Monday 22 August 1664

Up and abroad, doing very many errands to my great content which lay as burdens upon my mind and memory. Home to dinner, and so to White Hall, setting down my wife at her father’s, and I to the Tangier Committee, where several businesses I did to my mind, and with hopes thereby to get something. So to Westminster Hall, where by appointment I had made I met with Dr. Tom Pepys, but avoided all discourse of difference with him, though much against my will, and he like a doating coxcomb as he is, said he could not but demand his money, and that he would have his right, and that let all anger be forgot, and such sorry stuff, nothing to my mind, but only I obtained this satisfaction, that he told me about Sturbridge last was 12 months or 2 years he was at Brampton, and there my father did tell him that what he had done for my brother in giving him his goods and setting him up as he had done was upon condition that he should give my brother John 20l. per ann., which he charged upon my father, he tells me in answer, as a great deal of hard measure that he should expect that with him that had a brother so able as I am to do that for him. This is all that he says he can say as to my father’s acknowledging that he had given Tom his goods. He says his brother Roger will take his oath that my father hath given him thanks for his counsel for his giving of Tom his goods and setting him up in the manner that he hath done, but the former part of this he did not speak fully so bad nor as certain what he could say.

So we walked together to my cozen Joyce’s, where my wife staid for me, and then I home and her by coach, and so to my office, then to supper and to bed.


16 Annotations

First Reading

Pedro  •  Link

August 22/September I 1664.

On this day off Malaga, De Ruyter receives his instructions. He was to sail towards the high seas and that it was only there that he was to communicate to his officers the purpose of the expedition. He was to spread the rumours in the harbours of Southern Spain that he was going to fight pirates outside the Straits

The arrival of an express messenger had not passed unnoticed, rumours of the outbreak of war spread and he had to defuse the situation by saying that difficulties would yet be solved amicably. He immediately weighed anchor and sailed for Alicante to fetch the transport ship that had been left there.

(Summary from The Life of Admiral De Ruyter by Blok).

It is interesting to note that the English intelligence still suspects that the expedition will start from the United Provinces.

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

Okay, I don't know about anyone else, but I got lost in the saga of Dr. Tom Pepys and tailor Tom Pepys. Could anyone help by parsing all those pronouns?

Martha Rosen  •  Link

My reading is that Mr. Pepys (Sam's father) set up Tom in business on condition that Dr. Pepys would give John Pepys 20l. a year, which Mr. Pepys would owe Dr. Pepys. On hearing this, Dr. Pepys told Sam that Sam ought to have taken care of John. Perhaps Mr. Pepys' thinking was that he could take care of one son right now but not both, so he arranged for Dr. Pepys to help John out now, with the understanding that Mr. Pepys would pay him back later.

Paul Chapin  •  Link

Like Todd, I found this one of the most confusing entries I've read in the Diary. Martha's synopsis is most helpful, and sounds quite reasonable. But I still puzzle over two passages:
"he told me about Sturbridge last was 12 months or 2 years he was at Brampton", and
"the former part of this he did not speak fully so bad nor as certain what he could say"
Does the L&M text agree with these wordings? Can someone explain what they mean?

Terry F  •  Link

"I obtained this satisfaction, that he told me that about Sturbridge last was twelve-month or two year, he was at Brampton, and there my father did tell him...."

So transcribe L&M, suggesting how vague was Dr. Pepys's recollection of when he had been told what, though he did remember that John Pepys Sr. had himself invested heavily in Tom's tailor biz by giving him the raw materials for it, and was not responsible for Tom's debts, e.g. for the £30 Dr. Thomas Pepys had loaned young tailor Tom (L&M note the amount at stake in this argument with SP).

Michael Robinson  •  Link

The Estate Debt to Dr. Thomas Pepys

L&M refer back to the following:-

"... and Dr. Thos. Pepys 30L., but that the Doctor confesses that he is paid 20L. of it, ..."
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

and their footnote to the same, which references the surviving estate account that lists Dr. Thomas Pepys as owed 8L and SP himself owed 87L, which probably includes the debt to his father.

Martha Rosen  •  Link

Sturbridge is a market fair. It's the equivalent of saying "Around the time of the last Superbowl, when I was visitng my cousin in Miami....".

Bradford  •  Link

Is it the mindset of writing in cipher, or what, that has rendered Pepys's accounts of complex interpersonal situations so confusing lately?

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

Bradford, I think it might be just another indication that he was writing the Diary for himself. He would know whom he meant with this complex sentences, so no need to clarify or simplify...

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

Of course, I mean "these" instead of "this"...

(D'oh! Stoopid fingers!)

djc  •  Link

My reading; that Pepys senior had set up his son Tom in the tailoring business on condition that he paid £20 to Tom's brother John. That Dr Tom told Pepys Snr that was a hard burden upon his son when brother Samuel was obviously doing so well for himself and could better afford to support John.

Australian Susan  •  Link

"...Up and abroad, doing very many errands to my great content which lay as burdens upon my mind and memory...."
Yes, well, that's as maybe - me, I'm going to have another cup of coffee and procrastinate awhile (despite pricks of conscience) and catch up with some days of The Diary. THEN I really, really will do all those "errands".

pepf  •  Link

Expanded version 2.0 for this perfectly transparent chain of pronouns as I read it:

"So to Westminster Hall, where by appointment I had made I met with Dr. Tom Pepys, but avoided all discourse of difference with him (Dr. Tom), though much against my will, and he (Dr. Tom) like a doating coxcomb as he (Dr. Tom) is, said he (Dr. Tom) could not but demand his (Dr. Tom's) money, and that he (Dr. Tom) would have his (Dr. Tom's) right, and that let all anger be forgot, and such sorry stuff, nothing to my mind, but only I obtained this satisfaction, that he (Dr. Tom) told me about Sturbridge last was 12 months or 2 years he (Dr. Tom) was at Brampton, and there my father did tell him (Dr. Tom) that what he (John sr.) had done for my brother in giving him (Tom †) his (John's sr.) goods and setting him (Tom †) up as he (John sr.) had done was upon condition that he (Tom †) should give my brother John 20l. per ann., which he (Tom †) charged upon my father, he (Dr. Tom) tells me in answer, as a great deal of hard measure that he (John sr.) should expect that with him (Tom †) that had a brother so able as I am to do that for him (John jr.).

"he" 12x (Dr. Tom 7x, JPsr. 3x, Tom † 2x)
"him" 6x (Dr. Tom 2x, JPjr. 1x, Tom † 3x)
"his" 3x (Dr. Tom 2x, JPsr. 1x)

Second Reading

Gerald Berg  •  Link

Hilarious pepf! Luv the ending tally.

Liz  •  Link

“Up and abroad, doing very many errands to my great content which lay as burdens upon my mind and memory”. So it is today - you feel so much better when onerous tasks are completed.

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