Sunday 29 September 1661
(Lord’s day). To church in the morning, and so to dinner, and Sir W. Pen and daughter, and Mrs. Poole, his kinswoman, Captain Poole’s wife, came by appointment to dinner with us, and a good dinner we had for them, and were very merry, and so to church again, and then to Sir W. Pen’s and there supped, where his brother, a traveller, and one that speaks Spanish very well, and a merry man, supped with us, and what at dinner and supper I drink I know not how, of my own accord, so much wine, that I was even almost foxed, and my head aked all night; so home and to bed, without prayers, which I never did yet, since I came to the house, of a Sunday night: I being now so out of order that I durst not read prayers, for fear of being perceived by my servants in what case I was. So to bed.
28 Annotations
First Reading
Bob T • Link
I being now so out of order that I durst not read prayers, for fear of being perceived by my servants in what case I was. So to bed.
I like this guy, because who hasn't been there and done that?
daniel • Link
hah!
Good one, Sam!
pity it is about two hundred years before the developement of aspirin.
Wim van der Meij • Link
So much for good intentions about not drinking...
The flesh is weak, Sam. But then, good food, good company et al...
AlanB • Link
Almost foxed ..... but not quite! Is this a blood sport?
Given the state in which Sam falls into bed he cannot be writing his journal this night either. And neither is Vincent making any postings.
Pedro. • Link
"I drink I know not how, of my own accord"
Wish I'd thought of that excuse!
(Bem Vindo, the nome of Vincente has snuck back in on the 16th!)
Todd Bernhardt • Link
re: "I being now so out of order that I durst not read prayers, for fear of being perceived by my servants in what case I was."
This provides an interesting glimpse into the Sunday night routine at the Pepys household ... Sam, as head of said household, apparently leads everyone, even the servants, in Sunday prayers. I had not realized this. With my more-modern view of religion as a personal matter, I'd assumed that this was something he did alone, or perhaps with Elizabeth.
I wonder what excuse he gave to the staff? Maybe Elizabeth had to "call-in sick" for him?
So, if he was too drunk/buzzed to lead the Sunday prayers, I wonder what the definition of "foxed" is? Passed-out/falling-down drunk?
Bullus Hutton • Link
I was even almost foxed..
Interesting to note that the last time he admitted to being foxed was April 23 (Coronacion Day, when he was foxed to the point of actually hurling, whilst sharing a bed with the hapless Shepley) and is again contrite; he does't seem to mind being merrily kettled most of the time, but draws the line at being totally potted!
David • Link
Webster's uses this very passage to define foxed:
Fox \Fox\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Foxed; p. pr. & vb. n. Foxing.] [See Fox, n., cf. Icel. fox imposture.] 1. To intoxicate; to stupefy with drink.
I drank . . . so much wine that I was almost foxed. --Pepys.
Mary • Link
Household prayers.
This was a practice that continued well into the 20th century in some middle and upper class households in the British Isles. All household staff (no matter how few or how many) would be expected to be present for a formal, usually short, reading of prayers together, proceedings being conducted by the head of the household.
Linda Camidge • Link
Foxed - polite variant of f***ed? Is this possible? Or do we have to wait for the Victorians to invent suchlike nonsense?
Mary • Link
foxed.
Sorry to disappoint you, but no. This is transitive use of the vb. to fox: to intoxicate, befuddle with drink.
This meaning derives from the red face that can result from an excess of alcohol, hence resembling the colour of the fox's coat.
Second Reading
Sasha Clarkson • Link
Not so foxed that he don't know that he's foxed! :D
TMN • Link
I was foxed last night. It is easy to do on vacation
Bill • Link
"I was even almost foxed"
To FOX one, to make him drunk
---An Universal Etymological English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1675.
Louise Hudson • Link
Linda Camidge, I think you're right and "foxed" was an antecedent to today's appellation, even if it did have a specific meaning in Sam's day. Words have a way of morphing and this is too good to deny.
Cara • Link
As an Englishwoman and a Londoner born less than 5 miles from where Sam lived, I read the entry and 'foxed' immediately said to me that Sam was confused and somewhat out of his head. That to me is the meaning of the word today. As Louise says, words have a way of morphing and English is a living language. I'm absolutely certain Elizabeth would have made some excuse for his non-appearance at prayers. I'm also absolutely certain that none of the servants would have believed the excuse!
Sasha Clarkson • Link
Discoloured sheets in books and manuscripts are also described as "foxed". The discolouration, typically brown, is known as "foxing".
Gerald Berg • Link
Do you mean it wasn't for cleverness that I outfoxed my friends last night?
Chris Squire UK • Link
OED has:
‘foxed, adj. 1. Intoxicated, drunk, stupefied.
1611 L. Barry Ram-Alley iv. i, in W. C. Hazlitt Dodsley's Select Coll. Old Eng. Plays (1875) X. 335 They will bib hard; they will be fine sunburnt, Sufficient fox'd or columber'd, now and then . . ‘
‘fox, v. < fox n.
. . 2. a. trans. To intoxicate, befuddle . .
