Monday 20 November 1665

Up before day, and wrote some letters to go to my Lord, among others that about W. Howe, which I believe will turn him out, and so took horse for Nonesuch, with two men with me, and the ways very bad, and the weather worse, for wind and rayne. But we got in good time thither, and I did get my tallys got ready, and thence, with as many as could go, to Yowell, and there dined very well, and I saw my Besse, a very well-favoured country lass there, and after being very merry and having spent a piece I took horse, and by another way met with a very good road, but it rained hard and blew, but got home very well. Here I find Mr. Deering come to trouble me about business, which I soon dispatched and parted, he telling me that Luellin hath been dead this fortnight, of the plague, in St. Martin’s Lane, which much surprised me.


12 Annotations

First Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"wrote some letters to go to my Lord, among others that about W. Howe, which I believe will turn him out,"

*SPOILER* L&M note that, though "Howe was not dismissed from Sandwich's service [, he ] was not employed again in the navy during the diary period," Pepys's letter prompting an interrogation of Howe by Lord Brouncker et al. on 18 December: http://www.pepysdiary.com/archive…

cgs  •  Link

"...having bought eight bags of precious stones taken from about the Dutch Vice-Admirall’s neck, of which there were eight dyamonds which cost him 60,000l. sterling, in India,..."

neck in ringer for Howe

Michael Robinson  •  Link

" ... and the weather worse, for wind and rayne. ... Luellin hath been dead this fortnight, ... which much surprised me."

When that I was and a little tiny boy,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
A foolish thing was but a toy,
For the rain it raineth every day.

But when I came to man’s estate,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
‘Gainst knaves and thieves men shut the gate,
For the rain it raineth every day.

But when I came, alas! to wive,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
By swaggering could I never thrive,
For the rain it raineth every day.

But when I came unto my beds,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
With toss-pots still had drunken heads,
For the rain it raineth every day.

A great while ago the world begun,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
But that’s all one, our play is done,
And we’ll strive to please you every day.

'Twelfth Night,' Act 5 Scene 1, 385-404

Bryan M  •  Link

"and having spent a piece I took horse"

If Sam spent a pound (a piece) for his meal and entertainment, he must have had a fine old time indeed.

Australian Susan  •  Link

Very appropriate epitaph, MR Thank you.

andy  •  Link

he telling me that Luellin hath been dead this fortnight...which much surprised me.

...the shock of learning of the death of a friend, some time ago, and of not knowing about it: in my day, it's usually heart attacks, although I can add a suicide and a case of cerebral malaria to the list.

jeannine  •  Link

"he telling me that Luellin hath been dead this fortnight…which much surprised me."

Actually I am very surprised that the plague has not hit closer to home so to speak. Considering all of the deaths he's actually quite lucky that he hasn't lost anyone 'really close' to him. Even more so for Elizabeth as her family is too poor to move away from the infected areas during this time.

A. De Araujo  •  Link

"he telling me that Luellin hath been dead this fortnight......which much surprised me"
I am surprised that Sam was not notified of the death so he could attend the funeral, considering how close they were at one time;may be the"causa mortis" had something to do with it.

Bradford  •  Link

Poor Llewellyn! We knew it was coming, from the first posting of his bio years ago; but I didn't know it would take place offstage. Ave atque vale!

Nix  •  Link

I had the same reaction as Jeannine -- Llewellyn seems to be the first person I recognize as a friend of Samuel's to be taken by the plague.

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"I am surprised that Sam was not notified of the death so he could attend the funeral, considering how close they were at one time;may be the"causa mortis" had something to do with it."

Alas, A. De Araujo, in London and many other places, during the plague funerals -- being gatherings of people -- were banned.

It was a hard season for grief.

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"But we got in good time thither, and I did get my tallys got ready"

At the Exchequer. The tallies were for Tangier payments. (Per L&M note)

Log in to post an annotation.

If you don't have an account, then register here.