Wednesday 15 June 1664

Up and by appointment with Captain Witham (the Captain that brought the newes of the disaster at Tangier, where my Lord Tiviott was slain) and Mr. Tooker to Beares Quay, and there saw and more afterward at the several grannarys several parcels of oates, and strange it is to hear how it will heat itself if laid up green and not often turned. We came not to any agreement, but did cheapen several parcels, and thence away, promising to send again to them.

So to the Victualling office, and then home. And in our garden I got Captain Witham to tell me the whole story of my Lord Tiviott’s misfortune; for he was upon the guard with his horse neare the towne, when at a distance he saw the enemy appear upon a hill, a mile and a half off, and made up to them, and with much ado escaped himself; but what became of my Lord he neither knows nor thinks that any body but the enemy can tell. Our losse was about four hundred. But he tells me that the greater wonder is that my Lord Tiviott met no sooner with such a disaster; for every day he did commit himself to more probable danger than this, for now he had the assurance of all his scouts that there was no enemy thereabouts; whereas he used every day to go out with two or three with him, to make his discoveries, in greater danger, and yet the man that could not endure to have anybody else to go a step out of order to endanger himself. He concludes him to be the man of the hardest fate to lose so much honour at one blow that ever was. His relation being done he parted; and so I home to look after things for dinner. And anon at noon comes Mr. Creed by chance, and by and by the three young ladies: —[Lord Sandwich’s daughters.]— and very merry we were with our pasty, very well baked; and a good dish of roasted chickens; pease, lobsters, strawberries. And after dinner to cards: and about five o’clock, by water down to Greenwich; and up to the top of the hill, and there played upon the ground at cards. And so to the Cherry Garden, and then by water singing finely to the Bridge, and there landed; and so took boat again, and to Somersett House. And by this time, the tide being against us, it was past ten of the clock; and such a troublesome passage, in regard of my Lady Paulina’s fearfullness, that in all my life I never did see any poor wretch in that condition. Being come hither, there waited for them their coach; but it being so late, I doubted what to do how to get them home. After half an hour’s stay in the street, I sent my wife home by coach with Mr. Creed’s boy; and myself and Creed in the coach home with them. But, Lord! the fear that my Lady Paulina was in every step of the way; and indeed at this time of the night it was no safe thing to go that road; so that I was even afeard myself, though I appeared otherwise. — We came safe, however, to their house, where all were abed; we knocked them up, my Lady and all the family being in bed. So put them into doors; and leaving them with the mayds, bade them good night, and then into the towne, Creed and I, it being about twelve o’clock and past; and to several houses, inns, but could get no lodging, all being in bed. At the last house, at last, we found some people drinking and roaring; and there got in, and after drinking, got an ill bed, where… [Continued tomorrow. P.G.]


33 Annotations

First Reading

Terry F  •  Link

What a contrast between the morning and afternoon outings -- the urgent business of resupplying Tangier, by appointment, with the tale of the wherefore (Teviot's defeat); and then the leisurely frolic, a desultory excursion, prompted by the appearance of the nymphs from Chelsea, as though heaven-sent!

(and more cherries)

Terry F  •  Link

And on the PM excursion also Pepys's fave fellow-rambler, "Creed by chance."

Cumsalisgrano  •  Link

"...several parcels of oates, and strange it is to hear how it will heat itself if laid up green and not often turned..." many a grain ship and stack went "poof" due to damp or unripe grains. Still happens, even this day and age.

Ann  •  Link

One of the best recitations of a menu to date. Yum! Roasted chicken, strawberries, lobster. I can almost taste it. I remember reading that, until relatively recently, lobster was not a delicacy at all, and, in fact, was fed to slaves in America during colonial times.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

So it was the Sandwich girls he invited. And no Miss Becke?

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"... got an ill bed, where..."

"Creed?! What the devil are you doing?!!"

