Customes for this year, between the Navy, the Ordnance and Tangier: but it did so trouble my eyes, that I had rather have given 20l. than have had it to do; but I did thereby oblige Sir Thomas Clifford and Sir J. Duncombe, and so am glad of the opportunity to recommend myself to the former for the latter I need not, he loving me well already. At it till noon, here being several of my brethren with me but doing nothing, but I all. But this day I did also represent to our Treasurers, which was read here, a state of the charge of the Navy, and what the expence of it this year would likely be; which is done so as it will appear well done and to my honour, for so the Lords did take it: and I oblige the Treasurers by doing it, at their request.
Thence with W. Hewer at noon to Unthanke’s, where my wife stays for me and so to the Cocke, where there was no room, and thence to King Street, to several cook’s shops, where nothing to be had; and at last to the corner shop, going down Ivy Lane, by my Lord of Salisbury’s, and there got a good dinner, my wife, and W. Hewer, and I: and after dinner she, with her coach, home; and he and I to look over my papers for the East India Company, against the afternoon: which done, I with them to White Hall, and there to the Treasury-Chamber, where the East India Company and three Councillors pleaded against me alone, for three or four hours, till seven at night, before the Lords; and the Lords did give me the conquest on behalf of the King, but could not come to any conclusion, the Company being stiff: and so I think we shall go to law with them. This done, and my eyes mighty bad with this day’s work, I to Mr. Wren’s, and then up to the Duke of York, and there with Mr. Wren did propound to him my going to Chatham to-morrow with Commissioner Middleton, and so this week to make the pay there, and examine the business of “The Defyance” being lost, and other businesses, which I did the rather, that I might be out of the way at the wedding, and be at a little liberty myself for a day, or two, to find a little pleasure, and give my eyes a little ease. The Duke of York mightily satisfied with it; and so away home, where my wife troubled at my being so late abroad, poor woman! though never more busy, but I satisfied her; and so begun to put things in order for my journey to-morrow, and so, after supper, to bed.
17 Annotations
First Reading
Tony Eldridge • Link
"At it till noon, here being several of my brethren with me but doing nothing, but I all."
Busy, busy, busy Mr Pepys - but if you want a job done properly, best do it yourself I say.....
Peter Last • Link
"I do believe that all must go to rat if the King do not come to see the want of such a servant."
Assuming that this is not a scanning error, what does "go to rat" mean? None of the entries in OED seems to cover this sense.
As the little party trudged from one full eatery to another, what did the coach do? Parking such vehicles and their horses must have been a problem. Did they have anything like parking lots to cater for groups of coaches?
Poor Sam's apparently self-limiting eye problem is steadily getting worse and, sad to say, the end of the diary is now growing close because of it.
languagehat • Link
There was an exclamation "rat (it/me)!" current at this time, with a slang verb "rat" equivalent to Standard English "rot," and I don't think it's too much of a stretch to assume there was occasional use as a noun, as here: "go to rat [=rot]." Of course, that's just a guess.
Andrew Hamilton • Link
It appears that Sam means to be away from home on Friday, the day of the wedding of his servants and his "great day, or feast, for my being cut of the stone," taking a little R&R at Chatham. Curious.
(R&R - "rest and recreation")
Don McCahill • Link
So long as the R&R isn't Rachel and Rose.
Horace Dripple • Link
"I think we shall go to law with them." Oh no. I envision endless proceedings, like something out of Dickens.
pepfie • Link
"...all must go to rat"
OED: rat, n.2 Obs. exc. north. dial.
(ræt)
Forms: 3–4 ratte, 8–9 dial. rat.
[Of obscure etym.]
A rag, scrap.
a 1240 Wohunge in Cott. Hom. 277 Þu wunden was i rattes and i clutes. 13‥ S. Erkenwolde 260 in Horstm. Altengl. Leg. (1881) 272 In cloutes, me thynkes, Hom burde haue rotid & bene rent in rattis longe sythene. a 1796 Pegge Derbicisms s.v., All to rats, i.e. scraps. 1847 Halliwell, Rats, pieces, shreds, fragments. North.
Pat Stewart Cavalier • Link
I'm a complete newcomer, having discovered the site only a couple of weeks ago.
About "go to rat" ; in my edition (Everyman's Library, 1949 reprinting), it's "go to rack", which I immediately associated with "rack and ruin". Would that not make sense ?
