Thursday 18 October 1666

Up, and to the office, where we sat all the morning. The waters so high in the roads, by the late rains, that our letters come not in till to-day, and now I understand that my father is got well home, but had a painful journey of it.

At noon with Lord Bruncker to St. Ellen’s, where the master of the late Pope’s Head Taverne is now set up again, and there dined at Sir W. Warren’s cost, a very good dinner. Here my Lord Bruncker proffered to carry me and my wife into a play at Court to-night, and to lend me his coach home, which tempted me much; but I shall not do it. Thence rose from table before dinner ended, and homewards met my wife, and so away by coach towards Lovett’s (in the way wondering at what a good pretty wench our Barker makes, being now put into good clothes, and fashionable, at my charge; but it becomes her, so that I do not now think much of it, and is an example of the power of good clothes and dress), where I stood godfather. But it was pretty, that, being a Protestant, a man stood by and was my Proxy to answer for me. A priest christened it, and the boy’s name is Samuel. The ceremonies many, and some foolish. The priest in a gentleman’s dress, more than my owne; but is a Capuchin, one of the Queene-mother’s priests. He did give my proxy and the woman proxy (my Lady Bills, absent, had a proxy also) good advice to bring up the child, and, at the end, that he ought never to marry the child nor the godmother, nor the godmother the child or the godfather: but, which is strange, they say that the mother of the child and the godfather may marry. By and by the Lady Bills come in, a well-bred but crooked woman. The poor people of the house had good wine, and a good cake; and she a pretty woman in her lying-in dress. It cost me near 40s. the whole christening: to midwife 20s., nurse 10s., mayde 2s. 6d., and the coach 5s. I was very well satisfied with what I have done, and so home and to the office, and thence to Sir W. Batten’s, and there hear how the business of buying off the Chimney-money is passed in the House; and so the King to be satisfied some other way, and the King supplied with the money raised by this purchasing off of the chimnies. So home, mightily pleased in mind that I have got my bills of imprest cleared by bills signed this day, to my good satisfaction. To supper, and to bed.


19 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

John Evelyn's Diary

October 18 To Lond: Star-Chamber: thence to Court, it being the first time of his Majesties putting himselfe solemnly into the Eastern fashion of Vest, changing doublet, stiff Collar, [bands] & Cloake &c: into a comely Vest, after the Persian mode with girdle or shash, & Shoe strings & Garters, into bouckles, of which some were set with precious stones, resolving never to alter it, & to leave the French mode, which had hitherto obtained to our greate expense & reproch: upon which divers Courtiers & Gent: gave his Ma[jesty] gold, by way of Wager, that he would not persist in this resolution: I had some time before indeede presented an Invectique against that unconstancy, & our so much affecting the french fashion, to his Majestie in which [I] tooke occasion to describe the Comelinesse & usefullnesse of the Persian clothing in the very same manner, his Majestie clad himselfe; This Pamphlet I intituled Tyrannus or the mode, & gave it his Majestie to reade; I do not impute the change which soon happn’d to this discourse, but it was an identitie, that I could not but take notice of: This night was acted my Lord Brahals Tragedy cal’d Mustapha before their Majesties &c: at Court: at which I was present, very seldom at any time, going to the publique Theaters, for many reasons, now as they were abused, to an atheisticall liberty, fowle & undecent; Women now (& never ’til now) permitted to appeare & act, which inflaming severall young noble-men & gallants, became their whores, & to some their Wives, witnesse the Earle of Oxford, Sir R: Howard, Pr: Rupert, the E: of Dorset, & another greater person than any of these, who fell into their snares, to the reproch of their noble families, & ruine both of body & Soule: I was invited to see this Tragedie, exceedingly well writ, by my Lord Chamberlain, though in my mind, I did not approve of any such passe time, in a season of such Judgements & Calamitie:

http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Le…

Australian Susan  •  Link

"...the ceremonies many, and some foolish. The priest in a gentleman’s dress,..."

Sam is probably referring to anointing with oil of catechumens on the chest and oil of chrism on forehead, ears, eyes, lips and giving of white garment. The Catholic rite is quite elaborate. Sam, not understanding the implications of all the parts would think it all rather silly. He also does not understand about the use of vestments as he seems surprised at the priest's dress - though I had to smile at Sam's little, revealing aside: "more than my owne". Although he had to have a proxy as he was not Catholic, he then took on all the godfatherly responsibilities once the child is baptised which could mean being expected to advance little Samuel's career once he is a teenager - a cultural expectation which Sam is anxious to avoid in the case of Mrs Martin's offspring!