Cumsalisgrano  •  Link

Poor intelligence and bad scouting, and the lack of trusty spys can lead to faulty judgement.

"...for now he had the assurance of all his scouts that there was no enemy thereabout..."

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...by and by the three young ladies..."

"But Lady Paulina? Where is Miss Becke? I was sure she was coming with you."

"Never saw her, Cousin Samuel." Paulina looks everywhere but at Sam directly. The other Montagu girls nodding in unison. Miss Who?

"My, my...Well, let me show you about the place, it's been some time. Later we'll all go out on the water."

"Oh, that would be wonderful, Cousin Samuel. Just perfect for dumping..." "Paulina!"

"...the...Ummn...Box of dirty, soiled linen we had brought strapped to our carriage. Mama was most anxious we get rid of her...er, it tonight."

Cumsalisgrano  •  Link

Oh? Paulina sweet 16.....

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Later on the river...

"Uhhh...Pon my soul..." Sam groans, lifting the girls' box over the side of the boat. "That was one great load of dirty stuff."

"Thank ye, Cousin Samuel." the girls in chorus...

"If I didn't know better, I'd've sworn you ladies had Falstaff in that thing." Sam smiles. "Oh, now my Lady Paulina..." catching Paulina's frightened expression and thereby missing the view of the now open box floating by. Bess likewise occupied by one of the Montagu girls. "...dear child, my Lady...You really must not be so frightened by a little rough..." The boat and box before it rise together on a wave, an arm emerging from the box and flopping down on the waves, motionless but for the wave action... "Oh, Cousin Samuel..." Paulina jerks his hand to pull him away from the gruesome view just in time. "Please hold me..." Grabbing and burying his head in her arm... "I am so terrified of rough river water!"

Dull splash as the box consigns its cargo to the depth...

"There, there, Lady Paulina, the water's calming now. Are you feeling better?"

"Oh, much, cousin. Much."

Michael Robinson  •  Link

... comes Mr. Creed by chance, and by and by the three young ladies ...

'Ichl Ich! Ich!
Ich sollte fort? Ei, ei, Wie fein!
Sie wären gern bei ihm allein -
Nein, nein! Das kann nicht sein!
Was wollte ich darum nicht geben,
Könnt' ich mit diesem Jüngling leben!
Hätt' ich ihn doch so ganz allein!
Doch keine geht; es kann nicht sein,
Am besten ist es nun, ich geh'.
Du Jüngling, schön und liebevoll,
Du trauter Jüngling, lebe wohl,
Bis ich dich wiederseh'.

Spoiler
Creed married Elizabeth Pickering, Montague's niece, and the third of the young ladies.

Michael Robinson  •  Link

Apologies, absence of source citation

Schikaneder, Zauberflote, Act I - opening
I can not, alas, locate an appropriate sound 'clip' to convey the appropriate bucolic.

Pedro  •  Link

"for now he had the assurance of all his scouts that there was no enemy thereabouts;"

Cumsalisgrano, Childs in his book The Army of Charles II gives a different interpretation. As 5OO men were involved it was probably more than just a chance sighting.

Teviot was running into difficulties, although he had annexed 800 acres into the hinterland of Tangier, the lands were sandy and furnished little in the way of building materials, short of building stone and lime, Teviot had to import them from Portugal. It would have been easier to import from Spain but she was opposed to the King's occupation and refused to assist... The voyage to and from Portugal was hazardous, and faced with the problems Teviot looked inland, where a mile or two in front of the lines, lime and building stone were to be had in plenty.

Whether he was after these requirements or on a foraging extradition is impossible to tell, but on the 4th May a composite battalion of 500 men marched towards Jew's Hill 2 or 3 miles out of Tangier.

(For the encounter see annotations)

http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

Colonel Roger Alsopp gave another explanation. As he was unable to carry out further work on the fortifications, he took soldiers to cut down brushwood on the far side of Jews River. The natural cover in this area had long been used by the Moors as a concentration point, and Teviot wished to deny the Moors this convenience.

