Friday 15 March 1666/67
Up, and pleased at Tom’s teaching of Barker something to sing a 3rd part to a song, which will please mightily. So I to the office all the morning, and at noon to the ’Change, where I do hear that letters this day come to Court do tell us that we are likely not to agree, the Dutch demanding high terms, and the King of France the like, in a most braving manner. The merchants do give themselves over for lost, no man knowing what to do, whether to sell or buy, not knowing whether peace or war to expect, and I am told that could that be now known a man might get 20,000l. in a week’s time by buying up of goods in case there should be war. Thence home and dined well, and then with my wife, set her at Unthanke’s and I to Sir G. Carteret, where talked with the ladies a while, and my Lady Carteret talks nothing but sorrow and afflictions coming on us, and indeed I do fear the same. So away and met Dr. Fuller, Bishop of Limricke, and walked an hour with him in the Court talking of newes only, and he do think that matters will be bad with us. Then to Westminster Hall, and there spent an hour or two walking up and down, thinking ‘para avoir’ got out Doll Lane, ‘sed je ne’ could do it, having no opportunity ‘de hazer le, ainsi lost the tota’ afternoon, and so away and called my wife and home, where a little at the office, and then home to my closet to enter my journalls, and so to supper and to bed.
This noon come little Mis. Tooker, who is grown a little woman; ego had opportunity para baiser her … [and tocar la abaxo con my hand. She is pretty still, but had no mind to be vido, being not habilado as ella would be. My wife did tell me the other day that she heard she had had the gran pecho, but I hope no such thing. I sum certain that I should have been glad para aver tempo and lugar to have echo algo con her. – L&M]
This morning I was called up by Sir John Winter, poor man! come in his sedan from the other end of the town, before I was up, and merely about the King’s business, which is a worthy thing of him, and I believe him to be a worthy good man, and I will do him the right to tell the Duke of it, who did speak well of him the other day. It was about helping the King in the business of bringing down his timber to the sea-side, in the Forest of Deane.
31 Annotations
First Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
“…. This noon came little Mis Tooker, who is grown a little woman; ego had l’opportunity para besar her and tocar la abaxo con my hand. She is pretty still, but had no mind to be vido, being not habilado as ella would be. My wife did tell me the other day that she heard she had had the gran pecho, but I hope no such thing. I sum certain that I should have been glad para aver tempo and lugar to have hecho algo con her. ….”
http://www.pepys.info/bits5.html
Terry Foreman • Link
"...Tom’s teaching of Barker something to sing a 3rd part to a song...."
Was impromptu multipart-singing not as common then?
Paul Chapin • Link
SP on "little Mis Tooker" -
"I had the opportunity to kiss her and touch her below with my hand. She is pretty still, but had no mind to be seen, being not dressed as she would be. My wife did tell me the other day that she heard she had had the large breast, but I hope no such thing. I am certain that I should have been glad to have time and place to have done something with her..."
I don't understand the part about the "large breast." Presumably Miss Tooker is growing breasts by now. Why would Sam hope otherwise? He does like touching breasts, as we know. Or have I misunderstood the phrase?
Robert Gertz • Link
"...pleased at Tom’s teaching of Barker something to sing a 3rd part to a song, which will please mightily..."
"Tommy?"
"Bought 'er." grin.
"No... Mr. P. didn'."
"Did. Hook, line, and all."
"What did you tell 'im we was doin'?"
"I was...Ahem...Teaching Miss Barker the 3rd part of a song."
"What?"
"And you'd best learn one, as he'll be expectin' it."
"But 'e come right in on us?"
"'spect Mr. P. had his mind on his own affairs." grin.
"Tom!!" Call.
"Yes, Mrs. Pepys."
"Mr. Pepys says you're teaching Barker a song and I should learn it as well!"
"Right, mum."
"What's the song?"
"It's French, mum... I learnt of Mr. P!"
"Really?" Bess appears at door. "And what pray tell's the name?"
"..., mum."
"Tommy!" Barker in alarm.
"Rea...lly." Bess grins. "I believe I have heard that one."
cum salis grano • Link
tocar la abaxo con my hand.
via the Arogon leads to "down" like in eider down, in latin that be saying pappus, she be becoming a young women.
thus I be thinking, he [Samuell] be exploring the chest area.
