Monday 12 August 1661

At the office this morning. At home in the afternoon, and had notice that my Lord Hinchingbroke is fallen ill, which I fear is with the fruit that I did give them on Saturday last at my house: so in the evening I went thither and there found him very ill, and in great fear of the smallpox. I supped with my Lady, and did consult about him, but we find it best to let him lie where he do; and so I went home with my heart full of trouble for my Lord Hinchinabroke’s sickness, and more for my Lord Sandwich’s himself, whom we are now confirmed is sick ashore at Alicante, who, if he should miscarry, God knows in what condition would his family be.

I dined to-day with my Lord Crew, who is now at Sir H. Wright’s, while his new house is making fit for him, and he is much troubled also at these things.


26 Annotations

First Reading

A. De Araujo  •  Link

"which I fear is with the fruit"
Could be but I doubt it; food poisoning doesn't take that long to show symptoms which I presume is diarrhea and vomiting;why is he afraid of the smallpox,I couldn't tell;may be just panic.

Mark Ynys-Mon  •  Link

Typical 17thC fear of fruit. Sam would be most confused by the modern view that it is a healthy thing to eat!

Glyn  •  Link

That's right. Sam is feeling guilty for not feeding him lots of meat in all this hot weather! The boy's mother Lady Montagu must be 7 or 8(?) months' pregnant by now, so she has to look after her health too. And if Lord Sandwich dies overseas at the same time as the son, then what will happen to the family's influence, and will someone else get Pepys's profitable jobs?

vicente  •  Link

popular still with Londoners and the Water?: Alicante[AlEkAn?tA]

Costa Blanca. Map for those who may want to sample the Oranges et al.
http://www.infocostablanca.com/uk…

vicente  •  Link

Alicante Akra Leuke (Ancient Greek), Alacant (Catalan), Alicante (Spanish), al-Laqant (Arabic), Lucentum (Latin)
http://www.wordiq.com/definition/…
it has hosted many diverse peoples.

Mary  •  Link

The fear of smallpox.

Quite understandable in an age when this was a relatively common disease. The earliest symptoms include general malaise, headache, body aches, fever and sometimes vomiting. The pox themselves do not appear for 2-4 days after the onset of these first symptoms.

Ruben  •  Link

"which I fear is with the fruit'
the problem is not the fruit itself but the handling. No one washed the fruit in a way to decontaminate it.
If it looked clean, it was clean. If the handler had contaminated hands (he just was to the WC, etc)or the plate was not clean as we understand today or some flies rested on the fruit, well, today we know the answer: clean it again.
Incubation period was a later development. In Pepys days they just guessed (cause -effect).
Smallpox was a deadly disease and lots of people died of it.

Xjy  •  Link

Alicante
The Greek Akra Leuke means white or bright headland (akro-polis -- crag/high rock city, leuk-emia -- white blood). The Latin means Shining. No idea about the Arabic. Anyone know the place and recognize this? Maybe as familiar a landmark to Iberians as the White Cliffs of Dover to us. Important city on the coast. Probably lots of professionals, like doctors. Too bad they kicked the Moors out...

Carolina  •  Link

"which I fear is with the fruit"

Ruben - do you wash fruit sufficiently to decontaminate it?
These days still, if it looks clean, if probably is !
Read an article recently about food poisoning caused by fruit.
What can we do about it - bleach it ? I don't think so !
Much the same as in Samuels's day, just eat it. At least nowadays, we know a lot more than he did. The vitamins in it probably counteract the worst poisons !!

Ruben  •  Link

I remember as a boy, many many years ago eating fruit and finding bugs, worms and what not inside of the apples, figs and plums I ate when I was out of the big city. The fruit most of us eat today was sprayed against all kind of bugs when still on the tree.
A fruit with a blemish will not sell in your local supermarket.
Before coming to market the fruit will be washed in antiseptic solutions, so it has more "shelf life". The irrigation water comes from a clean source or was filtrated. That prevents pathogens from served waters.
In some countries fruit may have been irradiated. Then you take it home, where I hope you wash it again. When kept in the refrigerator, the bacteria on the surface do not reproduce and the flyes are kept away.
I also presume you washed your hands before touching your food.
In Pepys days, fruit came to the market from a small local producer that handled fruit manually, one by one. No one had clean hands. There was no running water.
Lord Hinchinbroke 14 years old hands were not cleaner because of the title.
In the summer fruit would be at a temperature that today we would consider excesive, etc.

dirk  •  Link

Alicante

I don't know the meaning of the Arabic al-laqant - but there is a beautiful hispano-arabic legend, still known in the region, that explains the name Alicante:

The story of the unhappy love between Cantara and Aly - who at least had the delayed consolation to see their names fused in the name of the place that was witness to their impossible love.

Cantara was the beautiful daughter of the Caliph of the city (the present Alicante). Two young men fell crazily in love with her. The Caliph decided that in order to decide who was to be his daughter's husband, the pretendents would have to carry out a difficult task of their choice, and Allah would then decide between them. Almanzor (the other pretendent) decided to go to the Indies to find rare spices for his beloved, while Aly promised the Caliph to dig a ditch to bring fresh water to the city. While Almanzor was away to the Indies to get the spices, Cantara fell passionately in love with Aly. But then one day Almanzor returned, his ships loaded with spices, and the Caliph, who was a man of his word, granted him the hand of his daughter.

