Sunday 25 September 1664

(Lord’s day). Up, and my throat being yet very sore, and, my head out of order, we went not to church, but I spent all the morning reading of “The Madd Lovers,” a very good play, and at noon comes Harman and his wife, whom I sent for to meet the Joyces, but they came not. It seems Will has got a fall off his horse and broke his face. However, we were as merry as I could in their company, and we had a good chine of beef, but I had no taste nor stomach through my cold, and therefore little pleased with my dinner. It raining, they sat talking with us all the afternoon. So anon they went away; and then I to read another play, “The Custome of the Country,” which is a very poor one, methinks. Then to supper, prayers, and bed.

Monday 26 September 1664Saturday 24 September 1664

Also on this day

Temperature: 13°C / 55°F

(Average for September 1664)

In Earls Colne, Essex

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Annotations

N Lurker on Tue 25 Sep 2007, 11:27pm. Flag this

“broke his face” ? Would this be a literal skull fracture, or just severe laceration? Or just a broken nose?
N A. De Araujo on Tue 25 Sep 2007, 11:40pm. Flag this

“and my throat being yet very sore”
Should have gargled with salt water.
N Michael Robinson on Wed 26 Sep 2007, 12:15am. Flag this

“… which is a very poor one, methinks. “

SP’s two prior Sunday afternoons have been spent fruitlessly chasing Jane Welsh. Perhaps a ‘poor one’ because the plot of “The Custome of the Country,” involves a renunciation of ‘droit de seigneur’ and revolves around women, and men, maintaining chastity and marital fidelity despite a myriad of pressures and adversities?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Custom_of_the_Country_(1647_play)
N Bradford on Wed 26 Sep 2007, 12:40am. Flag this

“To break one’s face” is a rare phrase on the Web, but it seems to suggest a little more damage than just flattening one’s nose—-abrasions on the cheekbones, eyebrows, forehead would be likely too. If one of Will’s cheekbones were broken, he’d have little stomach for beef either, however good the chine might be.
N cape henry on Wed 26 Sep 2007, 01:02am. Flag this

Skipped church to read ‘The Madd Lovers.’ Not sure that’s approved Sunday material.

It sounds like Sam has one of those rotten head colds that can “sink into the chest” as my grandmother used to say.
N Andrew Hamilton on Wed 26 Sep 2007, 07:39pm. Flag this

Could the subjects of the two plays have drawn Sam’s interest because he was reflecting on having spent the past two Sundays “fruitlessly chasing Jane Welsh?”

The Madd Lovers” deals with men driven mad by love (or lust) and contains “a Masque of Beasts and Trees, with an ape, dog, lion, and dancing trees — all former men and foolish lovers.”

And Michael Robinson notes that the theme of “The Custome of the Country,” involves “women, and men, maintaining chastity and marital fidelity despite a myriad of pressures and adversities?”

Is Sam trying to re-educate the old Adam in him?
N Andrew on Wed 26 Sep 2007, 07:50pm. Flag this

Could the subjects of the two plays have drawn
Sam’s attention BECAUSE he was reflecting on have spent the past two Sunday afternoons “fruitlessly chasing Jane Welsh?”

The “Madd Lovers” is about men driven mad by love (or lust). It contains a “Masque of Beasts and Trees, with an ape, dog, lion, and dancing trees — all former men and foolish lovers.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mad_Lover

According to Michael Robinson,”The Custome of the Country,” involves “women, and men, maintaining chastity and marital fidelity despite a myriad of pressures and adversities.”

Is Sam trying to reform the old Adam in him?