Thursday 24 May 1660

Up, and made myself as fine as I could, with the Tinning stockings on and wide canons that I bought the other day at Hague. Extraordinary press of noble company, and great mirth all the day. There dined with me in my cabin (that is, the carpenter’s) Dr. Earle and Mr. Hollis, the King’s Chaplins, Dr. Scarborough, Dr. Quarterman, and Dr. Clerke, Physicians, Mr. Darcy, and Mr. Fox (both very fine gentlemen), the King’s servants, where we had brave discourse. Walking upon the decks, where persons of honour all the afternoon, among others, Thomas Killigrew (a merry droll, but a gentleman of great esteem with the King), who told us many merry stories: one, how he wrote a letter three or four days ago to the Princess Royal, about a Queen Dowager of Judaea and Palestine, that was at the Hague incognita, that made love to the King, &c., which was Mr. Cary (a courtier’s) wife that had been a nun, who are all married to Jesus. At supper the three Drs. of Physic again at my cabin; where I put Dr. Scarborough in mind of what I heard him say about the use of the eyes, which he owned, that children do, in every day’s experience, look several ways with both their eyes, till custom teaches them otherwise. And that we do now see but with one eye, our eyes looking in parallel lines. After this discourse I was called to write a pass for my Lord Mandeville to take up horses to London, which I wrote in the King’s name,¹ and carried it to him to sign, which was the first and only one that ever he signed in the ship Charles. To bed, coming in sight of land a little before night.

This right of purveyance was abolished in Charles’s reign.

Friday 25 May 1660Wednesday 23 May 1660

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Temperature: 11°C / 52°F

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N language hat on Sun 25 May 2003, 03:01am. Flag this

canion, cannion, canon (OED):
[In form canion, a. Sp. ca
N Alan Bedford on Sun 25 May 2003, 03:21am. Flag this

“…with the Tinning stockings on …”.

Thanks Language Hat, for the OED citation that renders this as “with the linning stockings on” - this sounds more like “linen” which is something you could make stockings of.
N Matt McIrvin on Sun 25 May 2003, 03:48pm. Flag this

From what I’ve been able to dig up on the Web, modern scientific opinion seems not quite in line with Dr. Scarborough’s theory: normally stereoscopic vision with both eyes working together emerges in infancy, at just a couple of months of age.

Scarborough might have been misled by the appearance of people with strabismus or “lazy eye,” which can sometimes be overcome through training. (I had surgery for it in childhood, and my eyes still sometimes wander separately chameleon-style, especially when I’m very tired; but it’s not voluntary.)
N mw on Sun 25 May 2003, 09:26pm. Flag this

A detail:

Two eyes viewing an object form a parallax, (not parrallel lines) a vital part of my business.
N Kevin Peter on Tue 27 May 2003, 11:38pm. Flag this

Pepys seems to be very proud of having written something to be signed by the king. He sure seems to be enjoying life.

From the last sentence, it appears that they are already sailing back to England. That didn’t take much time at all.