Sunday 10 November 1661

(Lord’s day). At our own church in the morning, where Mr. Mills preached. Thence alone to the Wardrobe to dinner with my Lady, where my Lady continues upon yesterday’s discourse still for me to lay out money upon my wife, which I think it is best for me to do for her honour and my own. Last night died Archibald, my Lady’s butler and Mrs. Sarah’s brother, of a dropsy, which I am troubled at.

In the afternoon went and sat with Mr. Turner in his pew at St. Gregory’s, where I hear our Queen Katherine, the first time by name as such, publickly prayed for, and heard Dr. Buck upon “Woe unto thee, Corazin,” &c., where he started a difficulty, which he left to another time to answer, about why God should give means of grace to those people which he knew would not receive them, and deny to others which he himself confesses, if they had had them, would have received them, and they would have been effectual too. I would I could hear him explain this, when he do come to it. Thence home to my wife, and took her to my Aunt Wight’s, and there sat a while with her (my uncle being at Katharine hill), and so home, and I to Sir W. Batten’s, where Captain Cock was, and we sent for two bottles of Canary to the Rose, which did do me a great deal of hurt, and did trouble me all night, and, indeed, came home so out of order that I was loth to say prayers to-night as I am used ever to do on Sundays, which my wife took notice of and people of the house, which I was sorry for.


37 Annotations

First Reading

Bob T  •  Link

Not a good day for our Sammy

"My Lady" tells him to buy his Wife some clothes. Then he gets snapped out of his skull on a couple of bottles of Canary, and even the servants noticed it. Elizabeth gets new clothes, and the servants something to snicker about. Sam probably wishes he'd stayed in bed.

dirk  •  Link

"about why God should give means of grace ..."

Interesting theological point. I'm no expert in this matter, but it seems to me that 2 arguments are likely to come up here: predestination & free will. I'm not even going to try to work this out...

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Quite a campaign our ever sweet and courageous Lady Jemina is mounting for her young friend, Beth. I remember she visited her recently, according to Sam's entries and no doubt Jem was disturbed to see the poor kid in "old mourning". Given our Lady's persistent championship I'd guess not only that she's taken to Beth as another daughter of sorts and/or pet (she loves to hear her talk French) but that our Bess doesn't complain...much...about Sam's selfishness.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...and, indeed, came home so out of order that I was loth to say prayers to-night as I am used ever to do on Sundays, which my wife took notice of and people of the house, which I was sorry for."

I'll bet Beth 'took notice'...

"Lya..hic...Wid greaaaat pleasure wid my lil' Bessie...hic..."

daniel  •  Link

Is Sam a light-weight?

Two bottles of today's wine shared by three strapping men over a time would not "fuddle" me. is this fortified wine? Extra-large bottles? since he clearly states that he was out of sorts from the wine I grow more curious what this Canarie wine could be.

A. De Araujo  •  Link

"canary wine"
strong wine from the Canary Islands,made from grapes originally from Greece(Malmsey)

vicente  •  Link

Many people have an alergic reaction to Red wines.

JWB  •  Link

"Woe unto thee, Corazin,"
This is from Matthew 11, Corazin is town on the east side of the Sea of Galilee. Where Dr. Buck starts a difficulty, Jesus ends:”My yoke is easy and My burden is light”.

Jesse  •  Link

"means of grace"

Is this the predetermined 'irresistible grace' of Calvinism or the 'means of grace' which a Lutheran site defines as 'the gift of Word and Sacrament'? The latter, to me, seems easier "not to recieve".

Joe  •  Link

I thought Lady Jem was a child?

Bullus Hutton  •  Link

I don't think so Joe, Jem is 9 yrs older than Sam and has lots of kids already.
Also I don't think Sam has an allergy problem with red wine, cripes he'd be dead as a doorknob by now if he did.
I just think he didn't eat much today (dinner with Jem probably didn't amount to much what with her regaling him about his cheapness) no mention of any venison pasties later on!

Pauline  •  Link

"Jem is 9 yrs older than Sam and has lots of kids already."
The oldest of which is a daughter named Jemima and referred to by Sam as "Lady Jem." Born in 1646, she must be about 15 years old now.

He refers to Jemima, Lady Sandwich, as "my Lady." The visits these days are with her at The Wardrobe; though he recently took some of her daughters home for the evening with Elizabeth--probably Lady Jem and her sisters Paulina and Anne.

