Wednesday 9 January 1660/61

Annotations

• N Glyn on Fri 9 Jan 2004, 11:05pm

• N Glyn on Fri 9 Jan 2004, 11:07pm

  This morning my wife and Pall went forth early, and I staid within.

  Presumably the morning of Thursday: Pepys writing his entry in the next morning.
  

• N Conrad on Sat 10 Jan 2004, 12:26am

  Sam was recently paid off for having been associated with some sort of military group, so maybe, he had some training in the use of weapoms & as such should have been able to handle himself. He seems to be saying that,for appearances sake, even though afraid, he should be seen on the streets armed & ready for action, talking to the men of the “Trained bands” with, I suspect much bravado.

• N Emilio on Sat 10 Jan 2004, 12:39am

  ” the Fanatiques were up in arms in the City”

  L&M bring us up with current events; the facts aren’t any less dramatic than the rumors flying on this third day of the rebellion:

  “Driven from the woods by hunger, Venner’s band had under the cover of darkness slipped past the regulars sent after them and had returned to the city in the early morning of the day. They were now being hunted down by large forces of militia, and by regulars under York and Albemarle.”
  

• N Mary House on Sat 10 Jan 2004, 02:41am

  Another example of Pepys at his best: capturing the scene with energy and economy.

• N vincent on Sat 10 Jan 2004, 04:42am

  Conrad: last jan it was mentioned he received 25L[quid] for being a trooper:”…Thence into London, to Mr. Vernon’s and I received my L25 due by bill for my troopers’ pay….”
  21st jan: being paid so much did not mean he knew which end of the blunder buss to hold as his job was I believe was “muster” or to make register or enrolling of officers and men in the outfit up in Huntington.

• N Kevin Sheerstone on Sat 10 Jan 2004, 11:59am

  Sam’s Military Training

  Last January Sam did indeed receive L25, but it was for his troopers’ pay -note the apostrophe. The devil is perhaps in the details: if the text reflects Sam’s shorthand accurately then the only way I can interpret this is that Sam was acting as paymaster to troopers whom he had mustered (enlisted, recruited).

• N Emilio on Sat 10 Jan 2004, 12:43pm

  trooper’s pay

  L&M have the apostrophe before the “s” in last Jan.’s entry; the money is a personal payment to Sam, but is due to Montagu’s patronage rather than any military knowledge on Sam’s part. The phrase harks back to the 4 Jan. entry: “Then into the Hall again, where I met with the Clerk and quartermaster of my Lord’s troop… . Mr. Jenkings [the quatermaster’s clerk] showed me two bills of exchange for money to receive upon my Lord’s and my pay.” Here’s L&M’s explanation:

  “Appointed to the command of a regiment of horse in September 1658, Montagu had been dismissed on the fall of Richard Cromwell in the following spring. His men were now commanded by Col. Matthew Allured, but Pepys (who had been taken on as colonel’s secretary without performing any functions - a fairly common practice) still referred to the regiment as ‘my Lord’s’.”
  

• N J A Gioia on Sat 10 Jan 2004, 01:07pm

  Waked in the morning about six o

• N David A. Smith on Sat 10 Jan 2004, 02:32pm

  “no good courage at all, but that I might not seem to be afeared”
  Despite Sam’s genuine modesty, this is a very definition of courage: to do what you think is right even though it scares you.

• N A. De Araujo on Sat 10 Jan 2004, 02:52pm

  “no good courage at all,but that I might not seem to be afeared” I think, and he seems to say so, that it was only for show,like some politicians nowadays that don military garb for the press,but that have never been to war and are warmongers.

• N Lawrence on Sat 10 Jan 2004, 02:55pm

  I bet Sam looked brave to everyone there, with his pistol drawn and his sword by his side, he must have been a little bit worried, “bit like those feelings of kittens” you had when you were young and somebody at school wanted to fight with you, and he’d seen London in the grip of this sort of trouble before.

• N Ruben on Sat 10 Jan 2004, 03:08pm

  May be SP had some experience with weapons. Anyone learning at Oxford in the 1600 should know something basic about that, I think…

• N Mary on Sat 10 Jan 2004, 03:37pm

  Noisy neighbours

  The building in Seething Lane which housed the Navy Office itself and a number of its senior officers was part of a property originally built in the early part of the 16th Century. In 1606 the whole, large house was bought by two men, Nicholas Slater and John Wolstenhulme, who divided the property, Wolstenhulme taking the northern part of the building. In 1654 Wolstenhulme sold his section to the Navy Office, who promptly subdivided the premises into office space plus accommodation for its officers. Thus some of the ‘walls’ between the various dwellings were possibly no more substantial than partitions and noise may have carried easily from one household to another.

  Liza Picard’s ‘Restoration London’ has an interesting history of the site and the house.

• N Laura K on Sat 10 Jan 2004, 08:39pm

  sam’s courage or lack thereof

  I agree with Glyn, Sam was brave! Most people who act courageously, speaking honestly after the event, will tell you they were afraid. Pushing through fear to act appears as bravery from the outside.

• N vincent on Sat 10 Jan 2004, 09:15pm

  Reuben: SP is Granta man not an Isis man Please !!!! and remember ‘is little trip to Delf with is scabord et al. None the less it was foolhardy but it does impress one to do what yer scared of.

• N Emilio on Sat 10 Jan 2004, 11:52pm

  This morning my wife and Pall went forth early, and I staid within.

  This sentence is at the beginning of the Thurs. entry in L&M. Perhaps the sentence was unclearly positioned in the transcription Wheatley was using.
  

• N Kevin Sheerstone on Sun 11 Jan 2004, 10:27am

  Sam’s pistol
  I agree, Sam was brave. He didn’t have powder but he certainly had *****.