Monday 16 March 1662/63

Up very betimes and to my office, where, with several Masters of the King’s ships, Sir J. Minnes and I advising upon the business of Slopps, wherein the seaman is so much abused by the Pursers, and that being done, then I home to dinner, and so carried my wife to her mother’s, set her down and Ashwell to my Lord’s lodging, there left her, and I to the Duke, where we met of course, and talked of our Navy matters. Then to the Commission of Tangier, and there, among other things, had my Lord Peterborough’s Commission read over; and Mr. Secretary Bennet did make his querys upon it, in order to the drawing one for my Lord Rutherford more regularly, that being a very extravagant thing.

Here long discoursing upon my Lord Rutherford’s despatch, and so broke up, and so going out of the Court I met with Mr. Coventry, and so he and I walked half an hour in the long Stone Gallery, where we discoursed of many things, among others how the Treasurer doth intend to come to pay in course, which is the thing of the world that will do the King the greatest service in the Navy, and which joys my heart to hear of. He tells me of the business of Sir J. Minnes and Sir W. Pen, which I knew before, but took no notice or little that I did know it. But he told me it was chiefly to make Mr. Pett’s being joyned with Sir W. Batten to go down the better, and do tell me how he well sees that neither one nor the other can do their duties without help. But however will let it fall at present without doing more in it to see whether they will do their duties themselves, which he will see, and saith they do not. We discoursed of many other things to my great content and so parted, and I to my wife at my Lord’s lodgings, where I heard Ashwell play first upon the harpsicon, and I find she do play pretty well, which pleaseth me very well. Thence home by coach, buying at the Temple the printed virginal-book for her, and so home and to my office a while, and so home and to supper and to bed.


21 Annotations

First Reading

TerryF  •  Link

"the business of Slopps [their standard-issue clothes], wherein the seaman is so much abused by the Pursers," who overcharged them (so L&M).

Bradford  •  Link

"Thence home by coach, buying at the Temple the printed virginal- book for her":

Does L&M venture to name the book Pepys bought? It would seem that only one printed (as opposed to manuscript) collection fitting this description was available at this time from a British source: "Parthenia," 1st. ed. London, 1613, much reprinted, last in 1659, containing music of Bull, Byrd, and Orlando Gibbons.

But sometime in 1663 the prolific and ambitious John Playford issued the first edition of his "Musickes Hand-maide," which "contains much music composed before 1660." Might this new publication be the one?

---from the 1980 Grove, "Sources of keyboard music to 1660: British Isles," 17:733.

TerryF  •  Link

"Up very betimes"

The first occurrence of this phrase in the Diary.

Alan Bedford  •  Link

"...buying at the Temple the printed virginal-book..."

Interestingly, John Playford kept a shop at the Temple churchyard where he sold music and related books. Same has bought songbooks from him in the past. Likely it's from Playford that Sam bought the virginal book.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...carried my wife to her mother’s, set her down and Ashwell to my Lord’s lodging, there left her, and I to the Duke..."

Hmmn...All right who is this guy and what has he done with our Sam? The Sam who was in great hopes of having had a bout with Sir Will P's pretty maid and also had a mind after his own wench...

Ok, 1) "Dr. Pierce, are you sure?"
"Pepys, your wife cannot live six months."
"Oh, God...For at least those six months...I shall vow off all other women."

2)"So Mary is pretty and sweet, eh, brother Samuel."

"Aye, Balty. Ummn...Balty, must you follow us about like this?"

"But brother Samuel, my dearest sister said I was to escort Ashwell with you to my lord Sandwich's...And never let her and you out of my sight while you were together."

3)"Lovely carriage that new girl of yours, Pepys."

"Aye, Sir Will. Thank ye."

"Well-mannered and clever, obviously."

"Indeed, Sir Will."

"Sweet tempered thing too. And I hear a fine musician."

"Oh, yes."

"Pity about that second head half-grown out of her neck."

"A tragedy, Sir Will. But Ashwell's a brave, plucky lass."

***

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"Mr. Pepys? As long as you're bringing the new girl a gift without one (or six) for your wife, I have something for you."

"Ah? Hmmn...Is this a gun, sir?"

"Uh-huh. Now, lay the open end of this against your skull. Careful, it's loaded. And now take this rag and clean all that guck away from the cocked hair-trigger."

"But, sir? Is this safe?"

"Safe as coming home with gifts for Ashwell and nothing for Bess, you moron."

Miss Ann  •  Link

"... where I heard Ashwell play first upon the harpsicon, and I find she do play pretty well, which pleaseth me very well."
I wonder why Sam doesn't get out his instrument (theobo) and have a jam session with Miss Ashwell, is he remaining somewhat superior as the Man of the House, or biding his time to see how things work out?

“Pity about that second head half-grown out of her neck.”

Robert, this is a truly Australian mainland statement, usually made about Tasmanians. I suppose parts of the US of A have similar states where it applies as well.

TerryF  •  Link

“Pity about that second head half-grown out of her neck.”

