Thursday 3 October 1661

At the office all the morning; dined at home, and in the afternoon Mr. Moore came to me, and he and I went to Tower Hill to meet with a man, and so back all three to my house, and there I signed a bond to Mr. Battersby, a friend of Mr. Moore’s, who lends me 50l., the first money that ever I borrowed upon bond for my own occasion, and so I took them to the Mitre and a Portugal millon with me; there sat and discoursed in matters of religion till night with great pleasure, and so parted, and I home, calling at Sir W. Batten’s, where his son and his wife were, who had yesterday been at the play where we were, and it was good sport to hear how she talked of it with admiration like a fool. So home, and my head was not well with the wine that I drank to-day.


15 Annotations

First Reading

dirk  •  Link

"and my head was not well with the wine that I drank to-day"

Foxed again. It's becoming a habit...

Bradford  •  Link

"it was good sport to hear how she talked of it with admiration like a fool. So home, and my head was not well with the wine that I drank to-day."

To quote the refrain of a ditty preserved by Thomas Ravenscroft (British, c. 1582-c. 1635, an energetic collector of popular vocal music of the day), "Thou hast well drunken, man: who's the fool now?"

vicente  •  Link

Strange: two versions of watching the same play. Such dismissal.
"... who had yesterday been at the play where we were, and it was good sport to hear how she talked of it with admiration like a fool...."
Those filters we have, bias our thinking ,we do just match what is present with that we have already an opinion about, and if person x is contra then we must justify, why ours [opinion that is] is superior. (One sees this effect all the time with the political discussions)

dirk  •  Link

Evelyn's diary

(cfr yesterday's entry, and the day before - the French-Spanish mini war cont'd)

"Next day Evening, being in the withdrawing roome next the Bed-chamber, his Majestie espying me came to me from a greate crowde of noblemen standing neere the fire, & asked me if I had don: told me, he fear'd it might be a little to sharp (on second thoughts) for he had that morning spoken with the French Ambassador who it seemes had palliated the matter, & was very tame; & therefore directed me where I should soften a period or two, before it were publish'd &c [(as afterward it was)]. This night also spake to me to give him a sight of what was sent, and to bring it to him in his Bed Chamber, which I did, & received it againe from him at dinner next day: By Saturday having finish'd it with all his Majesties notes, the King being gon abroad, I sent the papers to Sir Hen: Bennet (privy-Purse, & a greate favorite) and slip'd home, being my selfe much indisposs'd & harrass'd, with going about, & sitting up to write, &c:"

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...it was good sport to hear how she talked of it with admiration like a fool."

Considering that dear Lady B is quite the woman of the world based on Sam's earlier entries, one might wonder whose opinion is the superior here...

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...there I signed a bond to Mr. Battersby, a friend of Mr. Moore's, who lends me 50l., the first money that ever I borrowed upon bond for my own occasion…”

Sam’l…What will Beth say?

First 40l from Batten now this. The road to ruin, Mr. Pepys, the road to ruin…

daniel  •  Link

"the Mitre and a Portugal millon with me; "

the miter we all are acquainted with.

what is a Portugal million?

Pauline  •  Link

a Portugal million
See entry for Sept 27 for the discussion of these melons brought to the Wardrobe and to Sam from Lord Sandwich in Portugal.

PHE  •  Link

Lady Batten - theatre critic
It would be interesting to know her views on Shakspeare's plays which we know Sam never cared for.

A. De Araujo  •  Link

"like a fool"
Yesterday Pegg Kite was a slut,today Lady Batten is a fool! a little misogyny here?

JWB  •  Link

Mr. Moore
Wonder if Rev.Mr. Battersby, or Sam, or both paid a finders fee to Mr. Moore? I think I'd want to be stone-cold sober whenever I dealt with Mr. Moore.

helco  •  Link

"like a fool"
Various meanings of “slut” were discussed in annotations for Jan. 1, 1660/61. Sam most likely meant sloppy.
Might it be useful to have a “language” heading in which words that have changed their meaning (or have different meanings in different countries) are listed?

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

re: "like a fool"

Sam is what he is, and that's all he is. I love reading his diary because it's a glimpse into another time and another place ... I find I have to quell my biases so I don't condemn Sam and his 17th-century cohorts for theirs. Makes the reading easier and more instructive, IMO.

As for Lady Batten, Sam (and Elizabeth, for that matter) has had a poor opinion of her for a while. If I recall my Tomalin correctly, she was very much Batten's "trophy wife" (to use a modern-day bias), and so was not taken seriously by many around her.

I actually think his comment about her is pretty funny. He's not just being contrary -- remember, he said yesterday that it was the worst theater experience he'd ever had ("Methinks a very poor play"), and suddenly here she is, rhapsodizing over it. Who among us hasn't secretly rolled our eyes at a co-worker or acquaintance who goes on and on praising a movie or play that we know actually is crap? Sam's simply doing the same here, confiding to his diary that *he* knows quality when he sees it.

Second Reading

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

Sam is a normal human being with loves, hates, likes, dislikes and prejudices. Why do we bother to read him?

Firstly, he is a voice from a different age, yet one in which the foundations of our modern world were being laid. Secondly, in a city which was soon to become the centre of a global political and commercial empire, he was in the thick of the political and social action. Thirdly he was intelligent, observant and honest in recording his opinions and impressions, without an eye over his shoulder about how history might judge him.

He was no saint, yet neither was he the most egregious of sinners. One must remember that the diary is a snapshot, and nowhere near the whole truth. Where he clearly dislikes someone, like Peg Kite, there will usually be a history to the relationship, and of course two sides to the story, the detail of which we are largely unaware. So taking sides is pointless: we should merely appreciate the scene painted for us with Sam's broad verbal brush.

HRW  •  Link

Sasha. Thank you and well said.

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