Wednesday 24 June 1668

Up, and Creed and Colonell Atkins come to me about sending coals to Tangier: and upon that most of the morning. Thence Creed and I to Alderman Backewell’s about Tangier business of money, and thence I by water (calling and drinking, but not baisado, at Michell’s) to Westminster, but it being holyday did no business, only to Martin’s … [and there yo did hazer la cosa con her; – L&M] and so home again by water, and busy till dinner, and then with wife, Mercer, Deb., and W. Hewer to the Duke of York’s playhouse, and there saw “The Impertinents,” a pretty good play; and so by water to Spring Garden, and there supped, and so home, not very merry, only when we come home, Mercer and I sat and sung in the garden a good while, and so to bed.


18 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

L&M provide what's omitted in the ellipsis above -- a confession:

"...,but.it being holiday, did no business -- only to Martin's and there yo did hazer la cosa con her; and so home again by water and busy till dinner;"

Jenny  •  Link

It is interesting to note that Sam only "did the [big] thing" with his lady friends after they were married or if they were married. I assume this is to avoid an illegitimate pregnancy, or a pregnancy where paternity may become an ongoing problem i.e. where there's a husband everyone will assume he's the father of the child. Perhaps, also, once a woman is married she is no longer a virgin and further liberties can be taken.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

I believe way back when, he actually did the "big thing" with Diana Crisp, the girl who was "not so good as she should be" in the old place at Axe Yard.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Coals to Tangier...Kinda taking "coals to Newcastle" to a whole new level, eh Sam?

***
No baisado at Mitchell's? I perceive we finally have a husband who suspects at least what Sam is up to.

Chris Squire  •  Link

Re: 'baisado': unknown to OED which has instead:

‘baisemain, n. A kiss of the hands: in pl. compliments, respects.
. . 1656 T. Blount Glossographia, Baisemains, kissing of the hands, humble service.
1707 G. Farquhar Beaux Stratagem iii. 25 Do my Baisemains to the Gentleman, and tell him I will‥wait on him immediately.’

Chris Squire  •  Link

‘Midsummer (23/4 June). Astronomically, the summer solstice is 21 June, but tradition throughout Europe reckons 24 June as Midsummer Day, and calls the night of 23/4 Midsummer Eve, Midsummer Night, or St John's Eve, since 24 June is the feast of St John the Baptist . . ’

A Dictionary of English Folklore. Jacqueline Simpson and Steve Roud. OUP, 2000.

Jenny  •  Link

Ah yes, “not so good as she should be”. I should have made the distinction between women who were "respectable" and women who weren't. Some women were obviously fair game. Betty Martin was a respectable shopkeeper. (I use the term loosely!) Her sister Doll, on the other hand....

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Coals to Tangier…"

L&M note Tangier was in constant need of coal since, hemmed in by the Moors, the English garrison could not forage for wood. Samuel Adams of Stepney often supplied it.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"it being holyday did no business"

L&M note St. John the Baptist's Day was an Exchequer holiday.

Nate  •  Link

Midsummer's eve was off more than that from the astronomical day since Sam used the Julian calendar which was about 12 days off.

Jenny  •  Link

After reading the entries regarding Diana (Dinah) Crisp I am reasonably sure he didn't "do the big thing" with her. She was a neighbour's daughter and I think the dalliance was more of the slap and tickle variety.

Mary  •  Link

baisado.

Certainly wouldn't expect to find this in the OED as it's just another example of Sam's naughty-boy use of foreign and pseudo-foreign terms for his extra-mural hanky-panky.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"but not baisado"

L&M transcribe "but not besando"

martinb  •  Link

Baisado/besando: another example of poor transcription work making Pepys's Spanish appear worse than it really is? In L&M, many of the terms he uses turn out not to be "pseudo-foreign" at all.

Second Reading

psw  •  Link

Yes Martinb: Besar. besa mi, besa mi.
The women and Sam all have in common their needs. Sam helped take care of these women $$, husband's jobs, etc. and genuinely liked them...and he liked fooling around with women. No surprise that.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"calling and drinking, but not baisado, at Michell’s" -- not around the hated Creed. Pepys would not risk being witnessed doing something stupid like that by his enemy. Plus bringing a friend and having an innocent visit would make Mr. Mitchell relax a bit.

@@@

An plausible theory about how Pepys learned to speak ... but not write ... Spanish: https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

June 24 is also a Quarter Day. I wonder why the Exchequor of all departments takes a Quarter Day off as a holiday. Curious.

http://englishhistoryauthors.blog…

Another ritual described by writer Daniel Defoe was used by young women to discover information about their husbands:
"I hope that the next June 24, which is St. John the Baptist’s Day, I shall not see the pastures adjacent to the metropolis thronged as they were the last year with well-dressed young ladies crawling up and down upon their knees as if they were a parcel of weeders, when all the business is to hunt superstitiously after a coal under the root of a plantain to put under their heads that night that they may dream who should be their husbands."

Fads come and go, and Defoe is 50 years from now. If it were happening in Pepys' day, I think he'd be out there gawking.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

'Charles II: June 1668', in Calendar of State Papers Domestic: Charles II, 1667-8, ed. Mary Anne Everett Green (London, 1893), pp. 418-468. British History Online
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…

@@@
June 24. 1668
The Monmouth, Downs.
Sir Thos. Allin to the Navy Commissioners.

Desires orders to Captain Tinker, master of attendance,
to provide pilots for carrying him into Portsmouth Harbour, having sailed for Spithead;
and to the victualler to have his provisions in readiness.
[S.P. Dom., Car. II. 242, 18.]

@@@
June 24. 1668
Royal Katherine, Downs.
Sir Jer. Smyth to Williamson.

His Majesty and his Royal Highness took a view of the fleet in the Downs yesterday, and left this morning for Whitehall;

Sir Thos. Allin has sailed for Portsmouth, with the Monmouth and 6 other ships named.

Thirteen ships named remain in the Downs,
and the Diamond and 2 others are cruising abroad, but are expected here,
with others from the buoy of the Nore, and the river.
[S.P. Dom., Car. II. 242, 19.]

@@@
June 24 1668
Deal.
Rich. Watts to [Williamson].

His Majesty, with Prince Rupert and suite, have departed in pleasure-boats for London,

and in the afternoon Sir Thos. Allin sailed with 8 ships.
[S.P. Dom., Car. II. 242, 20.]

@@@
June 24 1668
Yarmouth.
Rich. Bower to Williamson.

Three vessels have arrived from the North with cod fish.

The drums have been beaten up and down the town for a muster of the trained bands of Yarmouth tomorrow.

The Act for wine and brandy coming into force tomorrow, the bottles have mustered in all parts, so that the vintners have had a very full trade, insomuch that little stores will be found upon their hands.

I do not hear of any on being appointed to put the Act into execution.
[S.P. Dom., Car. II. No. 21.]

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