Thursday 27 September 1666

A very furious blowing night all the night; and my mind still mightily perplexed with dreams, and burning the rest of the town, and waking in much pain for the fleete. Up, and with my wife by coach as far as the Temple, and there she to the mercer’s again, and I to look out Penny, my tailor, to speak for a cloak and cassock for my brother, who is coming to town; and I will have him in a canonical dress, that he may be the fitter to go abroad with me. I then to the Exchequer, and there, among other things, spoke to Mr. Falconbridge about his girle I heard sing at Nonsuch, and took him and some other ’Chequer men to the Sun Taverne, and there spent 2s. 6d. upon them, and he sent for the girle, and she hath a pretty way of singing, but hath almost forgot for want of practice. She is poor in clothes, and not bred to any carriage, but will be soon taught all, and if Mercer do not come again, I think we may have her upon better terms, and breed her to what we please. Thence to Sir W. Coventry’s, and there dined with him and Sir W. Batten, the Lieutenant of the Tower, and Mr. Thin, a pretty gentleman, going to Gottenburgh. Having dined, Sir W. Coventry, Sir W. Batten, and I walked into his closet to consider of some things more to be done in a list to be given to the Parliament of all our ships, and time of entry and discharge. Sir W. Coventry seems to think they will soon be weary of the business, and fall quietly into the giving the King what is fit. This he hopes. Thence I by coach home to the office, and there intending a meeting, but nobody being there but myself and Sir J. Minnes, who is worse than nothing, I did not answer any body, but kept to my business in the office till night, and then Sir W. Batten and Sir W. Pen to me, and thence to Sir W. Batten’s, and eat a barrel of oysters I did give them, and so home, and to bed. I have this evening discoursed with W. Hewer about Mercer, I having a mind to have her again; and I am vexed to hear him say that she hath no mind to come again, though her mother hath. No newes of the fleete yet, but that they went by Dover on the 25th towards the Gunfleete, but whether the Dutch be yet abroad, or no, we hear not. De Ruyter is not dead, but like to do well. Most think that the gross of the French fleete are gone home again.


16 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"...my mind still mightily perplexed with dreams, and burning the rest of the town..."

There were surely many others in London who passed the night restlessly.

(Sorry to have missed this before.)

Michael Robinson  •  Link

" ... to speak for a cloak and cassock for my brother, who is coming to town; and I will have him in a canonical dress, that he may be the fitter to go abroad with me."

John Jr. entered Holy Orders immediately on his gaining his M.A. in 1666 (L&M Companion).

What is SP up to here; perhaps hoping that the clothes will attract some ones interest on his round of Court and Exchange and give John a chance at his first preferment; or does he wish to ape the aristocratic style yet further and have a domestic chaplain in attendance?

If the latter, given SP's peccadilloes, the old Anglican saying about confession comes to mind -- "All may; none must; some should" -- but probably SP with his content in the forms of the CoE is more than satisfied with the prayer book's 'general confession' in services and the opportunity to look down from the Navy Office gallery for babes in church.

cape henry  •  Link

I got the impression that purchasing the clerical garb for his brother had more to do with Pepys' image at large than any ideas concerning a possible preferment for John. Usually, it seems to me, when he has a scheme like that he mentions it so he can pat himself on the back and grip about the cost.

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

re: Sam's plans for brother John

Sam wrote back on the 22nd that he was asking John to come to town to, among other things, help him do something with his money -- I wonder if the "canonical dress" is part of the plan? If they're going to move Sam's ready cash to a safer place, might they draw less attention if one of them is a man of the cloth...?

Terry Foreman  •  Link

House of Commons today

Relief of London.

Sir Robert Atkins' Report from the Committee appointed to receive and prepare Proposals, to be tendered to the House, for the Relief of the City of London, That, having sit Two Afternoons, and being divided in their Sense and Opinion, as to the Manner of the rebuilding the City, could come to no Resolution therein: And therefore Resolved, That it be referred to the House, as the humble Opinion of the Committee, That the House be humbly moved to resume the Consideration of rebuilding the City of London.

And the House having resumed and debated the Matter;

Resolved, &c. That the further Debate of the Matter concerning the City of London be adjourned till To-morrow Morning, Nine of the Clock.

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…

Paul Chapin  •  Link

"She is poor in clothes, and not bred to any carriage, but will be soon taught all, and if Mercer do not come again, I think we may have her upon better terms, and breed her to what we please."

I had to check to be sure, but her name is Miss Barker, not Eliza Doolittle.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...breed her to what we please.”

Henry Higgins...Or Henry (Colin Clive) Frankenstein?...

"...I could have trained him to do my will..."

A. De Araujo  •  Link

"Pepys,The Present Disposall of all His Majestie's Shipps in Sea Pay,1679"
That is the title of a manuscript signed twice by Samuel Pepys coming up for auction at Bloomsbury Auctions; the estimated price is kinda steep though: 4000 to 6000 pounds.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

House of Commons today

Clandestine Marriages.

A Bill to prevent clandestine Marriages was read the Second time.

The Question being put, That the Bill be committed;

It passed in the Negative.

The Question being put, That the Bill be ingrossed;

It passed in the Negative.
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…

Common-law marriage was successfully defended in England and Wales for nearly another century; it survives in some of the Commonwealth and a few other colonies.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marr…

CGS  •  Link

clandestine, a. (n.)
A. adj. Secret, private, concealed; usually in bad sense, implying craft or deception; underhand, surreptitious.
1566 LETHINGTON To Cecil in Burnet Records III. No. 30 (R.) The vitiated and clandestine contract..having no witness nor solemnization of Christian matrimony.

clancular, a. obs
Secret, private; clandestine, underhand.

clandestinity

Clandestine quality or state; secrecy, privacy; usually in bad sense.
1682 STILLINGFL. Speech, Miscell. 87 (T.) Clandestinity and disparity do not void a marriage, but only make the proof more difficult.

to clandestine it: to act in a clandestine manner.

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"No newes of the fleete yet, but that they went by Dover on the 25th towards the Gunfleete, but whether the Dutch be yet abroad, or no, we hear not."

News from Portsmouth should arrive soon.

Sept. 25. 19. Fr. Hosier to Sam. Pepys. The fleet is reported to have Dover. sailed to the Gunfleet. The Dutch arc between Sole Bay and Dunkirk. The victuallers have not yet met with the fleet; some of them are windbound at Rye, others are sent to the Buoy of the Nore; want of convoy and bad weather must prove their excuse. [Adm. Paper]: Calendar of State Papers, Domestic.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Mr. Thin, a pretty gentleman, going to Gottenburgh"

L&M: Thomas Thynne (Coventry's nephew, later Viscount Weymouth) was now appointed ambassador-extraordinary to Sweden. He did not set out until November,

Tonyel  •  Link

If they're going to move Sam's ready cash to a safer place, might they draw less attention if one of them is a man of the cloth...?
Sorry, off topic, but reminds me of Rory Sutherland's comment about buying a car from a vicar:
You don't have to believe in God, you just have to believe that he does.

john  •  Link

"that he may be the fitter to go abroad with me."

Dressing-for-success was more than a buzzword in Pepys's world and there is a tendency to forget that he served at pleasure.

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