David Goldfarb • Link
I guess that "pecho" here means "pox" -- "gran pecho", great pox == syphilis. (As opposed to "small pox" which was smallpox.)
Robert Gertz • Link
"...the Dutch demanding high terms, and the King of France the like, in a most braving manner. The merchants do give themselves over for lost, no man knowing what to do, whether to sell or buy, not knowing whether peace or war to expect, and I am told that could that be now known a man might get 20,000l. in a week’s time by buying up of goods in case there should be war."
I'd bank on there being war.
"Stupid English...We thumb our noses at you!"
"Worst of it is, Pepys..." Batten sighs. "Those are our seamen."
***
Robert Gertz • Link
"...my Lady Carteret talks nothing but sorrow and afflictions coming on us, and indeed I do fear the same."
Guys, you just survived the Great Plague and the Great Fire. I doubt Louis and his erstwhile allies can do much more.
Robert Gertz • Link
"...ainsi lost the tota’ afternoon, and so away and called my wife and home, where a little at the office, and then home to my closet to enter my journalls, and so to supper and to bed."
Heaven...
"You know you could have just had sex with me that afternoon." Bess notes.
"Why?" Sam shrugs.
***
"So...Let me get this straight. Mr. Pepys accidently put his head through that wall?" St. Peter eyes the rather unfortunate Pepys as several assistants attempt to extract him from said wall.
"Oh, yes..." Sam calls faintly. Peter frowning at Bess.
"Tis a beautiful lie..." Bess notes fondly, shrugging.
"You two do understand that this is supposed to be Heaven?"
"Wherever she is..." faint call from wall.
Bess eyes Peter.
"Accident..." Peter shakes head, writing.
"You know I can only do this sort of thing three times." he eyes Bess.
Robert Gertz • Link
Heaven...
"But sir..." assistant addresses Peter. "Why are we letting this Pepys off?"
"Wife vouched, remanded to her care."
"Yes, but what about...The little Tooker girl."
"Purgatory took care of that. She's content with his wife's probation."
"Really?"
"Several rather large and hideous types had two hundred years opportunity to 'do something' with him."
Terry Foreman • Link
"This morning I was called up by Sir John Winter....about helping the King in the business of bringing down his timber to the sea-side, in the Forest of Deane."
That would surely involve hauling the timber to the nearby River Severn http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rive… and so down to Bristol, where, Pepys told us, was "a ship built...the last year, of fifty guns and upwards, and a most excellent good ship." http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
That would do the King good.
Terry Foreman • Link
"That would surely involve hauling the timber to the nearby River Severn "
Too bad Sir John Winter's project was not carried out: it would have prevented The Dean Forest Riots, a great civil disturbance 164 year on: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fore…
Mary • Link
little Miss Tooker was rumoured on February 24th to have the clap. Rumour has now incresed the severity of her infection to the great pox. Just as well that Sam didn't have time and place to do something with her; he has quite enough genito-urinary problems already, I should have thought.
cape henry • Link
"...and then home to my closet to enter my journalls..."
These writings in hindsight, even if aided with contemporaneous notes, remain breathtaking in their power to conjure all that they do for us.He manages to enliven the smallest details of his life - though never enough, to be sure - to the grandest events.Think back to the long,particularized, recollection of the complex political conversation with Hugh Cholmley on the 11th. I assume it is being documented today, so the succinctness and detail are even more remarkable.I realize that this isn't a new revelation to any regular readers, but I bring it up here just to give us pause to think about it again.
arby • Link
Thanks for the forest riots link, Terry.
Paul Chapin • Link
Thanks to David Goldfarb and Mary for clarifying that pecho=pox. That makes a lot more sense. Now I'm wondering how it came to mean 'breast' in modern Spanish.
A. De Araujo • Link
"gran pecho"
although it seems logical and plausible I don't see any evidence of it meaning syphilis in spanish.
cum salis grano • Link
I hate to disagree: pecho is a popular Spanish word for n. bosom, breast, chest
great Pox was medically known as syphilis, could not find
any other slang word connection or popular cover word.
Need some good reference/citation for the Pox connection.
Samuell knew of the dangers of pox, but be unaware of it showing up elsewhere.
