Tuesday 14 May 1661
Up early and by water to Whitehall to my Lord, and there had much talk with him about getting some money for him. He told me of his intention to get the Muster Master’s place for Mr. Pierce, the purser, who he has a mind to carry to sea with him, and spoke very slightingly of Mr. Creed, as that he had no opinion at all of him, but only he was forced to make use of him because of his present accounts. Thence to drink with Mr. Shepley and Mr. Pinkny, and so home and among my workmen all day. In the evening Mr. Shepley came to me for some money, and so he and I to the Mitre, and there we had good wine and a gammon of bacon. My uncle Wight, Mr. Talbot, and others were with us, and we were pretty merry. So at night home and to bed. Finding my head grow weak now-a-days if I come to drink wine, and therefore hope that I shall leave it off of myself, which I pray God I could do.
15 Annotations
First Reading
Pedro. • Link
"Finding my head grow weak now-a-days if I come to drink wine"
Sam feeling his age? Like most of us we find we can't take as much as we used to?
daniel • Link
how very pragmatic of sam.
he spends all of his time in the past days with Creed and then announces Creed's unfortunately lowly status in his milieu. Sam will go far, we can see.
what is a gammon of bacon?
Conrad • Link
Daniel,
Gammon is the hind leg cut from a side of bacon after curing and traditionally the cure should be the mildest.
Pauline • Link
"Sam feeling his age?"
Ah, he's still quite young as these things go. And he has had a late start. Maybe he is feeling the difference between ale and the now-more-available wine?
dirk • Link
Sam feeling his age
He's 28 years old at the time, and in good general codition (cfr. the jumping contest on 5 May) - except of course for his bladder stone problems. We haven't heard him complain about the latter for some time, so I guess he feels fine for the moment.
vicente • Link
Morn and night: he doth quoth the wine of Xeres, wine of rhine, add a little sucre, slice a bit of olde gammoney [ very popular to slice the hind leg of pig in Iberia or that of Breganza land {cured of course in Bilbao}such a delicacy to taste while sipping vino and sermonizing ]. He hardly mentions the grapes of Bordeaux or any food of substance no wonder the 'ead is a spinning.
vicente • Link
J Evelyn 14[may] To Lond, being chosen one of the Commissioners about reforming the buildings, wayes, streetes, & incumbrances, & regulating the Hackny-Coaches in the Citty of Lond: taking my Oath before my Lord Chancelor, & then went to his Majesties Surveyors Office in Scotland Yard, about naming & establishing officers, adjourning til:
an insite to wot goes on in other areas of London. { fares etc and how many cabbies to be allowed to ply the alley ways.
Lawrence • Link
Yes Sam, Ale is much better than all that wine; I guess, that now he moves in higher circles, he must consume as they do? What would Sams Father's choice of drink be I wonder?
Saul Pfeffer • Link
Re: Bladder problems- let us not forget he was "cut of the stone" in '58 before the diary began.
Second Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
House of Commons today: editing the past and future records of this House
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…
Message to Lords.
Ordered, That the said Vote and Resolution of both Houses, so presented to his Majesty, be printed: And that the Lords Concurrence be desired to the printing thereof: And that Sir William Doyley do attend the Lords for their Concurrence.
Journal of Long Parliament.
Ordered, That Sir Richard Lloyd, Sir Robert Atkyns, Sir John Gooderick, Sir Phillip Warwick, Sir Soloman Swaile, Serjeant Charlton, Mr. Vaughan, Mr. Goodrick, Mr. Lowther, Mr. Hussey, do look into all the Journals of the Long Parliament, since his late Majesty departed from London, till the Dissolution thereof; and make Report of what they shall think fit to be expunged thereout, as treasonable, and scandalous to his Majesty, and his Royal Father, of blessed Memory.
Instrument of Government.
Ordered, That they likewise make Search in the several Courts of Justice, whether the traiterous Writing, called The Instrument of Government, be there remaining; and that they report, how they find the same.
Committee for Journal.
Ordered, That Sir Solomon Swaile, Mr. Vaughan, Mr. Goodrick, Mr. Yorke, and Mr. Swanton, do every Saturday Night peruse the Journal of this House, as to all the Passages of the Week precedent, and to see that right Entries be made thereof.
Printing Proceedings.
Ordered, That none of the Proceedings of this House be printed, without the Order of this House.
Terry Foreman • Link
My Lord "spoke very slightingly of Mr. Creed, as that he had no opinion at all of him, but only he was forced to make use of him because of his present accounts." -- but, as L&M note [ inertia and habit prevailing ] Creed will be appointed Deputy-Treasurer to Sandwich's fleet in 1661, as he had been in 1660.
Bill • Link
"a gammon of bacon"
GAMMON, a Thigh, Ham, or Shoulder.
---An Universal Etymological English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1675.
Bill • Link
Turns out, there is an encyclopedia entry for the word "gammon." http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…
Sasha Clarkson • Link
I would guess that the Creeds were minor landowners neighbouring the Mountagu lands in Huntingdon. Having been an associate during the Commonwealth and protectorate years, the social obligations of the time would require 'My Lord' to continue to favour him in some way, even if he didn't particularly like him.
It's clear however that Sandwich doesn't just find Pepys useful: he and his his family clearly enjoy Sam's company too. And perhaps Sandwich is being a little naughty: playing his underlings off against each other? His disparaging remarks about Creed certainly reassure Sam about his position and help keep him motivated. But I do wonder what, if anything, he says to Creed about Sam - but we don't know whether Sandwich and Creed have this kind of private conversation. We only have one side of this particular story - and we are, I suppose, fortunate to have even that!
Cara • Link
You may well be right Sasha, and Samuel is obviously pleased in his social climbing that although Creed is mentioned, he's definitely not a favourite or, by the sounds of it, likely to become one. Samuel must often have felt his position was precarious and any affirmation of his place within the hierarchy is worth a diary mention.