Thursday 7 July 1664

Up, and this day begun, the first day this year, to put off my linnen waistcoat, but it happening to be a cool day I was afraid of taking cold, which troubles me, and is the greatest pain I have in the world to think of my bad temper of my health.

At the office all the morning. Dined at home, to my office to prepare some things against a Committee of Tangier this afternoon. So to White Hall, and there found the Duke and twenty more reading their commission (of which I am, and was also sent to, to come) for the Royall Fishery, which is very large, and a very serious charter it is; but the company generally so ill fitted for so serious a worke that I do much fear it will come to little.

That being done, and not being able to do any thing for lacke of an oathe for the Governor and Assistants to take, we rose.

Then our Committee for the Tangier victualling met and did a little, and so up, and I and Mr. Coventry walked in the garden half an hour, talking of the business of our masts, and thence away and with Creed walked half an hour or more in the Park, and thence to the New Exchange to drink some creame, but missed it and so parted, and I home, calling by the way for my new bookes, viz., Sir H. Spillman’s “Whole Glossary,” “Scapula’s Lexicon,” and Shakespeare’s plays, which I have got money out of my stationer’s bills to pay for. So home and to my office a while, and then home and to bed, finding myself pretty well for all my waistecoate being put off to-day.

The king is pretty well to-day, though let blood the night before yesterday.

32 Annotations

First Reading

Terry F  •  Link

"the company generally so ill fitted for so serious a worke that I do much fear it will come to little"

And to little it came. NO OATH?? Pepys surely has some extras....

Robert Gertz  •  Link

So how did "Shakespeare's Plays" fit in the Naval Office stationer's account?

Het-hum...

"Your Grace. Our seamen being in desperate need of improvement in both language and morals..."

Certainly Sir John will second it.

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Should I do it? Risk setting off the bomb?

Well, as former circulation manager and editorial assistant of the English Literary Renaissance journal...I feel I must.

He didn't say "Oxford's Plays".

Duck!

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Should I do it? Risk setting off the bomb?

Well, as former circulation manager and editorial assistant of the English Literary Renaissance journal...I feel I must.

He didn't say "Oxford's Plays".

Duck!

Robert Gertz  •  Link

Should I do it? Risk setting off the bomb?

Well, as former circulation manager and editorial assistant of the English Literary Renaissance journal...I feel I must.

He didn't say "Oxford's Plays".

Duck!

Michael Robinson  •  Link

which I have got money out of my stationer's bills to pay for

For those into price comparisons: a respectable copy of the Third Folio in a fine contemporary binding -- contemporary gold-tooled crimson turkey, Christie's attributed 'posibly' to Roger Bartlett; Sydenham - Tollemache - Foyle copy - Christie's, July 12, 2000, lot 455, £420,000 ($630,000) plus approximately 20% buyers premium -- or C18th. calf, Darwin Kingsley - Mary Hyde Eccles copy - Christie's New York, Apr 14, 2004, lot 92, $550,000 - plus permium.

Michael Robinson  •  Link

on the other hand Scapula's 'Lexicon', ...

old half lea - worn, spine chipped & dried - Some soiling & foxing - New England Book Auctions, Mar 31, 1998, lot 214, $450 -- the auction "record."

Terry F  •  Link

O for a Scapula to trim book costs (and keep peace at the Pepys's)!!

"John Scapula was on the staff of the author and printer, Henri Estienne, whose great Greek Thesaurus was published at Geneva in 1572. Estienne had spent twelve years of his life in research on this work and in consequence it had to be very costly. Scapula decided to leave the firm and on doing so 'lifted' much of Estienne's material, which he incorporated into his own great lexicon, first published at Basel in 1580, at a cheap price. Scapula's work went through edition after edition, whereas the real author's work 'hung fire' and he was practically ruined" (Maggs Catalogue 891, item 382). "The two editions of 1652 are the most esteemed, and sell at a very high price - from their extraordinary rarity" (Dibdin). http://www.antiqbook.com/boox/rul…

Cumsalisgrano  •  Link

"So sorry Sir! "
"but, would you like a raspberry sir? "

or "Sir! ye have to be here before the crowd cleans me out."

"...and thence to the New Exchange to drink some creame, but missed it and so parted..."

