Sunday 4 August 1661

(Lord’s day). Got up, and by and by walked into the orchard with my cozen Roger, and there plucked some fruit, and then discoursed at large about the business I came for, that is, about my uncle’s will, in which he did give me good satisfaction, but tells me I shall meet with a great deal of trouble in it. However, in all things he told me what I am to expect and what to do.

To church, and had a good plain sermon, and my uncle Talbot went with us and at our coming in the country-people all rose with so much reverence; and when the parson begins, he begins “Right worshipfull and dearly beloved” to us.

Home to dinner, which was very good, and then to church again, and so home and to walk up and down and so to supper, and after supper to talk about publique matters, wherein Roger Pepys — (who I find a very sober man, and one whom I do now honour more than ever before for this discourse sake only) told me how basely things have been carried in Parliament by the young men, that did labour to oppose all things that were moved by serious men. That they are the most prophane swearing fellows that ever he heard in his life, which makes him think that they will spoil all, and bring things into a warr again if they can.

So to bed.


17 Annotations

First Reading

Pedro.  •  Link

"Roger Pepys--who I find a very sober man."

Well not "very" sober, in one sense, say the locals at the Rhenish wine-house in Cambridge, where their MP has been known to have a jar or two.

dirk  •  Link

"warr"

Interesting to see this spelled with two r's. Chaucer's "werre" is not that far back yet...

A. De Araujo  •  Link

"and by and by walked into the orchard with my cozen Roger and there plucked some fruit" the details make his diary so fascinating!...

daniel  •  Link

"warr"

indeed! in this age before keyboards one sees a surprising amount of carpal-tunnel inducing spellings like itt, mee and runn.

naturally, this being English there is no logic i.e. today's call and worry.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Warr, indeed...Where are these young hot-heads when Tony Blair needs them?

vicente  •  Link

rr for rrolling the rr's as they doth do further north. Note: some spelling as sound not as taught. Only now do we need a unified spelling, so that one may go[o]gle. For us that forget how [to, too] two add and make it fore [ for, four].

vicente  •  Link

Uncle Talbot[1583-1666] was how many removed [great 1/2 uncle]?:
William of Cottenham had a son John, who had two wives, the first begot Thom: the b & Thom: the Red [dispute who Sams grandad be] and the Irish Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, essex branch]and others; the second wife begot Edwards Montagu's mother and Talbot of Impington, so making Sandwich the True nephew , Roger, son of Talbot in turn was famous for his four wives. Lifted from the unequaled self Claire Tomalin [xii]

Wulf Losee  •  Link

Re: spelling. Since most of Pepys' diary was written in shorthand, I'm curious as to why the archaic spellings show up in the text. Is this perhaps the eccentricity of the Rev Mynors Bright who transcribed the diary in 1893?

--Wulf

Michael L  •  Link

Regarding spelling and the shorthand: I think the reason you see things like "warr" is because the shorthand was such that it preserved the consonants, but not the vowels. In other words, Pepys has it with 2 R's in the diary, so it is "translated" into a word with 2 R's.

Jackie  •  Link

The Puritan in Sam hasn't gone away yet, has it? He still has a preference for plain sermons and the Commonwealth ideals of behaviour, even as he's turning himself into a fashionable man whose career is dependent upon the restored Monarchy.

Ann  •  Link

"and at our coming in the country-people all rose with so much reverence; and when the parson begins, he begins "Right worshipfull and dearly beloved" to us.” That’s our Sam — still full of child-like awe at his rising status!

vicente  •  Link

"people all rose with so much reverence" Oh how one doth luv the dofing of the titfer. It gets one every time. Recognition by ones lessers is warming but when done by the betters, then thee can really bathe in light.
Of course this follows
Numquam autem recte faciet, qui cito credit, utique homo negoians.
Petrionius, Satyicon, 43
http://www.archeologhia.com/fonti…
My limited take if ye believe the gesture , heaven help you..

Second Reading

Bill  •  Link

"he begins “Right worshipfull and dearly beloved” to us"

Sometimes a bilingual dictionary is useful to explicate stock phrases. SP is quite pleased to be considered part of "la petite Noblesse."

Worshipful, right worshipful, honorable. C'est une Epithete d'honneur qui avoit autrefois la vogue parmi la petite Noblesse, quand on la traitoit de Worship.
---A short dictionary English and French. G. Miège, 1684.

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

The parson knew his job under the new regime: "God bless the Squire and his relations, and keep us all in our proper stations."

Chris Squire UK  •  Link

OED has:

‘worshipful, adj. (n. and adv.) . .
3. a. As an honorific title for persons or bodies of distinguished rank or importance: formerly used very widely, but now restricted to the livery companies and freemasons' lodges and their masters. right worshipful is applied to mayors.
. . 1605 W. Camden Remaines Ded. sig. A 3, To the Right Worshipfvll, Worthy, and Learned Sir Robert Cotton.
. . 1641 W. S. in More's Hist. Edward V (new ed.) Ep. Ded. sig. A2, To the Right Worshipfull Sir John Lenthall Knight.
1720 A. Petrie Rules Good Deportm. (1877) 79 The Manner of directing of your Letters... To the Right Worshipful Lady M.S... To the Worshipful Lady A.S . . ‘

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"To church, and had a good plain sermon, and my uncle Talbot went with us"

L&M note Talbot Pepys, lord of the manor, was Pepys's great-uncle. The church (St Andrews) lay a short distance to the north of the house. The parson was probably T. Bradshaw, who served the cure for the non-resident Vicar, Thomas Wilborogh.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Roger Pepys — (who I find a very sober man, and one whom I do now honour more than ever before for this discourse sake only) told me how basely things have been carried in Parliament by the young men, that did labour to oppose all things that were moved by serious men. "

The first session of the new parliament, ending on 30th July, had seen many victories for cavalier (for 'young men's') interests over that of the Presbyterians, or 'serious men'. Robert, son of Talbot Pepys, was M.P, for Cambridge borough. (L&M note)

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