Tuesday 26 November 1661

[Unfortunately the entry for today is missing from the Project Gutenberg text, which may mean it’s missing from the 1893 edition of the diary we’re using. I’ve taken the liberty of using the entry from the Latham & Matthews edition of the diary instead, for this day only. P.G.]

Not well in the morning and lay long in bed. At last rise and at noon with my wife to my Uncle Wights, where we met Mr. Cole, Mr. Rawlinson, Norbury and his wife and her daughter, and other friends to the Chine of beef that I sent them the other day, and eat and were merry. By and by I am called to the office, whither I went and there we sat late; and after the office done, Sir Wms both and I and Captain Cock and Mr. Bence (who being drunk, showed himself by his talk a bold foole, and so we were fain to put him off and get him away) we sat till 9 a-clock by ourselfs in the office, talking and drinking three or four bottles of wine. And so home and to bed. My wife and her mayde Dorothé falling out, I was troubled at it.


10 Annotations

First Reading

daniel  •  Link

i see that the tradition of overindulging for the American holiday of Thanksgiving predates the inception of the said Republic entirely!

vicente  •  Link

He be sozzled, and upset about the new maid? might she be a leaving. Was this the lass? ["...This day a good pretty maid was sent my wife by Mary Bowyer, whom my wife has hired...."]
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
Maids do seem to have a mind of their own, where as to-day, any back talk in California can get instant dismissal as they be a dime a dozen and according to one ref., there be a shortage of fresh hires in London town 1660's. "...My wife and her mayde Doroth

Mary  •  Link

Maids come and go.

According to an L&M footnote, the 'good pretty maid' who was hired on 22nd November was one Sarah, who was to stay in the household until late 1662. Dorothy is the maid whose sharp tongue and aggressive manner were noted recently.

Xjy  •  Link

Domestic help
Anything, including ulcers, seems better than acting the skivvy yourself... Marx has some interesting thoughts on domestic servants in his chapter on Productive and Unproductive Labour in Theories of Surplus Value...
http://www.marxists.org/archive/m…
In sum: pay peanuts, buy yourself a monkey...

A. De Araujo  •  Link

"Domestic help"
Marx got his maid pregnant,or better they had a child.

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

The chine of beef
If you gave someone a substantial main dish (say a ham or turkey) they would be expected to share it with (among others) you? Or did this depend on the relationship? Or was there no regular rule -- as there seems to be now? (Or so I gather, speaking stateside.)

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

Today is December 6th in the Gregorian Calendar, so, at the latitude of Seething lane (51°30'N - longitude 000°04'W), there would be just over eight hours of daylight, plus twilight depending upon the weather. So from about 3:30 - 4pm on, candles or lanterns would have been an absolute necessity for reading - or even for cutting bread or meat. BTW 04' means 4 minutes of arc, 4/60 = 1/15 degree west of Greenwich.

http://sunrisesunsetmap.com/

Sasha Clarkson  •  Link

Ha - I've just played with the link above: if it is to be believed, and I don't see why not, there was a full moon for Pepys today!

Third Reading

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Anyone who's faithfully following the Diary may remember that last year I posted a rather interesting item about some very memorable Puritans being rounded and imprisoned today -- in the wrong year. [DUH!]
Rather than repost, here is the link
https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…

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