Tuesday 15 December 1668
Up, and to the Office, where sat all the morning, and the new Treasurers there; and, for my life, I cannot keep Sir J. Minnes and others of the Board from shewing our weakness, to the dishonour of the Board, though I am not concerned but it do vex me to the heart to have it before these people, that would be glad to find out all our weaknesses. At noon Mrs. Mary Batelier with us, and so, after dinner, I with W. Hewer all the afternoon till night beginning to draw up our answer to Middleton, and it proves troublesome, because I have so much in my head at a time to say, but I must go through with it. So at night to supper and to bed.
5 Annotations
First Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
Ormond to Ossory
Written from: Whitehall
Date: 15 December 1668
Upon information that the King was freshly and vigorously pressed to make a change in the Government of Ireland, the writer took occasion to speak with his Majesty on the subject. After much discourse, he told the King that it would never trouble the writer to be undone for him, but it would be the most insupportable affliction in the world to be undone by him. His Majesty thereupon replied that I should never be so undone. There the conversation ended. ... He believes that it will be hard to prevail upon the King to remove him. ...
Lord Arlington shewed the writer a printed paper, containing 'Queries' which are so many libels upon him. ... He thinks it may be fit to prepare some answer, and with the King's leave, to publish it. ...
http://www.rsl.ox.ac.uk/dept/scwm…
Terry Foreman • Link
"these people, that would be glad to find out all our weaknesses"
I'm presuming Pepys is leery of the two new Co-Treasurers of the Navy, Sir Thomas Osborne and Sir Thomas Littleton, and misses the "sober" Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey.
Mary • Link
"I have so much at a time in my head to say"
Another of the drawbacks to having to rely entirely on dictation? This reads as if Sam's eyes are so bad that he cannot even use a set of preliminary, written notes from which to plan and construct his argument. It must indeed be a difficult task for him.
Terry Foreman • Link
The dinner guest, Mary Batelier, seamstress, reminds of Pepys's roots in the fashion part of the London garment trades.
Second Reading
San Diego Sarah • Link
"I'm presuming Pepys is leery of the two new Co-Treasurers of the Navy ..."
Perhaps Pepys is more leery of his colleagues who are nervously spilling the beans. Pepys appears to think the beans are theirs to spill, and will not reflect on him. It's their signatures on bad paperwork; he just filed the paperwork and kept the books.
As I understand it, he made most of his money in the Tangier victualing business, which is not the subject of this conversation.
Nervous/guilty people often do this.
https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…