Pedro  •  Link

"and there saw and more afterward at the several grannarys several parcels of oates, and strange it is to hear how it will heat itself if laid up green and not often turned."

For an account of an oats fire and pictures see...

http://www.prairiejournal.com/pra…

And for scientific minds Spontaneous combustion of compost heaps

http://www.uow.edu.au/~mnelson/re…

Bob T  •  Link

until relatively recently, lobster was not a delicacy at all, and, in fact, was fed to slaves in America during colonial times.
Here in the Canadian Maritime Provinces, eating lobster was a sign of poverty, and some people would rather go without than eat it. Lobsters at that time were picked up after they had washed ashore, after storms, or high winds. Nobody of course went fishing for them.

A. De Araujo  •  Link

"but what became of my Lord he neither knows nor thinks that any body but the enemy can tell"
It reminds me of the battle of Al Ksar Al Kabir (Alcacer Kibir) 86 years before when Dom Sebastião,King of Portugal was vanquished and as a consequence Portugal lost its independence.

A. De Araujo  •  Link

Al Kasr Al Kabir

Pedro  •  Link

Al Kasr Al Kabir

Better known to Europeans as The Battle of the Three Kings?

Bradford  •  Link

"He concludes him to be the man of the hardest fate to lose so much honour at one blow that ever was." Quite the claim, even in 1664, and one that alas has not proved generally memorable.

Andrew Hamilton  •  Link

The three young ladies, and Creed as Tamino

Translation of the passage quoted by Michael Robinson:

I, I, I
I should go? Oh, Oh, how fine!
They would like to be with him alone!
No, no, that can not be!
They would like to be with him alone,
No, no, that can not be!
What wouldn't I give for this,
If I could with this young man live!
Had I only him then entirely alone,
So entirely alone,
But no one's going; it cannot be!
It's best then, that I go!
You youth, handsome, and affectionate,
You beloved youth, farewell!
Until I you again see.

http://www.aria-database.com/tran…

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Al Kasr Al Kabir...

Definitely a far greater disaster...And I doubt Lord Tivott will live on in the hearts of his countrymen as poor, ridiculously gallant King Sebastian did.

Anyway, Uncle Philip did warn him against it, however quick he was to scoop up the marbles.

Pedro  •  Link

Queen Catherine the real Heroine?

As AdA says, after the Battle of the Three Kings in 1578 Portugal lost its independance, and it also gave rise to "Sebastianism"...

"Sebastianism is part of the Portuguese mythology and culture. It means waiting for a hero that will save Portugal and lead it to the Fifth Empire, and known as Eu nacional (national Self). There are possible mentions of this hero in The Prophecies of Nostradamus. Fernando Pessoa also wrote about this hero-to-come in his epic Mensagem (The Message) supporting his ideas on predictions and myths."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seba…

Independance was regained in the Revolution of 1640 led by Catherine's father, King John IV of Portugal. The fight to retain independence continued through the Diary period with significant help from English auxillariies as part of the Marriage Treaty, until the Spanish signed a peace in 1668. Shortly after this, gold and diamonds were discovered in Brazil and the crown became financially independent.

JonTom Kittredge  •  Link

Creed and the Three Young Ladies as Frederic and the Sisters from "The Pirates of Penzance."

Exeunt MABEL and FREDERIC. EDITH beckons her sisters, who form a semicircle
around her.

EDITH. What ought we to do,
Gentle sisters, say?
Propriety, we know,
Says we ought to stay;
While sympathy exclaims,
"Free them from your tether �
Play at other games �
Leave them here together."

KATE. Her case may, any day,
Be yours, my dear, or mine.
Let her make her hay
While the sun doth shine.
Let us compromise
(Our hearts are not of leather):
Let us shut our eyes,
And talk about the weather.

GIRLS. Yes, yes, let's talk about the weather.