. . 1660 S. Pepys Diary 26 Oct. (1970) I. 274 The last of whom I did almost fox with Marget ale . . ‘
‘fox-mine-host n. Obs.
1622 J. Mabbe tr. M. Alemán Rogue i. iii. ii. 194 They may afterwards play at Foxe mine Host, or some other Drinking Game at Cards or Dice for their recreation.’
San Diego Sarah • Link
Good food and laughter, in safety with friends and family ... Pegg Penn will remember these happy times with dear Elizabeth, who helped her get a pretty dress, and good old Uncle Sam, being carefree and funny, in later days.
Third Reading
San Diego Sarah • Link
Today is Michaelmas Day -- which marks the new year in legal, agricultural, educational, and civic affairs in England. It's also a Quarter Day.
About this time almanacs were also becoming popular, and in 1661 one was printed called:
"The twelve moneths, or, A pleasant and profitable discourse of every action, whether of labour or recreation, proper to each particular moneth branched into directions relating to husbandry, as plowing, sowing, gardening, planting, transplanting ... as also, of recreations as hunting, hawking, fishing, fowling, coursing, cockfighting: to which likewise is added a necessary advice touching physick ...: lastly, every moneth is shut up with an epigrame: with the fairs of every month"
This says farmers calculated the number of floods that would occur in the coming year: “They say, so many dayes old the Moon is, on Michaelmas Day, so many Floods after.”
Hopefully this year there aren't many days between the last full moon and September 29.
More about Michaelmas Day at https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…
San Diego Sarah • Link
A remedy to end all the discontents on either side
Written from: Lisbon
Date: 29 September 1661
Shelfmark: MS. Carte 73, fol(s). 590
Document type: Original. Placed in the hands of Lord Ambassador the Earl of Sandwich, 4 Oct. 1661
A remedy to end all the discontents on either side [i.e. in relation to matters of litigation upon consulate fees, and charges alleged to be payable thereout, then pending between Thomas Maynard, British* Consul at Lisbon, on the one part; and Edward Bushell, and others, English merchants trading with Portugal, on the other part.
FROM:
Carte Calendar Volume 32, June - December 1661
Bodleian Library, University of Oxford
Edward Edwards, 2005
Shelfmark: MS. Carte Calendar 32
Extent: 464 pages
https://wayback.archive-it.org/or…
@@@
Thomas Maynard, English* Consul at Lisbon -
we heard about him at
https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…
Thomas Maynard, a merchant from Devon, was appointed the first English* Consul to Portugal by Oliver Cromwell in 1656. He held the post until his death in Lisbon in 1692. A Protestant, he was briefly imprisoned during the Inquisition.
https://www.geni.com/people/Thoma…
* There was no "Britain" yet -- knowing how much the Scots loved their Portuguese wines, I suspect they had their own consul.
Edward Bushell -- Edward Bushell, merchant, involved in a dispute about duties due the Portuguese. (L&M Index)
Pepys will learn of Bushell and his dealings with Portugal in 1664. No need to go there yet as it tells us nothing about the man and his life, or this business.
Matt Newton • Link
Re the fox issue; any instances recorded of ladies being foxed?
I only recall SP remarking on gentlemen getting into this state.
I presume ladies did partake?
Tonyel • Link
Surely the ladies' function is to quietly sip their wine and observe their husband until his foxing becomes too obvious? At which point a stiletto heel (or a stiletto) may be employed.
Ricadus • Link
“…and what at dinner and supper I drink I know not how, of my own accord, so much wine, that I was even almost foxed”
It sounds like Sir W Penn’s cunning plan to ambush Sam by way of goodfellowship, as perhaps revenge for last month’s ‘stolen’ tankard escapade, didn’t quite come off.
San Diego Sarah • Link
So Lady Penn was away, and Sir Will. and daughter Peg hold a feast for his brother, George Penn.
Lady Penn is the ruler of the household, and there are several examples of her parsimonious nature. Sir Will. enjoys a more liberal lifestyle; their son follows his mother spiritually and his father materially. Young Peg Penn seems to follow her father; maybe this was one of her first (formative) experiences of being "the lady of the house"?
As for Pepys being forgiven, I suspect Sir Will. realizes there is more to be lost by obviously holding a grudge -- Pepys knows they went too far, and Batten is Batten.
Sam and Elizabeth are invited because they are good company, and the sort of cosmopolitan people brother George will enjoy; no mention of Batten being invited, so it probably wasn't an intentional peace feast.
We shall see ...
San Diego Sarah • Link
"... so home and to bed, without prayers, which I never did yet, since I came to the house, of a Sunday night: ..."
So Pepys always holds family prayers on Sundays. Interesting that he specifies regularly holding them just on Sunday nights. I had assumed it was a nightly duty that he frequently missed. How very progressive of him. Did Elizabeth hold them in his absence, so were the maids, Will and Wayneman trusted to pray nightly on their own?
Or was the nightly duty only for country people? Cosmopolitan city folk were exempt?
RLB • Link
@Sarah: more likely that daily prayer was a personal matter, but on Sunday it was a family affair. Though to be honest, that's speculation, albeit based on a bit of experience.