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"to Sir W. Batten’s, and there hear how the business of buying off the Chimney-money is passed in the House; and so the King to be satisfied some other way, and the King supplied with the money raised by this purchasing off of the chimnies."

House of Commons Journal for today

Chimney Money.

Resolved, &c. That it be referred to the Committee appointed to bring in an Estimate of the yearly Value of Chimney Money, to prepare and bring in a Bill for the Purchasing off of Chimney Money:....

Resolved, &c. That the House be resolved into a Committee of the whole House, To-morrow Morning, Ten of the Clock, to consider of a Compensation to his Majesty, in lieu of Chimney Money; and of the effectual raising Eighteen hundred thousand Pounds Supply for his Majesty. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"(in the way wondering at what a good pretty wench our Barker makes, being now put into good clothes, and fashionable, at my charge; but it becomes her, so that I do not now think much of it, and is an example of the power of good clothes and dress)"

"Again..."

"The...rain in...Spain stays mainly in the...plain."

To Bess... "I think she's got it. I think she's got it."

"The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain." Barker singing, proudly.

"If you don't get...Your hand off...Her waist, you'll get it..." Bess, glaring.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"what a good pretty wench our Barker makes, being now put into good clothes, and fashionable...and is an example of the power of good clothes and dress"

L&M note this passage from Daniel Defoe's *Everybody's Business*

"The apparel of our women-servants should be next regulated, that we may know the mistress from the maid. I remember I was once put very much to the blush, being at a friend’s house, and by him required to salute the ladies, I kissed the chamber-jade into the bargain, for she was as well dressed as the best. But I was soon undeceived by a general titter, which gave me the utmost confusion; nor can I believe myself the only person who has made such a mistake." http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20…

Paul Chapin  •  Link

"another greater person than any of these, who fell into their snares" (from Evelyn's diary, as provided by Terry)
Presumably he's talking about Charles II and Nell Gwyn.

I like Evelyn a lot, but he sounds like somebody you wouldn't want to invite to a party.

Tony Eldridge  •  Link

"but, which is strange, they say that the mother of the child and the godfather may marry."
And Mrs Lovett is "a very beautiful woman" - no Sam, don't let your mind start wandering there.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"I like Evelyn a lot, but he sounds like somebody you wouldn’t want to invite to a party."

Oh, I dunno...He'd be interesting as to political/scientific and if he's a bit prudish, any detected hypocrisy at the party (he is, after all, friend to Sam Pepys) would be vastly entertaining in its own way. Procopius is never so much fun as when he's sanctimoniously denouncing his imperial mistress, the Empress Theodora, she of the somewhat checkered past...Behind poor Theo's imperious back of course.

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"I had some time before indeede presented an Invectique against that unconstancy, & our so much affecting the french fashion, to his Majestie in which [I] tooke occasion to describe the Comelinesse & usefullnesse of the Persian clothing in the very same manner, his Majestie clad himselfe; This Pamphlet I intituled Tyrannus or the mode, & gave it his Majestie to reade; I do not impute the change which soon happn’d to this discourse, but it was an identitie, that I could not but take notice of:"

The text of Tyrannus, or, The mode in a discourse of sumptuary lawes.
Evelyn, John, 1620-1706.
London: Printed for G. Bedel, T. Collins ..., and J. Crook ..., 1661.
Early English Books Online
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"to St. Ellen’s, where the master of the late Pope’s Head Taverne is now set up again"

L&M: The parish of St Helen's Bishopsgate had escaped the Fire. The Pope's Head Tavern, in Pope's Head Alley, off Lombard St, had been destroyed. Its Landlord, John Sawyer, returned there after it was rebuilt on the same site.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"The priest in a gentleman’s dress, more than my owne; but is a Capuchin, one of the Queene-mother’s priests. "

L&M: It was usual for Roman Catholic priests to wear lay clothes to save thenselves from prosecution.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

L&M transcribe:
"He did give my proxy and the woman-proxy...good advice to bring up the child, and at the end, that he ought never to marry the child nor the godmother, nor the godmother the child, or the godfather. But which is strange, they say that the mother of the child and the godfather may marry. This is strange."

L&M: The spiritual affinity between godparents was an impediment to valid marriage, but the mother and the godfather might marry if not connected by blood or marriage relationship.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"Here my Lord Bruncker proffered to carry me and my wife into a play at Court to-night, and to lend me his coach home, which tempted me much; but I shall not do it."

