Thursday 4 October 1660

This morning I was busy looking over papers at the office all alone, and being visited by Lieut. Lambert of the Charles (to whom I was formerly much beholden), I took him along with me to a little alehouse hard by our office, whither my cozen Thomas Pepys the turner had sent for me to show me two gentlemen that had a great desire to be known to me, one his name is Pepys, of our family, but one that I never heard of before, and the other a younger son of Sir Tho. Bendishes, and so we all called cozens.

After sitting awhile and drinking, my two new cozens, myself, and Lieut. Lambert went by water to Whitehall, and from thence I and Lieut. Lambert to Westminster Abbey, where we saw Dr. Frewen translated to the Archbishoprick of York.

Here I saw the Bishops of Winchester, Bangor, Rochester, Bath and Wells, and Salisbury, all in their habits, in King Henry Seventh’s chappell. But, Lord! at their going out, how people did most of them look upon them as strange creatures, and few with any kind of love or respect.

From thence at 2 to my Lord’s, where we took Mr. Sheply and Wm. Howe to the Raindeer, and had some oysters, which were very good, the first I have eat this year. So back to my Lord’s to dinner, and after dinner Lieut. Lambert and I did look upon my Lord’s model, and he told me many things in a ship that I desired to understand.

From thence by water I (leaving Lieut. Lambert at Blackfriars) went home, and there by promise met with Robert Shaw and Jack Spicer, who came to see me, and by the way I met upon Tower Hill with Mr. Pierce the surgeon and his wife, and took them home and did give them good wine, ale, and anchovies, and staid them till night, and so adieu.

Then to look upon my painters that are now at work in my house. At night to bed.

14 Annotations

First Reading

David A. Smith  •  Link

"he told me many things in a ship that I desired to understand"
I love Sam's intellectual curiosity and his unrelenting observation ("look upon them as strange creatures, and few with any kind of love or respect"). Both traits make him an admirable tour guide to the past.

john lauer  •  Link

Cozen Thomas P., the turner (of wood on a lathe?),
owned a 'hardware shop', and his brother was a joiner; so they were carpenters with special skills and tools, we presume.

Dave Bell  •  Link

The wood-turning methods of the time could seem quite primitive, but there are people who still practice the old-style crafts. Most wood turning was done with a quite simple machine, using a treadle connected to a pole of springy wood by a cord. The cord went about the piece of wood being worked, and as the treadle was worked it turned first one way and then the other.

This is something that can be set up in the forest, but I've seen them being used, and able to turn such things as chair legs and the posts used for banisters.

Quite what cousin Thomas did, I've no idea, but it's quite possible that he had learnt the trade before moving up to own a shop. On the other hand, he could still be working a lathe -- there wasn't the same divide between worker and management as developed a century later.

E  •  Link

In places where most people work with their hands, most people can do basic carpentry -- a carpenter is a skilled craftsman, and pulls in a superior income for doing a superior job. He is a big man in the community. (It always amuses me when people refer to Jesus' father as being "only" a carpenter. It makes sense that Jesus' parents could afford an education for him).

A similar argument would apply to the tailors of the Pepys family -- basic sewing could be done in all households, fancy prices were paid for fancy work.

Paul Brewster  •  Link

From thence we two to my Lord's
L&M replace "at 2" with "we two"

Paul Brewster  •  Link

did look upon my Lord's Modell
L&M: “A ship model.” Apparently we’ll here later that SP collected them as well.

Paul Brewster  •  Link

Bishops of Winchester, Bangor, Rochester, Bath and Wells, and Salisbury
According to L&M:
Winchester: Brian Duppa [He of the cold sermon http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1… ], recently translated from Salisbury;
Bangor: William Roberts;
Rochester: John Warner;
Bath and Wells: William Pierce;
Salisbury: Humphrey Henchman [Interesting name for a Restoration Bishop], bishop-designate not consecated until 28 October.

Paul Brewster  •  Link

Sir Tho. Bendishes
L&M: "Sir Thomas Bendish, until 1660 ambassador at Constantinople; his aunt had married Pepys's great-uncle, John Pepys of Cottenham. He had five sons.

Paul Brewster  •  Link

how people did most of them look upon them as strange Creatures, and few with any kind of love or Respect
yet another glimpse into SP's religious core

JWB  •  Link

"But Lord!..."
This taken with his "Humour" comment gives us insight into Pepys' politics, not his religion. I'm reminded of Pres. Nixon,upon the signing of the Paris Peace Accords, stepping out on the town and at the end of the night wondering to a reporter where all the people were and why they weren't celebrating.

vincent  •  Link

"some brawn dus have good brains too"
They do not used them so cunningly.
The adage Do(the Pro Testant work ethick) If can't do then teach if not preach you can always leach? money and effort do not equate.Nor does satisfaction of good clean hard days work equate with money or brains. As they say? Hard physical work never Kills, its Stress that does??

Lisa Lillie  •  Link

Additional information concerning Sir. Tho. Bendish-

Knight and Second Baronet of Steeple Bumpstead
Was incarcerated in the Tower in 1642 for writing a pamphlet which denounced the recent actions of Parliament

Bendish was appointed to the ambassadorship in 1647, replacing Sir Sackvile Crow. The son in question was probably John, Bendish's eldest surviving son.

Thomas Bendish also kept a journal which I believe is now housed in the ERO. Other substantial documents pertaining to the Bendish family are kept at the James Ford Bell Library at the University of Minnesota.

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Lisa Lillie, thanks for posting information about the locations of sources. I can well imagine that being a help for genealogical research.

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