Friday 17 January 1661/62
To Westminster with Mr. Moore, and there, after several walks up and down to hear news, I met with Lany, the Frenchman, who told me that he had a letter from France last night, that tells him that my Lord Hinchingbroke is dead, —[proved false]— and that he did die yesterday was se’nnight, which do surprise me exceedingly (though we know that he hath been sick these two months), so I hardly ever was in my life; but being fearfull that my Lady should come to hear it too suddenly, he and I went up to my Lord Crew’s, and there I dined with him, and after dinner we told him, and the whole family is much disturbed by it: so we consulted what to do to tell my Lady of it; and at last we thought of my going first to Mr. George Montagu’s to hear whether he had any news of it, which I did, and there found all his house in great heaviness for the death of his son, Mr. George Montagu, who did go with our young gentlemen into France, and that they hear nothing at all of our young Lord; so believing that thence comes the mistake, I returned to my Lord Crew (in my way in the Piazza seeing a house on fire, and all the streets full of people to quench it), and told them of it, which they are much glad of, and conclude, and so I hope, that my Lord is well; and so I went to my Lady Sandwich, and told her all, and after much talk I parted thence with my wife, who had been there all the day, and so home to my musique, and then to bed.
26 Annotations
First Reading
Glyn • Link
"I returned [via] the Piazza"
This is the Piazza in Covent Garden: http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…
This is from one of the articles in the above link:
"By the Restoration, Covent Garden was no longer on the periphery of London development, as it had been when first constructed, but it was still, by and large, an expensive area in which to live and shop. It is not coincidental that the first theatres to built in the Restoration located themselves near Covent Garden: quite aside from the area’s convenience to both Court and City, the area itself could boast a fair share of the fashionable, theatre-going members of the public. Covent Garden represented, in fact, a kind of centre-of-gravity for the “Town” and the Restoration beau monde.
John Strype noted in 1700 that the area was “well inhabited by a mixture of nobility, gentry and wealthy tradesmen . . . scarce admitting of any poor, not being pestered with mean courts and alleys”; yet, by Strype’s time, the area was already undergoing a slow and painful transition. Ned Ward’s London Spy, published 1698-99, identifies the square - and St. Paul’s Church in particular - as a convenient rendezvous for married men and women making assignations with lovers. More to the point, however, the fruit and vegetable market established by Bedford had begun to affect the area somewhat, attracting a crowd of increasingly less fashionable patrons."
So it’s near the theatre and a lot of taverns that Pepys has mentioned in his Diary, although he seems to have given up going to both - perhaps he just likes to walk past them.
dirk • Link
"in my way in the Piazza seeing a house on fire, and all the streets full of people to quench it"
Nothing compared to what Sam will see four years from now though (slight spoiler?).
Mary • Link
"yesterday was sennit" (L&M reading)
i.e. a week (seven nights) ago yesterday, 9th January 1662. The paranthetic [proved false] is an editorial addition, not shown in the original text.
Xjy • Link
Ear to the ground
Here we can see how Sam picks up news, reacts to it, evaluates it and checks it. The relevance is personal and professional. A death could bring lots of unwelcome changes. Bringing the news of an important death was a sensitive business. Sam is so preoccupied by the news today, and puts so much effort into it, that a fire he witnesses is only mentioned in passing...
Sam is very valuable to his employers and patrons as an interface with the community around them.
alanB. • Link
...which they are much glad of...
but not too much hopefully. The George Montagus wouldn't mind a bit of schadenfreude themselves.
Glyn • Link
Sennight (one week) = half a fortnight (two weeks). I think the Saxons counted by nights rather than days and these words survived.
Glyn • Link
Yes, Xjy it would be his responsibility to break the news of her son's death to the mother, a woman he greatly admires. No wonder he's double checking the news.
Bardi • Link
This certainly is a prime example of Sam's ability to write a run-on sentence! It's as though he is gasping for breath to get it all down before he forgets one important tidbit.
vicenzo • Link
'yesterday was sennit' needs TWO to make fortnit
vicenzo • Link
"se'nnight,” possible connection senarius[ seni,-orum] /senary consisting of six each fr; seni: dict: sen-night or se’nnight ME,OE seofon nihta, seven nights.archaic. [fortnight(fortnit)ME fourtenight (fourtene night)i.e. 2 weeks]
‘tis why one has a 6 night and seven day for a trip to the vacation spot.
