Saturday 24 April 1669
Up, and to the office, where all the morning, and at noon home to dinner, Mr. Sheres dining with us by agreement; and my wife, which troubled me, mighty careful to have a handsome dinner for him; but yet I see no reason to be troubled at it, he being a very civil and worthy man, I think; but only it do seem to imply some little neglect of me.
After dinner to the King’s house, and there saw “The General” revived — a good play, that pleases me well, and thence, our coach coming for us, we parted and home, and I busy late at the office, and then home to supper and to bed. Well pleased to-night to have Lead, the vizard-maker, bring me home my vizard, with a tube fastened in it, which, I think, will do my business, at least in a great measure, for the easing of my eyes.
13 Annotations
First Reading
Robert Gertz • Link
Poor Sam. This is so outrageous, such a violation. How can Bess do this to him?
"All the dollar bills her husband gave her were spent ...For him...For Raoul."-Ulysses. We can wish ..For Henry.
Allen Appel • Link
This whole business with Sheres would be funny if... no, wait, it IS funny.
phoenix • Link
Oh how fickle the turn of tide
First on one and on the other side:
"I'm against and I'm for,
I delight and deplore:
Sam - a scoundrel? Bess - a saint?
I am for for what I ain't?"
Claire • Link
Oh Sam. Shoe's on the other foot now, isn't it?
Andrew Hamilton • Link
Hey, in fairness to Sam, he tries to hide his transgressions from Bess, while she gives him cause for jealousy and angst.
Not that turn about isn't fair play. I do like the ditty by Phoenix.
Claire • Link
Andrew--He tries to hide his wandering eye now that she is on to him. Before this, his reactions to anything in a skirt and a pretty face were probably painfully obvious.
Robert Gertz • Link
Hmmn...Sir John en route to his lodgings eyes the beaming Bess as Sheeres helps her from her carriage while continuing to quote poetry. A gloomy-looking Sam emerging from coach a moment later.
"Pepys."
"Survivor." Sam bows, curtly.
"Bit of a problem there, eh what?" Sir John, thumbing, grins. "Take heed of thy chattel and worldly goods, young Pepys. Take heed." mock-solemn.
Yes...This as low as things can sink...Sam sighs.
"Nothing like the poetical to fetch in the ladies, Samuel. Take heed. Oh, Penn, old fellow..." merry call to the sowewhat morosely gouty Penn passing by... "Our Pepsy is having a little trouble here holding his hen..."
"Really...?" Penn, beaming for the first time in weeks.
No...I was wrong...It could get this much worse.
Maurie Beck • Link
Claire - "Andrew—He tries to hide his wandering eye"
He's nearly blind. I could see him following Mr. Sheres and Bess around with that tube.
GrahamT • Link
"...his wandering eye..." I think it was his wandering hands that got him into this position with Eizabeth.
Second Reading
Gerald Berg • Link
"...but only it do seem to imply some little neglect of me."
Too rich! Not an ironic bone in Pepys whatsoever.
Scube • Link
Forgot all about this mask wearing custom. Does this mean that each time Sam and or Bess attended a show, they brought and wore a mask? That hardly makes sense as Sam notes the looks of the ladies attending the play.
San Diego Sarah • Link
"oes this mean that each time Sam and or Bess attended a show, they brought and wore a mask?"
My experience with masks recently is that I can recognize people just fine with them on. But these vizards were over the eyes, and might confused people who were not the wearer's friends and family. My personal opinion is that they were fashion, a way of attracting attention, or if you had a big pimple you wanted to hide, this was an acceptable way of doing it.
"... my vizard, with a tube fastened in it, which, I think, will do my business, at least in a great measure, for the easing of my eyes."
Pepys vizard is a way of supporting a reading tube ... we might use glasses frames, but frames back then would have weighed a ton.
San Diego Sarah • Link
"... frames back then would have weighed a ton."
I was wrong -- at least, 20 years later they were made of thin pieces of metal and look a bit 1920's to me. A pair of glasses were retrieved from the wreck of the Gloucester which went down in 1682 -- the 6th photo down shows them in their original wooden case. They were usually tied on with ribbon:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-engla…