Monday 28 December 1663

Up and by coach to my Lord’s lodgings, but he was gone abroad, so I lost my pains, but, however, walking through White Hall I heard the King was gone to play at Tennis, so I down to the new Tennis Court; and saw him and Sir Arthur Slingsby play against my Lord of Suffolke and my Lord Chesterfield. The King beat three, and lost two sets, they all, and he particularly playing well, I thought. Thence went and spoke with the Duke of Albemarle about his wound at Newhall, but I find him a heavy dull man, methinks, by his answers to me. Thence to the King’s Head ordinary and there dined, and found Creed there, but we met and dined and parted without any thing more than “How do you?” After dinner straight on foot to Mr. Hollyard’s, and there paid him 3l. in full for his physic and work to my wife … [about her evill below; – L&M] but whether it is cured for ever or no I cannot tell, but he says it will never come to anything, though it may be it may ooze now and then a little. So home and found my wife gone out with Will (whom she sent for as she do now a days upon occasion) to have a tooth drawn, she having it seems been in great pain all day, and at night came home with it drawn, and pretty well. This evening I had a stove brought me to the office to try, but it being an old one it smokes as much as if there was nothing but a hearth as I had before, but it may be great new ones do not, and therefore I must enquire further. So at night home to supper and to bed.

The Duchesse of York is fallen sicke of the meazles.

19 Annotations

First Reading

Bradford  •  Link

"The King beat three, and lost two sets, they all, and he particularly playing well, I thought."

What was the royal seventeenth-century equivalent of Nike or Adidas and tennis togs?

As for Pepys's "poor wife" and her "site of infection," the tactful doctor "says it will never come to anything, though it may be it may ooze now and then a little." There's a comfort.

Pedro  •  Link

"What was the royal seventeenth-century equivalent of Nike"

The King might punch the air, look to the heavens, thank the Goddess of Victory, and no doubt pocket a few quid in the process.

jeannine  •  Link

work to my wife ... but whether it is cured...

L&M fill in the blanks

work to my wife about her evill below; but whether it is cured ....

A. Hamilton  •  Link

The King beat three, and lost two sets,

Must have been awkward for Suffolk and Chesterfield playing the king. They had to lose, of course, but not so as to make it apparent they were trying to.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"So home and found my wife gone out with Will (whom she sent for as she do now a days upon occasion)..."

Poor Will, not even the faintest burst of jealously...I guess the Pepysian version of the Hitch-hiker's Guide would read:

William Hewer: Able...Mostly harmless.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...to have a tooth drawn, she having it seems been in great pain all day, and at night came home with it drawn, and pretty well."

I wince just reading it...Ow! Poor, poor Bess. Makes me think of that scene in "Topsy-Turvy" where Jim Broadbent as W.S. Gilbert has to have a tooth yanked. Make that "Yeow!!!"

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

re: "about her evill below"

Strange, Jeannine ... I would think Mr. Wheatley and the Victorians wouldn't hesitate to print something like that...

Dan Jenkins  •  Link

A Victorian acknowledging there was a "below," evill or otherwise?
For shame, Todd.

Wim van der Meij  •  Link

Was tennis 'court' derived from Hampton Court, or is -court- a word for just a stretch of land?

Robert Gertz  •  Link

"...but it being an old one it smokes as much as if there was nothing but a hearth as I had before, but it may be great new ones do not, and therefore I must enquire further."

The endless quest for the technical cutting edge...

Mary  •  Link

court.

A court is, primarily, an enclosed area or yard.

The 'court' of such establishments as Hampton Court, indicates a large building or set of buildings standing in a courtyard, hence a large house or castle (in early times a manorial house). OED.

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Thence went and spoke with the Duke of Albemarle about his wood at Newhall" -- so transcribe L&M. [making that sentence MUCH clearer].

The timber at New Hall, Essex, belonging to Albemarle, was about to be surveyed for purchase by the Navy Board: CSPD 1663-4, pp. 447, 464, 570. (L&M footnote)

Terry Foreman  •  Link

L&M transcribe what Pepys says about his wife's health -- in full:

"to Mr. Hollyards and there paid him 3l in full for his physic and work to my wife about her evill below; but whether it is cured for ever or no I cannot tell, but he says it will never come to anything, though it may be it may ooze now and then a little. So home and found my wife gone out with Will (whom she sent for as she do nowadays upon occasion) to have a tooth drawn, she having it seems been in great pain all day; and at night came home with it drawn, and pretty well."

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Apparently the Duchess of York's measles was not serious:

Measles has been a scourge for centuries. Modern scientists suggest measles evolved after the rise of civilization in the Middle East and may have come from animals; the virus was highly similar to rinderpest, which infected cattle.

3rd to 10th century: physicians in Asia and North Africa identified and diagnosed measles, which was similar to smallpox, another highly contagious disease that triggered rashes and sores.

In 340, Chinese alchemist Ko Hung described the difference between smallpox and measles; a Christian priest, Ahrun, did the same in Egypt about 300 years later. In 910, the Persian physician Rhazes published the most widely celebrated early diagnoses of the two diseases.

1492: Christopher Columbus and European explorers arrive in the Americas, bringing a raft of deadly diseases — including measles — with them.

Native Americans had no natural immunity to many of these diseases. Measles, smallpox, whooping cough, chicken pox, bubonic plague, typhus and malaria — often deadly in Europe — became even more efficient killers in the New World. By some estimates, the Native American population plunged by as much as 95% over the next 150 years due to disease.

Highlights from http://www.latimes.com/local/cali…

&&&

Measles is a highly contagious infection caused by the measles virus. Initial signs and symptoms typically include fever, often greater than 40 °C (104.0 °F), cough, runny nose, and inflamed eyes. Two or three days after the start of symptoms, small white spots may form inside the mouth. A red, flat rash which usually starts on the face and then spreads to the rest of the body typically begins three to five days after the start of symptoms.

Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days.
Complications occur in about 30% and may include diarrhea, blindness, inflammation of the brain, and pneumonia among others.

Measles is an airborne disease which spreads easily through the coughs and sneezes of those infected, and contact with saliva or nasal secretions. Nine out of ten people who are not immune and share living space with an infected person will catch it. People are infectious to others from four days before to four days after the start of the rash. People usually do not get the disease more than once.

There is no treatment. Most people with uncomplicated measles will recover with rest and supportive treatment. Patients who become sicker may be developing pneumonia, ear infections, bronchitis (either viral bronchitis or secondary bacterial bronchitis), and brain inflammation. Brain inflammation from measles has a mortality rate of 15%.

Notes from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mea…

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Just in case you don't get the full import of Pepys note that Anne Hyde, Duchess of York has measels:

Symptoms of measels usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person, and they are infectious for 4 days before the symptoms show. SO ANNE HYDE, DUCHESS OF YORK COULD HAVE INFECTED EVERYONE OVER CHRISTMAS (contracted Dec 18-21 -- infectious starting December 22-25).

Charles II shows no worries, as usual. Since James and Anne live at St. James's Palace, perhaps he feels isolated enough.

StanB  •  Link

Kings Charles I and II had luxurious outfits specially made to play tennis in, Charles I wore a close-fitting jacket with open seams and Charles II had a linen fabric outfit
References to the elegant garments were discovered in royal archives by the University of Southampton's Professor Maria Hayward
Read more on this here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-engl…

Jonathan V  •  Link

Very interesting, StanB, thanks.

StanB  •  Link

Your welcome Jonathan V and Happy New Year mate

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