Wednesday 31 May 1665
Up, and to my office, and to Westminster, doing business till noon, and then to the ’Change, where great the noise and trouble of having our Hambrough ships lost; and that very much placed upon Mr. Coventry’s forgetting to give notice to them of the going away of our fleete from the coast of Holland. But all without reason, for he did; but the merchants not being ready, staid longer than the time ordered for the convoy to stay, which was ten days. Thence home with Creed and Mr. Moore to dinner. Anon we broke up, and Creed and I to discourse about our Tangier matters of money, which vex me. So to Gresham College, staid a very little while, and away and I home busy, and busy late, at the end of the month, about my month’s accounts, but by the addition of Tangier it is rendered more intricate, and so (which I have not done these 12 months, nor would willingly have done now) failed of having it done, but I will do it as soon as I can. So weary and sleepy to bed. I endeavoured but missed of seeing Sir Thomas Ingram at Westminster, so went to Houseman’s the Painter, who I intend shall draw my wife, but he was not within, but I saw several very good pictures.
13 Annotations
First Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
Today at Gresham College -- from the Hooke Folio Online
may. 31. 1665. The monstrous colts heads was opend wherein both eyes were found together in one place in the midst of the forehead. and two pupills therein, but only one optick nerue mr. Hooke was appointed to giue in Writing a full Description of all that was obseruable in this together wth a Schem of the head.
(petrifyd spung[e]) pure copper from cornwall.)
Dryed egge for gumme. all deliuerd to mr Hook for the Repository. (Sr. Theo: meyhernes papers about wormes in the teeth-)
(Blunts module of Coaches).
(Sr. Robert moray presented the Society wth. 20 marisco coynes diggd vp about tangier he receiud the thanks of the company and the coynes comitted to mr Hooke for the Repository.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lund…
There was read a 2d Letter written from Dunkenhall to mr. Hooke about insects found in the Palmes of Sallows vizt that by a second & more accurate obseruation there were found Little eggs in the down of those palmes which were the originall of those Caterpillars before supposed to be bred out those Little green thing in the center of those downy globules.-
The expts of refraction were referred to the next day and mr Hooke was orderd to haue the vessell of the refracting Engine made larger to try seuerall quantitys of Liquors. (Dr. Pells objections)
Ld. Brounker). dog suruiued after injecting oyl of tobacco
http://webapps.qmul.ac.uk/cell/Ho…
Robert Gertz • Link
"Hmmn...That's one for the King...Two for Sam...One for Tangier. One thousand for Sam...No, Tangier...Yes, four more for Sam...One for the King...Two thousand for Sam...Two thousand for Tangier...One for the King."
Wait? Is that right?
"One for the King...Two thousand for Tangier...Right?...Hmmn...Was that two thousand for me or Tangier?"
Can't be right...
"Sam'l? Sorry to bother you but we'll need fifty pounds for Mother's new clothes, my new cloak, and your new suit...Mostly for your suit." Bess, looking round.
Hmmn?...Fifty?
"Come to bed, sweetheart. And don't forget the fifty."
"Yes, yes...Just a moment."
Lets see...So it was fifty for Tangier, two thousand for Sam...One for the King? That does sound better.
"Well, so long as one for the King in everything."
Robert Gertz • Link
Tangier, three months later...
"Oh, God...No food, no gunpowder...If we survive to reach London, I will personally kill the Treasurer of this damned place. Can't believe a recruit like you actually volunteered for this place, young man."
"Neither can I..." Balty sighs, eyeing the commander. "But after some embarassments in my campaign for the Emperor which reduced me to grim want. Me, the heir to the Sieur du St. Michel...An aristocrat by birth..."
"Yea, yes...Well, I see you have a relative in the Naval Office."
"My brother-in-laws, Pepys...Samuel Pepys. He will no doubt recommend me."
"Must hate you deeply, then."
"Sir, the Moorish commander offers parley. He says he and his men are driven to tears for our grevious plight and will allow us safe passage to return home if we will all swear to have vengeance on the man who has abused us so..."
"Thomas Povy, yes...By God, I'll gladly swear it! And all the man's family, you may tell him!"
"Uh, no, sir...The Moor wanted us to know he'd captured a mailship...The Treasurer for some time now has been a Samuel Pepys, from the Naval Office, see here, sir."
"Pepys?!"
"Did I mention my brother-in-law spells his name P-e-e-p-s?" Balty tries, looking as well at the paper.
dirk • Link
John Evelyn's diary:
"To Deale:"
----------
A brief entry, to say the least. But it makes more sense if we read the three last entries together (29, 30, 31 May), so...
"29 I went (with my little boy) to visite my District over Kent, & to make up Accompts with my Officers; & so by Coach to Rochester, lay at Sitingburne,
[30] din’d at Canterbury, next to Dover, visited the Governor at the Castle where I had some Prisoners: My son went to sea but was not sick.
31 To Deale:"
Robert Gertz • Link
"...Houseman’s the Painter, who I intend shall draw my wife, but he was not within..."
We must gnash our teeth at this one. What a loss.
Jesse • Link
"our Tangier matters of money"
I'm guessing the link should be to the committee rather than the city. Pedantic perhaps but the committee has been of issue recently and I've gotten vague as to exactly the who and what it was all about.
Terry Foreman • Link
“Creed and I to discourse about our Tangier matters of money”
Jesse, you may have a point, since Creed is the Secretary of the Tangier Committee and Pepys is the Treasurer; however, apparently, the two of them -- apart from the rest of the Committee -- have a separate responsibility for/stake in the provisioning of the colony, as RG has noted.
The Committee are the Duke of York, Prince Rupert, the Duke of Albemarle, the Earl of Sandwich, Sir Wm. Compton, Mr. Coventry, Sir J. Mennes, Sir R. Ford, Sir W. Rider, Mr. Creed, Mr. Pepys, and Captain Cuttance.
http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…
Pedro • Link
"Hooke was appointed to giue in Writing a full Description of all that was obseruable in this together wth a Schem of the head."
The RS were lucky to have our Robert to do all the donkey work.
Pedro • Link
The Fleet are in Southwold Bay
The Duke had called a Council of War concerning a proposed change of form for battle that had come from Sandwich. This was to put the 24 merchantmen in the Rear of the Fleet, but those that were for this on the previous day did not come forward to speak and so the former order continued.
Second Reading
Rudolf Guthier • Link
How is it is possible that Pepys writes of Elizabeth Malet, born at Enmore House, Somerset, as the great beauty and fortune of the North? Graham Greene correctly names her as the beauty of the West.
Who exactly is the Lord Haly named as the grandfather of Lady Malet?
Where had she been residing when in London?
Any answers.
Terry Foreman • Link
"How is it is possible that Pepys writes of Elizabeth Malet...?"
Shew is the subject of rumors Pepys is told and he records.
http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…
Terry Foreman • Link
" Houseman’s the Painter, who I intend shall draw my wife"
L&M note Huysmans does not appear to have drawn Mrs. Pepys.
Gerald Berg • Link
Is Hamburg part of England's Baltic trade and so the source of the hemp trade?