Sunday 4 March 1659/60

Lord’s day. Before I went to church I sang Orpheus’ Hymn to my viall. After that to Mr. Gunning’s, an excellent sermon upon charity. Then to my mother to dinner, where my wife and the maid were come. After dinner we three to Mr. Messum’s where we met Mons. L’Impertinent, who got us a seat and told me a ridiculous story how that last week he had caused a simple citizen to spend; 80l. in entertainments of him and some friends of his upon pretence of some service that he would do him in his suit after a widow. Then to my mother again, and after supper she and I talked very high about religion, I in defence of the religion I was born in. Then home.

5 Mar 1660 3 Mar 1660

Temperature: 6°C / 43°F (Mar 1660 avg.)

Also on this day

In Earls Colne, Essex

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Translations

German

Annotations

N Phil on Wed 5 Mar 2003, 10:10am. Flag this

Sorry for the lateness of posting this entry!
N sharon on Wed 5 Mar 2003, 02:26pm. Flag this

Any ideas about the religious disputation with Mom? Claire Tomalin (p.13,n.33) cites this entry to support the notion that Margaret Pepys has puritan leanings despite maintaining her own Anglican pew. Is Sam just (dare I say cavalierly?) honing his bright new royalist credentials, or is something else going on?
N Keith Wright on Wed 5 Mar 2003, 02:48pm. Flag this

Latham in the Companion (p. 319) characterizes Margaret Pepys as “tetchy” and less likeable than husband John. “She was apparently a sectarian” (citing Vol. 1, p. 76, no doubt this very entry). Some of her relations were Quakers, and “before marriage she worked in the household of Lady Vere, a prominent Puritan”.
Here Pepys seems to be championing not so much his personal faith as his loyalty to tradition.
N Roger Miller on Wed 5 Mar 2003, 02:48pm. Flag this

Orpheus’ Hymn

O King of Heaven and Hell, of Sea and Earth!
who shak’st the world when thou shout’st Thunder forth;
Whom Devils dread, and Hosts of Heaven praise;
whom Fate (which masters all things else) obeys:
Eternal Cause! who on the Winds doth ride,
and Nature’s face with thick dark Clouds dost hide;
Cleaving the Air with Balls of dreadful Fire;
Guiding the Stars which run, and never tire.
About thy Throne bright Angels stand, and Bow
to be dispatch’d to Mortals here below.

Thy early Spring in Purple robes comes forth;
Thy Summers South does conquer all the North:
And though thy Winter freeze the Hearts of Men:
Glad wine from Autumn cheers them up again.

Text by Sir John Birkenhead (1616-1679)
Set by Henry Lawes (c1595-1662)

This is the most likely candidate for Sam’s song.
N j.a. gioia on Wed 5 Mar 2003, 03:35pm. Flag this

more music

thanks for the lyrics! so sam is accomplished-it is hard to sing and play at the same time unless one is-on the viol (given his singing, probably more a cello than fiddle) the lute and flageolet. i like him more every day.

what are the odds Mons. l
N mary on Wed 5 Mar 2003, 03:50pm. Flag this

..defense of the religion I was born in

Presumably Pepys is asserting his allegiance to the Anglican church into which he was baptised. His mother, therefore, appears to have been urging a narrower, Puritan, faith. Tomalin states that Margaret’s faith had become more Puritan over the years, but cites no evidence for this. Can anyone supply chapter and verse for this conclusion?
N Keith Wright on Wed 5 Mar 2003, 04:02pm. Flag this

Henry Lawes, older brother of the more famous William, was known mainly for his more than 400 songs, some published by John Playford. See the Background page on “Music > Songs” for Roger Miller’s notes on both men, and on how Pepys accompanied himself, in connection with this entry: http://www.pepysdiary.com/p/287.php#c2124.

Emma Kirkby’s recent CD of 17th-century songs to texts on classical themes, Classical Kirkby: Orpheus and Corinna, with Anthony Rooley on the theorbo, includes the Hymn (BIS 1435).
The 1984 disc by the Consort of Musicke (of which Kirkby and Rooley are part) devoted to Henry Lawes, “Sitting by the Streams,” Hyperion 66135, also includes it—-all 2 minutes 25 seconds of it:
http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/details/66135.asp
N Roger Miller on Wed 5 Mar 2003, 04:53pm. Flag this

More Lawes

Orpheus’ hymn to God is in the volume of Lawes’ music that I link to in my annotation in the music section.

Try this link: http://wwwlib.umi.com/eebo/image/100600/72 (It may not work first time.)
N Hhomeboy on Wed 5 Mar 2003, 05:49pm. Flag this

I spliced a response covering March 3rd & 4th into my previous annotation for march 3rd, which was in response to Alan Bedford…

Here is the part which picks up on Sam’s visit to his ailling mum:

Sam
N Paul Miller on Wed 5 Mar 2003, 06:39pm. Flag this

“For the most part I escaped wonderfully from these dangers, either by proceeding boldly and without deliberation to the goal, as is recommended to those who run the gauntlet, or by keeping my thoughts on high things, like Orpheus, who, “loudly singing the praises of the gods to his lyre, drowned the voices of the sirens, and kept out of danger.” Sometimes I bolted suddenly, and nobody could tell my whereabouts, for I did not stand much about gracefulness, and never hesitated at a gap in a fence.”
—— Walden, Thoreau
N Martin K. Foys on Thu 6 Mar 2003, 01:24am. Flag this

“I in defence of the religion I was born in …”

Don’t forget that Sam has throughout been going to Mr. Gunning’s, who, as Susanna reminds us in the entry for Jan. 8 (see
http://www.pepysdiary.com/archive/1660/01/08/index.php#c30 for details), likely had to hold service in his house, not a church, because he celebrated using the older form of the Common Prayer book, which Cromwell had forbidden.