Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
Up early and took my physique; it wrought all the morning well. At noon dined, and all the afternoon, Mr. Hater to that end coming to me, he and I did go about my abstracting all the contracts made in the office since we came into it. So at night to bed.
Thursday 17 April 1662Tuesday 15 April 1662
“Up early and took my physique”
Ah the birds are singing,winter is over,springtime,wonderful time to take a physique!…
HA! removal of evidence???? “…he and I did go about my abstracting all the contracts made in the office since we came into it…”
“abstracting all the contracts”
to abstract
I read this as “to make an abstract” in the sense of making “a statement summarizing the important points of a text” (in this case: the contracts).
(A of course you well know, Vicente Cumgranissalisssss.)
see how suspicious I be, Never trust civil servants not to cover ones derriere.[originally French ye know]
‘Homines libenter id quod volunt credunt’
from that wise Kaiser, De Bello Gallico, III, 18.
otherwise it be: Men doth easily believe what they doth they want.
Mr Hewer was not in their helping, so it appears: very interesting.
Gleened from House of Lords and the Lower House:
Windsor still be occupying a Chair [15th April and 16th]
Bishop of London needs rental ten[t]ementt property
also the export [of precious resources] hides and leather to be restrain’d.
Butter bill be passed: no more short weighting??
Land Lord Crofts be upset, it appears his many ten[t]ants are with holding just due monies, they must desist such bad practice as said Lord has by right of privilege to his right of not to be disquieted.
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=14261
Windsor still be sitting and there be a bill in the making to regulate West Yorkshire Cloth.
Still there be differences on the construction of how one must Worship, at the house of C. the neighs be 119 [from the teller of Noes] and the brays be 84.
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=26498
Very Strange: Sam Employs 2 clerks one be Thos,Tom or Mr Hater [Hayter] that be married, and it was mentioned that there would be a birthing of baby by his masked wife, [no more said of wife nor offspring] Mr [Tom,Thos,mostly Mr] Hayter is mentioned in bringing Sam, his Salary, but nere a mention of the other Clerk [one Wm Hewer} by name. then on jan 19th he tells us this but no follow up;
19th Jan: “…Here the Treasurer did tell me that he did suspect Thos. Hater to be an informer of them in this work, which we do take to be a diminution of us, which do trouble me, and I do intend to find out the truth…” Qu. truth be?
Having looked at the reference Vincent gives us above to the H of C for this day, I see that they are to discuss the draining of part of the fens, which will do away with mosquito habitat and, in due course, help to lessen the number of people like maid Sarah with malaria. They have mentioned this before - it was a large public work. Also, there is mention of making rivers between London and Bristol navigable - linking two great ports. This eventually led to canals linking those parts of the river network which needed it. Though not strictly Navy business, I bet this sort of thing fascinated Sam.
he did suspect Thos. Hater to be an informer of them in this work
CGS: What better way to persuade the authorities there is no hanky-panky with the Navy Office than to bring in the spy for the tedious business of abstracting the contracts? Also a test of Hayter’s loyalty & discretion??
Somewhat off-topic today, but I ran across this computer-rendered picture of London Bridge, circa 1500’s. I can’t vouch for the authenticity, but it gives some idea of how perilous the boat ride under the bridge may have been.
http://www.3dcommune.com/3d/galview.mv?Cinema_4D+ArCooIaSp+1112650912
Lovely model, Gary. Thanks.
My thanks as well. Great image.
Yes, I agree it’s a fine image and I hope Gary puts it on the London Bridge entry at:
http://www.pepysdiary.com/p/244.php
before it gets forgotten.
BUT, if the sea-going ship on the right of the pic is down-river i.e. east of the bridge then we’re looking north to the City from the borough of Southwark and the pontoons and the main building are pointing up-river, which I thought was the other side (or is it me that’s wrong - can anyone check?).
What it does show very well is that the buildings were so close together that it was possible not to realize that you were actually on a bridge; and how risky it was for people to actually sail beneath the bridge when the current was flowing strongly.
London Bridge
re - Gary & Glyn
Two more pictures.
http://www.oldlondonbridge.com/gly/peterjackson.jpg
http://www.oldlondonbridge.com/gly/vischer.jpg
