Tuesday 18 June 1667

Up, and did this morning dally with Nell … [and touch her thing – L&M] which I was afterward troubled for. To the office, and there all the morning. Peg Pen come to see me, and I was glad of it, and did resolve to have tried her this afternoon, but that there was company with elle at my home, whither I got her. Dined at home, W. Hewer with me, and then to the office, and to my Lady Pen’s, and did find occasion for Peg to go home with me to my chamber, but there being an idle gentleman with them, he went with us, and I lost my hope. So to the office, and by and by word was brought me that Commissioner Pett is brought to the Tower, and there laid up close prisoner; which puts me into a fright, lest they may do the same with us as they do with him. This puts me upon hastening what I am doing with my people, and collecting out of my papers our defence. Myself got Fist, Sir W. Batten’s clerk, and busy with him writing letters late, and then home to supper and to read myself asleep, after piping, and so to bed. Great newes to-night of the blowing up of one of the Dutch greatest ships, while a Council of War was on board: the latter part, I doubt, is not so, it not being confirmed since; but the former, that they had a ship blown up, is said to be true. This evening comes Sir G. Carteret to the office, to talk of business at Sir W. Batten’s; where all to be undone for want of money, there being none to pay the Chest at their publique pay the 24th of this month, which will make us a scorn to the world. After he had done there, he and I into the garden, and walked; and the greatest of our discourse is, his sense of the requisiteness of his parting with his being Treasurer of the Navy, if he can, on any good terms. He do harp upon getting my Lord Bruncker to take it on half profit, but that he is not able to secure him in paying him so much. But the thing I do advise him to do by all means, and he resolves on it, being but the same counsel which I intend to take myself. My Lady Jem goes down to Hinchingbroke to lie down, because of the troubles of the times here. He tells me he is not sure that the King of France will not annoy us this year, but that the Court seems [to] reckon upon it as a thing certain, for that is all that I and most people are afeard of this year. He tells me now the great question is, whether a Parliament or no Parliament; and says the Parliament itself cannot be thought able at present to raise money, and therefore it will be to no purpose to call one. I hear this day poor Michell’s child is dead.


27 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

“…. “Up, and did this morning dally with Nell and touch her thing, which I was afterward troubled for. To the office, and there all the morning. Peg Pen came to see me, and I was glad of it; and did resolve to have tried her this afternoon, but that there was company with ella at my house, whither I got her. ….”

http://www.pepys.info/bits5.html

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Arlington to Ormond
Written from: Whitehall
Date: 18 June 1667

Upon the question of calling Parliament together, "the plurality of opinions, in the Council, was in the affirmative. But the resolution is suspended until the Advices are received from Lord St Alban & from the Ambassadors at Breda" ...

The Enemy hath gotten the 'Charles' off, and have made her their Admiral. They are now, with their whole fleet, a little below the buoy in the Nore. ...

Adds in a PS: "Commissioner Peter Pett, who had the care of Chatham, is sent prisoner to the Tower" ...
_____

A News-Letter, addressed to Sir George Lane
Written from: [Whitehall]
Date: 18 June 1667

Sir Thomas Clifford has conferred with the Duke of Albemarle, after a meeting of the Council, upon the measures of defence to be taken "on this great occasion".

The Duke of York has visited Woolwich & Blackwall, to provide for the security of the River.

In the City of London, it is resolved to enlist [as a militia] all males, between 16 and 60 years of age; maintaining all that cannot maintain themselves. The Quakers have offered to raise 6,000 men for the King's service.

The Dutch Fleet, of eighty men-of-war and twenty fire-ships, are at the Buoy of the Nore.

http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/s…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"...: the latter part, I doubt, is not so, it not being confirmed since;.... "

"doubt" = suspect.