Michael Robinson  •  Link

The two editions of 1652 are the most esteemed, and sell at a very high price

In the age of Dibdin's activity, circa 1800-25, perhaps; he has never ceased to be a useful source of authoritative hyperbole.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thom…

JWB  •  Link

"...business of masts..."
Surprising (to me) point of information I just came across:
"Rackham ("Ancient Woodland" & "The History of the Countryside")gives figures for woodland as a percentage of the total land area, 30% at the end of Roman times, 15% by the Domesday Survey in 1086 and about 5% by 1895. The latest survey gives about 1.5% deciduous woodland in 1992."

http://www.kami.demon.co.uk/gesit…

Martin  •  Link

"...money out of my stationer's bills..."

Back on February 8:
"so to Cade's, the stationer, and there did look upon some pictures which he promised to give me the buying of, but I found he would have played the Jacke with me, but at last he did proffer me what I expected, and I have laid aside 10l. or 12l. worth, and will think of it, but I am loth to lay out so much money upon them."

It appears that he decided not to buy the pictures, got back his deposit and used it to buy the books.

Cumsalisgrano  •  Link

Martin an interesting find [thanks]; there we be, thinking, he used his Navy tab to get his dictionary and be able to reread " mid summers knight dream " again.

Cumsalisgrano  •  Link

Martin an interesting find [thanks]; there we be, thinking, he used his Navy tab to get his dictionary and be able to reread " mid summers knight dream " again.

Cumsalisgrano  •  Link

Creame, Samuel mentions it 5 time in the last two years, first with his meates, the best he ever had, then it be with some curd and a chat, then with some cherries, then he has a mess of it, and today he be to late to participate.
I wonder why?
Was it then frozen like it be rumoured in Charle's papa's time and it had turned to liquid, or was it clotted [scalded] the Devonshire way [with cherie] and so popular that it be gone, or was high and it was no longer edible, no strawberries, but he did say drink, so was it an early form of Bristol Milk, then [then he may thinking of creaming the books subconciously? ]

OED : 1586 COGAN Haven Health (1636) 179 Clouted Creame, which is made by setting the milke ouer an easie fire, untill it come to a thicke head.

1637 B. JONSON Sad Sheph. I. vi, Fall to your cheese-cakes, curdes, and clawted creame.

It was not for using with his caffein or char as it not be noted in use by the OED until 1834
Creme : a token OED
1. The oily or butyraceous part of milk, which gathers on the top when the milk is left undisturbed; by churning it is converted into butter.
clotted or clouted cream, known also locally as Devonshire, Somersetshire, whipped cream, etc.: see CLOUTED.
. 1626 BACON Sylva §314 We see Cream is Matured, and made to rise more speedily by putting in cold Water. 1673 Whipped cream

1657 SIR J. BALFOUR Ann. Scot. (1824-5) II. 262 Notwithstanding of all this faire wether and sueet creame intendit by the courte.

1661 A. WRIGHT in Spurgeon Treas. Dav. Ps. cxvii. 2 This turns all that a man hath to cream.

Glyn  •  Link

Robert Gertz: "So how did "Shakespeare's Plays" fit in the Naval Office stationer's account?"

Actually, RG you're closer than we might realise. There are records of ships' captains and crews on long-distance journeys rehearsing and putting on plays as a way of keeping idle people busy, and playbooks were bought for that purpose. One of the earliest recorded stagings of Hamlet by a non-professional cast was on a naval ship in the Baltic in (I think) the 1620s. Obviously it would depend on the interests of the captain.

Pedro  •  Link

crews on long-distance journeys

Glyn also a little earlier...

In 1601 on Lancaster's voyage to the East Indies, Journals and Diaries make frequent mention of play acting, singing and clowning around that enliven the tedium of a long voyage. Music was extremely popular and one one vessel a "virginal was brought for two to play upon at once". This proved a great success for no sooner had the music commenced than "the jacks skip up and down in such a manner as they will". A later expedition even boasted a cornet player who used to regularly play for his colleagues. So accomplished was he on the instrument, and so wide his repertoire, that arriving in India he found himself blowing his brass for the Great Moghul himself.

(Nathaniel's Nutmeg by Giles Milton)

Pedro  •  Link

"One of the earliest recorded staging of Hamlet"

Glyn this may be the recorded occurrence...

