Tuesday 24 November 1663
Up and to the office, where we sat all the morning, and at noon to the ’Change, where everybody joyed me in our hemp ship’s coming safe, and it seems one man, Middleburgh, did give 20 per cent. in gold last night, three or four minutes before the newes came of her being safe.
Thence with Mr. Deane home and dined, and after dinner and a good deal of discourse of the business of Woolwich Yard, we opened his draught of a ship which he has made for me, and indeed it is a most excellent one and that that I hope will be of good use to me as soon as I get a little time, and much indebted I am to the poor man.
Toward night I by coach to Whitehall to the Tangier committee, and there spoke with my Lord and he seems mighty kind to me, but I will try him to-morrow by a visit to see whether he holds it or no. Then home by coach again and to my office, where late with Captain Miners about the East India business.
So home to supper and to bed, being troubled to find myself so bound as I am, notwithstanding all the physic that I take.
This day our tryall was with Field, and I hear that they have given him 29l. damage more, which is a strange thing, but yet not so much as formerly, nor as I was afeard of.
16 Annotations
First Reading
Terry F • Link
"being troubled to find myself so bound as I am"
Both physical and psychological realities.
Michael Robinson • Link
draught of a ship which he has made for me
Preparing a ship's plans on paper apparently only become a standard practice in England in the early 1630's.
Rodger, Safeguard of the Sea, A Naval History of Great Britain 1660-1649
p. 387
cumgranosalis • Link
The draughing room, were one learns to project in the first and third .. i.e. draw thy plans of .... on large sheets of draughing paper, using thy eversharp pencil, thereby provide a draugh for thy bosses to correct."...we opened his draught of a ship which he has made for me,..."
cumgranosalis • Link
OED has 47 ways to use this loverly word:
"...we opened his draught of a ship which he has made for me,..."
other ways to use the word:
46. a. A privy: also draught-house (see 48). Obs.
?a1500 Wycket (1828) 7 Christ sayde all thynges that a man eatethe..is sent downe into the draughte awaye
1681 W. ROBERTSON Phraseol. Gen. (1693) 501 A draught or Jakes, latrina: secessus.
9. A measure of weight of eels, equal to 20 lbs.
b. A fanciful name for a 'company' of butlers. Obs.
Be it a draugh of a ship, or draugh of keg of beer or the draugh of air that be coming under the door,then thee see thy bank manger for the paper or prepare 'sumit' for thy boss to edit, but in this instance it be a plan done in a draughing room on draughing paper.
alanB • Link
OK then, has Middleburgh made a killing on this or lost all his credibility? It reads like the end of 'Around the World in Eighty Days' with only minutes to spare at the end of the journey. Perhaps, J Verne had read the diary.
Bradford • Link
"troubled to find myself so bound as I am, notwithstanding all the physic that I take"---a not uncommon consequence of dosing so much that the digestive tract's normal responses get out of sync. No active-culture yogurt readily available to help set matters right, either.
Terry F • Link
"This day our tryall was with Field, and I hear that they have given him 29l. damage more, which is a strange thing, but yet not so much as formerly, nor as I was afeard of."
4 February 1661/62 - L&M note that in October 1662 Field brought suit against Pepys for having detained him without authority, and was awarded £30 damages. Today's trial was Field's suit against the whole Board. £29 = £20 damages plus costs; he had proposed an out-of-court settlement of £250. http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1… Meanwhile, on an order of the Duke of York, Batten brought an action in the Exchequer on the original charge of slander and on 3 June 1663 was awarded £10 damages. This, inter alia, led to the act of 1664, giving the Board powers of magistracy within the city: http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
Australian Susan • Link
"No active culture yoghourt" Agreed, but did they have that other favourite English standby - colonic irrigation?
Robert Gertz • Link
Uh-uh-uh...The panting boy heaves, ready to burst after his long, long marathon.
"Boy?!" Middleburgh shakes him. "The news from Newcastle...There's only minutes to lose!"
"Sh-ship..."
"What about the ship, you fool?!" another harder shake.
"Sa-safe, sir."
Middleburgh leaving the boy to fall races for the door, certificate of insurance in hand.
"Sir William! I've decided to take your 20 per cent!!"
Robert Gertz • Link
"Bloody Christ!" the outraged foreman eyes a nervous Beacham as the other jury members fume. "So little 'Mr. Pepys would like a favorable verdict', would he? Beacham ya sniveling toady. I say damn the fine Mr. Pepys, gents! Judgement for Field! In fact damn them, 29L more for Field!"
"Here, here!" Fists in air as Beacham stares round. "That's the way, lads! Show the bastard what free Englishmen are made of!!" "29L for the honest man!"
"Beacham?!" the glowering foreman eyes him.
"Uh...Here, here! Judgement for Field."
cumgranosalis • Link
The judge would also have dim view of Pepys etal, the Judge could be an Oxford man, [ low opinion of the granta lot] as usually the jury be from those that have real estate earnings in excess of 30 quid a year and would be averse to being taxed to provide the Navy bunch with a meal ticket so that they could cab [coach] it around town on their farthings.
Second Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"late with Captain Miners about the East India business.
See http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
Ivan • Link
L&M reads that Field gets "20l damage more" not 29l.
Beth Meacham • Link
A couple years later, but the clysters are enemas. And while he's still complaining, I see no hint that he's taken up his doctor's advice to eat porridge and black bread.
Bill • Link
I like David G's suggestion from yesterday that insurance on this ship could be bought by anyone. "it seems one man, Middleburgh, did give 20 per cent. in gold last night" suggests to me that Middleburgh had no financial interest in the ship. Middleburgh took a gamble and lost.
Sasha Clarkson • Link
It was 46-47 years ago, reading Robert Heinlein's 'The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress', that I first discovered that an insurer is fundamentally the same as a bookie. As a young teenager, I was somewhat outraged at the thought, but I could not find a counter-argument.
The practices which helped cause the 2008 financial crisis provided yet more corroboration of Heinlein's hypothesis.