About Sunday 25 October 1668

Song Of Autumn on 28 Jan 2024  •  Link

Regarding his wife's prior awareness of Sam's extramarital adventures, I've found an interesting and relevant excerpt from Elizabeth's own diary dated November 1, 1660.

The context - which Sam's own entry for the prior day alludes to - is that Elizabeth suffered some condition that apparently made sex painful. Sam's entry merely notes that he finds not having sex frustrating; but her entry indicates he might have whitewashed a tad bit:

"The great chafe I am in, for last night my husband does make to baste me – by reason that I am ill! And does he count the days since we did lie together and demand his dues soon, else he does claim as ’tis his right to put his pintle in some other. Which does bring out the very deep anger in me; and no way to win me to him it is. And will I observe where his pintle does go (and I do have my ways) and the price he should pay if it should find other accommodation."

So not only did he *deliberately* provoke suspicion that he was pursuing, or was willing to pursue, other women (which would be a fairly inadvisable thing to suggest even if it *was* merely a bluff... which it obviously wasn't), but she found it plausible enough that she was actively on the lookout.

(I must also agree that threatening infidelity is perhaps not an ideal strategy to ignite a wife's passion)

About Wednesday 31 October 1660

Song Of Autumn on 18 Jan 2024  •  Link

"My wife has been so ill of late of her old pain that I have not known her this fortnight almost, which is a pain to me."

Interesting to get more perspective on this, as it turns out *her* diary makes note of this issue the next day:

"The great chafe I am in, for last night my husband does make to baste me – by reason that I am ill! And does he count the days since we did lie together and demand his dues soon, else he does claim as ’tis his right to put his pintle in some other. Which does bring out the very deep anger in me; and no way to win me to him it is. And will I observe where his pintle does go (and I do have my ways) and the price he should pay if it should find other accommodation."

One must imagine a chill went up Mr. Pepys' spine when she wrote the last bit.