I wonder what Elizabeth thought about that. Pepys probably didn't tell her. So why didn't he accept? Still keeping his lady hidden from the profane Court? Not wanting to be indebted to Brouncker? Needed an early night? Had heard bad reviews? Actually agreed with Lady Carteret about the loose women on the stage? Didn't want the Generals-at-Sea and Stuart Brothers to see him having fun so his image as the serious one in the office could live for another day? Yup, that about covers it. Pepys was wiser and more disciplined than I would have been.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"Women now (& never ’til now) permitted to appeare & act, which inflaming severall young noble-men & gallants, became their whores, & to some their Wives, witnesse the Earle of Oxford, Sir R: Howard, Pr: Rupert, the E: of Dorset, & another greater person than any of these, who fell into their snares, to the reproch of their noble families, & ruine both of body & Soule:"

Sir Robert Howard was a playwright and married four times. Any dalliance he may have had has not survived in his on-line biographies.

In 1666 Aubrey de Vere, 20th Earl of Oxford had deceived Hester Davenport, an actress, into believing she was married and she was received as the Countess of Oxford until her death decades from now -- although he later officially marries someone else.

Rupert "kept himself apart from much of the wickedness of Charles II's court, but in the summer of 1668 he was unhappily persuaded to accompany his cousin to Tunbridge Wells. There he fell a victim to the charms of the actress, Margaret Hughes."[65]
[65] Hamilton's Mémoires du Comte de Grammont. ed. 1876. pp. 242-243.
Well, we know how unreliable Grammont's memory was ... so he missed their meeting by a couple of years?

Richard Sackville, 5th Earl of Dorset was an occasional poet. John Aubrey reproduced a report that Sackville translated Corneille's Le Cid. And he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1665. He was married for 40 years and no hint of a mistress has made it into his online bios.

The Earl of Dorset's son is Charles Sackville, Lord Buckhurst -- who, in 1667, briefly wins Nell Gwyn's favors ... until she meets and negotiates an acceptable agreement with Charles II.

As Rupert is currently about 5th in line to the throne, being higher than him means one of the Stuart brothers. The official theaters have been closed since the summer of 1665 and they don't officially reopen until later this Fall, although some of the actors went with the court to Oxford to provide entertainment in 1665. We know it can't be James because he's smitten with "the bitch of Denham". Ergo, Charles II must be off having unrecorded fun apart from the supposedly-pregnant Mrs, Palmer.

If I find better gossip to fill in the blanks, I'll be back.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"Mustapha" was first performed on the London stage 3 April, 1665 at the Duke's Company playhouse, co-starring Thomas Betterton and Mary Saunderson Betterton [whom Samuel Pepys called "Ianthe"].

The 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica said this was among several of the rhymed-verse tragedies by Roger Boyle, Baron Broghill and 1st Earl of Orrery that were "of some literary but no dramatic merit." Pepys reported it "not good" which "made Betterton’s part and Ianthe’s but ordinary too, so that we were not contented with it at all."

Gerald Berg  •  Link

John Evelyn (the life of the party) gets interesting in around 1669 with the introduction of the 17 y.o. Margaret Blagge into his life. His inner Humbert Humbert awaits thee there.

Clark Kent  •  Link

Mark Twain on the power of good clothes and dress: "Clothes make a man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.'

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

In my on-line copy of Evelyn's Diary, the following "offending" actresses are listed.

"Among the principal offenders here aimed at were Mrs. Margaret Hughes, Mrs. Eleanor Gwyn, Mrs. Davenport, Mrs. Uphill, Mrs. Davis, and Mrs. Knight.
"Mrs. Davenport (Roxolana) was my Lord Oxford's Mis[tres]s;
"Mrs. Uphill was the actress alluded to in connection with Sir R. Howard;
"Mrs. Hughes ensnared Prince Rupert;
"and the last of the “misses” referred to by Evelyn was Nell Gwyn."
http://brittlebooks.library.illin…

Eleanor Gwyn and Nell Gwyn are the same person. All my notes have Charles II as meeting Moll Davies first in the Spring of 1667 (next year), then Mary Knight (a singer), and Nell shortly after that. He had a busy and expensive spring.
Can't find anything about Mrs. Uphill.

Unlike Pepys, Evelyn did edit his Diaries and rewrite them later in life. Maybe he, like Grammont, misremembered the dates for these alliances.

Mary K  •  Link

Mary Knight,( a singer)

Curses! My name being bandied about after 350 years of complete seclusion!

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