Thursday 12 June 1662

Annotations

• N Bradford on Sun 12 Jun 2005, 11:56pm

  All ye historical costumiers, come, tell us the difference between close knees and open knees.

  “I did what I could to keep myself unconcerned in it, having some things of my own to do before I would appear high in anything.”

  I.e., pick your fights with care.

• N A. De Araujo on Mon 13 Jun 2005, 12:14am

  “my riding cloth suit with closed knees”
  Could it be a knickerbocker? Help Dirk

• N A. De Araujo on Mon 13 Jun 2005, 12:25am

  “without drinking a drop of wine”
  I don’t understand why he is so proud of himself.

• N daniel on Mon 13 Jun 2005, 01:17am

  “without drinking a drop of wine

• N Cumgranissalis on Mon 13 Jun 2005, 02:42am

  Clear head for the office[…my head full of business,…[no wine]], so that he be not lost in the the arguments of business along with he be watching his farthings [… I tried on my riding cloth suit with close knees…]

• N Cumgranissalis on Mon 13 Jun 2005, 02:47am

  3p. on 240p. of trade, a small vigorish.This be essence of why one likes this work.[ remember all the postage prophits be for Sams dream girl Lady C.]
  Always watch the flow of coin.

• N Cumgranissalis on Mon 13 Jun 2005, 03:20am

  why the discussion :

  see a sampling of monies paid dec 1660

  For so much due unto several Persons on the Account of Victuals by them delivered unto his Majesty’s Ships, as appears by an Account produced unto us under the Hand of the present Surveyor of Marine Victuals

• N Paul Chapin on Mon 13 Jun 2005, 03:39am

  “a full Board”
  Well, not quite, Berkeley was missing as usual. Interesting that Sam doesn’t even mention his absence - apparently it is taken for granted.

  BTW, thanks to Cumgranissalis for explaining the 3p bit, which I had not understood.

• N dirk on Mon 13 Jun 2005, 03:40am

  “riding cloth suit with closed knees”

  Sorry. Couldn’t find anything specific on this, but I make it to be a combination of a coat (not the heavy thing we know as a [over]coat nowadays - that would have been called a “greatcoat” - but a lighter version) possibly knee length, and trousers not slit at the knees. Obviously slits at the knees would have made for easier knee movements, but at the slits the knee was only protected from the outside world (wind, rain etc) by the lining: this might be chilly at times…
  

• N Mary on Mon 13 Jun 2005, 07:57am

  Closed knees/open knees.

  The ‘after them’ implies that Sam feels that the open-kneed trousers may feel too hot once he is used to the closed-knee fashion. This could be true if the open-knee version refers to those very full, loose-fitting trousers that employed many folds of fabric and the closed-knee version approximates more to the fashion of closer-fitting, narrower breeches. Less fullness of fabric between the thighs might well feel cooler.

• N Mary on Mon 13 Jun 2005, 12:11pm

  Carteret’s 3d. in the pound.

  The value of these fees can be judged by the fact that Carteret preferred to receive this poundage rather than the

• N Stolzi on Mon 13 Jun 2005, 03:43pm

  Without drinking a drop of wine

  Do we think Sam is washing down his meals with water? Or (my own guess) with ale?

• N Nix on Mon 13 Jun 2005, 04:21pm

  Wate or ale?

  Ale, surely. That London water could kill you!

• N Jylaen on Mon 13 Jun 2005, 04:48pm

  Closed vs. open knees
  The way I read it, Sam’s concern is that when he wears open knee breeches (petticoat breeches) again after getting used to the closed knee style, he may realise how much cooler it feels to have the air moving about one’s upper legs.

• N David on Mon 13 Jun 2005, 06:36pm

  “did not smell the use I intend to make of it”

  Pulled one over on ‘em, did ye Sam? Later, when asked why Sam’s clerks are laying warrants about town, Sam will look quizical, “well, don’t you remember … . ?”

• N Araucaria on Mon 13 Jun 2005, 07:45pm

  “… it being the longest day in the year, I made all my people go to bed by daylight.”

  Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise, old chap!

  Sunset that date would have occurred around 8:15 to 8:20. But the long summer twilight would have lingered an hour longer.

  A messenger arriving at 9PM could have come without link or lantern. And the moon would have been past first quarter and giving some illumination as well. Very pleasant it must have been. I can imagine the servants grumbling about Sam: “He’s no fun these days with his head all in business all the time!”
  

• N Cumgranissalis on Mon 13 Jun 2005, 08:31pm

  Fees :”Between 1660 and 1664 the Secretary was entirely dependent on fees for his remuneration. In the latter year a salary of

• N Glyn on Mon 13 Jun 2005, 10:52pm

  Pepys neither knew that his relative’s husband was dead nor that she had remarried. I find that very surprising considering how much he is interested in his extended family, and what a gossip he is.

• N PJK on Tue 14 Jun 2005, 10:11am

  The Museum of Costume in Bath kindly explained the breeches to me thus:
  “In Pepy’s time breeches were worn to the knee and the style worn for riding were generally known as petticoat breeches or rhinegraves which were very wide and did not gather at the knee. I think this is what he is referring to… the petticoat breeches which would not have restricted the knee in any way whilst riding. I can only assume that the close breeches he refers to are slightly longer (and perhaps less fashionable). There is a reference you might like to look at in C. Willet Cunnington & P.Cunnington Handbook of English Costume in the 17th Century, Faber 1972, pp148-150,