Tuesday 25 May 1669

Dined at home; and the rest of the day, morning and afternoon, at the Office.

20 Annotations

First Reading

jeannine  •  Link

Terry, he's probably stretching it out because he doesn't have the 'cut and paste' option-so when it's hand written a few extra words may slip in there.

Andrew Hamilton  •  Link

Fifteen words! Almost prolix.

Bryan M  •  Link

It's only speculation but my feeling is that Sam decided to finish with the diary when the D of Y accepted his petition on the 19th. Being the tidy/systematic person he was though, he had to wait till the end of the month to stop writing. His heart's not in it any more.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"No, really...No need..."

"Sam'l...I know how much this little journal-keeping means to you. You're always at it in your closet. So just let me keep it for you, now that you're not able to."

"That's very kind, Bess, but my journal is..."

"...Private from me? Is there anything in there I shouldn't see? Why would there be something in there I shouldn't see, Sam'l?" grim look.

Uh...

"You know it would be wonderful to have you keep entries for me but truth to tell there's so little I generally have to say except when we have a big fire or a war."

Grim look...

"But...Since you offer so sweetly, how can I refuse?"

Three or four days of one line entries, she's sure to get bored...Surely...

Glyn  •  Link

http://www.flickr.com/photos/glyn…

First photo from the Pepys meet-up and I hope others will post some better ones soon. Phil Gyford is in the black t-shirt and glasses, and his wife Mary is sitting next to him.

Carl in Boston  •  Link

"The commemoration service I attended this morning is organised by the Pepys Club" Such a lucky one you are, to swan about with the Pepys Club. This, the Pepys Club, has been a useful lead for what to do, what to do. Following their book list, I have in my hand "Samuel Pepys The Years Of Peril" by Arthur Bryant, 1947, on interlibrary loan from Merrimack College. The style of writing is light and elegant, such as I haven't read in many a year, and tells the story of what happens after we leave Samuel Pepys hanging from the Reichenbach Falls.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Graham, great pics! I understand from Phil the temp was high.

GrahamT  •  Link

Good pictures David (djc). It isn't often I see photographs of myself as I'm usually behind the camera.

Mary  •  Link

Good photos, David - but, sadly, I can't get Graham's pictures to appear.

nix  •  Link

Thanks for the photos - will anyone be adding identifications, so we can add names to faces?

Thanks from Tucson to all who have helped make this a fascinating and rewarding decade.

Second Reading

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Another day of drudgery at the office for Pepys. Fortunately, Cosmo, the future Grand Duke of Turin, who visited London that Spring, had a bit more fun.

I've standardized the spelling of names I know, corrected scanning errors I could figure out, and increased the number of paragraphs. Sometimes I got confused making the N.S./O.S. date conversions, so I apologize if they are wrong:

Wishing to oblige the Earl of Northumberland, who was anxious to partake of the favor which had been shewn to others of his own rank, his highness consented to let him have the honor of entertaining him at his house; and accordingly proceeded thither on 25 May/4 June, 1669, about dinnertime, and was received and welcomed by the earl with the most distinguished politeness.

The entertainment, both in the number and quality of the courses, was quite in conformity with the known liberality of this nobleman; and many toasts were drank by the guests to the health and happiness of his highness.

In the afternoon, on leaving the Earl of Northumberland's house, his highness went to look about the city, and afterwards to promenade in Hyde Park.

349

In the evening, he went to Whitehall to the apartments of the queen, and soon afterwards to St. James's Palace, where the Duchess of York resided; and then returned home.

@@@

The visit to Hyde Park was a regular thing for the late afternoon in the springtime, see https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…

According to Cosmo's travelogue, Happy Hour seems to have been a regular Court event at Whitehall and St. James’s for the nobility in 1669.

From:
TRAVELS OF COSMO THE THIRD, GRAND DUKE OF TUSCANY,
THROUGH ENGLAND,
DURING THE REIGN OF KING CHARLES THE SECOND (1669)
TRANSLATED FROM THE ITALIAN MANUSCRIPT
https://archive.org/stream/travel…

His highness, Cosmo, must be considered only as a traveler. Under his direction, the narrator of the records was Count Lorenzo Magalotti, afterwards Secretary to the Academy del Cimento, and one of the most learned and eminent characters of the court of Ferdinand II.

Gerald Berg  •  Link

I am relieved to miss out on Liz's death but curious as to how it affected SP's behaviour subsequently? Any insights from the group?

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Since he didn't leave a Diary, no one can truly answer your question about his "behavior", Gerald. I'm guessing you mean sexual, and not his work or theater-going habits. As you know, he went on to a stellar career plus the job of being an M.P.

I suspect Elizabeth's death came as a huge shock to Pepys. My honey had Parkinson's for 26 years, and I had the dubious honor of telling the doctors to pull the plug. I can't say I wasn't informed, but found I was nevertheless completely unprepared. Losing your mate is the most devastating experience. The cortisol it releases is a killer, which is why many die within a year of their spouces.

But ... weird and embarrasing as it is to admit ... being around death makes you accutely aware of how precious life is, and while you unconsolably mourn the loss of your best friend and soul companion, many also yearn for human touch and companionship to ease the pain.
The human psyche has a way of compartmentalizing feelings. And, inconvenient as it is, human beings are animals and quite capable of loving more than one at the same time.
Fidelity is an imposed behavior, which is probably why religions harp on about it so much.

So I suspect Pepys continued on with Betty Lane and her sister, and Mrs. Bagwell when he was on the other side of the Thames. He had geniune relationships with them already which were always independent of Elizabeth. In this I consider him lucky. Hopefully they were compassionate and available enough to keep him away from the maids and teenager girls.

Jeanine's article about What Came Next shares the long-term relationship Pepys had later in life with his housekeeper, Mary Skinner. That we do know about.
https://www.pepysdiary.com/indept…

But who knows. I just can't imagine a celebate life for him for long.

Gerald Berg  •  Link

Thank you SDS. Truly sorry.

My fan fiction would be SP full of guilt and regret but then, that wouldn't make for a very good MP.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

I think it would lack credability, Gerald, and be boring. Pepys doesn't do boring. 8-)

mwainer  •  Link

I know this is after the dairy, but I just came across this article on the sinking of the Gloucester in 1682 with James Duke of York on board. Pepys was a witness to the sinking and wrote a letter describing it.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2…

Also, link to the English Historical Review about this incident:
DOI: English Historical Review, 2022. 10.1093/ehr/ceac127 (About DOIs).

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