Thursday 2 August 1660

To Westminster by water with Sir W. Batten and Sir W. Pen (our servants in another boat) to the Admiralty; and from thence I went to my Lord’s to fetch him thither, where we stayed in the morning about ordering of money for the victuallers, and advising how to get a sum of money to carry on the business of the Navy. From thence dined with Mr. Blackburne at his house with his friends (his wife being in the country and just upon her return to London), where we were very well treated and merry.

From thence W. Hewer and I to the office of Privy Seal, where I stayed all the afternoon, and received about 40l. for yesterday and to-day, at which my heart rejoiced for God’s blessing to me, to give me this advantage by chance, there being of this 40l. about 10l. due to me for this day’s work. So great is the present profit of this office, above what it was in the King’s time; there being the last month about 300 bills; whereas in the late King’s time it was much to have 40. With my money home by coach.

It being the first time that I could get home before our gates were shut since I came to the Navy office.

When I came home I found my wife not very well of her old pain … [in the lip of her chose, – L&M] which she had when we were married first.

I went and cast up the expense that I laid out upon my former house (because there are so many that are desirous of it, and I am, in my mind, loth to let it go out of my hands, for fear of a turn). I find my layings-out to come to about 20l., which with my fine will come to about 22l. to him that shall hire my house of me.1

To bed.

16 Annotations

First Reading

Paul Brewster  •  Link

my wife not very well of her old pain in the lip of her chose which she had when we were married first
per L&M "Diagnosed as spasmodic dysmenorrhoea: Sir D'Arcy Power in Occ. papers Pepys Club ... It is clear from later entries that the trouble abated."

Paul Brewster  •  Link

"Fees for writing privy seal warrants ('bills') were the main source of income for the clerks. In the early months of the Restoration, when many new appointments to office were being made, this income might be considerable, and much larger than the official salaries, particularly because until November 1661 no rates for fees were established ... Pepys received less, however for pardons of which there were many in this post-revolutionary period ... Some were issed free, others at a reduced rate."
L&M Footnote

Paul Brewster  •  Link

Fine: payment for lease
(per L&M Select Glossary)

Paul Brewster  •  Link

Chose (n) per OED
[a. F. chose:?L. causa matter, affair, thing.]
3. Thing (as a general term for a thing not more particularly named). Obs.
c1386 Chaucer Wife’s Prol. 447. 1398 Trevisa Barth. de P.R. xvi. xxxix. (Tollem. MS.) And sumwhat passe? of ?e priue chose [1535 privy chose] of woman.

Pauline  •  Link

"...her old pain in the lip of her chose ...
Elizabeth's "old pain" well discussed in the Background information for her. But the word "chose" is new to the discussion. I suspected obfuscation with French and found: la chose = thing; le chose = thingy, thingamajig. This is from googling a French-English, English-French dictionary.

Brian McMullen  •  Link

SP is showing considerable understanding of the times and still managing a profit in it all. He has determined the expense of the Axe property to be 20l. and that he can rent the same for a 2l. profit. I should know this by now but need to ask - that is an annual rent that he has determined? Secondly, does he own the property or is this a sub-lease he is planning on?

chip  •  Link

On page 53 of Tomalin, as far as I can see not mentioned in the copious notes on Elizabeth, just as Pepys was entering a particularly painful phase of the stone..."she, by dreadful coincidence, developed what he called boils on 'the lip of her chose.' She was suffering from a condition well known to modern doctors but untreatable then, at which the glands to the entrance to the vagina become blocked and a cyst is formed, producing abscesses that are not only painful but also make sexual intercourse virtually impossible at times. He was in no way to blame, but she may have suspected he was. It would be hard to imagine a worse recipe for a honeymoon." Sorry Vincent, not many euphemisms there.

vincent  •  Link

Chip! at least you kept the Saxon (maybe a little angle) English to the very minimum. ta ever so.
and Rochester too.

vincent  •  Link

Payments? "... From thence W. Hewer and I to the office of Privy Seal, where I stayed all the afternoon, and received about 40l. for yesterday and to-day, at which my heart rejoiced for God’s blessing to me, to give me this advantage by chance, there being of this 40l. about 10l. due to me for this day’s work. So great is the present profit of this office, above what it was in the King’s time; there being the last month about 300 bills; whereas in the late King’s time it was much to have 40...."
2 days work brought in 40L for approx. 12 to 15 bills a day and his cut 25% .the Crown gets the rest: a sailor gets 5d a day. ". Cost of a Bill is 3L?
No wonder people would morgage their life for that take. see Liza Picard p 147 a few more days like that, and he has got himself a Merc., sorry I mean a pair of coach horses.(50L a pr)
Sorry the other post on beer belongs to the day previous:

Jenny Doughty  •  Link

With all due respect to Sir D'Arcy Power, spasmodic dysmenorrhea is not experienced in the lip of 'le chose'. However, the blockage of the Bartholin's glands forming cysts or abscesses makes perfect sense in giving rise to these symptoms. I recently read Sara George's book, and I note that she plumps for this explanation.

Linda Camidge  •  Link

I followed the link in Nix's post and it seemed to lead to a list of clothing.

Perhaps much has changed since 2003; more even than since 1660. I suppose that's modern life for you.

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

" to the Admiralty; and from thence I went to my Lord’s to fetch him thither"

The Westminster boogie gives SP time with "my Lord": the Companion has the Admiralty at this time at the Lord Admiral's (the Duke of York's in summer) in St James's Palace; Mountagu had an official residence in Whitehall Palace.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Spasmodic dysmenorrhoea --

Dysmenorrhea, also known as dysmenorrhoea, painful periods, or menstrual cramps, is pain during menstruation.[1][2] It usually begins around the time that menstruation begins. Symptoms typically last less than three days. The pain is usually in the pelvis or lower abdomen. Other symptoms may include back pain, diarrhea, or nausea. In young women painful periods often occur without an underlying problem. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysmenorrhea

Liz  •  Link

Jenny Doughty: yes I believe you are correct. Having suffered from this myself, your usage of ‘plump’ is about right (was this an intentional pun?!) I have purchased Sara George’s book and look forward to reading it - I hadn’t come across it before. Thank you for the heads up, as people say nowadays.

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