Mary • Link
"all must go to wrack"
is the L&M reading and most likely to be accurate.
Second Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"the East India Company and three Councillors pleaded against me...before the Lords; and the Lords did give me the conquest on behalf of the King, but could not come to any conclusion, the Company being stiff: and so I think we shall go to law with them."
This dispute concerning the Leopard was ongoing; http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1… ; a Treasury minute of this day directed a trial at law. (Per L&M note)
Terry Foreman • Link
"Thence to the Treasury-Chamber, and there all the morning to my great grief, put to do Sir G. Downing’s work of dividing the Customes for this year, between the Navy, the Ordnance and Tangier: "
Calendar of Treasury Books, iii.39. https://archive.org/details/cu319…
(L&M note)
San Diego Sarah • Link
"Sir W. Coventry told me that he was going to visit Sir John Trevor, who hath been kind to him; and he shewed me a long list of all his friends that he must this week make visits to, that come to visit him in the Tower; ..."
"Being kind" is a nice excuse to visit with England's envoy to Paris during the negotiations for the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. Pepys doesn't catch on apparently.
San Diego Sarah • Link
"Pepys doesn't catch on apparently."
That was one of my more obscure posts. I wonder what I was referring to.
San Diego Sarah • Link
"... she, with her coach, home; ..."
It used to be MY coach; then he remembered that it was OUR coach.
The true state of affairs is revealed today: It's HER coach.
(I wonder if he chuckled when he wrote that.)
Elizabeth and her parcels and new gowns are much safer being delivered this way, I imagine. Which must give Pepys peace of mind, even if it costs a small fortune.
No wonder he doesn't know the state of his accounts (YESTERDAY: "God knowing what my condition is, I having not attended, and now not being able to examine what my state is, of my accounts, and being in the world, which troubles me mightily.")
San Diego Sarah • Link
"Sam means to be away from home on Friday, the day of the wedding of his servants and his "great day, or feast, for my being cut of the stone," taking a little R&R at Chatham. Curious."
Pepys is very fond of both Jane and Tom ... perhaps he thinks he might get carried away with the emotion of the day and lay out more money on them and/or the event than is called for ... or perhaps he's worried he'd cry and give Elizabeth cause for more fantasies.
Plus Elizabeth may have forgotten that it's Pepys day of thanksgiving, and he doesn't want to embarrass her with what might appear to be a rebuke. Let's hope Elizabeth Pepys Turner doesn't deliver the news accidentally.
And since he doesn't know the state of his finances, perhaps Pepys is relieved not to have to throw a second bash in a month for essentially the same guest list. For the entry about his last party given for the Pepys girls:
https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…
I don't think doing the pay would be my idea of R&R. Having two Commissioners do it would speed up the process which will please the tars, plus he and Middleton have legal reasons to look into the events surrounding the loss of the Defiance last December 6.
Of all the above, I suspect it was an effort on Pepys' part to be frugal while demonstrating his ability to do the Navy job while he still has it. He needs to be seen to be indispensible.
San Diego Sarah • Link
"Henry Saville is not only denied to kiss the King’s hand, but the King, being asked it by the Duke of York, did deny it, and directed that the Duke shall not receive him, to wait upon him in his chamber, till further orders."
For carrying Coventry’s challenge to the Duke of Buckingham recently, Henry Savile, Groom of the Bedchamber for James, Duke of York, was sent to the Tower and suspended from his place at Court.
It sounds like his release coincided with Coventry's, and history relates that he went to Paris, and no doubt hung out with John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, his BFF.
What a punishment!
San Diego Sarah • Link
Busy day ... not only did he have to do Downing's job at Treasury, he also presented the budget for the 1669 summer fleet.
Then he goes home and reviews the paperwork for the East India Company hearing, at which he faced three of their lawyers for four hours of argument. He held his own.
Then he trots off to see Matthew Wren and the Duke around 8 p.m., and proposes a few days at Chatham preparing for another legal matter. This will, of course, delay his production of the review of the Navy Board precedents for which he preping last week. (Which doesn't mean he isn't thinking about how to present the information.)
It must have been 9 p.m. when he got home in time to pack.
At least no one here is complaining he isn't keeping office hours because he had lunch with Elizabeth today.