Bullus Hutton  •  Link

"why God should give means of grace to those people which he knew would not receive them, and deny to others which he himself confesses, if they had had them, would have received them, and they would have been effectual too.."
Wow. That is a such a brilliantly naive though completely convincing line of reasoning that I seem to remember that I too used to ponder the same question when I was younger and many times since, particularly after a couple of drinks, but now I am afraid I have almost totally forgotten the question.. is it something to do with being required to accept faith if it is offered to you, but if you were never offered it, it's ok because you were never given the chance to reject it.
Never mind, I think I missed it again. I'm sure Sam will explain later!

Xjy  •  Link

Ever the hypocrite...
Sam is quite ready to admit his own failings in his secret diary, but hates it when they are exposed to public view -- and tells us so in his secret diary! An endearing hypocrite to us, but I wonder how endearing he was to those exposed at close quarters to his penny-pinching, his gluttony, his vanity, his brown-nosing sycophancy, his political and religious opportunism, his filthy temper... and his his his male chauvinism.

A. De Araujo  •  Link

"Ever the hypocrite"
Xyz you forgot to add his lechery,although methinks that would be a virtue.

Ann  •  Link

Xjy and A. DeAraujo -- Once again you are falling into the trap of judging Sam by the mores of today. I read this wondering how typical he is of the men of his day, and assuming he is pretty typical. Particularly his "sycophancy" seems to be SOP for the way business was done, and the way people advanced back then (arguably, the same way people get ahead today -- I've recently been the victim of a lost promotion due to just such a sycophant!). Reminds me of a line from a movie: "What kind of sycophant are you?" "What kind of sycophant would you like me to be?"

This is the second time Sammy came home too looped on a Sunday eve to lead the household in prayers. And worried about what the servants are thinking. Again, knowing how prevalent alcoholic beverages are in these times, I wonder how typical or atypical this behavior is.

Wim van der Meij  •  Link

- Queen Katherine, the first time by name as such, publickly prayed for -
Warrington says about this: The king's letter to the council for this purpose was read on 19th November.

Mary  •  Link

"my uncle being at Katharine hill"

Located near Guildford, Surrey according to L&M.

JonTom Kittredge  •  Link

"Woe unto thee, Corazin"
In the New Revised Standard Version, this passage reads: “Then he began to reproach the cities in which most of his works of power had been done, because they did not repent. ‘Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.’” —Mathew 11:20-21

So Mr Turner is asking, “If Tyre and Sidon would have repented if they had seen Jesus’ miracles, why did God not send him there, rather than waste his time at Chorazin.”

This is a variant on the old puzzle of theodicy — if God is good and God is omnipotent, why does God allow there to be evil in the world. This was a question suited to the rationalistic, systematizing spirit of an age that approached theology as if it were one of the natural sciences. One of the most important works on theodicy was published by Liebniz in 1710 (“Th?odic?e”). I think I recall that Liebniz coined the term.

Ruben  •  Link

Samuel Pepys was a man of his time. More than most of London's citizens of his day, he knew when he failed and admitted it at least to his diary. I am sure that 99% of his contemporaries never gave a thought to recapitulate their deeds of the day and did not care to try to be honest to the values and mores of the time.
More than that, today the situation is no better with us. I am sure that most of us, readers of Samuel Pepys most intimate and inner thougths are no much better than his contemporaries.
Pepys stands out as an exceptional creature.

Ruben  •  Link

Corazin
an old Jewish town north of the Sea of Galilee, on the west bank of the Jordan River. The sinagoge ruins are still there (some columns, inscriptions, etc.)on high ground, from were a precipitious track leads to the river. Today the ruins are a National Park.
A two hours walk will take you from Corazin to Capernaum, on the west side of the lake.

David A. Smith  •  Link

"grace to those people which he knew would not receive them"
On my way to work this morning, I saw a bumper sticker, REPENT NOW OR PAY FOREVER. (True fact!)
There is nothing moral if you repent/ believe/ adhere/ behave *because you know the alternative is punishment* -- that's just self-interest (not yet enlightened). So the Corazin question is, in effect, "do it take tangible proof to make belief?" In Tyre and Sidon they believe without proof; in Corazin they have proof but no belief.

vicente  •  Link

(True fact!) Oh! how a word lose does its meaning when misused. "fact" factum pp. of factere: In fact, we will have to say 'in true fact'.

vicente  •  Link

Was it the wine or the reading of Matthew 19/20 ???"...19)(KJV) The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.
(KJV) Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:...."
or 2 bottles of red Wine ????