So in my ignorance I doth think Samuell was investigating the chest.
Mary • Link
The problem is that Pepys says that he hopes no such thing, which implies that the 'problem' is something that he is not capable of discerning for himself, so 'pecho = breast' doesn't make a lot of sense here.
Perhaps we should be looking for 17th century slang, or even a different spelling. Any suggestions?
Mary • Link
I've just looked at Tomalin's biography. She (page 423 note 51) goes with the syphilis version.
Robert Gertz • Link
Poor kid...What a miserable life.
language hat • Link
Yeah, it has to mean "pox" here. It does no good to put any weight on Sam's spellings; he's completely impressionistic with his foreignisms. And "breast" makes no sense in context.
Australian Susan • Link
Unless "great breast" meant swelling in breast - breast cancer?
Second Reading
Gaston FUGIER • Link
Memory has special tricks, such as taking one word for another which has the same initial, (e.g; sous la chaise/sur la chaise on January 16, 1664) S.P. may have used Pecho instead of Panza, meaning she had had a big belly, i.e. she had been pregnant
Terry Foreman • Link
"Sir John Winter, poor man! come in his sedan from the other end of the town, before I was up, and merely about....helping the King in the business of bringing down his timber to the sea-side, in the Forest of Deane."
See http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
San Diego Sarah • Link
"These writings in hindsight, even if aided with contemporaneous notes, remain breathtaking in their power to conjure all that they do for us."
Cape Henry is right. I'm sure all the current annotators are having the same "flashbacks" I'm having. We're not confronting anything as ugly as the plague, but I understand it can move as fast. That Pepys and his extended family got through it reasonably intact gives me hope and a little sang froid. And I do find myself somewhat better prepared to talk about the realities of quarantine than my friends who have not seriously considered this sort of widespread vulnerability since 1918.
mountebank • Link
Having experienced the past week in the UK and having read: "my Lady Carteret talks nothing but sorrow and afflictions coming on us, and indeed I do fear the same. So away and met Dr. Fuller, Bishop of Limricke, and walked an hour with him in the Court talking of newes only, and he do think that matters will be bad with us."
I'm very much of a mind with you SDS. As a contrast to the plague year of 1665, it's been striking how unacceptable the general public is finding being told by our leaders about the inevitability of people dying.
San Diego Sarah • Link
When health care is talked about as "a right" the conversation becomes very questionable. Life is -- and will always be -- a crap shoot. Pepys and company were more aware of that than we are. Having 16 children was something of an insurance against heartbreak, but Queen Anne and Prince George of Denmark found that to be no security.
James Morgan • Link
I didn't get the sense that Sam and his contemporaries thought death from the plague was acceptable. They seemed downright terrified at the prospect. As are we, having to relearn the practice of quarantine. Fortunately modern sanitation is some help.
San Diego Sarah • Link
Just read an article about the spread of the plague in the 14th century. It made the point of emphasizing that we are NOT facing the plague. The end was interesting:
"So, what's the lesson, if any? Isolation definitely helps against infectious diseases. But that's about the only advantage of being isolated. This map of the spread of COVID-19 as of 5 March shows that if you divide the world into 'fun' and 'no fun' halves, they would correspond quite well with the infected and uninfected zones on this map, respectively.
"One sure-fire way to limit your exposure to the outside world is to have a bloody civil war – see Yemen, Libya and Syria. Another is to be a destination as out of the way and unconnected as Paraguay, the Central African Republic or Mongolia.
"If this is the price of living in an interconnected world, then there are worse things than having to fight off a slightly deadlier iteration of the flu once a century.
"Praise globalization and pass the hand sanitizer – with your elbows, please!"
https://bigthink.com/strange-maps…
San Diego Sarah • Link
"... I was called up by Sir John Winter, poor man! come in his sedan from the other end of the town, ..."
Poor men carrying Sir John Winter, more like it. This is one of two mentions of sedan chairs in the Diary ... apparently Pepys never got into one.
https://www.historic-uk.com/Cultu…
In 1634 Sir Saunders Duncombe introduced the sedan chair for hire in London. They quickly became popular, being versatile and cheaper than a hackney cab -- and often the quickest form of transport in the city, as they could pass down streets too narrow for carriages, as well as fetch invalids from their bedrooms.