Australian Susan • Link
Sennight and fortnight
Wonder why sennight dropped out of use (used by Jane Austen - not sure when it became archaic) and yet fortnight is still in common parlance.
john lauer • Link
-because 'week' has half the syllables ;)
Carolina • Link
How about a twelvemonth to describe one year, still quite common in Oxfordshire
pat stewart cavalier • Link
se'ennight : and French has huit jours (eight days)
Second Reading
Bill • Link
SENNIGHT [contracted of seven Nights] a Week
---An Universal Etymological English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1675.
Gillian Bagwell • Link
@AustralianSusan - Though "fortnight" is still commonly used in the UK and (apparently) Australia, it's not in the US!
Chris Squire UK • Link
OED has:
‘sennight, n. Originally two words: Old English seofon seven v., nihta plural of niht night n. . . Now arch.
a. A period of seven (days and) nights; a week.
. . a1616 Shakespeare Othello (1622) ii. i. 78 The bold Iago, Whose footing here anticipates our thoughts A Sennights speede . . ‘
Terry Foreman • Link
"To Westminster with Mr. Moore, and there, after several walks up and down to hear news, I met with Lany, the Frenchman, who told me that he had a letter from France last night, that tells him that my Lord Hinchingbroke is dead."
L&M: Sandwich's eldest son had been in Paris with his brother since August 1661, in the charge of a tutor. The report was false. He suffered all his life from ill health but did not die until 1688.
Third Reading
MartinVT • Link
several walks up and down to hear news
Sam goes to Westminster often, just for this purpose, but hasn't put it this way before — walking up and down the hall is really the equivalent of our surfing the web on our phone to see what has transpired, and includes, just as we have today, the possibility of receiving fake news. As any of us might do today, he checks another source and concludes his original one was wrong. In some ways, not all that much has changed, just the means for distributing information.
San Diego Sarah • Link
Amongst other things, today the Commons discussed:
Proceedings against Regicides.
Upon Report made to this House by Sir Edmond Peirse from the Committee to which the Bill for executing the Persons attainted for the Murder of his late Majesty is referred; That they had an Information from one * Smith, that one * Daybone was an Actor in the said horrid Murder, as he did gather from some Discourse had with his Wife; and that one * Bickerstaffe was also an Actor therein;
Ordered, That the Serjeant at Arms attending this House do cause the said * Daybene and his Wife, and * Bickerstaffe to be forthwith apprehended, and taken into Custody: And that the said Committee have Power to examine the Matter objected against them; and to send for and examine any other Persons that they shall have Information of, to have been Actors in the horrid Murder of his late Majesty.
Militia.
Resolved, That this House do resolve itself into a Committee of the whole House, to proceed upon the Bill of the Militia; and the said Bill be there read over, and proceeded in.
Mr. Solicitor General made Report to the House, That the Committee had read over the said Bill; and made a good Progress therein; and desired that the House would resolve itself again into a Committee on Monday next, to resume the further Debate of the said Bill.
Resolved, upon the Question, That this House will again resolve itself into a Committee of the whole House, on Monday next, to resume the Debate of the said Bill.
Captives at Algiers, &c.
Ordered, That the Committee for the Captives of Algiers and Tunis do meet, on Monday next, at Two of the Clock in the Afternoon, in the Speaker's Chamber; and then adjourn to another Day.
San Diego Sarah • Link
The Lords discussed:
Bill to prevent disorderly Printing.
Hodie 2a vice lecta est Billa, "An Act for preventing the frequent A buses in printing seditious, treasonable, and unlicensed Books and Pamphlets; and for regulating Printing, and Printing Presses."
ORDERED, That the Consideration of this Bill is committed to these Lords following:
[22 people listed, including Ds. Crewe. Is that our Lord Crewe?]
Their Lordships, or any Five; to meet on Wednesday Morning next, in the Prince's Lodgings, at Nine of the Clock.
Bill for Uniformity of Worship.
Hodie 2a vice lecta est Billa, "An Act for the Uniformity of Public Prayers, and Administration of Sacraments."
ORDERED, That the Consideration of this Bill is committed to these Lords following:
[31 people listed -- what Gen. George Monck, Duke of Albemarle, had to say about church doctrine I can't imagine -- and another name was Ds. Crewe again.]
Their Lordships, or any Five; to meet on Thursday next, in the Afternoon, in the Prince's Lodgings, at Three of the Clock.