Miss Ann, I believe Robert refers to the appearance of a transgenedered time-traveling
Zaphod Beeblebrox with a second head half-grown out of his neck (recall the worm-hole) introduced to us by Douglas Adams in "The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy" http://imdb.com/title/tt0081874/

Mary  •  Link

"buying ..... the printed virginal-book"

Presumably it was the possibility of this kind of additional household expense that informed Sam's original reluctance to engage a waiting-woman for Elizabeth.

jeannine  •  Link

Robert you can put away the gun...This is obviously a Wheatley translation error......Sam didn't buy her a "virginal" book but rather a "virgin book" full of all of the little pieces of advice a young girl needs to know about how to stay pure in such a harsh world...1. Stay away from the brother-in-law, 2. Stay away from the Master, 3. Stay out of Court activities, etc. This no doubt was an Elizabeth approved purchase....this is just so obvious because our Sam couldn't be that much of a moron, or could he????

Xjy  •  Link

The virginal book
Surely just a household expense. The woman was to provide music, and the notes were needed to make it happen. As impersonal as the instrument itself, as far as Ashwell is concerned.

language hat  •  Link

"where we met of course"
"Of course" = "as usual." OED:

In ordinary or due course, according to the customary order, as a natural result.
[...]1647 CLARENDON Hist. Reb. III. (1702) I 207 No man presuming to intimate, that it should be granted in any other manner than of course it had been. 1657 HEYLIN Ecclesia Vindicata II. 472 That not once or twice, but of common course. 1736 BUTLER Anal. II. vi. 325 Information.. is by no means always given us of course. [...]

language hat  •  Link

"doth intend to come to pay in course"
"In course" = "in sequence." OED:

35. a. In order, in turn. Obs.
[...] a1611 BEAUM. & FL. Maid's Trag. I. i, When the rest.. Tell mirthful tales in course that fill the room With laughter. 1665 J. WEBB Stone-Heng 158 He that was defied gave the first Stroak, and so they struck in Course.

This is the interpretation in the Latham Companion volume, but it seems to me possible this could be the next sense:

35. b. In the regular, usual, natural, or due order. Now 'in due course'.
[...] 1616 R. C. Times' Whistle v. 1824 The tapster.. straight leaves His other guestes, in course to take his cup. a1704 T. BROWN Sat. French K. Wks. 1730 I. 59 Ev'n Oaths, with thee, are only things in course. [...]

We'd have to know what exactly the treasurer had said in order to decide this; I suppose Latham knows the background and chose a meaning accordingly, but I'd like to be sure.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

At best Jeannine I'd say it was a Bess-vaguely heard suggestion...

"Dear, I'll stop by the bookseller's and pick up....ya-da, ya-da, ya-da...Ok?"

Hmmn...What was he muttering about? Bookseller's? If he asked, it must have been about a new book for me. Hope he gets something good.
***

A door to a bookshop, thoughtlessly left open...And, a husband, well-intentioned but cast in the usual mold.

And before one can say "My God, you fool, buy something for Bess!" the sad deed is gone and the husband merrily on his way to doom.

Bradford  •  Link

Thanks, Alan, for the reminder about the shop at the Temple churchyard of John Playford (1623-86). His publications are so extensive that, in the article devoted to him, Grove only gives a "selective list" (15:2-3), without specifying the contents of "Musick's Hand-Maide presenting New and Pleasant Lessons for Virginals or Harpsicon (1663)," "lessons" being a generic term for miscellaneous pieces.

UK music publishers Stainer & Bell offer, in a collection by Benjamin Rogers, four no doubt representative items---Saraband; Jig; Almain; Corant---all patterned upon dance-forms (much as Bach would do). Perhaps Ashwell can play while Elizabeth and Samuel tread the boards?

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"had my Lord Peterborough’s Commission read over; and Mr. Secretary Bennet did make his querys upon it, in order to the drawing one for my Lord Rutherford more regularly, that being a very extravagant thing."

Peterborough’s commission as Governor [of Tangier] (16 September 1662) was couched in full-flowing English, and looked forward to an ambitious extension of the territory. (L&M footnote)

Terry Foreman  •  Link

language hat agrees with L&M, who note this means to pay the navy's creditors in the order in which the debts had been contracted. Carteret never did so; no doubt the intention had been inspired by a letter from the Duke (12 March) asking for a full review before 25 March of the existing state of accounts and for preparations for future expenditures. Other attempts to pay in course were made later: Pepys, in a wry letter to Coventry (9 November 1665) made it clear it was impossible, for it 'implies an income in some near proportion to the expense.' (Further Correspondence, p. 76)

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"But he told me it was chiefly to make Mr. Pett’s being joyned with Sir W. Batten to go down the better, and do tell me how he well sees that neither one nor the other can do their duties without help."

Nothing ever came of the scheme to join Pett and Batten. They had in any case recently quarreled:
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1… (L&M footnote)

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Bradford, L&M agree the "virginal book" Pepys bought was probably Playford's "Musick's Hand-Maide"(1663)" sold at his shop. (footnote)

Tonyel  •  Link

"to my office , where, with several Masters of the King’s ships, Sir J. Minnes and I "

Quite a crowd. Sam's office must be more spacious than I had imagined.

Chris Squire UK  •  Link

OED has:

'slop, n.1 <Middle Dutch slop . . . . 5.  a. pl. Ready-made clothing and other furnishings supplied to seamen from the ship's stores; hence, ready-made, cheap, or inferior garments generally.
1663   S. Pepys Diary 16 Mar. (1971) IV. 74   Advising upon the business of Slopps, wherein the seaman is so much abused by the pursers.
. . 1799   Ld. Nelson 16 Feb. in Dispatches & Lett. (1845) III. 267  Slops are not to be purchased here but at an enormous price . . '

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