"...which did do me a great deal of hurt, and did trouble me all night, and, indeed, came home so out of order that I was loth to say prayers to-night as I am used ever to do on Sundays, which my wife took notice of and people of the house, which I was sorry for...."
then the rest of the passage.
"... 22 (KJV) Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:
23 (KJV) And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day...."
http://www.gospelrevolution.com/n…

john lauer  •  Link

facio facere feci factus: to make, do, perform...
factus -a -um: (n) deed, act...

Robert Gertz  •  Link

To judge Sam properly, one must remember the times...Cromwell's Commonwealth had tried and failed to enforce public virtue via legislation and harsh punishment, leading no doubt to considerable hypocrisy...His hero, cousin Montague has sold out to the new regime, sacrificing old comrades of the Civil War without hesitation...The King and brother Jim were barely back a day before beginning open pursuit of Mrs. Palmer and other ladies...The general philosophy of the time positively encourages male selfishness and domination...

He genuinely loves his wife and made a sacrifice to marry her; he's a devoted son at least to Dad and never seems to sneer at Dad John's or Brother Tom's origins and profession...he keeps in close contact with them; he respects, admires, and sometimes heeds the advice of Lady Jemina, probably the best- hearted and most decent character we've encountered yet in the Diary; he honestly wants to do a good job for King and country at the Navy Board and works at it; his interest in all aspects of life and all manner of people is sincere and the most attractive thing about him. We don't know all that he does in daily life (good as well as bad) but most important and telling of all, as the Wizard of Oz told the Tin Man...He is clearly loved by others, particularly by some of the best folks we've met.

Pauline  •  Link

"To judge Sam properly, one must remember the times"
Well said, Robert G.
And the times don't change basic human motivation all that much.

Alan Lawrence  •  Link

Katherine Hill, Guildford is the location of Braboeuf Manor (which Pepys visited on 8th August 1668), the home of Pepys' uncle William Wight's cousin John Wight #who in 1668 married Cornelia Bowles - grandaughter of poet Dr John Donne, Dean of St Pauls Cathedral#. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has any information on the Wight family of Braboeuf.

Second Reading

Bill  •  Link

"Last night died Archibald, my Lady’s butler and Mrs. Sarah’s brother, of a dropsy"

A DROPSY, the Settlement of a watery Humour, either through the whole Body, or some Part of it.
---An Universal Etymological English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1675.

There is also information at:
Other illnesses http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

Canary wine was fortified wine, like sweet sherry. It was probably made from the Malvazio/Malmsey grape like sweet Madeira. It would have been stronger than ordinary wine, and perhaps been more of an irritant to Sam's perpetual kidney problem.

The Canary wine trade was wrecked by the Oidium/powdery mildew plague which arrived from America in the mid-19th century. Unlike with Madeira, the trade never recovered; some Canary was labelled as Sherry in subsequent years.

Bill  •  Link

Wines are distinguished with regard to their quality ... of which last some are exceedingly sweet, others sweet and poignant, all chiefly used by way of dram after meals, &c. Such are French Frontigniac, Madera, the Canary, the Hungary, Tokay, the Italian Montesiascone, the Persian Schiras, the Malmsey wines ...
---Cyclopaedia, Or an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences. E. Chambers, 1743.

E  •  Link

Cliffhanger sermon! And the audience is hooked.

Not so hooked as to eschew getting too drunk to pray straight hours later, though.

eileen d.  •  Link

dropsy

"...Prior to the twentieth century, heart failure was known as dropsy, a term used to describe the presence of generalized swelling, a clinical result of the syndrome..."
http://www.medscape.org/viewartic…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

nice, eileen d. You sent me after more:

Dropsy: An old term for the swelling of soft tissues due to the accumulation of excess water.

In years gone by, a person might have been said to have dropsy. Today one would be more descriptive and specify the cause. Thus, the person might have edema due to congestive heart failure.

Edema is often more prominent in the lower legs and feet toward the end of the day as a result of pooling of fluid from the upright position usually maintained during the day. Upon awakening from sleeping, people can have swelling around the eyes referred to as periorbital edema.

The Middle English dropesie came through the Old French hydropsie from the Greek hydrops which in turn came from the Greek "hydro" meaning water.
http://www.medicinenet.com/script…

eileen d.  •  Link

Terry Foreman, you're welcome! :) I've often wondered what the contemporary name is for old maladies. thanks to Google we can actually track it down now... though if any one knows a good book on the subject, I'd love to hear about it!

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Woe unto thee, Corazin," The context in Matthew 11 KJV:

20 Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:

21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.

https://www.biblegateway.com/pass…

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