CHATTERING CHORUS.

How beautifully blue the sky,
The glass is rising very high,
Continue fine I hope it may,
And yet it rained but yesterday.
Tomorrow it may pour again
(I hear the country wants some rain),
Yet people say, I know not why,
That we shall have a warm July.

(http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/pi…)

JonTom Kittredge  •  Link

Years ago, on Maine Public Radio, I heard an interview with the author of a book lobster recipes from the Depression. By then lobsters were a delicacy, of course, but it seems that the Depression dried up the demand for luxuries, so the lobstermen's families were forced to eat them themselves, to get by. Because of the complaints ("Mom! Not lobster again!"), housewives were forced to come up with inventive recipes, instead of the familiar boiled, with drawn butter.

Kevin Peter  •  Link

"...and indeed at this time of the night it was no safe thing to go that road..."

Robbers and other miscreants no doubt plagued that stretch of road in those days.

pepf  •  Link

"the three young ladies: —[Lord Sandwich’s daughters.]"

According to PG's links Jemima, Paulina (*1649) and toddler Catherine (* 1661)?
Even Anne (*1653) seems a bit young for staying up till midnight. If we must be denied Mrs. Betty Beck I would guess Mrs. Betty Pickering did complete the teenage trio.

cf. http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
"...went to visit my Ladys Jemimah and Paulina Montagu, and Mrs. Elizabeth Pickering, whom we find at their father’s new house in Lincolne’s Inn Fields..."

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

The Battle of Ksar El Kebir, also known as Battle of Three Kings, or "Battle of Oued El Makhazeen" in Morocco, and Battle of Alcácer Quibir in Portugal (variant spellings are legion: Alcácer-Quivir, Alcazarquivir, Alcassar, meaning grand castle in Arabic), (Battle of Alcazar in English) was fought in northern Morocco, near the town of Ksar-el-Kebir and Larache, on 4 August 1578. The combatants were the army of the deposed Moroccan Sultan Abu Abdallah Mohammed II, with his ally, the King of Portugal Sebastian I, and a large Moroccan army nominally under the new Sultan of Morocco (and uncle of Abu Abdallah Mohammed II) Abd Al-Malik I.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Spoiler
Creed married Elizabeth Pickering, Montague's niece, and the third of the young ladies.

These young ladies are Montague's daughters.

Marquess  •  Link

At the top of Greenwich hill playing cards on the grass on a June evening, how idyllic. I used to go to school in Blackheath and did often walk up to Greenwich hill which I believe is where the observatory is and not far from Rangers House, the area affords great views.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"We came safe, however, to their house, where all were abed; we knocked them up, my Lady and all the family being in bed."

So they took the stairs by Somerset House (Dowager Queen Henrietta Maria's home), and had to transport the three girls to Lady Sandwich, who is staying in Kensington with the Rev. Thomas Hodges, vicar of Kensington, and rector of St. Peter's, Cornhill. Hard to imagine there were no coaches for hire on the Strand for hours considering the type of people who frequented Somerset House.

I can only imagine what the Countess had to say to them -- what were they thinking??? Then Pepys and Creed have to find somewhere to stay. Kensington was the sticks back then.

Finally, I agree it must have been niece Elizabeth Pickering, and not 3-year-old Katherine Montagu, as the third "young lady".

Bill  •  Link

“but did cheapen several parcels”

To CHEAPEN, to ask or to beat down the Price of a Commodity.
---An universal etymological English dictionary. N. Bailey, 1724.

Chris Squire UK  •  Link

Re: ’ . . but did cheapen several parcels . . ’

‘cheap, v. < Germanic . .

3. a. trans. To bargain for, bid for, offer to buy, offer a price for, ask the price of, ‘price’.
. . 1631 B. Jonson Bartholmew Fayre iii. iv. 30 in Wks. II Why..stand heere..cheaping of Dogges, Birds, and Babies?’

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