Saturday 22 September 1666

To my closet, and had it new washed, and now my house is so clean as I never saw it, or any other house in my life, and every thing in as good condition as ever before the fire; but with, I believe, about 20l. cost one way or other besides about 20l. charge in removing my goods, and do not find that I have lost any thing but two little pictures of ship and sea, and a little gold frame for one of my sea-cards. My glazier, indeed, is so full of worke that I cannot get him to come to perfect my house. To the office, and there busy now for good and all about my accounts. My Lord Brunck come thither, thinking to find an office, but we have not yet met. He do now give me a watch, a plain one, in the roome of my former watch with many motions which I did give him. If it goes well, I care not for the difference in worth, though believe there is above 5l.. He and I to Sir G. Carteret to discourse about his account, but Mr. Waith not being there nothing could be done, and therefore I home again, and busy all day. In the afternoon comes Anthony Joyce to see me, and with tears told me his losse, but yet that he had something left that he can live well upon, and I doubt it not. But he would buy some place that he could have and yet keepe his trade where he is settled in St. Jones’s. He gone, I to the office again, and then to Sir G. Carteret, and there found Mr. Wayth, but, Lord! how fretfully Sir G. Carteret do discourse with Mr. Wayth about his accounts, like a man that understands them not one word. I held my tongue and let him go on like a passionate foole. In the afternoon I paid for the two lighters that carried my goods to Deptford, and they cost me 8l.. Till past midnight at our accounts, and have brought them to a good issue, so as to be ready to meet Sir G. Carteret and Sir W. Coventry to-morrow, but must work to-morrow, which Mr. T. Hater had no mind to, it being the Lord’s day, but, being told the necessity, submitted, poor man! This night writ for brother John to come to towne. Among other reasons, my estate lying in money, I am afeard of any sudden miscarriage. So to bed mightily contented in dispatching so much business, and find my house in the best condition that ever I knew it. Home to bed.


15 Annotations

First Reading

CGS  •  Link

"...He do now give me a watch, a plain one, in the roome of my former watch with many motions which I did give him. If it goes well, I care not for the difference in worth, though believe there is above 5l....."
Does it keep good time???
Now a 5 quid watch keeps perfect time for catching the coach as well as any 500 L watch. Now going to see Venus is another matter, you have to be on time otherwise she not be in the spot you expect to meet her because in those lost or even gained nanos she be in another spot.

Mary  •  Link

... comes Anthony Joyce to see me ....

He may have provoked a small measure sympathy in Pepys, but clearly went away without gaining any material help for his losses. Sam's attitude seems to be "Well, he's hardly destitute, so he'll just have to get on with it."

andy  •  Link

My glazier, indeed, is so full of worke that I cannot get him to come to perfect my house

try getting a plumber...

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...then to Sir G. Carteret, and there found Mr. Wayth, but, Lord! how fretfully Sir G. Carteret do discourse with Mr. Wayth about his accounts, like a man that understands them not one word. I held my tongue and let him go on like a passionate foole."

But Lord! How low have the mighty fallen.

***

"This night writ for brother John to come to towne. Among other reasons, my estate lying in money, I am afeard of any sudden miscarriage."

"Brother, I was pleased that you felt a need for my return. It's good to have the past behind us."

"Indeed, John."

"So...Samuel...What was the vital issue you wrote of that necessitated my immediate return to your home?"

"Yes...Come, John...Quickly...No words that might be overheard."

"Down here? The cellar?"

"Yes...Quickly." Sam carefully lights candle, they descend the stairs into darkness.

"So?...Some secret naval matter that requires we meet here in the cellar?"

"Not exactly...Now..." Places candle on table. "If you would have a seat by those chests..."

"Those chests, over there?..."

"Yes...I must go, I'll have Jane bring you dinner."

"But...Samuel...?"

"John, it is of the most vital import that you remain exactly where you are till I return for you."

"But..."

"Bess?" call...Bess stumbles out of a corner...

"Oh, God...Sam'l...Can I come upstairs, now? It's been three days...My candle keeps going out. And the rats are getting aggressive."

"Yes, indeed...You're relieved, dear. John, I shall return later."

"But..."

"You'll need this for the rats..." Bess hands over small shovel.

Robin Peters  •  Link

"and then to Sir G. Carteret, and there found Mr. Wayth, but, Lord! how fretfully Sir G. Carteret do discourse with Mr. Wayth about his accounts, like a man that understands them not one word. I held my tongue and let him go on like a passionate foole"
Our man often seems to take this view, that people above him don't really understand what they are doing but it would not be the right thing to tell them so. Now I see another purpose for the "secret" journal.

ONeville  •  Link

"To my closet, and had it new washed"

Does he mean cleaned or perhaps had the walls lime-washed? Here in Spain they lime-washed the roof timbers to keep the insects out.

