Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
(Office day). This morning Sir W. Batten and Col. Slingsby went with Col. Birch and Sir Wm. Doyly to Chatham to pay off a ship there. So only Sir W. Pen and I left here in town. All the afternoon among my workmen till 10 or 11 at night, and did give them drink and very merry with them, it being my luck to meet with a sort of drolling workmen on all occasions. To bed.
Saturday 29 September 1660Thursday 27 September 1660
droll, v (from the OED)
[a. obs. F. dr
to pay off a ship there
L&M identify the ship as “The Hound”.
…and after all that complaining about he has to keep a close eye on the workers, Sam has discovered that they’re a witty crew, which forgives all!
“…it being my luck to meet with a sort of drolling workmen on all occasions.”
Such snippets seem as informative about life in Sam’s time (ie. no change then) as the serious historical information.
Today,s entry has a lovely egalitarian tone. It is heartening to know that in pursuit of wealth and social rank Pepys has not lost the common touch.
A propos of Pepys entertaining the workmen recalls the following lines from Kipling’s “If”, once hugely popular .
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings-nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’worth of distance run-
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And-which is more -you’ll be a Man my son.
How applicable these lines may be is open to debate, but the second one is certainly true of Samuel.
But perhaps he was being sarcastic and meant that it was his BAD luck to meet with this type of workmen, who kept making jokes and mucking around when they should be doing the job they’ve been paid for! (Sorry about that, I think I’ve met their descendants.) Anyway, why are these workmen still there at 10 at night - when it’s pitch black - or are they trying to get things finished by the end of the month?
I believe SP has had a wonderful time with these workers and may have imbibed a bit too much himself. The work will never get done at this rate (and it hasn’t changed in 400 years!)
Sam’s joie de vivre will not be suppressed. So also with the men working in his house he will jest and banter. I am sure the work to be done is finished quicker and better than if he would have treated them morosely.
Sam probably was someone with always a quick answer and a wonderful zest for life.
Workman, not his tanner[nickel], added after thought ‘tis on the house, ‘Normal’ government work.