On April I607 a fleet set out for the East Indies under William Keeling... Keeling's other great passion was the plays of Shakespeare and, as his ship drifted listlessly in the mid-Atlantic, he spent his leisure time planning a magnificent performance of one of the Bard's plays...Dropping anchor off the coast of Sierra Leone the play was performed under the star studded African sky. "We gave," wrote the proud captain, "the tradgede of Hamlet."

Later he performed King Richard III on his ship.

(Summary from Nathaniel's Nutmeg... Giles Milton)

Michael Robinson  •  Link

"One of the earliest recorded staging of Hamlet"

Pedro, an amazing post -- and one where the content is so whimsical and fantastic that it makes the world appear a better place!

Andrew Hamilton  •  Link

Amateur productions

A lovely English pastime. Reminds me of the time when I played the woodsman in Little Red Riding Hood at the age of 10 under the direction of the British Ambassador at the post where my family was stationed.

Michael Robinson  •  Link

" ... which I have got money out of my stationer's bills to pay for. ..."

Pepys was explicit about the previous book purchasing binge being made from the office credits:

" ... having gained this day in the office by my stationer's bill to the King about 40s. or 3l., I did here sit two or three hours calling for twenty books to lay this money out upon,and found myself at a great losse where to choose, and do see how my nature would gladly return to laying out money in this trade. ..."
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

Cumsalisgrano  •  Link

Thanks for the High finance, Michael R.

Terry F  •  Link

The Diary of John Evelyn

July 7: To Court, where I subscribed to Sir Arthyr Slingsbys loterey, a desperate debt owing me long since in Paris:

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"but the company generally so ill fitted for so serious a worke that I do much fear it will come to little. That being done, and not being able to do any thing for lacke of an oathe for the Governor and Assistants to take, we rose. "

The Royal Fishery Company's greatest challenge may not have been "the company generally" nor lack of "an oathe for the Governor and Assistants to take", but its size (37), as was noted on 10 March: http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

Tonyel  •  Link

I can't recall the source but remember reading somewhere that there was an official naval instruction: "All hands to dance and skylark."
Boredom is a terrible thing in a crowd of active young men.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Skylark Naval The official naval word, verb and noun, for Frolic, Playing about, Ballyragging. In sailing ship days the order "Hands to dance and skylark" was sometimes given; this was probably as a form of physical training, to liven the crew up after a period of dullness, the 'skylarking' perhaps referring to races run in the rigging. Probably the only occasion when this order is to be hear in modern times is before a dance on board when the french chalk on the "ball room" deck needs to be rubbed in. http://www.britishempire.co.uk/gl…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

John Scapula, thief and fraud
http://words.fromoldbooks.org/Cha…

Henri Estienne (1528 or 1531 – 1598), also known as Henricus Stephanus, [from whom Scapula stole] was a 16th-century French printer and classical scholar. His most celebrated work, the Thesaurus graecae linguae or Greek thesaurus, appeared in four volumes in 1572, with a supplement in two volumes. This work was begun by his father and served up to the nineteenth century as the basis of Greek lexicography. Of the editions of the Greek New Testament that went forth from his presses, that of Beza, with his commentary, deserves mention. Henry's own editions of the Greek New Testament of 1576 and 1587 are noteworthy. The former contains the first scientific treatise on the language of the apostolic writers and the latter has a discussion of the ancient divisions of the text. In 1578 he published a famous edition of the complete works of Plato, translated by Jean de Serres, with commentary. This work is the source of the standard 'Stephanus numbers' used by scholars today to refer to the works of Plato. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hen…

Liz  •  Link

Clothing: thank goodness we can add/subtract layers at will. Many a time I’ve needed a light jacket in the morning which was discarded by lunchtime. SP et al seem to stay in whatever went on first thing. Afterthought: lack of zips and Velcro means help needed to dress/undress.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"SP et al seem to stay in whatever went on first thing."

Perhaps the delivery and collection of clothes by his boy was so normal, he doesn't mention it, just as there might have been hand-offs of documents so he's not carrying every file for the day all day. A while back he did mention wearing a cloak one cold morning, and leaving it somewhere, either for Tom Edwards to pick up or he picked it up later. I imagine one reason for being a regular customer at taverns might bring privileges like that.

And you know how often it rains in London. Silk and velvet suits don't do well when wet, and I have no idea how he stays dry.

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