@@@
Anyone know where the Prince's Lodgings were? The Google librarian thinks only of booking me into an AirB&B today, which is of no help.
Stephane Chenard • Link
The Prince's Lodgings: Yes, the Lords often meet there on mornings. Where could it be but HRH the DoY's suite in Westminster, given the number and quality of Lordships to accomodate, the proximity to the House of Lords itself, and the fact that there can hardly be another Prince in that assembly.
Stephane Chenard • Link
But we could be wrong (it's not in an AirB&B however, of that we're sure). Assign it to our distress upon also reading, in a part of the Commons' proceedings that, dear SDS, didn't make the cut to your summary, that the MPs saw fit to examine "a Bill for preventing of Frauds and Deceits in making of Gold and Silver Lace, and other Manufactures usually made of Gold, Silver, and Copper Ingots", by establishing a central office to peruse all such Ingots.
On 20 November, the king had passed a proclamation "to Repress the excess of Gilding of Coaches and Chariots", and to forbid various imports including "Laces of Silver or of Gold"; this had been followed last week by another, seen in the State Papers, ordering "regulations (...) to reduce the consumption of bullion, &c, in gold and silver lace" (full text at https://ota.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/rep…)
Apart from "money being scarce", and the phantastickall idea that Protectionism would bring a Great Rebound in English manufacturing jobs, the pressure on the bullion reserve is only increased by the general recoining planned for this Spring. The king himself had already Proclaimed against gold lace once, on June 10 - almost as soon as he got on the throne and took a good look at the accounts (State Papers). Even so, the latest proclamation had conveyed limited optimism on folks actually restraining themselves, noting that "divers Acts of Parliament have been made for the restraint of the wasting of Gold by Gilding". It also left a few loopholes, only asking chariot-makers not to gild any new ones (go ahead and prove mine wasn't made before November 20), and excepting royal coaches but also "Coats of Arms upon other Coaches", the exact size of which is perhaps subject to interpretation.
Back to lace; these particular restrictions would surely not apply to the fine attire of true Quality, or to the Priviledged members of Parliament. Indeed, the State Papers (at page 222 in our Google Books volume) contain an undated petition, probably sent in late 1661 by "the Hand Spinners of gold and silver thread (...) to the King and Parliament", who were "in terror at the report that Parliament intends to put a stop to the wearing of their manufactures", and suggesting "that inferior persons may be prevented wearing gold and silver lace, which will encourage the gentry to do it". Interesting insight into gentry psychology; and a sidelong look at inferior person S. Pepys, Esq., given the evidence available at https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/….
But so, the inferior persons' demand for fripperies being irrepressible, forgers would have found a way to make fake gold lace? Imagine the shock as the good MPs, while the bill's first reading is going on, taking a close look at their cuffs and cravats, and...
San Diego Sarah • Link
... and in tapestries. The reason so few have survived intact is because silver threads were woven into them, and impoverished servants would extract the threads once the tapestries were assigned to the attic.
You're right, Stephane. I had no idea "a Bill for preventing of Frauds and Deceits in making of Gold and Silver Lace, and other Manufactures usually made of Gold, Silver, and Copper Ingots" had such an interesting back story.
San Diego Sarah • Link
I agree that The Prince's Apartments were within the Palace of Westminster -- perhaps that's where James left his hat and cloak and had his personal House of Office, when he acted as Speaker for the House of Lords?
I doubt he would allow the use of his private chambers at the Palace of Whitehall. Anne Hyde, Duchess of York, wouldn't like all those politicians tramping through her withdrawing room at will, and yelling at each other during Committee meetings. That would be just too uncivilized.
San Diego Sarah • Link
The Palace of Westminster was an old building -- for example, Westminster Hall was part of it, which was built in 1097 by William II AKA Rufus -- so the prince in question could have been any of the hundreds of princes who lived there in the next 600 years. He was probably someone who did some substantial remodelling which resulted in his having a handsome suite of rooms overlooking the Thames. (You should see the suite of rooms provided to the Speakers of the House!)
Our James lived down the road in the Palace of Whitehall in the winter, and his entire Court removed to St. James's Palace next door in the summer.
(I suspect this gave space and time for everything to be cleaned and repaired, an annual essential activity. Getting Charles II to leave town was harder, until he discovered the joys of Newmarket.)