Australian Susan  •  Link

Now we all know that servant girls have little option (if they want to retain their jobs), but to put up with the wandering hands of their employers and serving girls in taverns accept what happens as part of their job (don't upset the customers or they won't come back), but *why* is Peg Pen doing what she does? She has a reputation to lose. Most odd. And I don't think any of us regard Sam as Adonis Personified and Irresistible to the ladies, which makes her behaviour seem to me even more strange.

language hat  •  Link

Please keep that kind of commentary out of these threads. Thanks. (Phil, if you want to delete both Linda's comment and mine, that's fine with me.)

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Poor Pett...He did send pleas for help constantly. And his ship models were important. Still, helps to be Mr. Shipbuilding in a naval war at such a time.

***

It is interesting about Peg Penn...But Sam must have something. Betty Pierce may be able to resist him with amusement but even she likes him. His love of life, honestly sympathetic interest in people...And something we sometimes lose in the recent Diary, his kindness and generous nature. He sincerely loves his friends, wants the people round him to have a good time, lays out a fortune doing so, and can even wink at Bess' filching for the aged ps, even if in the Diary he may count the pennies every other night. Elizabeth Knipp and Betty Martin, both fairly independent working women, despite their husbands, seem to view him as at least one of their great joys in life. At a rather miserable and desperate time in history, he makes life fun and bearable. It's only when he pulls things like pressing Mrs. Bagwell or Mrs Daniels or hounding Betty Michell that his selfishness overshadows the joy one takes in his spirit. His staff seems to have geniune affection for him, and shows great loyalty, perhaps because when the chips are down, he is there for Hayter and Hewer and others, risking quite a bit, given he has nothing but his work, a well-placed-but-currently-out-of-favor cousin who regards him as a servant, however liked and trusted, and the admiration he's earned from his masters. Perhaps most important, with Sam Pepys, every day is an adventure and it's easy to imagine a captivated Bess listening with pleasure to his tales of titanic office struggles, eager delight in new inventions and discoveries, sly observations of human folly, and occassional bursts of poetic emotion...At least one hopes so. At their best, people like Sam make the daily world worth living in.

Paul Chapin  •  Link

"The Quakers have offered to raise 6,000 men for the King’s service." [from News-Letter to Sir George Lane, thx to TF]

This seems anomalous. Weren't they always pacifists? Maybe the "service" was non-combat, like caring for the wounded.

Michael Robinson  •  Link

“The Quakers have offered to raise 6,000 men for the King’s service.”

From this certainly appears as if pacifism was a fundamental tenant:
The Journal of George Fox, "Declaration was given unto the King upon the 21st day of the 11th Month, 1660 [January, 1661] A Declaration from the harmless and innocent people of God, called Quakers, against all plotters and fighters in the world: ..." http://home.earthlink.net/~imym-f…

However from having examined a couple of Philadelphia archives some years ago, I know Quaker's certainly fought in the Pennsylvania Militia during the Revolutionary War and the 'Meeting' split on the issue; and from local knowledge, I live in 'Moseby's Confederacy,' that there were Quaker Units involved in the bittier and messy 'partisan' fighting in Northern Virginia during the Civil War.
http://www.loudounhistory.org/his…

Still, a coherent and organised group of 6,000 does seem most unlikely with Fox, their primary leader, having made the declaration above only six years prior.

Australian Susan  •  Link

Might it be that the Quakers had offered to pay for the men - not actually fight themselves? So that they acknowledged that England was in a dire position and were willing to help as far as their consciences let them.

tonyt  •  Link

The most likely explanation is that 'Quakers' is a transcription error -but I cannot think what for. Is anyone able to go to the Bodleian Library to check the original document?

Bradford  •  Link

Does L&M footnote the Quakers?

language hat  •  Link

"Does L&M footnote the Quakers?"

The Quakers are not in the diary entry but in the "News-Letter, addressed to Sir George Lane" quoted by Terry. I agree that it seems highly unlikely that the Quakers would have done any such thing; if anyone has access to a detailed history of the group, it might shed some light. I've checked Google Books without finding any mention of it.

