Thursday 20 August 1663

Annotations

• N Patricia on Sun 20 Aug 2006, 11:57pm

  August 17th: “I went forth to Mrs. Holden’s, to whom I formerly spoke about a girle to come to me instead of a boy” Well, that didn’t last long! Perhaps being de-loused by Mrs. P was more than the poor child could take…
  I have done pediculosis scans on several classrooms of children in one day, but the actual removal of any nits/lice we found was left up to their moms. Probably pulling a fine-tooth comb through this girl’s (likely tangled) hair was an unpleasant experience for both of them.

• N dirk on Mon 21 Aug 2006, 01:18am

  John Evelyn’s diary today:

  “I din’[d] at the Comptrollers, with the Earle of Oxford & Mr. Ashburnham: It was saied it should be the last of the publique Diets or Tables at Court, now determining to put down the old hospitality, at which was greate murmuring, considering his Majesties vast revenue, and plenty of the Nation: hence I went to sit in a Committè of which I was one, to consider about the regulation of the Mint at the Tower, in which some small progresse was made, & so return’d that Evening: …”

  Is King Charles running out of money? (Don’t think so…) Keeping his courtiers entertained could be an efficient way to keep them under control though.
  

• N aqua on Mon 21 Aug 2006, 01:55am

  Orphaned or an abandoned mite.”…I think a good likely girl, and a parish child of St. Bride’s, of honest parentage, and recommended by the churchwarden…” the parish needs the paliass for another of London’s abandoned.
  The poor , see p250 Restoration London Liza Picard
  p 175: “….all single women between twelve and forty, not having any visible [means of] livelihood are compellable…to go out to service, for the promotion of honest industry,…”
  [see William Blackstone Commentaries on the laws of England 1765, applicable to The restoration , based on the laws of Elizabeth 1.]

  It appears that a hole in the wall be more attractive, now deloused and with some threads in better condition, could chance her luck in the park.
  At tuppence a day and grub at the Pepys household, she could earn more as a seller of brooms, and not suffer being groomed .

• N aqua on Mon 21 Aug 2006, 01:58am

  His Majestie is getting used to the good life [as seen in gai Paree under the Sun Rex], and forgetting the mudane job of ensuring that his kingdom and income is in good shape.

• N TerryF on Mon 21 Aug 2006, 02:03am

  Fallout from Pepys’s conflicts spot the day from first to last.

  - The incident with bro. John (one in a series of incidents concerning keys - misplaced and lost)…

  - The saga of the chastening of Commnissioner Pett, whose dignity has been sorely tested, both by Pepys and by those who “act in the yard” at Chatham.

  - Then, of course, the day’s several issues concerning servants (“You can’t find good masters these days,” ‘tis rumored belowstairs).

  Pepys does not characterized his feelings as he goes to bed.

• N TerryF on Mon 21 Aug 2006, 02:21am

  But viall music soothes the soul….

• N aqua on Mon 21 Aug 2006, 02:24am

  Every since the wench came back down from the Fens, there has been nothing but upset, littered with a few moments in heaven.

• N Mary on Mon 21 Aug 2006, 06:44am

  “being cleansed of lice….2

  Quite probably this refers to body-lice rather than simply nits. As for running away, well, Jinny has been fitted out with a nice suit of new clothes even before she’s been expected to do any work so …. why hang around?

• N alanB on Mon 21 Aug 2006, 08:57am

  de-lousing followed by ‘de-pricklousing’ and freedom. Will Bess return to the Temps agency?

• N Bob T on Mon 21 Aug 2006, 12:04pm

  and good, new clothes put on her back, she run away from Goody Taylour that was shewing her the way to the bakehouse, and we heard no more of her. So to supper and to bed.
  This seems familiar. Does anyone know where Fagin lives?

• N A. De Araujo on Mon 21 Aug 2006, 12:28pm

  “and we heard no more of her”
  Methinks the word spread in the hood(the boy?)that Mr and Mrs Pepys are very strict disciplinarians, so I am just going to split.

• N A. Hamilton on Mon 21 Aug 2006, 02:25pm

  de-pricklousing

  alanB, good one. TerryF, vous etes apropos comme toujours. Conflicts also at court, where His Majestie forgets that he is a servant of sorts.

• N JWB on Mon 21 Aug 2006, 03:30pm

  “coxcomb”

  Coxcomb here, coxcomb there,
  Here a coxcomb, there a coxcomb.
  Everywhere a coxcomb.

• N JWB on Mon 21 Aug 2006, 04:07pm

  Jinny
  “Goody Taylour that was shewing her the way to the bakehouse, and we heard no more of he.”

  Perhaps she’d heard of the experience of Hansel & Gretel.

• N Mary on Mon 21 Aug 2006, 04:26pm

  “the way to the bakehouse”

  This is presumably the neighbourhood bakehouse, whence the family normally obtains bread, tarts and other bake-meats, rather than a communal, Navy Office bakehouse.

• N ellen on Mon 21 Aug 2006, 04:58pm

  was the girl abducted and robbed of the new clothes and afraid to return?

• N versanum poetam on Mon 21 Aug 2006, 07:33pm

  Once upon a time
  there be a girle called Jinny ,
  who be such a ninny,
  would rather sleep in a park
  all alone in the dark
  than be in a house
  to be freed of louse
  with those peeps
  they did give her the creeps
  they steal her rags
  then given harsh cloth.
  From head to toe
  they hunted bludy lice
  and it was not nice.
  she now without flea
  did decide to flee
  to the river lea
  instead of some bread
  and with some dread
  did leave the peeps
  to say” so to bed”

• N Glyn on Mon 21 Aug 2006, 07:45pm

  A good day’s entry - with Pepys’ brother locking the two of them out, I keep thinking of Laurel and Hardy.

  Presumably ‘an extraordinary business of victualling’ means provisioning a ship at short notice and not as a matter of routine - with the quantities involved and expenditure, it probably means a lot of unplanned work for the Office clerks, but Pepys seems to take it in his stride. If so, then I wonder where the ship was going so suddenly?

  I do remember that when Wayneman absconded, he also did it in his best new set of clothes. If the girl is from St Bride’s parish, then so was Sam so he probably knows her family, or is she too young to realise that?

  PS Best wishes to Robert Gertz on his recovery from his presumed illness - when was the last time he missed a daily posting?

• N Robert Gertz on Mon 21 Aug 2006, 10:53pm

  
  “Ah, Goody Taylor. My, what a sweet young lady. On your way to Mrs. Todd’s bakehouse, you say?”

  “Good morrow, Mr. Todd. Go on now, girl and don’t be too long.”

  (A charity for the world, my pet…)

• N Nix on Tue 22 Aug 2006, 10:15pm

  “called him Asse and coxcomb” —

  Funny, I’ve had the same conversation with MY brother Jon.

• N Kevin Peter on Fri 12 Jan 2007, 06:16pm

  I think a “parish child” is an orphan being taken care of by the parish rather than a child living in the parish, so Sam would have no family to talk to. He can, however, talk to the parish about what happened.

  The church warden did mention that the child was of “good parentage”, implying that the parish was familiar with the child’s parents. I’m guessing that they are now deceased, leaving the child in the care of the parish.