Friday 16 March 1665/66

[Continued from yesterday. P.G.] …till 7 this morning. Up and all the morning about the Victualler’s business, passing his account. At noon to the ’Change, and did several businesses, and thence to the Crowne behind the ’Change and dined with my Lord Bruncker and Captain Cocke and Fenn, and Madam Williams, who without question must be my Lord’s wife, and else she could not follow him wherever he goes and kisse and use him publiquely as she do. Thence to the office, where Sir W. Pen and I made an end of the Victualler’s business, and thence abroad about several businesses, and so in the evening back again, and anon called on by Mr. Povy, and he and I staid together in my chamber till 12 at night ending our reckonings and giving him tallys for all I was to pay him and so parted, and I to make good my Journall for two or three days, and begun it till I come to the other side, where I have scratched so much, for, for want of sleep, I begun to write idle and from the purpose. So forced to breake off, and to bed. —[There are several erasures in the original MS.]


18 Annotations

First Reading

JWB  •  Link

"...for,for..."

Legitimate evidence of fatique or,or...?

cape henry  •  Link

"...he and I staid together in my chamber till 12 at night ending our reckonings and giving him tallys for all I was to pay him and so parted..." Given Povy's notorious lack of accounting ability, it's no wonder this took until midnight.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

John Evelyn to Pepys (in large part)

"I do by this Bearer send you the Dover Accompt for your present occasion, and the rest as fast as they are return’d me (3); Be pleasd to returne me by this hand, the Particulars, or paper of the estimate I gave you of our proposd Infirmary, that it may direct me to draw up and calculate what I am to laye before you upon this expedition to Chatham which I shall do, so soone as I have an houre to spare from my present miseries and care how to get a little monye to relieve your sick flock in my district"

Editor's note
3 On the 19 March P sat down with Brouncker, Penn, and Coventry to deal with the accounts for ‘most of the morning’ (diary); but, there is little of the sense of urgency which characterises E’s letter on the subject.
[See http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1… ]

Mary  •  Link

"who without question must be my lord's wife"

But she wasn't. I can find no reference to Brouncker ever having had a wife. Abigail Williams was long separated from her husband, but since that marriage was still in existence, she and Brouncker could not marry. The depth of his feeling and regard for her is indicated by the fact that she was the chief beneficiary named in his will.

Mary  •  Link

"for, for"

Both words perform their proper, grammatical function.

The first explains why Sam has scratched so much - "I began to write idle"- and the second explains why he began to write idle - "want of sleep."

JWB  •  Link

for,for Mary

Yes, I see plainly now. The two together drew my eye in tunnel vision.

Bradford  •  Link

Pepys put off Povy the other night, when it wasn't that late, because the man was not punctual---and then had to stay up till midnight this day to complete their business. That sure showed Povy not to toy with Sam's time, didn't it?

Andrew Hamilton  •  Link

First indication from Sam of fatigue from his often incredibly long days. The image of him continuing to write even as his mind strays is vivid, and the experience is one familiar to me.

GrahamT  •  Link

“who without question must be my lord’s wife”

Mary, I think he is using wife as in common law wife, i.e. more than a mistress. Naturally if she is still married she cannot be his lawfully wed wife, but they can live together as husband and wife. As they are so open about their affection, Pepys promotes her from private mistress to public wife.

Mary  •  Link

I'm not at all sure that she can be classified as a common law wife in these circumstances, though Pepys may be concurring with 'society' that she is Brouncker's accepted companion. (Today's 'partner' in PC terms).

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"my lord’s wife”

L&M note that in 1684 Brouncker died unmarried, leaving most of his estate to his "beloved friend Mrs Abigail Williams alias Cromwell" -- his executrix.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"[There are several erasures in the original MS.]"

Erased how? Is Pepys using lead? Has the technology been discussed before?

Mary  •  Link

erasures.

Pepys himself refers to 'scratchings' - i.e. crossings out. I assume that L&M allude to the editorial intention, rather than the fact, when they describe these scratchings/crossings out as erasures.

Michael Robinoson  •  Link

[There are several erasures in the original MS.]

This is Wheatley's note. L&M note only the following:
"passing his account. At noon to"
L&M text reads: "passing his account. And then (a) at noon to ..."
with a superscript 'a' above 'then' noting:
a. repl.[ace] 'Sir Wm. Bat. and I would you had told me on it further, for'

"and begun it (b)"
b. blot above symbol

Michael Robinson  •  Link

" ... ending our reckonings and giving him tallys for all I was to pay him ..."

i.e., transferring to Povy illiquid 'exchequer obligations' rather than cash.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...who without question must be my Lord’s wife, and else she could not follow him wherever he goes and kisse and use him publiquely as she do..." Still trying to figure out how these sophisticates operate...

Spoiler...

In the distant future, twill prove a useful guide for his relationship with MS.

Second Reading

Marquess  •  Link

Pity she wasn't my Lord's wife, for had she been the Viscountcy might still be extant today.

Martin  •  Link

Erasures: a bit late to come in to the discussion from 10 years ago, but the original and literal meaning of 'erase' is to scratch or scrape out. It doesn't have to imply complete removal.

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