Incidentally, it is later in 1667 that the younger William Penn becomes openly associated with the Quakers (his hanging out with them has been bothering his father for some time now); for a little further background, a description of Rosemary Anne Moore's The Light in Their Consciences: Faith, Practices, and Personalities in Early British Quakerism, 1646-1666 says "It was in [1666] that Fox initiated major organizational reforms that signaled the true dividing line between the early charismatic Quaker movement and the introverted sect of the later seventeenth century."

JWB  •  Link

I deny all responsiblity for the octothorps above. Don't let any confusion stop you from reading the link, it's on point.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

So...Is Louis missing the bus on this one invasionwise or has he already begun negotiations with Charlie? Though he may be allied for now with the Republic, it's not necessarily in his interests for the Dutch to win an utter victory over England.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"at Sir W. Batten’s; where all to be undone for want of money, there being none to pay the Chest at their publique pay the 24th of this month, which will make us a scorn to the world."

L&M note Pepys had written to Officers of the Chest (1 June) that Batten owed it c. £5400.

Second Reading

psw  •  Link

Peg Penn...cannot parse this either. His hatred for admiral Penn started from the git go due probably to Penn's disdain for Peeps due to social standing Penn would never let go.

Good RG entry on Peg et al. He's just an charmer.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"word was brought me that Commissioner Pett is brought to the Tower, and there laid up close prisoner"

L&M: The news was sent to the Navy Board in the postscript of a letter (17 June) from Brouncker and Mennes at Chatham: CSPD Add. 1660-85, p. 195. The arrest had been made on the previous day.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Great newes to-night of the blowing up of one of the Dutch greatest ships, while a Council of War was on board: the latter part, I doubt, is not so, it not being confirmed since; but the former, that they had a ship blown up, is said to be true."

L&M: A Chatham observer, writing on 27 July, reported that at about this time the Dutch in their withdrawal blew up one if their ships: Rawl. A 195a, f. 131r. Cf. also the report (18 June) of the Dutch burning two of their ships which had been crippled: HMC, Le Fleming, p. 50.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"where all to be undone for want of money, there being none to pay the Chest at their publique pay the 24th of this month, which will make us a scorn to the world."

L&M: Cf. Pepys to Officers of the Chest (1 June): NMM, LBK/8, pp. 487-8 (printed Further Corr., p. 176); a statement of Batten's indebtedness to the chest (c. £5400).

mountebank  •  Link

"but *why* is Peg Pen doing what she does? She has a reputation to lose. Most odd. And I don't think any of us regard Sam as Adonis Personified and Irresistible to the ladies, which makes her behaviour seem to me even more strange."

"Good RG entry on Peg et al. He's just an charmer." I agree with Robert Gertz on this point too. Sam does seem to be attractive to a wide range of women for whatever reason(s). Even though he clearly has a predatory side. I suspect it might be part of his genuine general curiosity, if he was able to show interest in the lives of the women as he was chasing, that might have added to his charm. If you look through the diary you'll find many examples of him engaging in conversations with women (often with an agenda). I do wonder if this was rather atypical of his time.

It's tempting to split people, and men, into nice ones vs bad ones, but it's seldom that simple.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

L&M: Cf. Pepys to Officers of the Chest (1 June): NMM, LBK/8, pp. 487-8 (printed Further Corr., p. 176); a statement of Batten's indebtedness to the chest (c. £5400).

I'm guessing Pepys didn't tell Batten he sent this expose. And that may explain why he wished Batten hadn't co-signed Pepys' report the other day concerning their many requests for more money.

john  •  Link

Perhaps Peg Pen found his influence to be an aphrodisiac. (De gustibus and all that ...)

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Gentle grooming over the years, Mountebank. Pepys has blossomed into a predator before our eyes.

Hope  •  Link

It looks like Peg is not too thrilled with the new husband.

Third Reading

Trevor M Randall  •  Link

Just to add my two pennies I agree with SDS, Peg has been groomed from an early age, this is not about Sam being charming or attractive.

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