Saturday 2 September 1665

This morning I wrote letters to Mr. Hill and Andrews to come to dine with me to-morrow, and then I to the office, where busy, and thence to dine with Sir J. Minnes, where merry, but only that Sir J. Minnes who hath lately lost two coach horses, dead in the stable, has a third now a dying. After dinner I to Deptford, and there took occasion to ‘entrar a la casa de la gunaica de ma Minusier’, and did what I had a mind … To Greenwich, where wrote some letters, and home in pretty good time.

Sunday 3 September 1665Friday 1 September 1665

Also on this day

Temperature: 13°C / 55°F

(Average for September 1665)

In Earls Colne, Essex

Baptism register 1660 to 1669

(About this data)

Annotations

N Robert Gertz on Tue 2 Sep 2008, 10:10pm. Flag this

“Waste not, want not, eh, Pepys?” Sir John, beaming…
N jean-paul on Tue 2 Sep 2008, 10:43pm. Flag this

Now, i know the origin of the expression “Honey, I’m home!”…
N Carl in Boston on Wed 3 Sep 2008, 12:53am. Flag this

who hath lately lost two coach horses, dead in the stable, has a third now a dying.
I marvel that Pepys can write so many letters and have them delivered. Evidently the Post Office delivers through fire, famine, pestilence, and plague.
N A. De Araujo on Wed 3 Sep 2008, 01:04am. Flag this

“who hath lately lost two coach horses,dead in the stable,has a third now a dying.”
From the Plague?
N dirk on Wed 3 Sep 2008, 01:35am. Flag this

and there took occasion to ‘entrar a la casa de la gunaica de ma Minusier’, and did what I had a mind…

L&M: “and there took occasion to andar a la casa de la gunaica de mi Minusier and did what I had a mind a hazer con [ella], and volvió”

“entrar a la casa de la gunaica de ma Minusier” = “to enter the house of the Minusier (?) girl”
(guniaca = Greek - cf gynaecologist)

“and did what I had a mind a hazer con ella, and volvió” = and did what I had a mind to do with her, and returned”
N Martin on Wed 3 Sep 2008, 02:18am. Flag this

gunaica - good woman (Greek)
menusier - carpenter (French)
The good woman of my carpenter.
In other words, Madame Bagwell, whose husband is a ship’s carpenter.
N Martin on Wed 3 Sep 2008, 02:27am. Flag this

“thence to dine with Sir J. Minnes, where merry, but only that Sir J. Minnes who hath lately lost two coach horses, dead in the stable, has a third now a dying.”

I’m trying to make sense of “but only that.” Does he mean “except for the fact that…”?
N Mary on Wed 3 Sep 2008, 06:46am. Flag this

“but only that” = “except for the fact that” indeed.

The death of two coach horses with a further death expected represents a considerable loss of money: good coach horses did not come cheap. Although plague can be transmitted to other mammals than man I’ve no idea whether it is transmissible to horses. More common causes of sudden equine death are contaminated feed or careless treatment (leading to colic) by a stable-hand.
N C.J.Darby on Wed 3 Sep 2008, 12:20pm. Flag this

Wham,Bam,Thank you mam and home in pretty good time. I does not seem to cost him a thought or moral scruple with death looking over his shoulder.
N A. De Araujo on Wed 3 Sep 2008, 01:32pm. Flag this

“gunaica”
Thank you Martin;Sam should stick to french and spanish;he had me all over the internet looking for guanica(I misread it).
N Robert Gertz on Wed 3 Sep 2008, 11:11pm. Flag this

Mrs. B rates Greek? Is that some sort of Pepysian promotion for the favorite mistress?
N Australian Susan on Sun 7 Sep 2008, 12:30pm. Flag this

Sudden horse death: could be equine flu, which is very contagious. I think if it had been colic caused by poor stable management, we would have heard about the iniquity of the stable boy etc. But food supplies could have been disrupted because of the plague, so contaminated food sounds likely.