Aly, desperate, threw himself off a cliff. Cantara, equally desperate, decided to follow her love, and jumped into the sea from the ridge of San Julian, which would from that day on be known as "el salt de la reina mora" (Catalan: "the jump of the Moorish Queen"). The Caliph died of grief, and the expression on his dying face can still be seen on the side of Mount Benacantil [mountain overlooking Alicante]. The Calyph's court, impressed by the facts, decided to call the city "Alic?ntara”, of which the present name “Alicante” is supposed to be derived.

Translated/summarized from the Spanish.
Original on:
http://www.alu.ua.es/v/vjpl/leyen…

dirk  •  Link

Alicante - Al-Laqant explained

By a treaty signed in 713 between the Goth king Teodomir and the invader Abd Al-Aziz, the Roman city of Lucentum passed into the hands of the latter. It became known as Madina-al-Laqant, an arabicized form of (City of) Lucentum.

Source (in Spanish)
http://www.alu.ua.es/v/vjpl/histo…

language hat  •  Link

List of European cities with alternative names:
Thanks, vicente -- great link!

vicente  •  Link

Water, water every where, but not [b*****] drop to drink. Washing off all things with water is a good practice to remove as much of that resides on objects including hands. [ Not too long ago, there was a hospital [remaining nameless to protect the guilty] that those who should Know better, saved time by proceeding with work under way,without that function , found Staf infections became very popular again, finally it dawned on the Investigators that basic hygene was thought to be of old fuddy duddy school and that clean wipes would do, reinstated the old system of washing and lathering then rinsing hands [and other exposed surfaces with H2O and soap].
It has been found in the UK recently that one does not need to go to the Chemist to get Vallium and its cozens, just distill it from ones tap water; Water does work with most of natures basic building blocks.
Re: insects; I always enjoy'd sharing a fresh juicy apple with wasps, it told me, it was sweet. Fruit and veggies from many source [sauces] are not only made perfect by removing all insect life,and made to grow larger by the basics of all fertilizers [some remaining on the outer surface] but that killer of life may enter ones central processor [stomach] and dis able all the bacteria that resides there in preparing to remove all the required materials to keep the body system functioning. It took years of dedication to make observation and documention and then connecting the dots before we got the modern Medicine and basic practices.
The Body can immunize itself against the stupidities of mankind, but it does need help. For Centuries Religions used fear to instill some health practices but Knowledge is better. Water so powerful yet so misunderstood can help man in every facet of his life from smellin', lookin',feelin',eatin' and tastin' great.

Ruben  •  Link

Alicante - Al-Laqant explained
Alicante stands in Monte Benacantil.
I just suggest: Monte Ben-Acantil or in Modern Spanish: Monte Buen Acantilado meaning "good cliff hill". I think it was named so because it was "good or easy to defend".
From acantil to Alicante there is a short way...

language hat  •  Link

Ruben, it's from Latin Lucentum.
See Dirk's comment above.

George  •  Link

Can anyone say Why My Lord Sandwich is"sick ashore in Alicante" when he was on his way to take possession of Tangier?

vicente  •  Link

It appears that this resort was not ready for Sick Admirals, Montegue probably wanted to be somewhere less intimdating and free of Corsairs..Quotes from quotes:
"When Peterborough landed he found the town derelict" [this was later, in Jan of 62, when taking possesion of the gift.]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang…
Earl of Peterborough's Regiment of Foot
raised for garrison service at Tangier

Queens or West Surreys formed 1661 Oct. went to to sea Jan 1662 then To Tangiers.
http://www.regiments.org/deploy/u…

http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

Held by the Portuguese from 1471 and by the British from 1661 [month unknown], it returned to Moroccan control in 1684.
Notice it was not the prize possesion first imagin'd.

Pedro.  •  Link

Sandwich and Tangier.

Adding to Vincente's comment, and before the arrival of Peterborough in January 1662..
Admiral Edward Montague, Earl of Sandwich, was sent to take possession of Tangier until the arrival of an English garrison. Tangier controlled entry into the Mediterranean and was the principle commercial centre on the North West coast of Africa, with a large European population. Charles rightly called it a jewel of immense value in the royal diadem. Sandwich found the Portuguese garrison under constant attack from fanatical Moorish tribes, under their powerful leader Gayland. The Portuguese asked for his assistance, and he put 300 men ashore

Vincente says, "Notice it was not the prize possesion first imagin'd" and it will not be the only surprise in the Dowry.
(Slight spoiler in site with the info above see)

http://www.kipar.org/society/kirk…

in Aqua Scripto  •  Link

Errata I dothe think :"my Lord Hinchinabroke’s " Hinchin[ g ]broke scan problem?

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"my heart full of trouble for my Lord Hinchinabroke’s sickness, and more for my Lord Sandwich’s himself, whom we are now confirmed is sick ashore at Alicante"

Sandwich had been ashore at Alicante (on the s.-e. coast of Spain) from 12 to 19 July, suffering from a high fever: Sandwich, p. 90. (L&M note)

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"I dined to-day with my Lord Crew, who is now at Sir H. Wright’s, while his new house is making fit for him"

In Lincoln's Inn Fields: he was moving to the house next door. (L&M note)

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"my Lord Hinchingbroke is fallen ill, which I fear is with the fruit that I did give them on Saturday last at my house:"

L&M: Some fevers, as well as colic, were attributed to the easting of fruit. '/in Summer time crude Humors breed...by eating of fruit, and over-much drinking [which] being mixed with Choller, do breed bastard Tertians': L. Riverius, The practice of physic...(1672), p. 580. The sale of certain fruits was forbidden in London during plague-time: C. Hole, Engl. home-life, 1500-1800, p. 13. See also Priv. Corr., ii. 63, 85; Burton's Anat. of melancholy (ed. Shilleto), i. 253-4; ii. 29.

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