JWB  •  Link

"An outline of the manufacture of Broad Glass in England, c. 1300-1900."
David CROSSLEY
Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield (England)
http://www.mosquito.fr/demo/verre…

(Note: Be sure to click thru to the 2d page.)

CGS  •  Link

“To my closet, and had it new washed”
white wash is my take,

whitewash, n.
1. A cosmetic wash formerly used for imparting a light colour to the skin. Obs.
1689 Several Disc. Vanities Modish Women 175 Her Bottles of White washes, or Cosmeticks.

2. A liquid composition of lime and water, or of whiting, size, and water, for whitening walls, ceilings, etc.
1697 VANBRUGH Relapse V. iii, A little Glasing, Painting, Whitewash, and Playster, will make it [sc. the house] last thy time.

1751 JOHNSON Rambler No. 161 {page}4 The Plaisterer having..obliterated, by his White-wash, all the smoky Memorials which former Tenants had left upon the Cieling.

3. fig. Something that conceals faults or gives a fair appearance: cf. next, 2.
1865 W. G. PALGRAVE Arabia II. 21 Such liberal semblance is merely a surface whitewash

4. An act of ‘whitewashing’, as of a bankrupt; also (colloq., orig. U.S.) a victory at baseball or other game in which the opponents fail to score; also, a victory in a series of games of which the opponents fail to win any.

1851 J. HENDERSON Excurs. N.S. Wales I. 64 When once in a twelvemonth your agent goes smash, And bolts to New Zealand, or gets a whitewash. 1867

to whitewash v
1. a. trans. To plaster over (a wall, etc.) with a white composition; to cover or coat with whitewash. Also absol.
1591 PERCIVALL Sp. Dict., Enxalvegar, to white washe a house.

lime 1
lime-wash n., a mixture of lime and water, used for coating walls, etc.; v., to whitewash with such a mixture;

1823 J. BADCOCK Dom. Amusem. 168 Old Fruit Trees..may be restored..by the application of a good strong *lime-wash.

1847 SMEATON Builder's Man. 126 In using lime-wash, it is better to put two thin coats on a wall than one thick one.
1869 E. A. PARKES Pract. Hygiene (ed. 3)
305 The walls and ceilings are ordered to be *lime~washed twice a-year.
1777 HOWARD Prisons Eng. (1780) 359 It was scraped and *lime-whited once a year.
1861 Eng. Wom. Dom. Mag. III. 221 The walls were *lime-whitened.
to lime:
c. To smear or coat with lime-wash. Obs. (Also WHITE-LIME.)
c1440 Promp. Parv. 305/2 Lyme wythe lyme, idem quod whyton wythe lyme.
1530 PALSGR. 611/2, I lyme a wall, or rofe with whyte lyme to make it whyte.
1574 Ludlow Churchw. Acc. (Camden) 161 For lymynge over the vestrye.
1591 LODGE Catharos (1875) 30 Thou tylest thy house against stormes and lymest it well.
1615 CROOKE Body of Man 387 Houses newly limed.

Australian Susan  •  Link

In today's entry, we have Sam paying for the ships which carried his goods away - it seems the Thames wherrymen and lightermen would have made a great deal of money out of the fire as surely there were many like Sam. owners of carts and drays too probably.

Harvey  •  Link

"... the Thames wherrymen and lightermen would have made a great deal of money out of the fire ..."

And that would have bought every available boat from far and wide to take advantage of the high prices.

These days the Govt would prohibit 'profiteering' and more goods would be lost.

language hat  •  Link

"These days the Govt would prohibit ‘profiteering’ and more goods would be lost."

Really? How does that work -- they automatically fix maximum prices in the event of a natural disaster? Seems unwieldy (and a bad idea for the reason you cite).

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Arlington to Ormond
Written from: Goring House

Date: 22 September 1666

Shelfmark: MS. Carte 46, fol(s). 377-378

Document type: Holograph

Communicates further advices concerning the fleet under De Beaufort ...

The King, in all his discourses, endeavours to discourage the promotion of the Bill against Irish Cattle; notwithstanding which it hath been offered already in the House of Commons; - where they seem reasonably wellinclined to vote supplies for the war; - but are desirious to see the accounts of its expenses.

http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/s…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Sir Edward Massey to Secretary Sir George Lane
Written from: Westminster

Date: 22 September 1666

Shelfmark: MS. Carte 72, fol(s). 97-98

Document type: Original & apparently Holograph

The British and Dutch fleets have been parted by storms. Success since achieved by White Squadron, under Sir Thomas Allen, against part of the French fleet unde De Beaufort. He notices recent proceedings in Parliament, and hopes that the King's affairs will go on more prosperously, "when the West-Country men are come up". .. [these are the breeders against beef imports from elsewhere] http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/s…

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"must work to-morrow, which Mr. T. Hater had no mind to, it being the Lord’s day"

L&M: He was a nonconformist -- a Baptist or Quaker.

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