Wednesday 8 August 1660

We met at the office, and after that to dinner at home, and from thence with my wife by water to Catan Sterpin, with whom and her mistress Pye we sat discoursing of Kate’s marriage to Mons. Petit, her mistress and I giving the best advice we could for her to suspend her marriage till Mons. Petit had got some place that may be able to maintain her, and not for him to live upon the portion that she shall bring him. From thence to Mr. Butler’s to see his daughters, the first time that ever we made a visit to them. We found them very pretty, and Coll. Dillon there, a very merry and witty companion, but methinks they live in a gaudy but very poor condition. From thence, my wife and I intending to see Mrs. Blackburne, who had been a day or two again to see my wife, but my wife was not in condition to be seen, but she not being at home my wife went to her mother’s and I to the Privy Seal. At night from the Privy Seal, Mr. Woodson and Mr. Jennings and I to the Sun Tavern till it was late, and from thence to my Lord’s, where my wife was come from Mrs. Blackburne’s to me, and after I had done some business with my Lord, she and I went to Mrs. Hunt’s, who would needs have us to lie at her house to-night, she being with my wife so late at my Lord’s with us, and would not let us go home to-night.

We lay there all night very pleasantly and at ease … [One is curious as to Pepy’s remarks, here and in many other places, that the Wheatly censors out with his puritanical periods … D.W.] [I taking my pleasure with my wife in the morning, being the first time after her being eased of her pain. – L&M]

15 Annotations

First Reading

Paul Brewster  •  Link

Okay, D.W., here goes -
"We lay there all night very pleasantly and at ease, I taking my pleasure with my wife in the morning, being the first time after her being eased of her pain."
Per L&M

On a side note, it’s a wonder that D.W. didn’t know about the L&M.

Nix  •  Link

This is the first time I can recall Samuel making reference to conjugal relations with his wife. I wonder what prompted him to mention it -- I don't think he said anything about it when he returned from a (presumably) much longer hiatus during his sea voyage.

chip  •  Link

I found it strange he does refer to it in plain English, not his tortured Spanish. Perhaps because he is in a strange house, the thrill of getting caught! L&M say that Kate and Mons. Petit were married on the 16th of October. They also have a day or to ago, not again, which makes more sense. And also, maintain his life and not her. Here the note adds that the symbol was blotted. Obviously he could not have written this on the same day as they were not at home and I doubt he carries the diary around with him.

vincent  •  Link

Just the night before he went looking for Jane out of Cambridge and was disappointed. I wonder how many other cuts in text there were? Oh course SP appears to mention the unusual, none of the of the routine daily dull data that would be interesting to the outsider.

Brian McMullen  •  Link

The cadence of the day appears to be off in this entry. It is the middle of the week yet SP has spent the better part of the day in the company of his wife. He then goes 'to work' until 'night' - sunset in London is approximately 8:30 today. Is he taking a 'vacation day'?

chip  •  Link

Tomalin explains that the office and home are now but a two minute walk from one another and he bops back and forth with ease. I wonder how long it takes for Elizabeth to tire of that...

Mary  •  Link

Dr. Williams' ointment and plaster
seem to have been remarkably effective within very few days. If the problem was indeed some form of abcess, its healing has been extraordinarily rapid.

Arbor  •  Link

I wonder if Samuel's frustration of a couple of days ago was really about NOT being able to "Take his pleasure"?

Pauline  •  Link

How much do we want to read into this?
Elizabeth is ailing and abed and Sam is frustrated. Then he devotes himself to her and makes himself available for social calls, and she is well again.

If she is suffering from Barthlin's cyst, the two days or so in bed are a little overdone. There may be adjustments to the new home, new status, new money, new schedule of busyness also involved here.

Also, that Sam loses his head a little and drinks too much and suffers for a day or so signals an adjustment needed on his part to these quick-advancing and heady times.

They are young, and the times are of rapid change.

Second Reading

Third Reading

MartinVT  •  Link

Can someone remind me who D. W. is (that inserted the comment in today's text about Wheatley's censorship)?

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

“D.W.” is David Widger, who produced the electronic text for Project Gutenberg.

Under the "ABOUT" icon, Phil has included a page "ABOUT THE TEXT" which answers lots more questions like this:
https://www.pepysdiary.com/about/…

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"Is he taking a 'vacation day'?"

No -- he went to work in the Navy Office, where they sat/met all morning. He could easily have started at 6 a.m. if not before, and clocked out at noon for lunch.

Then he and Elizabeth make some courtesy calls -- Mrs. Blackborne wasn't home -- for say 4 hours. Then he goes to work at the Privy Seal's Office. Let's say he stayed there until 6 or 7 -- and off to Sandwich's for another business discussion.

They get to the Hunts' by around 9 p.m., and she realizes he, at least, has had a busy day and puts them to bed.

By my calculations he worked for between 8 and 9 hours at his 3 various occupations.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Meanwhile, at the House of Lords, they have decided to remove John Thurloe -- Cromwell's Secretary of State and ruthless spy master -- from the Bill of Indemnity.
Someone must have told them he was (unofficially) working for Charles II now, and needed his head to continue with the job.
https://www.british-history.ac.uk…

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